Nasal hair or nose hair, is the hair in the human nose. Adult humans have hair in the

nostril A nostril (or naris , plural ''nares'' ) is either of the two orifices of the nose. They enable the entry and exit of air and other gasses through the nasal cavities. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbi ...

s. Nasal hair functions include filtering foreign particles from entering the nasal cavity, and collecting moisture. In support of the first function, the results of a 2011 study indicated that increased nasal hair density decreases the development of asthma in those who have seasonal rhinitis, possibly due to an increased capacity of the hair in the nostrils to filter out pollen and other allergens. Nasal hair is different from the

cilia The cilium, plural cilia (), is a membrane-bound organelle found on most types of eukaryotic cell, and certain microorganisms known as ciliates. Cilia are absent in bacteria and archaea. The cilium has the shape of a slender threadlike projecti ...

of the ciliated lining of the

nasal cavity The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nasal c ...

. These cilia are microtubular-based structures that are found in the

respiratory tract The respiratory tract is the subdivision of the respiratory system involved with the process of respiration in mammals. The respiratory tract is lined with respiratory epithelium as respiratory mucosa. Air is breathed in through the nose to th ...

, involved in the

mucociliary clearance Mucociliary clearance (MCC), mucociliary transport, or the mucociliary escalator, describes the self-clearing mechanism of the airways in the respiratory system. It is one of the two protective processes for the lungs in removing inhaled particl ...

mechanism.

Removal

A number of devices have been sold to trim nasal hair, including miniature rotary clippers and attachments for electric shavers. The trimmers shorten the hair to such lengths that they do not appear outside of the nasal passage. A pair of tweezers may also be used to facilitate the removal of such hairs. Other means are in effect such as

waxing Waxing is the process of hair removal from the root by using a covering of a sticky substance, such as wax, to adhere to body hair, and then removing this covering and pulling out the hair from the follicle. New hair will not grow back in the pr ...

. Nasal hair removal can result in negative health consequences, such as

ingrown hair Ingrown hair is a condition where a hair curls back or grows sideways into the skin. The condition is most prevalent among people who have coarse or curly hair. It may or may not be accompanied by an infection of the hair follicle (folliculitis) o ...

nasal vestibulitis Nasal vestibulitis is the diffuse dermatitis of nasal vestibule. It is often caused by '' Staphylococcus aureus.'' It may be secondary to chronic rhinorrhea Rhinorrhea, rhinorrhoea, or informally runny nose is the free discharge of a thin mucus ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasal Hair Nose Human hair