Allergies, Nose Surgeries and the Best Places to Live

The spring is full of warm breezes, colorful flowers and, of course, pollen. For allergy sufferers, springtime can be miserable as they suffer through sneezes, runny noses, and itchy eyes. Other symptoms of severe allergies include dark circles under your eyes, swollen lymph nodes, nasal crease and mouth breathing. While there are no surgical solutions to allergies, there are some procedures that can help you breathe easier. Living in a city with a good allergen landscape also makes it easier to manage allergies.

Common allergens

People develop allergies at all ages and all throughout the year. In April and May, blossoming flowers and budding trees are the main cause of allergies. Summer allergies are triggered by mold, insect stings and pollen from ragweed, tumbleweed and other grasses. Smog is also the worst during summer months, which can lead to an allergic reaction. The reality is that allergies can be triggered by any number of things. Experts recommend consulting with your doctor to figure out exactly what is causing your symptoms. This way you’ll find the most effective treatment.

Hay fever

Allergic rhinitis is more commonly called hay fever but the name can be misleading. Symptoms of hay fever are usually not caused by contact with hay. Mold, pollen, grasses and weeds are all triggers that lead to a runny nose, itchy eyes, congestion, fatigue, and sneezing. People either have seasonal hay fever, which means their symptoms only occur once a year, or perennial hay fever, which is when a person suffers allergy symptoms all year.

Chronic swelling

When swelling from allergens doesn’t go away after several weeks, it’s called chronic rhinosinusitis. In regular words, this means that your nose is swollen for a long time and has not improved with other treatment methods. Endoscopic sinus surgery is a minimally invasive way to correct the swelling. This procedure is an option if medications and nonsurgical methods have not helped.

Surgical options

Nasal surgery does not cure allergies, but it might help you breathe easier. Patients who have sinus defects or a misshapen nose might find their allergy symptoms harder to treat. Plastic surgery to repair a deviated nasal septum or correct a crooked nose can effectively improve your response to allergy treatments. Enlarged inferior turbinates inside your nose make it more difficult to breathe. A surgeon will correct this by removing part of the turbinate.

Allergies and cosmetic nose surgery

If you’re considering any kind of nasal cosmetic surgery, schedule the procedure to around your allergy seasons. While allergies won’t affect the surgical technique, severe nasal allergies can make the recovery time more uncomfortable. Swelling from the surgery combined with swelling from allergies makes it harder to breathe. Doctors recommend not blowing your nose for the first couple weeks after surgery. Discuss your allergies with your surgeon before your procedure. In some cases, your cosmetic surgeon will enhance the appearance of your nose while correcting problems that affect your breathing.

Cities for allergy sufferers

If you’re tired of suffering from severe allergy symptoms, you could try running away from the problem. Technically you would be moving away. There are some places that may offer a higher quality of life for people with bad allergies. Allergens exist everywhere, so you can’t completely escape, but the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked cities where it’s easier to manage allergies. These cities have lower pollen count and mountainous terrain. They weather is generally dry and moderate without extreme temperature changes. Be warned, however, that if you move you could develop new allergens.

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Seattle, Washington
3. San Diego, California
4. Sacramento, California
5. Albany, New York
6. Salt Lake City, Utah
7. Stockton, California
8. San Jose, California
9. Colorado Springs, Colorado
10. Daytona Beach, Florida