Sinus/Nasal Surgery

Best Sinus doctor san Antonio, tx

What is Sinusitis and what are the symptoms?

The sinuses are hollow spaces in the skull (i.e. the frontal, ethmoid, sphenoid and maxillary) which serve to lighten the skull and give resonance to the voice. The purpose of the sinuses, which open into the nasal cavity, is to generate mucus to keep the nose from drying out during breathing and to trap unwanted materials so that they do not reach the lungs.

When you have acute or chronic sinusitis, the mucous membranes of your nose, sinuses and throat become inflamed, possibly from a pre‐existing cold or allergies. Swelling obstructs the sinus openings and prevents normal mucus drainage, causing mucus and pressure to build up.  Symptoms include: drainage of a thick, yellow or greenish discharge from the nose or down the back of the throat; nasal obstruction or congestion; tenderness and swelling around the eyes, cheeks, nose and forehead; and/or a reduced sense of smell and taste. The impact of chronic sinusitis on a person’s quality of life could include: throbbing facial pain or headaches, congestion, bad breath, irritability, fatigue or nausea.

Many patients present with Sinusitis in San Antonio. More Americans suffer from sinusitis than diabetes, asthma, or coronary heart disease. Sinusitis affects 37 million Americans each year, making it one of the most common health problems.

Sinusitis impacts a person’s quality of life and accounts for over $8 billion in annual health care expenditures.

Interested in finding relief through sinus and nasal surgery in San Antonio? Triple board-certified surgeon Dr. Jose Barrera has many years of experience as one of the best sinus doctors in San Antonio, TX. Learn more by reading on, or schedule a consultation with Dr. Barrera and his team today!

Do I have Allergies, a Cold or Sinusitis? 

Recurrent colds and allergy attacks are common between September and February in South Texas and they happen year after year. Patients take allergy or cold medicines to relieve their symptoms but in some cases, they don’t help.

When symptoms become severe, patients seek out a primary care physician or general practitioner to get relief. Consider seeing an Otolaryngologist or Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist with training in sinus and allergy disorders.

After listening to your history of symptoms and conducting an exam, your doctor can determine whether or not you have acute sinusitis, a temporary inflammation of the sinus lining that is caused by a bacterial infection and commonly called a sinus infection.  Your doctor may recommend saline nasal sprays, antibiotics, nasal steroid sprays, decongestants and over‐the‐counter pain relievers to help relieve the condition.

However, if you experience symptoms for longer than 12 weeks you could have chronic sinusitis and may need to see a specialist like Dr. Barrera.

Sinusitis Treatment in San Antonio

Otolaryngologist and Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Jose Barrera, MD shares the story of a patient being treated for sinusitis and sinus infections in our clinic in San Antonio.

ClariFix® to Solve Vasomotor Rhinitis

Chronic rhinitis is caused by overactive nerves stimulating the production of mucus in the nasal passageway.

If left untreated, this problem can be a life-long chronic condition that severely hampers a patient’s quality of life. At Dr. Barrera’s award winning clinic in San Antonio, TX, one minimally-invasive yet highly effective treatment for vasomotor rhinitis is cryotherapy using the ClariFix device.

Cryotherapy means cold or freezing treatment. Using the state-of-the-art ClariFix device, Dr. Barrera can freeze particular tissue regions in the nose that contain the overreactive nerves that cause excessive mucus production. This stops the rhinitis immediately.

The Treatment of Chronic Sinusitis 

If chronic sinusitis is suspected, your doctor most likely will refer you to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) physician (an otolaryngology specialist). Dr. Jose Barrera, MD is triple board certified by the American Boards of Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Our ENT physician uses several methods to help screen for chronic sinusitis: visual inspection, nasal endoscopy, CT scan, or nasal and sinus cultures.  After diagnosing chronic sinusitis and identifying a possible cause, your ENT will often begin with medical management.

Medical management of chronic sinusitis may include:

• Decongestants

• Nasal steroids

• Antibiotics

• Mucus thinning drugs

• Oral steroids

Healthcare professionals often find it difficult to treat the majority of chronic sinusitis sufferers with medication. In fact, it is estimated that up to 60 percent of chronic sinusitis sufferers are not successfully treated with medication. Patients who do not respond well to medications become candidates for conventional sinus surgery, which is known as functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).

Since the 1980s, FESS has been the standard of care for sinus surgery. FESS aims to clear blocked sinuses and restore normal sinus drainage by removing bone and tissue to enlarge the sinus opening, which may lead to pain, scarring and bleeding.

However, conventional sinus surgery no longer has to be the only option for chronic sinusitis patients who are not responding well to medications.  Balloon Sinuplasty™ is a breakthrough procedure that relieves the pain and pressure associated with chronic sinusitis. To learn more about chronic sinusitis, visit the American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery (www.entnet.org). For more information about Balloon Sinuplasty, visit www.balloonsinuplasty.com