I've been sick the past few days.. The sneezing, dripping, can't sleep, eyes watering, head pounding, sinus wrenching kind of cold. (shh.. don't be jealous) And now, as if having a cold wasn't bad enough, I have a sore nose as well!
As you probably already know, wiping up your snotty nose repeatedly can (AND WILL, trust me) cause the skin around your nose to become red, raw and irritated.
::As if I didn't feel crummy enough as it is::
We've all been there.. your nose starts to drip, and you reach for the first thing you can find.. A tissue, toilet paper, a paper towel, your sleeve.. oh wait. not your sleeve, bad idea. This isn't normally a problem, after all your skin is naturally pretty tough. Eventually though, after wiping your nose 100 times a day, it starts to take its toll. The constant irritation to your nose and upper lip is getting worse and worse. Its tender, dry, red and painful. This is usually when my common sense kicks in, and I buy the tissues with the aloe lotion in them, but its already far past that point.
So how do you help the skin heal faster?
Well, first of all, stop the drip. Take an antihistamine to stop or reduce the constant drainage that is causing you to have to wipe your nose repeatedly. But to help relieve the immediate problem of your sore nose, they say to apply petroleum jelly or a soothing emollient lotion. EEEK, steer clear from the jelly!! It will help your nose feel better temporarily, but its only going to make the situation worse down the road.
INSTEAD... TRY LIP BALM. I'm not kidding kids, it works!! Try it next time!
While any old lip balm would work, I like ours a lot mainly because its packed with shea butter. Shea butter's effect on the skin is different from that of petroleum jelly. Instead of lying inert on the surface of the skin, it actually gets absorbed by your skin, and helps retains moisture and promote healing. Not only that, but it contains peppermint and rosemary essential oils, which are ANTIBACTERIAL!
Apply the lip balm to the skin under your nose to help soothe and protect your skin in that area immediately. You can keep a tube of lip balm handy just for this purpose if you are prone to getting a sore nose. Keep it separate from the balm you use for your lips, and throw it away after your cold has resolved!
