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We ask the experts to settle common questions we've all wondered about.
QUESTION
Does plucking my nose hairs affect my sense of smell or make me more susceptible to colds?
ANSWER
Rest assured, plucking your nose hairs will not affect your sense of smell, nor will it make you more susceptible to colds.
The system that helps you smell, the olfactory apparatus, has more than 1,000 genes that detect odours. Whether or not you pluck your nose hairs, odours will still flow through this system and you will be able to appreciate specific scents.
The hairs, or vibrissae, are in your nose primarily to catch little bits of dust or other particles and keep the nasal cavity clean and functioning well.
Viral or bacterial particles that can trigger upper respiratory infections, such as colds, latch on to the nasal or throat mucosa, causing illness. These germs are largely airborne and are so small that they can manoeuvre through nose hair, so plucking will not have any impact on whether you get a cold.
Sadly, nose hairs get longer and more visible with age, along with ear and back hair.
If you remove your nose hair for cosmetic reasons, consider using clean, blunt-tipped scissors and a magnifying mirror or asking a trusted family member or hairdresser/cosmetician to do the honours with sterile scissors. This will help avoid any risk of inflammation or infection of the nasal hair follicles, the opening on the skin where the hair grows. Also, be cautious with sharp instruments such as tweezers.
Rechargeable nose-hair trimmers are also a safe option. Rotary-blade mechanisms shorten the hair without tugging at the root and are designed to prevent nicks and cuts when you do it yourself.
Most important, never share personal hygiene equipment. If the skin is broken while using the tools, there is a risk of spreading hepatitis and HIV.
Dr. Allan Peterkin is a psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and author of One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair (Arsenal Pulp Press 2001)
