The turbinates are fleshy swellings inside the nose. Their purpose is to warm and moisten the air as you breathe in through the nose. When they become enlarged they can block the airway and cause nasal congestion. Sometimes they are enlarged due to allergy which can be treated with medication. When the turbinates get very large it can be difficult to use the medication and something needs to be done to make them smaller. The methods used to do this vary from local anaesthetic procedures to complete removal.