This Is Why You Shouldn’t Pick Your Nose

Can’t resist the urge to have a little dig on your nose? Picking your nose is not only gross and socially unacceptable, it poses dangers to your health as this act introduces germs to your nose particularly the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

While we can’t help but pick our nose from time to time, making it a habit has harmful effects.  Here are some of them according to LiveStrong.

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1. It can cause infections.

Wondering why frequent nose pickers often have pimples? That’s because picking your nose using your finger will deliver germs into your nose that may eventually lead to skin infections. It can also cause vestibulitis, an infection affecting the area just inside the opening of nostril. This habit may also cause folliculitis, a condition in which the hair follicles inside the nose become inflamed due to bacterial or fungal infection/

In rare cases, picking your nose may bring an infection that may spread to the brain since blood vessels from the nose lead to the brain.

2. It may cause nosebleeds.

Commonly observed among children who love picking their nose, nose bleeding happens when there is abrasion that attracts germs.

“The blood supply to the nose is very vigorous – there are five arteries that lead to the front of the nose (kiesselbach’s plexus). When an abrasion occurs there can be vigorous bleeding, children induce a lot of nosebleeds that way,” Dr Voigt told Business Insider.

3. It can cause damage to your nose septum.

This unhygienic and unsightly habit can cause damage to your nose septum, the partition between your nostril, and may lead to formation of crusts, nosebleeds and a whistling sound through your nose.

Instead of picking your nose, use a handkerchief or a tissue to clean your nose. If it’s really necessary to use your fingers, wash your hands before and after picking your nose.

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