DMV Allergy & Asthma Center – Allergist Washington DC, Frederick & Alexandria
Nasal Polyps Treatment from Board-Certified Allergists in VA, DC & MD
4.9/5 from 2,000+ patient reviews
What Are Nasal Polyps?
Nasal polyps are soft, non-cancerous growths that develop on the lining of the nasal passages or sinuses. They form gradually in response to long-term inflammation, and while they are painless on their own, they can quietly block airflow, dull your sense of smell, disrupt sleep, and set off repeated sinus infections.
Polyp size varies widely. Small polyps can go unnoticed for years, while larger ones can obstruct nasal passages entirely and require targeted treatment. What matters more than size is the inflammation driving them. Most patients with nasal polyps also have an underlying condition like chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, or allergic rhinitis, and treating the polyps without addressing the cause almost always leads to recurrence.
At DMV Allergy & Asthma Center, our board-certified allergists and immunologists treat nasal polyps as part of the wider inflammatory picture, not as an isolated growth to be cleared once and forgotten.
Common Symptoms of Nasal Polyps
Nasal polyps develop slowly, and symptoms often build up over months before patients realize something is wrong. If any of the following have lasted more than 12 weeks, or keep returning despite medication, schedule an evaluation with a specialist:
- Persistent nasal congestion or a constantly stuffy nose
- Runny nose or postnasal drip that never fully clears
- Reduced or lost sense of smell (and often, sense of taste)
- Facial pressure, forehead pain, or a feeling of fullness behind the eyes
- Snoring, mouth breathing, or interrupted sleep
- Frequent sinus infections that resolve briefly and return
What Causes Nasal Polyps?
Nasal polyps do not have a single cause. In most patients, they grow out of long-term inflammation in the nasal and sinus lining, and that inflammation usually has an underlying driver worth identifying. Common causes and risk factors include:
- Chronic rhinosinusitis: the most common driver, where ongoing sinus inflammation produces the environment polyps form in
- Asthma: roughly 20 to 40 percent of nasal polyp patients also have asthma, and treating both together improves outcomes for each
- Allergic rhinitis: persistent allergic inflammation of the nasal passages, confirmed through allergy testing
- Aspirin sensitivity (AERD or Samter's triad): the combination of asthma, nasal polyps, and aspirin or NSAID intolerance requires a specific management approach
- Recurrent sinus infections: repeated infections keep the sinus lining inflamed and vulnerable
- Immune system conditions such as cystic fibrosis or immunodeficiency, which change how the airways respond to irritation
When Should You See an Allergist?
Ignored nasal polyps rarely stay ignored for long. Left untreated, they progress from a nuisance to a genuine daily limitation and often trigger a cascade of secondary problems including asthma flares, sleep disruption, and chronic sinus infection. See one of our allergy specialists if:
Nasal congestion, postnasal drip, or facial pressure has lasted more than 12 weeks and has not responded to over-the-counter treatment
You have lost part or all of your sense of smell or taste, one of the most telling signs of nasal polyps
You have asthma or aspirin sensitivity along with chronic nasal symptoms, which points to a coordinated inflammatory picture
You have had multiple sinus infections in the past year, or previous nasal polyps have returned after treatment
How We Treat Nasal Polyps
Nasal polyp treatment only works when the underlying inflammation is addressed alongside the polyps themselves. At DMV Allergy & Asthma Center, our approach is built around finding the driver, treating the whole airway, and preventing regrowth over the long term. Here is how our care process works:
Comprehensive Evaluation
Your first visit includes a full symptom history, an in-office nasal endoscopy to visualize the polyps and sinus openings directly, and targeted allergy and diagnostic testing to identify what is driving the inflammation. This is the difference between guessing and knowing.
Personalized Treatment Plans
Once we know the size, location, and driver of your polyps, we build a plan around your specific case. That may include nasal corticosteroids, oral steroid courses, biologic therapy, and treatment of any underlying asthma or allergic disease, sequenced and dosed for your situation, not a template.
Long-Term Care & Prevention
Nasal polyps can and do come back if the underlying inflammation is not controlled. Our team provides ongoing follow-up at our Alexandria, VA, K Street, DC, Foxhall, DC, and Frederick, MD offices to monitor polyp size, adjust your treatment as needed, and keep symptoms from returning.
All Ages Welcome
Nasal polyps are more common in adults, but children can develop them too, particularly children with cystic fibrosis or severe allergies. Our board-certified team has the depth to treat patients across all age groups.
Nasal Polyps Testing & Diagnosis
Nasal polyps look and feel like many other sinus conditions from the outside. An accurate diagnosis takes direct visualization and, in many cases, imaging plus allergy testing to identify what is fueling the inflammation. Our board-certified allergists use the following diagnostic tools:
Nasal Endoscopy
An in-office nasal endoscopy uses a thin, camera-tipped scope to examine your nasal passages and sinus openings directly. It confirms the presence, size, and location of polyps that a standard exam cannot see, and gives your provider a live view of the inflammation driving them.
Sinus CT Imaging
A sinus CT scan maps the extent of disease across all the sinuses and identifies polyps or blockage in areas an endoscope cannot reach.
Allergy Testing
Alongside imaging, allergy skin testing and blood panels pinpoint the allergic drivers behind chronic nasal inflammation, so treatment can target the root cause.
Nasal Polyps Treatment Options
Effective nasal polyp treatment usually combines two or three approaches, not one. Once we understand what is driving your polyps and how severe they are, we apply the most appropriate evidence-based therapies. View our full range of treatments and services →
Corticosteroid Nasal Sprays
The first line of treatment for most patients. Prescription-strength nasal corticosteroids reduce inflammation in the nasal lining, shrink existing polyps over time, and improve airflow. Consistent daily use is essential, since sporadic use does not deliver the same benefit. Our providers match the specific spray, technique, and dosing to your case.
Oral & Injectable Corticosteroids
For larger polyps or symptoms that do not respond to sprays alone, a short course of oral steroids or a corticosteroid injection can reduce swelling more aggressively and give longer-term therapies time to work. We prescribe these carefully and briefly, because prolonged systemic steroid use has trade-offs we do not take lightly.
Biologic Therapies
Biologic medications have transformed treatment for patients with severe, recurrent, or steroid-dependent nasal polyps, especially those who also have asthma or AERD. These injectable therapies target the specific inflammatory pathways (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13) that drive polyp growth. Our team evaluates candidacy and manages ongoing biologic treatment in-office.
Allergy & Asthma Management
Because untreated allergic disease and asthma keep the sinus lining inflamed and vulnerable to polyp regrowth, controlling them is central to long-term nasal polyp management. This may include allergy shots (immunotherapy), asthma controller therapy, or environmental changes based on your allergy testing results.
When Surgery Is Needed, Coordinated ENT Referral
For polyps that do not respond adequately to medical management, endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is performed by ENT surgeons, not allergists. When surgery is the right next step, we coordinate a direct referral to a trusted ENT partner, share your full diagnostic workup, and continue managing the underlying inflammation before and after surgery to reduce the risk of regrowth. Surgery is far more effective when the allergic and asthmatic drivers are controlled first.
Why Choose DMV Allergy & Asthma Center?
Managing nasal polyps well requires a specialist who understands the entire inflammatory system, not just the growths themselves. For over 20 years, DMV Allergy & Asthma Center has been the DMV region’s trusted allergy and immunology practice, combining advanced diagnostics, evidence-based treatment, and genuinely patient-centered care.
4 convenient locations across Alexandria, VA, K Street, DC, Foxhall, DC, and Frederick, MD
Board-certified allergists & immunologists experienced in treating nasal polyps alongside asthma, chronic sinusitis, and allergic disease
In-office nasal endoscopy and sinus CT imaging for direct diagnosis without outside referral delays
Most insurance plans accepted with a team that helps you maximize your coverage
Trusted by 15,000+ patients across Northern Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland
Patient Satisfaction
98%
of patients recommend us
Real Results from Real Patients
Service excellent, propreté impeccable, personnel très aimable et serviable.
L'établissement a entièrement revu son système de vaccination et il est bien meilleur qu'avant. Le personnel est accueillant et les médecins sont excellents.
Breathe Easier and Get Your Sense of Smell Back
Nasal polyps do not have to be something you learn to live with. With the right diagnosis, the right medical treatment, and consistent long-term care, most patients can breathe clearly, sleep well, and get their sense of smell back.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nasal Polyps
Answers from DMV Allergy & Asthma Center's board-certified allergy specialists
What are nasal polyps?
Nasal polyps are soft, non-cancerous growths that develop on the lining of the nasal passages or sinuses in response to long-term inflammation. They vary in size. Small polyps can go unnoticed for years, while larger ones block airflow, reduce sense of smell, and cause repeated sinus infections. Polyps themselves are not dangerous, but the chronic inflammation driving them almost always needs treatment.
What causes nasal polyps?
Nasal polyps grow from long-term inflammation in the nasal and sinus lining. The most common underlying drivers are chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis, aspirin sensitivity (AERD), and recurrent sinus infections. In some cases, immune system conditions such as cystic fibrosis play a role. Identifying which factor applies to you is essential, because treating polyps without treating the cause leads to recurrence.
How are nasal polyps diagnosed?
Diagnosis usually combines an in-office nasal endoscopy, which lets your provider see the polyps and sinus openings directly, with a sinus CT scan that maps how far the disease extends. Allergy testing is often added to identify allergic drivers of the underlying inflammation. Together, these give a complete picture that guides treatment and reduces the chance of regrowth.
Can nasal polyps be treated without surgery?
Yes, in the majority of cases. Most patients respond well to a combination of prescription nasal corticosteroids, targeted management of underlying allergic and asthmatic conditions, and (for severe or recurrent polyps) biologic therapy. Surgery is generally reserved for polyps that do not respond adequately to medical treatment, and even then, controlling the inflammation first improves surgical outcomes.
Do nasal polyps come back after treatment?
Nasal polyps can return, especially if the underlying inflammation is left untreated. This is why long-term management focuses on controlling the driver, such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, or chronic sinusitis, rather than treating polyps in isolation. With consistent nasal corticosteroid use and treatment of the root cause, recurrence rates drop significantly.
What kind of doctor treats nasal polyps?
Nasal polyps are treated by allergists, immunologists, and ENT specialists, and often by both working together. Because nasal polyps are usually driven by allergic or immune-mediated inflammation, board-certified allergists are ideally positioned to diagnose the underlying cause and manage long-term medical care. When surgery is needed, we coordinate directly with trusted ENT partners so treatment stays continuous.