Your nose hairs could actually save your life. Most people don’t give them much thought but those tiny follicles sitting inside your nasal passages are vitally important cleaners- and apparently, this is why it’s important to keep them around.
NYU otologist Dr. Erich Voigt explains it all in a video featured on Business Insider.com. Voigt states that if you trim your nose hairs too short, or eliminate them entirely by plucking them out, you could be putting your life on the line. Strange but true.
This is how it works: the nose hairs act as filters that catch bacteria as it enters the nasal passages. The hairs sweep the bacteria up the nose, where it becomes part of the mucous that we swallow. When this happens, the bacteria is destroyed by the acids in our stomach.
The trouble lies when a nose hair is plucked out or trimmed too short. The germs living at the base of the hair follicle can then get a one-way ticket to travel down into the space left by the hair, causing an infection.
So, you have a nasal infection, no biggie. But it gets worse. The veins that drain the blood from the nose also drain the blood from your brain.
And so, if an infection occurs the germs could potentially travel up to your brain and wreak havoc in the form of inducing meningitis or a brain abscess. Scary stuff.
Voigt recommends that you keep things neat when it comes to trimming nose hairs, but refrain from going scissor-happy to stay healthy and safe.
Photo credit: Dean Drobot/Shutterstock
