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Posted in Uncategorized | July 17, 2024
Are you experiencing persistent congestion? Do you have trouble breathing through your nose?
You may have nasal obstruction. If obstructed breathing affects your ability to get a good night’s sleep, impacts your productivity, and gets in the way of your everyday life, VivAer can help bring lasting relief.
Keep reading to learn more about nasal obstruction, VivAer, and if an ENT treatment like VivAer could work for you.
Nasal obstruction is the complete or partial blockage of the nasal cavity. The blockage can interfere with airflow, forcing you to breathe through your mouth. Nasal obstruction can affect one or both nostrils.
Inside the nasal passage is the nasal valve, which consists of:
The septum is the wall of bone and cartilage that separates the nostrils
Also called the outer wall, the lateral wall forms the nostrils and nasal cavities. It’s made of cartilage and covered in skin.
Turbinates are the tiny structures inside the nose that cleanse, humidify, and heat air that passes through your nose and into the lungs.
Any of these three structures can become inflamed or swollen. The inflammation can reduce the overall nasal airway area, causing nasal airway obstruction and decreasing airflow.
The tell-tale signs of nasal obstruction can include:
VivAer is a small, hand-held stylus that reshapes and opens the nasal airways. The innovative, FDA-approved treatment uses radiofrequency energy to alleviate nasal obstruction, improving your breathing.
Before the procedure, your ENT specialist at Specialty Care Institute may take computed tomography (CT) scans. The CT scans will show how the blockage in the nasal valve area affects airflow.
The treatment starts by numbing the inside of your nose with a local anesthetic, which will keep you comfortable throughout the procedure. Once the numbing medicine takes effect, your ENT specialist will insert the VivAer device inside your nose, one nostril at a time.
They’ll then activate the device to deliver controlled low-temperature radiofrequency energy to the tip of the stylus. The tip will gently and permanently remodel the nasal valve area.
Reshaping will tighten and contract the tissue and cartilage, causing obstruction. You may feel slight pressure but no pain.
By reshaping the nasal valve area, VivAer creates more room inside the nose, increasing airflow and resolving nasal obstruction. Most patients experience a noticeable improvement in breathing shortly after the procedure, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes in-office.
Recovery is quick since VivAer does not involve creating incisions. Once treatment is complete, you can resume your regular routine the same day.
You may experience some inflammation and tenderness at the treatment site for several days. You might also have mild congestion for the first week.
The treatment site may be crusty for a few weeks. Your ENT specialist can provide ointment or recommend nasal rinses to help with this.
Other common side effects may include slight pain and bruising at the treatment site. The side effects of VivAer often subside within a few days.
If you must blow your nose, do so gently, and don’t pinch or manipulate the treatment area. To ensure a smooth recovery, attend all your follow-up appointments at Specialty Care Institute.
Try these simple and quick tests to determine if you could be a good VivAer candidate.
Place one or two fingertips on your cheeks on either side of the nose. Then, gently press and pull your cheeks outward. This temporarily opens your nasal valve.
Does the maneuver make it easier to breathe through the nose? If so, your nasal obstruction might be in the nasal valve, and you may benefit from VivAer.
If you’re still uncertain whether you have nasal obstruction, you can take the NOSE Score test, which measures the severity of nasal obstruction.
It comprises five self-rated items that use a 20-point scale to assess your symptoms. Higher scores indicate more severe nasal obstruction symptoms than lower scores.
If you have a higher score, you could benefit from VivAer.
Some of the many advantages of VivAer include:
With VivAer, there’s no downtime. Patients usually return to their normal activity levels on the same day.
By reshaping nasal tissues and cartilage, VivAer resolves nasal obstruction, allowing you to breathe better.
Clinical studies show considerable improvements in nasal obstruction symptoms after VivAer, similar to invasive surgical treatments.
VivAer is a non-invasive procedure that doesn’t require incisions. It’s also performed under local anesthesia, so it’s painless. The only thing you might feel is only a bit of pressure.
Any discomfort after the procedure is usually very mild and manageable.
Because there are no incisions, VivAer doesn’t change the external appearance of your nose. Some patients may have swelling, but it only lasts for a few weeks as the nose heals.
VivAer provides a lasting solution to nasal obstruction. Unlike medications that often provide temporary relief, VivAer offers long-term relief.
The procedure targets structural issues in the nasal passages, often the root cause of nasal obstruction. Improving structural problems in the nasal passages restores optimal airflow through your nasal passages, significantly enhancing your ability to breathe.
You don’t have to live with a constantly stuffy nose. If you’re suffering from persistent nasal obstruction, VivAer at Specialty Care Institute can help you feel better quickly.
Are you interested in VivAer? Schedule your appointment today at Specialty Care Institute at one of our locations in Barrington, Elgin, Hoffman Estates, and Arlington Heights, IL, to discover if the procedure can give you lasting relief.
