Rhinotillexomania, or compulsive nose-picking, is a condition that can seriously affect your health. Treatments like hydrating products and therapy may help you manage your condition.

Nose picking may not be socially acceptable, but the occasional quick pick is not necessarily a problem unless it becomes a habit. This habit may lead to compulsive nose-picking, also known as rhinotillexomania.

In extreme cases, rhinotillexomania can cause health issues, such as infections or tissue damage.

If you find it challenging to stop picking, treatments are available to help you manage the behavior and keep your nose healthy.

Rhinotillexomania is a psychiatric condition involving compulsive nose-picking that is more common in children and young adults.

This kind of chronic picking is a type of body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB), a group of obsessive self-grooming behaviors. Other types of BFRBs include:

BFRB disorder is classified as “other specified obsessive-compulsive disorder” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR). The diagnostic criteria include:

  • having a body-focused repetitive behavior other than skin-picking or hair-pulling
  • making repeated attempts to reduce or stop the behavior
  • experiencing significant distress or impairment in functioning from the behavior

People with rhinotillexomania engage in repetitive nose-picking. Some people do this without awareness of their behavior, while others are more conscious of what they’re doing.

Despite repeated attempts to stop picking, they may find it challenging.

While rhinotillexomania rarely has serious consequences, it can cause certain complications, as well as physical damage, including:

  • recurrent nosebleeds
  • scrapes and scabbing
  • abnormalities or lesions in nasal cartilage tissue
  • destruction of facial bone structures
  • sinus and nasal skin infections
  • bacterial upper respiratory infections, which could lead to pneumonia

Rhinotillexomania may potentially be caused by:

Many people engage in BFRBs when they are feeling stressed or anxious. With rhinotillexomania, the picking helps to relieve these feelings. It can also provide a sense of gratification.

If you’re a chronic nose picker, there are things you can do at home to help you manage your behavior.
Professional treatment options are also available to help you reduce or stop the behavior altogether.

Use a hydrating product

Some people pick their noses because they feel very dry. Frequent nose-picking doesn’t help with dryness. It can cause bleeding and scabbing and lead to other complications.

A better option is to use a saline spray to hydrate the nose. Be sure to use the saline spray as directed to prevent your nose from drying out even more.

Like coconut oil, natural oil is also an excellent choice to help rehydrate the nose.

Reverse the habit

Professional therapists often use habit-reversal training (HRT), a type of cognitive behavioral therapy, to treat BFRBs like rhinotillexomania.

In HRT, the therapist helps you focus on behaviors that can help prevent the behavior you want to stop. The process includes:

  • Awareness training: self-monitoring and identifying what triggers nose-picking
  • Stimulus control: avoiding triggers for picking
  • Competing response training: learning how to substitute picking with other behaviors, such as sitting on your hands or clenching your fist

Other therapies used for BFRBs may include:

  • Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): helps you identify your values and choose behaviors based on those values
  • Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): helps you to build skills, such as mindfulness and emotional regulation, to change and cope with unhelpful behaviors

Practicing mindfulness techniques and deep breathing can help with emotional triggers like:

  • stress
  • anxiety
  • boredom

Talk with your doctor

Consider seeking support from your primary care doctor. Depending on the cause, your doctor may recommend specific treatments for rhinotillexomania.

These may include medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or clomipramine, to help relieve symptoms of anxiety.

Occasionally, picking your nose may be a harmless habit. But compulsive nose-picking, or rhinotillexomania, is a psychiatric condition that can cause physical damage and other complications.

Stress or anxiety often triggers rhinotillexomania. The picking behavior provides feelings of relief and gratification. Other causes include OCD, dementia, and anxiety.

Though you may try repeatedly, it can be hard to stop nose-picking. Treatments, such as habit reversal training and medication, can help you resist the urge to pick. If you’re seeking professional support, your primary care doctor or a therapist can assist you.