It might be tempting to try and get rid of unsightly nose hairs the moment you spot one - but a doctor has warned against ever plucking them out.
Dr Karan Rajan, who gains millions of views posting informative videos on social media, said that pulling out or waxing nose hairs could be putting your health at serious risk.
The surgical doctor explained there are two types of hair found in our noses; microscopic cilia, which filter mucus and help to send it to the stomach, and vibrissae, which are "the big ones you want to yank out".
The bigger hairs act to stop particles reaching the back of your throat as you breathe, but the doctor warned that plucking them out can allow germs to get into the follicles left behind and cause infections.
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Due to the nose being in the 'danger triangle', the effects of an infection can, in rare instances, have devastating consequences, as Dr Rajan explained it can lead to brain infections.
He said: "That's because the same veins which carry blood out of the nose meet up with the veins that carry blood out of the brain.
"If the germs end up back there in the brain, it can cause inflammation of the brain, sometimes resulting in brain abscesses.
"This is incredibly rare but can cause serious problems for people with weak immune systems.
"So next time, just trim it."
Dr Rajan reiterated that serious issues are very rare, but it does also leave you more at risk of other smaller problems, like sinus infections.
The video posted on Instagram racked up hundreds of comments as one person said: "I get them waxed! Oh no."
A second replied: "Thank you for this. I'm never pulling out any hair from anywhere now."
And another added: "THANK YOU. I keep trying to tell people why not to have their nose hairs waxed but they won't listen. Now I can send them this."
