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Nose Dryness Nasal Passages or the Skin Causes Prevention
You could experience a dry nose either on its surrounding skin or the nasal passages. As a result, your nose can be very uncomfortable and difficult to treat. Nose dryness.
Remaining cold symptoms can cause even more rubbing and blowing. Most importantly, knowing which symptoms you are targeting can aid in finding relief. As for having nose dryness, some can have occasional symptoms which are easy to recognize as a runny nose.
But others this can be a constant issue that affects quality of life. Learn more to determine whether your dry nose is the surrounding skin or your nasal passage.
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What Causes a Dry Nose?
People experience a dry nose in various ways. For example, dry air causing your dry nose will feel different than cold or flu virus causing the symptoms.
Nasal Passages Dryness
Your dry nose happens when there is not enough moisture in your nasal passage. This is due to a lack of mucus production in the sinuses. And can be caused, from a cold and flu virus or environmental reasons.
Both a runny nose accompanying a cold and allergies can make you wish to grab a Kleenex and blow your nose. However, frequently using Kleenex can take away moisture from your nose. In conclusion, the skin around your nose becomes dry and sensitive.
As you become older, nasal anatomical changes can bring on or worsen dry nose. Thus, affecting breathing through your nose.
Dry Nose Skin
The dry skin around your nose isn’t because of a cold or virus. It is the consequences of treating that cold or virus symptoms. For instance, you could reach for paper towel or toilet paper (done this) to blow your nose when it’s running. Thus, this action causes the skin around your nose to turn dry and flaky. That is to say, TP and paper towel are not intended for your face.
Your environment can also impact the skin around your nose and cause dryness. Cold weather, dry weather, even the air conditions in a plane can lead to dry skin on your nose.
Common causes of nasal dryness:
- Dry air
- Allergens
- Medications
- Sjogren’s disease
- Allergic rhinitis
Dry nose can accompany:
- Itchiness
- Pain
- Scabbing
- Nose bleeds
- Nasal congestion
- Crusty skin
- Cracked skin
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What is Mucus?
Mucus is mainly composed of water to line your nasal cavity. The mucosa, or mucous membrane is a protective liquid produced by glands to trap pollen, bacteria, viruses and more. In addition, this liquid blankets the mucus membrane inside your nose to add moisture.
Nasal Mucus Membrane
Nasal mucus membranes contain small blood vessels to assist warm and humidify your breath of air. Cilia (tiny hair) also line the nasal mucus membranes. In addition, the tiny hair prevents debris from entering the nose.
The cilia rotate the debris toward the front of the nose or the back of the throat. Above all, this is an important function of your immune system. Thus, keeping germs out of the body that can cause harm.
As a result, dry mucus membranes are a sign that you are dehydrated. This can lead to many health conditions. For instance, dry mucus membranes of the nasal passages can cause frequent nose bleeds.
What Causes Dry Sinuses?
There can be a variety of situations causing dry sinuses. Mucus on the inside of your nose and the skin outside of your nose can become irritated. This is especially the case during the winter months or when you have a cold.
- Cold
- Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
- Frequent nose blowing
- Antihistamines and decongestants
- Weather changes
- Environmental conditions
- Air quality
- Air condition –heating
- Smoke
- Non-allergic rhinitis
- Some medications
- Surgery
Frequent Nose Blowing
A cold or allergies can lead you to a lot of rubbing and blowing your nose. In addition, the friction from these can damage the skin barrier causing irritation.
Heating the Home
Winter brings many people to turn the heat up. These heating units also dry the air you breathe creating your dry nose.
Smoking
Chemicals inhaled when one smokes or vapes can cause a dry nose.
Nasal Spray
Have you ever used a facial spray to hydrate your skin? A nasal spray works the same for your nose. Saline sprays are available over the counter at most pharmacies. However, you may want to check that there are no added ingredients.
Nasal sprays containing steroids are created to treat allergies. That is to say, these can form your dry nose symptoms. Most importantly, sprays such as oxymetazoline are habit forming and easily overused.
Dry Nose Prevention
Tips to prevent nasal dryness can keep the frustration and soreness away when you’re already not feeling well. Knowing factors that lead to your dry nose can assist with halting them before they occur.
Preventing Dry Nose Skin
Use Tissues Versus Other Wipes
Sometimes when having a cold or allergy you can reach for anything to wipe your nose. This can make the dryness of the skin around your nose worse. Using facial tissues containing lotion can clear your nose and leave the moisture behind.
Moisturize your Dry Nose
Moisturizing the skin around your nose can alleviate its discomfort. Glycerin is an essential ingredient that pulls water into the skin. As a result, this heals and soothes the irritated and dry skin by deeply moisturizing it.
So, a balm that has a heavier consistency than lotion can do wonders in this situation. This can be applied daily when you are in a drier environment that affects your nose. In addition, you can pack it with you and be prepared.
Preventing Dry Nasal Passages
Avoid Dry Nasal Passages Triggers
You could avoid things that trigger your dry nose such as dust. But this is not a simple task. However, you can make it a point to get areas that collect more in your home. Less exposure to dust will make your nose happy.
Nasal Spray
If the dryness happens inside your nose a great step to add to your skincare routine is a nasal spray. This can clear congestion on a daily basis. In other words, it can moisturize your nasal passage and remove dust or pollen. These are allergy triggers that can bring on a runny nose and contribute to your dry nose. You could mist eucalyptus nasal spray in your shower.
Stay Hydrated
It is always essential to stay hydrated. And this will assist your nose from becoming dry. As a result, dry nose is a lack of moisture in or around your nose.
Being dehydrated is usually an influencing factor for nose dryness. When your body is lacking water, it is difficult for your nose to function properly. Thus, it can’t moisten the incoming air which can lead to both inside and outside nasal dryness.
Humidify
Are you making the connection with water here? Not having enough water in and around you can bring on your dry nose. For example, if you work in an environment having low humidity it is common to have a dry nose.
That is to say, dry conditions can cause your dry nose. In short, humidifiers add warmer, moist air back into your space to prevent dry nose and relieve its symptoms.
Get Your Steam on
Take a therapeutic steamy shower and mist some eucalyptus essential oil. Or hop into your sauna. Another choice is using a warm mist.
Don’t Pick
You may not realize it but you could be irritating your own nasal passages. It is a common habit to pick at the nose making it irritated and dry. Most importantly, being aware of this touching and picking your nose can provide steps to stop the habit.
This can give your nose enough time to replace its moisture and properly function again. And sticking your finger up there can bring in all types of nasty virus or bacteria. Nose hairs are there to keep these out.
Deep Clean
Environmental substances can bring on dryness in your nose as well as sneezing. Reports state dust collecting indoors affects the normal function of the nose shaping it more prone to nasal dryness symptoms. Dusting the spaces where you live, and work can diminish the triggers that make your dry nose worse.
Care for the Cold
Over the counter products will treat symptoms for a cold or flu. And it’s best to take care of this as it begins. This is any sign of a runny nose or nasal congestion, or even both. Above all, any concerns should be addressed to your physician or pharmacist.
Your Elevation
Dry nose can be the result of your high altitude. If you are normally at high altitudes, a sudden dry nose could be something other than your elevation. But if you are traveling to a higher altitude and develop a dry nose returning home should make symptoms vanish.
Runny and Stuffy Nose
A runny and stuffy nose is downright uncomfortable. And you could have gone through more than one box of tissue. Thus, you don’t need the additional symptoms of a dry nose to boot. Utilizing a tissue with added lotion won’t irritate the nose more.
Talk to the Doc
When your dry nose won’t leave, it could be time to contact your doctor. You could have a persistent dry nasal passage or irritated skin around the nose due to an allergy, cold or sinus issue requiring treatment.
Wrapping it up
Both the outside skin on your nose and the nasal passage can become dry. Various reasons can cause either. Thus, your nose can be very uncomfortable and difficult to treat. However, moisturizing the nose and avoiding triggers can prevent the discomfort.
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Mary is the founder of All About Our Skin. Former esthetician and CPC. Enjoys researching skincare and has been studying our skin for the past fifteen years.
Researching content:
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https://vicks.com/en-us/treatments/how-to-treat-a-cold/10-remedies-nose-dryness accessed 02/2023
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