[News] NHS doctor warns that pulling out your nose hairs ‘can kill you’

An NHS doctor has warned that pulling out your nose hairs can cause a life-threatening medical condition.

 

In a video he uploaded on his Instagram account, Dr Karan Rajan warned you should “never pull out your nose hairs”.

 

Explaining the hidden danger of pulling out nose hairs, he said: “You have two types of nose hairs.

 

“You have microscopic cilia, these filter mucus and send it to the back of the throat where it ends up in the stomach, and vibrissae, the big ones you want to yank out.”

 

The doctor told people not to pull out their thick vibrissae nose hairs, even if they find them unsightly, and instead opt for a trim.

 

He said: “These [nose hairs] keep out large particles from making it into the back of the nose.

 

“If you pluck these big boys, germs around the follicle can get inside, causing infection.”

 

“That’s because the same veins that carry blood out of the nose meet up the veins that carry blood out of the brain.

 

“So if the germs end up back there in the brain, it can cause inflammation in the brain, sometimes resulting in brain abscess.

 

“This is incredibly rare but can cause serious problems for people with weak immune systems.

 

“So next time, just trim it.”

 

Plucking nose hairs has become a common grooming habit, with many spas and beauty salon offering the service for a fee. Some spas put wax into the nose to pull the hairs off, something doctors have warned is dangerous.