Hoosier State Today

• Lindsay Lohan, the star of "Falling for Christmas," has struggled with sinus problems during her career.
• People with sinusitis might experience a stuffy nose, nasal discharge, facial pain, headaches or toothaches.
• Balloon sinuplasty procedures are quick, low-risk and provide lasting relief.

Lindsay Lohan is starring in the new Netflix movie "Falling for Christmas," which follows the story of an heiress who loses her memory in a skiing accident and finds herself in the care of a widower and his daughter. 

Lohan has struggled with sinus problems during her career, which have interfered with her ability to film scenes for other movies, Vanity Fair reported. For instance, while shooting a movie in 2013, Lohan's production team had to skip a day of filming because Lohan was suffering from a sinus infection and earache.

People suffering from sinus infections can experience symptoms including a stuffy nose, nasal discharge, facial pain, headaches, a fever, toothaches, a decreased sense of smell or bad breath, according to Scotland's National Health Service. Sinus infections could resolve within a few weeks, or chronic sinusitis might last for months.

Chronic sinusitis is one of the most common chronic medical conditions among Americans, and it can have a negative effect on your quality of life, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

The NCBI conducted a study comparing patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) with patients who opted for a balloon sinuplasty to treat chronic sinusitis. The study found that, although both procedures are effective, balloon sinuplasty patients needed fewer antibiotic treatments after their procedures. FESS involves removing sinus tissue, while balloon sinuplasty is "less traumatic," since it doesn't involve removing any tissue, and instead relies on dilation to improve sinus function.

Dr. Anthony Sanders of Indianapolis Sinus Center said balloon sinuplasty is a quick and minimally invasive procedure, especially compared with older methods of addressing sinus problems. 

"In the past, when people would seek medical treatment, they were subjected to a much more invasive procedure requiring a trip to the hospital or surgery center and a lengthy operation," Sanders told Hoosier State Today. "And it took quite a while to heal from. There was also a good amount of downtime, usually one to two weeks off work. Now we're able to do that with balloon sinuplasty in the office. Generally, people are back to work in a day or two afterwards in most cases, and the results are very similar, as far as symptom control. However, it tends to leave people with less damage to normal nasal function."

A balloon sinuplasty procedure lasts 10 to 15 minutes, and patients typically recover within one to two days. Most patients can resume their normal activities in that time period, although they may experience some swelling for up to a week, according to Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center.

FESS procedures take one and a half to two hours, and patients might need up to four weeks to fully recover, during which time they should avoid strenuous activities such as exercising.

For more information about sinus conditions, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.