Hello Martha,

I was just wondering if you could really die from picking your nose? I hope you can help me find this real answer because my sister does it and I do not want her to die.

Thank you,

Cody

Dear Cody,

Don't worry about it. A person could die from picking her nose, but she would have to work very, very hard to kill herself this way.

There's a very thin plate of bone (called the ethmoid bone) that separates the nose from the brain. If, say, she picked with a freakishly long fingernail, or maybe a chopstick, it would be possible for her to poke right through this bone. A doctor specializing in ear, nose, and throat conditions told me that if this were to happen, she would probably leak brain fluid. And the bacteria in her nose could get in her brain, causing meningitis, which can kill people.

Nose picking can also cause bad infections. Nostrils are dirty. Think of it as the subway of the human body. It's not quite the sewer, but you wouldn't eat a piece of candy you found on the subway floor, now, would you? The bacteria in your nose can cause an infection if your picking breaks the skin. If this happens, there's a slim chance this infection could block blood flow and cause a horrible condition known as cavernous sinus thrombosis. Before the days of antibiotics, this meant sure death.

Another picking peril: Let's say you ram your hand up your nose very, very hard. This could push the ethmoid bone into your brain. And that can cause death.

You can also get a fatal nosebleed, although these are rare. And one medical journal reported the story of a man who picked his nose so much that part came off. People with severe nose-picking problems are called rhinotillexomaniacs. In extreme cases, the cure for this is to sew their nostrils shut.

The most likely way you will die from picking your nose, however, is from embarrassment. Everybody knows it's an icky habit (even though most people are guilty of it).

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