Nasal polyp removal (Nasal polypectomy)

What is nasal polyp removal?

Nasal polyps are soft, usually not painful swellings of the lining of the nose and sinuses. They are linked to long-standing inflammation (chronic rhinosinusitis) and can block the nose, dull the sense of smell and cause a runny or drippy nose. Removing them opens the airway and can improve smell for a time.

The operation usually means removing the polyps and opening blocked sinuses with a telescope through the nostrils (endoscopic surgery). There is no cut on the outside of the nose. It is generally offered when steroid sprays or drops, and sometimes a short course of steroid tablets, have not controlled the symptoms.

The most important thing to understand is that surgery removes the polyps but does not cure the underlying inflammation. Polyps commonly grow back, often within a few years, so almost everyone needs to keep using steroid nasal sprays or rinses afterwards to keep them under control.

Types & techniques

There isn't one single operation. The right approach depends on you — which is something to discuss with your surgeon.

Options at a glance

These are the main approaches described in this guide. The right option depends on the diagnosis, your goals and what your clinician thinks is safe.

Preparing for your surgery

• See the operating surgeon, who will examine the inside of your nose, often with a telescope, and may arrange a CT scan of the sinuses.
• Be ready to discuss whether you have tried steroid sprays or drops, saline rinses and any steroid tablets first.
• Tell your surgeon about asthma, aspirin sensitivity and allergies, which are linked to polyps and affect the outlook.
• Mention all medicines and supplements, especially blood thinners, which may need managing.
• Stop smoking beforehand if you can, as it worsens inflammation and slows healing.
• Arrange a lift home and someone to stay with you on the first night after a general anaesthetic.
• Plan around one to two weeks off work, and expect a blocked nose at first.

What happens

The operation is usually done asleep under general anaesthetic and takes around 30 to 60 minutes. The surgeon works through the nostrils using a telescope, so there is no cut on the outside of the nose. The polyps are removed and, where needed, the blocked sinus openings are widened so the lining can be treated more effectively afterwards.

Dissolvable dressings or, less often, packing may be placed inside the nose. Some blood-stained discharge in the first days is normal.

Most people go home the same day. Your nose will feel blocked while it heals, and you will usually be asked to start saline rinses and, a little later, steroid nasal sprays to help keep the polyps from returning quickly.

Is this operation right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Anaesthetic choices

The safest option depends on the operation, your health, the facility and your surgeon/anaesthetist. Ask what is planned and why.

Because the sinuses sit close to the eye and the base of the skull, there are rare but serious risks to the eye and the thin bone at the top of the nose. These are uncommon in experienced hands. The everyday issue, though, is recurrence: surgery clears the polyps but not the underlying inflammation, so plan to keep using sprays or rinses. Ask your surgeon how likely your polyps are to return and what the long-term plan is.

Published figures to discuss

Outcomes depend on how extensive the polyps are and on the underlying inflammation, especially in people with asthma or aspirin sensitivity. The serious risks relate to the eye and skull base because the sinuses lie close to both; in experienced hands these are rare. Recurrence is common and is the main long-term issue. The figures below are cautious and source-defensible.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

Recovery — what to expect, and when

Most people are back to normal life within one to two weeks, though the nose stays congested for a while and the lining keeps settling over the following weeks as crusting clears and sprays take effect.

• A blocked, stuffy nose and mouth-breathing for some weeks
• Blood-stained discharge and crusting inside the nose early on
• A temporary dip in the sense of smell before it improves
• Mild facial pressure or a dull ache around the nose
• A gradual rather than instant improvement in breathing and smell

Aftercare

• Start saline rinses as advised to clear crusting and help healing.
• Restart steroid nasal sprays when your surgeon advises, usually a week or two after surgery, to slow regrowth.
• Do not blow your nose hard; sneeze with your mouth open in the early days.
• Avoid heavy lifting, straining, swimming and contact sports until cleared.
• Take painkillers as advised and avoid blood-thinning medicines unless told otherwise.
• Attend your follow-up appointment so the inside of the nose can be checked.
• Save the clinic's contact number in case of heavy bleeding, eye symptoms, severe headache or fever.

• Lift home and an adult to stay overnight after the anaesthetic
• One to two weeks off work booked
• Saline rinse kit and steroid spray ready at home
• Painkillers collected
• Follow-up appointment noted
• Clinic out-of-hours number saved

Scars and how they heal

There is no cut on the outside of the nose, so there is no visible external scar. The surgery is done through the nostrils and any healing happens on the lining inside the nose.

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Heavy or persistent nosebleed that does not settle
• Swelling, bruising or pain around the eye, or any change or double vision
• A severe headache with neck stiffness or feeling very unwell
• Clear watery fluid dripping steadily from one nostril
• A high temperature, spreading facial redness or worsening facial pain
• Sudden visual disturbance or loss of vision

Who to contact: your surgeon or clinic first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your surgeon gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

A good result means a clearer, less blocked nose and, for many people, an improved sense of smell, with sprays and rinses now able to reach the lining and help keep symptoms down. Most people notice an improvement, though smell does not always recover and can improve only temporarily.

It is important to remember the operation removes the polyps but does not cure the inflammation that caused them. Polyps commonly grow back over time, so the real measure of success is good long-term control with surgery plus ongoing medical treatment, not a one-off cure.

Polyps have a strong tendency to return, sometimes within a few years and sometimes much longer, especially in people with asthma or aspirin sensitivity. Continuing steroid nasal sprays or rinses long term is the main way to keep them under control. Some people need one or more further operations, and a few are suitable for newer biologic medicines.

Combining with other procedures

Polyp removal is usually combined with opening the blocked sinuses (functional endoscopic sinus surgery) so the lining can be treated more effectively afterwards. It may also be combined with septoplasty if a bent septum is also blocking the nose. Ongoing medical treatment is always part of the plan.

Follow-up & long-term care

You will usually be seen a few weeks after surgery to check healing inside the nose and to make sure you are back on steroid sprays or rinses. Because polyps can return, longer-term review is common, and you should report a returning blockage, loss of smell, eye symptoms or persistent infection.

• Long-term steroid nasal sprays or rinses to control inflammation
• Regular saline rinses as advised
• Treating asthma and allergy well, as these are linked to polyps
• Returning promptly if blockage or loss of smell comes back
• Discussing biologic medicines with your specialist if polyps keep returning despite treatment

Revision and secondary surgery reality

• Polyps commonly return, so repeat surgery over the years is not unusual.
• Good long-term control usually relies on surgery plus ongoing medical treatment, not surgery alone.
• People with asthma or aspirin sensitivity tend to have higher recurrence.
• Biologic medicines are an option for some people whose polyps keep returning despite treatment.

Ask your surgeon for their own revision rate, what counts as a revision, and what is included in the written aftercare policy.

What good aftercare looks like

• Clear advice on saline rinses and when to restart steroid sprays to reduce regrowth.
• A named contact route and warning signs for eye symptoms, severe headache, fluid leak or heavy bleeding.
• A long-term plan to control inflammation and monitor for recurrence.
• Joined-up care with asthma and allergy treatment where relevant.
• Honest discussion of further surgery or biologics if polyps return.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• The operating surgeon's fee and how extensive the surgery is
• Whether sinus surgery (FESS) is done at the same time
• General anaesthetic and the anaesthetist's fee
• Theatre and facility fees
• Pre-operative CT scanning of the sinuses
• Follow-up appointments and ongoing medical treatment
• Any further surgery if polyps return

• The surgeon's fee and exactly what operation it covers
• Anaesthetist's fee and the type of anaesthetic
• Theatre and facility charges
• Whether pre-operative CT scanning is included
• Number of follow-up appointments included
• Cancellation policy
• What happens, and who pays, if polyps return and further surgery is needed

On the NHS? Nasal polyp removal is available on the NHS when polyps block the nose despite medical treatment; private care is mainly used for faster appointments or choice of surgeon, and medical treatment is available without surgery.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including aftercare and any revision — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a surgeon safely

• Check your surgeon is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they practise at a CQC-registered location, and look for membership of bodies like BAAPS or BAPRAS.
• You're entitled to a two-stage consent process with time to reflect (a cooling-off period). The surgeon who will operate must consent you — not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers, discounts or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including aftercare and any revision — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good surgeon will welcome every one of these.

• How likely are my polyps to come back, given my asthma or allergy history?
• Will you also open my sinuses, and why?
• What is the realistic chance my sense of smell will improve?
• What long-term sprays or rinses will I need afterwards?
• Would biologic medicines be an option for me instead of, or as well as, surgery?
• What are my personal risks to the eye and skull base during surgery?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the surgeon who carries out my operation, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this operation not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified surgeon for nasal polyp removal

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How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Nasal polyps ENT UK — Sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS — Nasal polypectomy Dorset County Hospital NHS — Nasal polypectomy NICE CKS — Chronic rhinosinusitis Nationwide incidence of major complications in endoscopic sinus surgery — PubMed

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.