As with any other surgical procedure, septal and turbinate procedures too come with a few associated risks, though its rare. One should understand the potential risks and clarify their concerns from the surgeon well in advance.

• Bleeding: Some degree of bleeding is expected in nasal surgeries. Very rarely, significant bleeding may require termination of the procedure. Blood transfusion in a nasal surgery is rare and is strictly an emergency measure.
• Blood clot: If post-operative bleeding leads to a blood clot or hematoma within the septum, the surgeon will need to remove the clot which can cause scar tissue formation or even nasal collapse. 
• Voice changes: Sinuses’ role in the body includes lending resonance to the voice. Those in voice-related careers (VO artists, actors, singers etc) should be aware that an endoscopic sinus surgery can bring subtle changes in their voice.
• Smell and taste impairment: In rare cases, sense of smell can weaken due to persistent swelling, allergy or infection. Most of the times, any impairment in senses of smelling or tasting is a temporary phenomenon but, in a few cases, it may be prolonged.
• Nasal obstruction, dryness and pain: Enlarged turbinates are often responsible for nasal congestion. Their size reduction in a surgery usually clears up this problem but, in some patients, a sensation of high dryness can strike persistently. Some patients can even get chronic pain. In rarest cases, this can become a severe problem referred to as ‘the empty nose syndrome.’
• Infection: A sinusitis patient undergoing a sinus surgery is at risk of developing certain other infections such as abscesses or meningitis etc from sinus surgery. It may sound paradoxical but this is also a possible complication if the patient chooses not to undergo a sinus surgery for a severe or refractory chronic sinus infection.
• Intraorbital complications (damage to the eye or surrounding tissue): The eye is in close proximity to paranasal sinuses and separated from them by a thin layer of bone. In rare cases, bleeding into the orbit can start that needs immediate treatment. In rarest of rare cases, this bleeding can even lead to blindness. Another rare problem is temporary or permanent damage to the muscles responsible for eye movement leading to double vision. Again in some rare cases, the function of the tear ducts can get upset and cause excessive tear formation. 
• Intracranial complications: As the top of the nasal septum is attached to the floor of the brain, a leak of cerebrospinal fluid into the nose can occur in case this thin bony layer breaks. In rarest of rare cases, this problem can create a potential pathway for bleeding into brain, or infections such as meningitis requiring additional surgery and hospitalization.