A doctor has claimed picking your nose can actually have a surprising side effect, but many commenters were sceptical about the claims. One said: “I’m not gonna stop picking my nose.”
Ian Craig Social Newsdesk Content Editor
12:53, 29 Dec 2025
As well as being a social faux pas, picking your nose can have other side effects, a doctor has claimed (stock image)(Image: Getty Images)
Picking your nose might not be the most socially acceptable practice, but that doesn’t stop young and old doing it all the time. However, beyond being rather unpleasant to witness, one specialist has suggested that poking your finger up your nostril could lead to an unforeseen consequence.
Exhale Sinus, which offers guidance on sinus troubles, sleep disorders, headaches, and migraines, shared a clip on TikTok with their findings.
In the footage, ENT (ear, nose and throat) expert Dr Ryan Vaughn explained that nose picking could potentially enlarge your nose. He stated: “If you actually pick your nose you can start to push your septal cartilage over and you can start to reshape the lower lateral cartilages.
“You won’t move the bone, but you’ll actually create more space, at least on one side.”
Viewers had mixed reactions to the clip, with many expressing doubt about these assertions. One commented: “There’s no evidence that picking your nose makes it bigger.
“Normal finger pressure doesn’t reshape nasal cartilage. At most, aggressive picking can cause irritation or injury, not growth or enlargement.”
Another added: “No, picking your nose doesn’t inherently make it bigger like a muscle, as cartilage isn’t easily reshaped by this habit.
“However, severe, chronic picking could potentially stretch nostrils or damage tissue over time, but it’s more likely to cause infections, nosebleeds, or even septum issues than significant size change, with genetics and underlying conditions being primary size factors.”
A different user wrote: “I’ve been pickin my nose for 30 years. This ain’t true.” And someone else said: “That sucks but I’m not gonna stop picking my nose.”
According to Healthline, nose picking is “unlikely to cause you any serious problems”. However, the health website warned it might lead to complications including infections from microscopic wounds created by fingernails and bloody noses, reports the Mirror.
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Research has also revealed that those who dig around in their nostrils can transmit bacteria to others, with one study linking this habit to numerous pneumonia cases.
Healthline further noted that constant or habitual picking can harm the nasal passages, potentially triggering irritation and swelling, stating: “Over time this may narrow the nostril openings”.
The site also cautioned that it might compromise the septum – the structure of bone and cartilage that separates the left and right nostrils.
One TikTok user offered a cheeky remedy, commenting: “Joke’s on you, I pick both nostrils evenly.”