I was wondering why I had a stray whisker growing on my nose, so I decided to research the cause of this bizarre growth.
Why in the world do I have whiskers growing on my nose? Androgens, testosterone-like chemicals, encourage more follicles on the nose to grow more hair as we age. The thickest of these nose hairs is more than the average thickest of hair and it resembles facial whiskers.
Androgen the Hormone is the Culprit
Androgens are the hormones that control a lot of the male traits and characteristics. I have a receding hairline, so I know that androgens are at play. I do not matter how many times I shave my head, I know that hormones are going to provide the follicles from growing hairs.
At first, I thought that my research would tell me that testosterone was the culprit. However, testosterone actually is decreasing as a man ages. I am in my fifties, so my level of testosterone is probably lower than it was when I was in my thirties.
The whisker that grows out of my nose is not going to suddenly stop growing even if I pluck It out. I will have to live with it. Nevertheless, using a nose trimmer will tame it down, I recommend the trimmer by ToiletFree (link to Amazon).
My research also told me that eyebrows and nose hair are affected by androgens. The androgens are telling these areas to produce more follicles and more hair growth is the result.
Women do not have to deal with a lot of hair loss or strange hair growth on their noses. This is because they are dealing with less of the hormone changes that affect men.
Could the Black Dots on Your Nose Just be Blackheads?
I guess that that is a possibility, but if you are male, it is likely that a whisker or a hair is about to erupt from that follicle. I have a few more dark dots that are probably whisker follicles. I try not to bother picking away at them. Picking follicles can cause bacteria to enter into your body, so it not advisable.
You could try to dab some rubbing alcohol on them if you are finding that they are itchy. This will help to prevent an infection if you had been investigating them by scratch the surface of your skin.
Sometimes, we feel that others are noticing imperfections on our faces, but most people will not even notice that you have tiny black dots on your nose. Most times these follicles form on the side of your nose which makes it unlikely that others would notice them.
If I shave off the Whisker or a Hair on My Nose Will it Disappear Forever?
It is highly unlikely that you will be to simply shave off the whisker to prevent it from growing back. The mechanism that causes the hair to grow is the follicle, not the hair itself. Try not to stress about it, it is a very small portion of you as a person.
I also found out in my research that shaving a stray hair will increase the likelihood that you will cause an infection in that follicle, especially if you are shaving it off as soon as you see it (in other words, almost daily in some cases).
Another source of stress for people is they feel that if they remove the stray whisker that it will grow back even longer and stronger the next time.
Personally, I can tell you that this is not true because I shave my head every second day and my hair follicles are not replenishing. If it were true that I could simply shave my head to make it grow in fuller, I would have a full head of hair right now.
Is this a Hair or a Whisker on my Nose?
I guess that it does not really matter, but if it is a whisker, it just going to be slightly thicker and more pronounced than a hair. It is not really something that you need to worry about. Just realize that it is not harmful and that you will be able to live with it.
Why Do I Have Hair Growing out of My Nose and My Ears? Am I turning into a Werewolf?
I am pretty sure that you are not becoming a werewolf. You again are dealing with androgens that are instructing your body to grow excessive follicles. Your body does not care if you have never had hair growing in these areas beforehand.
You may be wondering if this is logical to have hair growing in these areas that are succeeding in only disrupting your personal grooming tactics. The androgens feel that you need this excessive hair in order to protect yourself from harsh conditions. In other words, there must be some sort of genetic reasoning behind this growth.
What is the Purpose of Hair Growing inside of a Nose?
There is actually some logic behind the hair growth inside your nostrils. When we were cavemen running around in fields, we were encountering a lot of new germs and other foreign spores that were in the fields and within the new areas that we are entering into as a tribe.
The hairs are there to block out these foreign substances. You should be glad, I guess, that you have to trim your nostrils from time to time. You are obviously being exposed to fewer bacteria and fungus that a man or women that lack nostril hair.
I feel that another reason that seems logical to me is that cavemen had to deal without a lot of humidity. Humid air can carry bacteria and water particles will become trapped in nose hairs. This ensures that you are not inhaling toxic or even deadly substances that are within the air that you are breathing into your lungs.
Dilemma – To Pluck Not to Pluck that Ugly Whisker on the Surface of Your Nose
I was not sure if this would be a good idea. It seemed ok to me at first. If you pluck a hair or whisker, it will take some time for another hair or whisker to surface from the follicle.
Nevertheless, I read in some articles that it is never good to pluck. The hair in question will resurface anyhow and then you could be creating the perfect storm. Nose hairs can be trimmed, click to see the trimmer that I recommend.
You could tear the lining of the follicle which will allow bacteria to easily enter into it. So, instead of an unsightly tiny whisker protruding from your nose, you will have a huge zit forming that could become even further infected if you were to scatch its fragile surface.
I have heard of a woman that was plucking a whisker from her chin constantly over a period of thirty years. Since a definition of insanity is doing something over and over just to get the same result, we can safely say that she was doing something that was not terribly sane.
Why Is My Nose Hair Falling out?
Now, this is a twist. Most people are trying to rid themselves of nose hairs, but some people are actually worried that they are losing nose hairs. I am ok with losing a few nose hairs. I would like to keep a portion of them now that I know that they are there to protect me.
The reason that nose hairs fall out is that they are delicate. The follicles are weaker than the follicles in other areas of your body. The moist air that you are inhaling is causing the follicle to weaken its grip on its respective hair.
Also, if you have allergies, a cold, or flu, and you are blowing your nose a lot, you are forcing the hairs from their follicles. Nevertheless, the follicles will allow more hair to sprout and you will be protecting your lungs from weird bacteria and spores once again.
It is ok to wonder why you have whiskers growing from your nose or even to wonder about nose hair that you now have to trim that did not seem to be there before. They are harmless and they really do not affect greatly your personal appearance. Nevertheless, trimming around your ears and inside of your nose is not a bad idea, just remember to avoid becoming pluck happy.
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