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Private functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) typically costs £3,000–£6,000 self-pay, with balloon sinuplasty around £2,500–£4,500. Add an ENT consultation at £150–£300 and a sinus CT scan at £350–£800. The NHS funds sinus surgery when clinically needed, but the ENT median wait is 14.8 weeks — and health insurance covers it as standard treatment.
- ✓Private FESS typically costs £3,000–£6,000; balloon sinuplasty £2,500–£4,500.
- ✓NHS ENT median wait is 14.8 weeks, after months of mandatory medical management first.
- ✓Sinus surgery for chronic sinusitis is covered by health insurance — it isn't cosmetic.
What private sinus surgery costs
Sinus surgery is a bigger undertaking than the minor procedures the NHS declines on cosmetic grounds — this is genuine ENT surgery, usually done as a day case under general anaesthetic, and the prices reflect it. The pathway has three costed stages: consultation, imaging, then the operation itself.
| Item | Typical self-pay price |
|---|---|
| ENT consultant consultation | £150–£300 |
| CT scan of the sinuses | £350–£800 |
| Balloon sinuplasty | £2,500–£4,500 |
| FESS (functional endoscopic sinus surgery) | £3,000–£6,000 |
| FESS with polyp removal or combined procedures | £4,000–£7,500 |
The spread reflects how much work the sinuses need: a single blocked sinus treated with a balloon sits at the bottom; multi-sinus FESS with polyp removal at a big-city hospital sits at the top. Most private hospitals quote fixed-price packages covering the surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre and routine aftercare — our fixed-price surgery guide explains what to check is included. As always, these are indicative ranges, not quotes.
The NHS route: funded, but slow and gated
Unlike mole or skin tag removal, sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis is a treatment the NHS does fund — but two gates stand in the way. First, medical management comes before surgery: guidelines expect a proper trial of steroid nasal sprays, saline rinses and sometimes longer courses of medication, typically over several months, before surgical referral. That's clinically sensible — many people improve without an operation — but it stretches the timeline. Second, some areas treat sinus procedures for milder disease as lower priority, applying criteria before funding surgery at all.
Then comes the queue. The NHS is brilliant; the waiting isn't — and ENT has one of the longer lines: a median wait of 14.8 weeks on the referral-to-treatment pathway (May 2026), behind only oral surgery among the major surgical specialties, with a long tail waiting far longer. Add the months of mandated sprays and rinses beforehand, and a chronic sinusitis sufferer can easily spend the better part of a year congested, infected and sleeping badly between first GP visit and theatre.
Privately, the same clinically appropriate sequence compresses: consultation within days, CT within 1–2 weeks, and surgery typically 2–6 weeks after the decision to operate.
Where health insurance fits: this one is covered
Here's where sinus surgery parts company with the cosmetic procedures elsewhere in this series. Chronic rhinosinusitis is a disease; FESS treats it; and treating disease is exactly what private medical insurance covers. An insured patient with new sinus trouble claims the whole pathway — ENT consultation, CT scan, the operation and follow-up — subject to the usual policy terms. No cosmetic exclusion applies, because nothing about unblocking infected sinuses is cosmetic.
The honest caveat is timing. Insurance covers conditions that arise after you take the policy out — so if you've already got longstanding sinusitis, a new policy generally won't fund this operation, under pre-existing condition rules. Under a moratorium, a sinus condition you've had symptoms or treatment for in the last five years is typically excluded until you've been clear of it for a set period. Insurance is protection for the sinus trouble you haven't had yet, not a discount on the surgery you already need.
One more boundary worth naming: if your blockage is the septum rather than the sinuses, that's a different operation with its own economics — covered in our septoplasty guide. Surgeons quite often combine the two where both are contributing, which is where the combined-procedure prices above apply.
Cover ENT trouble before it starts
What the operation involves
FESS — functional endoscopic sinus surgery — is keyhole surgery through the nostrils, no external cuts: using an endoscope, the surgeon widens the natural drainage openings of the sinuses and clears diseased tissue and polyps, restoring ventilation and drainage. It's usually a day case under general anaesthetic, taking one to two hours. Balloon sinuplasty is the gentler cousin: a small balloon is inflated to widen the sinus openings without removing tissue — quicker recovery, sometimes done under local anaesthetic, but suitable mainly for milder disease without significant polyps.
Recovery is front-loaded: expect a blocked, stuffy fortnight with some bloody discharge, saline rinses several times a day, and one to two weeks off work — longer for strenuous jobs. Most people feel the benefit as the swelling settles over the following weeks. Surgery reliably improves drainage and symptoms for the majority, but it manages the condition rather than abolishing it: sprays often continue afterwards, and polyps in particular can regrow over the years, occasionally needing revision.
Deciding your route
If your sinusitis is established and surgery is already on the horizon, compare the NHS queue honestly against a self-pay package: for many people the deciding factor is another winter of infections versus a £4,000–£7,000 outlay, and hospitals increasingly offer instalment options. Get the package definition in writing — what happens if you need an overnight stay, and how post-operative complications are handled, matter more here than the headline price.
If your sinuses are currently fine, this page is the argument for cover before you need it: ENT is one of the specialties where private treatment most visibly outpaces the queue, and a policy taken out while you're well covers the whole pathway — consultation within days to surgery within weeks — if chronic sinusitis ever arrives. We compare policies from Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality, WPA and The Exeter, and can show you which handle ENT claims well.
Frequently asked questions
How much does private sinus surgery cost in the UK?
FESS typically costs £3,000–£6,000 self-pay as a fixed-price day-case package, rising to £4,000–£7,500 where polyp removal or combined procedures are involved. Balloon sinuplasty runs around £2,500–£4,500. Add an ENT consultation at £150–£300 and a sinus CT at £350–£800 — so a realistic all-in budget from first appointment to surgery is £4,000–£7,000.
What is FESS, or functional endoscopic sinus surgery?
It's keyhole sinus surgery performed through the nostrils with an endoscope — no external cuts. The surgeon widens the sinuses' natural drainage openings and removes diseased tissue and polyps so the sinuses can ventilate and drain properly again. It's the standard operation for chronic rhinosinusitis that hasn't responded to sprays and rinses, usually done as a day case under general anaesthetic.
How much does balloon sinuplasty cost privately?
Typically £2,500–£4,500 in the UK. A small balloon is inflated inside the sinus openings to widen them without cutting away tissue, so recovery is quicker and it can sometimes be done under local anaesthetic. It suits milder chronic sinusitis without significant polyps — your ENT surgeon will advise whether you're a candidate or whether full FESS is the better-value operation.
Will health insurance cover sinus surgery?
Yes, when it's treating disease — chronic rhinosinusitis is a medical condition, FESS is its treatment, and policies cover the pathway from ENT consultation through CT to surgery. No cosmetic exclusion is involved. The key caveat is pre-existing condition rules: sinusitis you already had before taking the policy out generally won't be covered, so insurance protects against future sinus trouble rather than funding surgery you already need.
How long is the NHS wait for sinus surgery?
The ENT median wait is 14.8 weeks on the referral-to-treatment pathway (May 2026) — one of the longest of the surgical specialties — with a long tail waiting far beyond that. And the clock starts only after months of required medical management with sprays and rinses. Realistically, first GP visit to NHS sinus surgery is often the better part of a year; privately the same pathway typically takes a few weeks.
Do I need a CT scan before sinus surgery, and what does it cost?
Yes — a sinus CT is effectively the surgeon's map, confirming which sinuses are diseased and guiding the operation safely, so it's a standard pre-operative requirement for FESS. Privately it typically costs £350–£800 depending on the scanner and location. Insured patients claim it under diagnostics; self-pay patients should check whether the surgery package includes it or prices it separately.
What's the difference between sinus surgery and a septoplasty?
They fix different structures: FESS opens the drainage pathways of the sinuses themselves, treating chronic sinusitis, while septoplasty straightens the cartilage wall between the nostrils to relieve a blocked airway. The symptoms overlap, and surgeons often combine the two when both contribute — which pushes the combined price towards £4,000–£7,500. Our separate septoplasty guide covers that operation in detail.
How long does recovery from FESS take?
Plan for one to two weeks off work, longer for strenuous jobs. The first fortnight is stuffy — expect congestion, some bloody discharge and several daily saline rinses — with no nose-blowing early on and no flying for a couple of weeks or so, per your surgeon's advice. The real benefit emerges over the following weeks as swelling settles, with follow-up to clear debris along the way.
Does sinus surgery cure chronic sinusitis permanently?
For most people it substantially and lastingly improves symptoms, but honest surgeons frame it as restoring drainage rather than abolishing the disease. Many patients continue steroid sprays afterwards to keep inflammation controlled, and nasal polyps in particular can regrow over years, occasionally needing revision surgery. Going in with that expectation — better managed, not gone forever — is the realistic one.
Can nasal polyps be removed during sinus surgery?
Yes — polypectomy is routinely combined with FESS, since polyps and chronic sinusitis so often travel together, and clearing them while the sinuses are opened is standard practice. It's part of why quoted prices vary: FESS with polyp removal typically sits in the £4,000–£7,500 band rather than the base range. Polyps can regrow over time, so ongoing sprays and occasional review are usual afterwards.