“What causes noses to bleed when blown?”

Nasal bleeding happens most commonly because of dryness and trauma (picking). If he is blowing his nose a lot, try to get him to use a saline nasal spray a couple of times a day to keep the nose moist. At night, use a water based ointment such as aquaphor, and apply it to the inside of the nostril on a qtip by rubbing it inside the out portion of the nostril. This will help heal whatever irritated area is in there.

Nosebleeds are more common in the winter because they are caused by dryness, and heated air is dry air. It's very simple: There are small veins immediately beneath the mucous membranes. When the mucous membranes dry out, they crack, exposing the wall of the small veins. The warmed air then dries out the wall of the vein, which cracks and leads to nosebleed. If you can afford to add humidification to your central heat (assuming you have that), the nosebleeds should improve. Cold medicines also contribute to nosebleeds, due to their drying effect. The combination of cold medicines ("decongestants") and dry, heated air form a big invitation to nosebleeds. Persistent nosebleeds are an indication for an ENT consult to rule out the possibility of a rare intra-nasal tumor.

Nasal inflammation from infection or allergy causes dilated blood vessels. These are fragile and bleed easily.

The blood vessels, esp. in the first inch of nose, dilate in cold weather to heat the ambient air up. The mucosa overlying the vessels can be dried by cold air. Forceful nose blowing then causes the vessel to be injured and bleed. You can tell him not to blow his nose, not pick his nose. You can apply vaseline or bactroban ointment circularly with a Q-tip to the mucosa of the first inch of the nose, esp. at the See ENT if the bleeding is not easily controlled.

The most common cause of nosebleeds is crusting and dryness of the nasal lining. You can also have discrete blood vessels in the nose but this is less likely in younger kids.

Ari Goldsmith