# How do you prevent raw scabbed areas inside nasal membranes during the winter? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436 "2014-02-03T18:19:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/1 "2014-02-03T18:19:35Z")
Way TMI I know but anyway… I often get significant nasal congestion in the winter unrelated to colds. My nasal passages clog up with clear, runny non-infected mucus, I blow, they clog up I blow … rinse and repeat. Over time with all this cleaning and blowing in doing this the inside of my nostrils tend to get irritated and bleed which causes scabs to form. The scabs being in a moist nasal environment that is constantly invaded with tissues or being being doused with nasal mucus when I clear my sinuses do not heal quickly./ I realize that all this irritation is caused by the blowing and clearing, but not blowing and clearing is not an option if I want to breathe. If there some ointment or salve you can use to keep these scabs from forming? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/2 "2014-02-03T18:29:01Z")
My brother uses a CPAP machine that humidifies the air. Instead of trying to humidify your entire bedroom (which is doomed to fail if it’s cold outside, since you’ll just end up with a ton of condensation on your window), it only humifies the air being sent to his nose/mouth. This air can be humidified to something close to 100% without trouble. You might look into something like this. Even if you’re only using it for 8 hours per day (while you sleep), it might help ease your suffering for the other 16 hours. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/3 "2014-02-03T18:30:32Z")
keeping the humidity up will aid in nose health. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/4 "2014-02-03T18:48:47Z")
I agree that cold, dry air is the likely cause. Measures to keep the humidity up while you sleep should help. During the day, try keeping a teapot or something going nearby. Maybe consider wearing a scarf over your nose and mouth when you go out in the cold, if you don’t already. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/5 "2014-02-03T18:51:31Z")
As a kid, I spent a lot of time with Vasaline up my nose. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/6 "2014-02-03T20:16:08Z")
Better than Vaseline (although similar) is the Neosporin with pain relief. Just put it on the end of a q-tip and rub it around the uncomfortable area. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/7 "2014-02-03T22:35:40Z")
I’ve never had this issue but my ex did. I used to buy him a product called Cann-Ease which is formulated to protect the nostrils of patients who have oxygen tubes in their nose on a permanent basis. Worked like a charm. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/8 "2014-02-03T22:46:54Z")
Saline Nasal **Gel** , works a treat. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/9 "2014-02-04T01:32:32Z")
I’ve never had any luck with saline based gels or sprays. The only thing that works for me is petroleum based products. However there is a risk (I don’t know how small, but I get the impression pretty small) you could inhale that stuff and damage your lungs. Using it before bed is a bad idea since laying down with petroleum products up your nose increases the risk of inhaling them. What I do is if I am having a bad time I will put some vitamin A&D lotion, or some neosporin inside my nostril when I am sitting/standing up (usually early in the morning before work). That clears up the blood and the scabs for a few days. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/10 "2014-02-04T02:43:13Z")
I use a saline nasal rinse. Clears everything out and seems to moisturize and/or otherwise soothe irritation. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/11 "2014-02-04T03:10:41Z")
Chapstick on a q tip is very effective ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/12 "2014-02-04T03:16:00Z")
Saline nasal spray prn. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/13 "2014-02-04T13:01:13Z")
Use a [saline nasal rinse](http://www.neilmed.com/usa/sinusrinse_isotonic.php) twice a day. (A doctor recommended it and it worked for me.) Their web site also has a [gel](http://www.neilmed.com/usa/nasogel.php) for dry noses, but I have not tried that. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/14 "2014-02-04T18:43:30Z")
Vaseline for me, too. It’s also very useful for when you have a cold and your nose gets raw from the constant blowing and dripping. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-prevent-raw-scabbed-areas-inside-nasal-membranes-during-the-winter/680436/15 "2014-02-04T20:18:51Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Better than Vaseline (although similar) is the Neosporin with pain relief. Just put it on the end of a q-tip and rub it around the uncomfortable area. This has been my trusty solution for many years.