Snoring Treatments

01 August 2007

We are a nation of snorers. The lives of one in three men and one in ten women are blighted by their own nocturnal rumblings, which in the most extreme cases can reach 90 decibels - as loud as a passing train. But while others may joke about it, the effects of snoring can be both distressing and serious. Apart from daytime tiredness, which is particularly risky to drivers, pilots and anyone operating machinery, it can also adversely affect the libido. Worse still, without effective treatment, snoring is well-known to have a seriously damaging effect on marriages and relationships.

The tragedy is that this common medical condition, just like a number of others associated with breathing, can easily be treated by a simple laser-assisted technique requiring one 30 minute session under local anaesthetic.

Bipolar RFITT Radio Frequency Treatment

Increasingly popular is a short, gentle, treatment that uses a current to tighten the uvula area, so that it vibrates far less during sleep. The amazing new bipolar radio frequency thermotherapy (RFITT) treatment involves numbing the back of the throat with a local anaesthetic and targeting it with a slim pen that emits a radio frequency, heating it more than 60C.
The heat causes the muscle within the soft palate to invisibly scar and tighten - which it continues to do in the weeks following treatment, with the maximum benefit achieved after six months. This affordable treatment is most suitable for those with smaller throats and can also be used on enlarged tonsils.

Advantages:

Gentle treatment
Short treatment time (only a few minutes)
Low risk of bleeding
Patients can return to normal activities immediately

Laser Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP)

It was in 1984 that Dr Yves-Victor Kamami, the worlds leading authority in this field, first experimented with the same laser technique he had been developing for problematic tonsils in an effort to combat the problem of snoring. Having removed the vibrating soft tissue on the sides of the uvula, which hangs at the back of the throat, and produces the snoring sound, he perfected the technique of reshaping the uvula area. This is now known as Laser Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty, or LAUP.

Laser Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty, or LAUP is a simple procedure performed under a local anaesthetic given as a spray. The patient sits comfortably in a chair as if at the dentist, while the surgeon remodels the uvula and removes the excess vibrating soft tissue around it, using a laser beam.

Over 20,000 LAUP procedures have been carried out in the UK to cure snoring. And studies have shown that the resulting freeing of the airways and increased oxygen supply can also improve quality of life, bringing more refreshing sleep, lifted mood, more energy, better memory and even improved libido...

The Private Clinic has three eminent, highly experienced ENT consultants who carry out the procedures related to snoring.

For more information visit www.theprivateclinic.co.uk or book a free consultation on 0870 429 2212