Emergency care now
Get emergency care for new vision changes or difficulty moving an eye, marked swelling around an eye, forehead swelling, severe unusual or frontal headache, or new neurological symptoms. A stiff neck with fever also needs urgent assessment.
Call 911 for breathing trouble, collapse or new neurological symptoms. A significant head injury or a nosebleed that will not stop after 20 minutes of pressure also needs emergency care.
Contact a clinician today
Seek assessment for severe or rapidly worsening facial symptoms or fever lasting more than 3–4 days. High fever together with facial pain or thick discharge deserves particular attention. Do not wait for a duration threshold if you feel severely ill.
Book an assessment for persistent or returning symptoms
Symptoms that worsen after improving, or persist without improvement beyond 10 days, deserve assessment. With nasal drainage plus blockage or facial symptoms, the adult guideline uses at least 10 days as a relevant threshold.
Twelve weeks of symptoms can raise the question of chronic inflammation. Diagnosis requires more than duration. Repeated episodes, persistent smell loss and symptoms that remain on one side also merit a review.
A treatment label can give an earlier stopping point
Oxymetazoline has a three-day limit. OTC fluticasone and triamcinolone call for advice after a week without improvement. Those limits do not disappear because a general sinus guideline uses a longer duration.