Can I use Aquaphor in my nose?

Can you put Aquaphor inside your nose?

For everyday nasal dryness, choose a nasal moisture treatment rather than regularly coating your nostrils with Aquaphor. Petroleum jelly is sometimes used inside the nostrils as part of care after nosebleeds. If a clinician has specifically advised that, ask which product to use, where to apply it and for how long instead of substituting Aquaphor yourself.34

Keeping ointment just outside the nostrils is not a reason to use it indefinitely for nasal symptoms. Lipoid pneumonia has occurred after nightly external nasal use of a petrolatum ointment for more than a year. That case involved Vicks VapoRub, not Aquaphor; the practical concern is repeated exposure to an oily ointment near the airway.5

What about dry skin around your nose?

For chapped or cracked outer skin, Aquaphor Healing Ointment temporarily protects and helps relieve dryness. Dry outer skin is a skin care job, even when its address happens to be your nose. The US ointment contains 41% petrolatum, along with mineral oil, ceresin, lanolin alcohol, panthenol, glycerin and bisabolol. This answer concerns that ointment, not every product carrying the Aquaphor name.2

Apply to the affected outer skin as needed, keeping the ointment out of your eyes. Stop using it and ask a doctor if the skin worsens, symptoms last more than seven days, or symptoms clear and return within a few days. Aquaphor is a skin protectant, not a nasal decongestant.2

What can you use for dryness inside your nose?

A saline nasal wash adds moisture and helps remove excess mucus, pollen and dust. Salt water can handle moisture and mucus removal without auditioning as a multipurpose ointment. You can buy saline solution made specifically for nasal rinses and use it with a neti pot, squeeze bottle or nasal bulb.6

To use a saline wash:

1. 1Prepare the rinse using only distilled, boiled or filtered water, not untreated tap water.
2. 2Lean over a sink, tilt your head sideways and breathe through your open mouth.
3. 3Gently pour or squeeze the solution into the upper nostril so it drains through the other nostril. Repeat on the other side.
4. 4Blow your nose gently to remove remaining water and mucus.
5. 5Clean the device with distilled, boiled or filtered water after each use and let it dry.

Use the wash before prescribed nasal sprays so the medicine can be better absorbed. Do not rinse if your nasal passages are completely blocked. A slight initial burning sensation should settle; contact a healthcare professional if rinsing brings nosebleeds, fever, pain or headaches.6

When should you get medical help?

If you have been using ointment inside or around your nostrils and develop a lasting cough or shortness of breath, seek medical assessment and mention the ointment. Aspiration means a substance enters your lungs rather than your stomach. Chronic acid reflux and conditions that make aspiration easier increase the risk. Chest pain, high fever or difficulty breathing need emergency care.3

For an active nosebleed, sit upright, lean forward and pinch the soft part of your nose for 10 to 15 minutes; do not put anything inside to stop the bleeding. Get emergency care if bleeding lasts longer than 20 minutes, is heavy or flows down your throat. Repeated nosebleeds need a medical check rather than repeated ointment applications.4