“In the end, we all pick our noses, the question is how much and how,” says Dr. Dano. “There is no problem inserting fingers into the nostrils at a depth of the first 4-5 millimeters. This is an area with different skin than normal skin and is much more resistant to touch. But if you reach deeper areas, this is where the problem begins.”
Dr. Dano warns against cases of inserting half a finger, ear sticks and inserting rolled toilet paper, and also warns against probing the nose of people (and perhaps especially women) with long nails, since these may cause injury.
“The tendency to excessive probing is sometimes as a result of itching that can result from inflammation or allergy, and in such cases it is advisable to contact an ENT doctor for treatment. Probing can also stem from a habit, a routine behavior of people who feel that the very act of probing relaxes them. And despite how it sounds, It is much more common than you think. It is important to note that for the most part this is not a mental problem, but mainly an obscene habit,” explains Dr. Dano, and warns of a dangerous vicious circle that can be created from aggressive probing – “probing can turn into a wound, which will turn into a scab, which will create a great need More for itching because of the bump that sits on the nasal septum. The scratching of the scab will create new bleeding, thus creating a cycle that repeats itself and increases the damage of the injury. These injuries can cause the layer that sits above the cartilage in the nasal septum to stick, and this can cause bleeding and sometimes difficulty breathing. In extreme cases, but not rare, the injury and probing of the nasal septum can cause a hole. Signs of this can be seen when the hole is small and causes whistling while breathing, and when it grows as a result of probing, it bleeds all the time. Here the problem is even more serious because it is very difficult to fix it.”
Surgery can lead to greater damage
Repairing a hole in the nasal septum is problematic, and medicine today indicates only between 60 and 70 percent success in this type of surgery. “Trying to close a hole in the nose of someone who has a tendency to poke is an oxymoron. In the end, even after the hole is closed, the patient will continue to poke, only this time, after the operation, the mucosa of the septum will be much more vulnerable and the damage can return and even be more severe,” explains D. R Dano, that’s why doctors sometimes choose not to operate and leave the hole as it is, since the harm can outweigh the benefit.”
But in some cases the dilemma is greater, for example in a patient with a curved septum that blocks the passage of air, so the operation is necessary but you see signs of scratching on the septum. “In such cases, it depends on the patient, and it is necessary to understand if the signs of itching were due to something accidental, or if it is a habit of nose picking, and then one must consider whether the surgery can help or only constitute a potential for greater damage.”
Don’t poke – poke
Dr. Dano reassures and says that most people pick their nose in a normal way and that the natural pain prevents them from causing harm to themselves. But there are people for whom the pain does not speak, they are missional and continue to pick and pick and, as mentioned, sometimes cause damage that cannot be treated.
To avoid damage, Dr. Dano recommends picking the nose as little as possible – “If there is something that bothers us, you can put your fingers at the beginning of the nostril. But if it’s something deeper, it’s recommended to use a salt water spray and blow your nose and not poke. In cases where there is great irritation in the nasal septum and there is a great urge to scratch and poke, treatment with fatty ointments can be given. You can also apply Vaseline at the entrance to the nostril before going to bed, and during the night it is dissolved by the heat of the breath into the nasal septum. It’s a method that can help many people reduce the feeling of itching and avoid aggressive and unnecessary probing.”