The turbinates are structures inside the nose and each person has three: inferior, middle, and superior. The inferior turbinates are long, finger-like structures that are bone on the inside, soft tissue in the middle, and mucosal lining on the outside—and they play a crucial role.
The turbinates warm, humidify, and moisten the air we breathe. This humidified air travels to the back of the throat and into the lungs. There, the oxygen from the inhaled air travels across tiny membranes into the blood, allowing oxygenated blood to travel to the heart, which pumps it to every cell in the body. The oxygen exchange process in the lungs is very delicate and requires a proper level of humidification for optimal results. Studies have shown that when patients have nasal obstruction from a deviated septum, they cannot get enough air to their turbinates; as a result, the body may not receive peak oxygenation. Paradoxically, enlarged inferior turbinates can also cause nasal obstruction. Enlarged inferior turbinates can be caused by allergies as well as anatomical anomalies. If the turbinates are too large and do not respond to allergy treatment (see below), we can perform a wide variety of turbinate surgery procedures to shrink their size while preserving their critical function. Turbinate surgery may include partial turbinectomy, submucosal resection, turbinate cautery, turbinate coblation, turbinate out fracture, or a combination of the above. As a leading expert in scarless nose procedures, Dr. Dugar assures patients that turbinate surgery will not leave unsightly external scars.