It's All In Your Head - Sinus Locations
The front of your skull is composed of a series of hollow connecting areas that make up your sinuses. Just about the whole upper portion of your face has some sort of sinus cavity behind it. There are a pair in your forehead, a pair in your cheeks, and several along your nose between your eyes. No matter their location, they all branch off to join your nasal passages. The system is delicate and becomes easily blocked. These blockages are what often cause sinus infections.
Frontal Sinuses
This pair of sinuses rest low in your forehead, right above your eyebrows.
Ethmoid Sinuses
There are from between six to twelve ethmoid sinuses. They are housed between your eyes.
Sphenoid Sinuses
This set of sinuses are located behind your ethmoid sinuses in the bone behind the top part of your nose.
Maxillary Sinuses
These cavities are located in your cheeks, right under your eyes. These are the largest of your sinuses.
Your sinuses are lined with mucus-producing membranes. When you get sick, these membranes swell and produce an excess of mucus and clog up the normally hollow spaces. This can cause pressure to build up in the face, often causing sinus headaches.
We aren’t sure what the exact biological purpose of the sinuses of is, but the mucus they produce helps to protect the nasal passageways from contaminants and potential infections and keeps the nose from drying out while breathing. Some believe the sinuses are present to keep the skull from being too heavy. Others believe their purpose is to regulate the sound of your voice.
Tim Reynolds, MD
