West Ventura News

If you are suffering from headaches, facial pressure, a blocked nose or colorful mucus when you blow your nose, these symptoms could be a sign of acute sinusitis.

According to Mayo Clinic, the spaces inside the nose of a person suffering from acute sinusitis become inflamed and swollen, causing issues with mucus drainage and buildup.

"There's different kinds of sinus pain or facial pain that a patient gets," Dr. Glenn Waldman, an otolaryngologist with Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery, told West Ventura News. "There's the kind that comes from chronic infection and chronic inflammation, where in those cases, the sinus opening becomes swollen shut and the sinuses are still making mucus. Now the mucus is infected, and it's filling up the sinus under pressure, so it's like a water balloon that's constantly expanding."

Dr. Glenn Waldman | Bella Vist ENT

Acute sinusitis sufferers may experience trouble breathing through their nose, feeling swollen around their eyes and other parts of their faces, plus a throbbing headache or other head pain, Mayo Clinic reported. 

The common cold is the most common cause for acute sinusitis and is usually cleared up between a week and 10 days. Home remedies can be a fix, but anything that lasts more than three months with treatment is then considered to be chronic sinusitis. 

Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery offers a sinus quiz for potential patients to self-assess their symptoms.