Why Do We Have Turbinates?

Sinus anatomy is a mystery to many people. It isn’t hard to see why: because the principal structures are basically empty and filled with air, many find themselves wondering whether these spaces serve any function whatsoever.

In fact they do: our sinuses warm, moisten and clean the air we breathe, a process that’s vital to healthy respiration. When that process goes awry in any way, and the mucosa that perform these tasks become inflamed or blocked, the result can be terrible pain and dangerous infections.

Your turbinates are a crucial part of this system, helping to clean the air by offering plenty of surface area to the effort:

The air we breathe has all kinds of stuff in it – from oxygen and nitrogen to dust, pollution, allergens, smoke, bacteria, viruses, small bugs and countless other things. The nose helps clean that air. On the surface of the nasal tissues, particularly the turbinates, are cells with small hair-like appendages called cilia that trap much of the bad stuff. Once captured, the bad stuff sits in the mucous and gradually is pushed into the throat, where it’s swallowed. Our stomachs tolerate bad stuff much better than our lungs.

When turbinates become enlarged or irritated, severe discomfort and breathing difficulty can occur. Turbinate reduction surgery helps resolve this issue by returning the turbinates to a more reasonable scale – one which doesn’t interfere with everyday breathing.

To learn more about turbinate reduction in Los Angeles, feel free to call or write today.