Losing your sense of smell can affect how food tastes, disrupt sleep, and make daily moments less enjoyable. Dr. Ryan E. Stern, MD, our board-certified ENT, helps you uncover the cause and restore normal nasal function with patient-first, minimally invasive treatments.
Can’t Smell Smoke, Coffee, or Perfume Anymore?
Loss of sense of smell, also called anosmia or hyposmia, happens when your nose can’t properly detect odors. You may notice foods tasting bland, trouble enjoying familiar scents, or difficulty sensing warning smells, such as gas. This often occurs when inflammation, swelling, or blockage in the nasal passages prevents odor particles from reaching the smell nerves high inside the nose. Common causes include chronic sinus issues, nasal polyps, allergies, viral infections, or structural problems such as a deviated septum.
Signs & Symptoms of a Loss of Sense of Smell
When your sense of smell is reduced or absent, the changes often show up in subtle but meaningful ways throughout daily life, including:
- Partial or complete inability to smell common odors
- Foods tasting bland or less flavorful
- Difficulty detecting smoke, gas, or burning smells
- Distorted or phantom smells that aren’t actually present
- Reduced enjoyment of eating, cooking, or social experiences
What Causes a Loss of Sense of Smell?
Your sense of smell depends on tiny sensory nerves located high inside the nasal cavity near the skull base. When airflow is blocked or the lining of the nose becomes inflamed, odor cannot reach these nerves, disrupting how smells are detected and interpreted by the brain.
Several conditions can interfere with this process, including:
- Chronic sinus inflammation or recurrent sinus infections
- Nasal polyps blocking normal airflow
- Allergic rhinitis causing persistent swelling
- Structural issues such as a deviated nasal septum
- Viral illnesses affecting the nasal lining or smell nerves
Loss of Sense of Smell Treatment
Your visit starts with a detailed, patient-focused consultation to understand exactly when and how your sense of smell changed. Dr. Stern carefully reviews your symptoms, medical history, allergy triggers, and recent infections. He performs an in-office nasal endoscopy using a small camera to look deep inside your nasal passages and sinus openings. Imaging or formal smell testing may be used to measure how much smell function has been affected.
Treatment targets the physical cause of the blockage or inflammation. You may start with prescription nasal therapies to calm swelling and improve airflow. If narrowed sinus pathways, nasal polyps, or structural issues are involved, Dr. Stern may recommend minimally invasive procedures such as balloon sinuplasty, targeted polyp removal, or turbinate reduction to help odors reach the smell nerves again.
Why Choose Dr. Stern?
Dr. Ryan E. Stern is a board-certified otolaryngologist with over 25 years of clinical experience and advanced subspecialty training in nasal and sinus care. For nearly 30 years, he has served the Pacific Northwest community with a focus on minimally invasive treatments that can restore function with minimal downtime. You’re never rushed, and your care is always tailored to the exact cause of your symptoms. If loss of smell is affecting your life, schedule a consultation with Dr. Stern in Auburn or Federal Way, WA, today.
