Gross scab in my nose/Nosebleeds

[Freitag]

Hi Dr Steve - long time listener, first time caller.

As the seasons change every year, I always get nosebleeds. They are usually prevalent in the Autumn and Winter. I've never had any issues with them, they usually happen in the morning and they stop after a few minutes.

Now I have a new problem, and I'm not sure what the issue is... before, I'd have a nosebleed and clear our the nostril with a wet piece of tissue so the blood (outside of the clot) wouldn't dry and make my nose itchy. A few minutes later, I'd blow the clot out and the problem would be over.

Now, for some reason, I have a scab or something on the inside of my nostril and it hurts, itches, and bothers me like a mother. I can remove some of the "spare material" with a damp q-tip, but it's REALLY bothering me. I've taken out the scab twice, but it grows back and it's still bothering me... this has been happening for about a week now.

Is there a way I can resolve the issue in my nose, or should I just wait for the cut or whatever that's inside my nose to heal?

[Drunky McBetidont]

Hi Dr Steve - long time listener, first time caller.

As the seasons change every year, I always get nosebleeds. They are usually prevalent in the Autumn and Winter. I've never had any issues with them, they usually happen in the morning and they stop after a few minutes.

Now I have a new problem, and I'm not sure what the issue is... before, I'd have a nosebleed and clear our the nostril with a wet piece of tissue so the blood (outside of the clot) wouldn't dry and make my nose itchy. A few minutes later, I'd blow the clot out and the problem would be over.

Now, for some reason, I have a scab or something on the inside of my nostril and it hurts, itches, and bothers me like a mother. I can remove some of the "spare material" with a damp q-tip, but it's REALLY bothering me. I've taken out the scab twice, but it grows back and it's still bothering me... this has been happening for about a week now.

Is there a way I can resolve the issue in my nose, or should I just wait for the cut or whatever that's inside my nose to heal?

boxers use vasoline. try that on a qtip.

[Dr Steve]

Hi Dr Steve - long time listener, first time caller.

As the seasons change every year, I always get nosebleeds. They are usually prevalent in the Autumn and Winter. I've never had any issues with them, they usually happen in the morning and they stop after a few minutes.

Now I have a new problem, and I'm not sure what the issue is... before, I'd have a nosebleed and clear our the nostril with a wet piece of tissue so the blood (outside of the clot) wouldn't dry and make my nose itchy. A few minutes later, I'd blow the clot out and the problem would be over.

Now, for some reason, I have a scab or something on the inside of my nostril and it hurts, itches, and bothers me like a mother. I can remove some of the "spare material" with a damp q-tip, but it's REALLY bothering me. I've taken out the scab twice, but it grows back and it's still bothering me... this has been happening for about a week now.

Is there a way I can resolve the issue in my nose, or should I just wait for the cut or whatever that's inside my nose to heal?

This may simply be a scab that has developed over the area of the original nosebleed. As you breathe and move your nose around, it shifts slightly, exposing bleeding tissue to air again which builds up the scab from underneath.

The vaseline idea is not a bad one for an acute bleed...it keeps the wound covered and moisturized. However, there are some risks at using petroleum jelly in the respiratory tract over a long period of time. It is petroleum based, and as such can do some damage to the tissues of the respiratory tract.

Nasal saline, on the other hand, can be used 10 times a day, every day of your life with essentially no ill effects. SIMPLY SALINE is an aerosolized saline solution that is very nice. Keeping the area moist will lead to more rapid healing and will soften and eventually dissolve any unecessary scabby stuff in the nose.

A last resort saline nasal irrigator is the NETI POT:
http://matthewcox.org/neti/pics/GIRL.GIF


If the "scab" does not go away in a few days, your ENT doctor will need to look up your nose to see what's what. Don't neglect this step, ok? We're assuming for right now that it's just a scab from a bloody nose, but if it doesn't resolve, we need to make sure we're not missing something.


your pal,


steve

[SatCam]

http://matthewcox.org/neti/pics/GIRL.GIF

this picture's caption is driving me crazy

[DolaMight]

my coworked had that. Terrible... RIP Dan.

[Dr Steve]

http://matthewcox.org/neti/pics/GIRL.GIF

this picture's caption is driving me crazy


http://matthewcox.org/neti/ ...I'm sure the rest of the site is also full of fun facts and photos. Enjoy!