Nosebleeds... It's That Time of Year Again!

With the fall season, the air becomes cooler and dryer... Families start turning on the heat which further dries the air leading to a potent environmental situation ideal for nosebleeds.

What can you do to minimize nosebleeds?

Use a humidifier in the bedroom and keep the door closed to prevent the humidity from escaping.

Use a nasal emollient like ponaris. Ponaris is a wonderful product to alleviate the dry, irritated, and sometimes burning sensation in the nose. It is also a great product to treat nosebleeds and nasal crusting. I like to think of Ponaris as chapstick, but made for the nose. To apply, it already comes with an eye-dropper. Just place 1-2 drops for each side of the nose and let it ooze down and coat the entire nasal cavity. Just like chapstick, one can feel the protective barrier for several hours after application. This can be applied up to 4 times a day as needed (just like chapstick). Alternatively, one can convert Ponaris into a nasal spray form instead of using the eye-dropper. Just purchase a saltwater nasal spray bottle over the counter (ie, Ocean Nasal Spray, Ayr Nasal Spray, etc). Empty the saltwater and clean out the nasal spray bottle thoroughly. Than pour the Ponaris bottle into the nasal spray bottle. That's it!

Should nosebleeds persist, make an appointment with an ENT for nasal cauterization consideration. In essence, cauterization burns the culprit bleeding areas inducing scar formation which is less prone to bleeding. Watch the video below on how this is performed.

What should you do if you have a nosebleed? Use PRESSURE!!! In other words, pinch the fleshy bottom part of the nose together firmly for 10 minutes. Not where the bone is. See picture below:

All other methods that your mom may have told you won't really work such as using ice packs, tilting the head in one direction or another, etc. Think of a stab wound... To stop bleeding from a stab wound, you apply direct pressure. You don't add ice packs or raise the wound a certain direction to stop the bleeding.

If all else fails, go to the ER where nasal packing may be performed.

In rare cases, even nasal packing may not work in which case surgery or embolization may be required.

Read more about nosebleeds here.