A lot of blood vessels are located in the nose, one of the most vulnerable areas of the face. Having blood rushing out of the nose is scary, but is sometimes not as bad as it looks. A one-time nosebleed from trauma doesn’t need an exhaustive visit to the doctor. However, constant nosebleeds are a cause for concern if they keep getting worse. Treatment is available to fully cure the problem, or at the very least make it manageable and less of a surprise. 

What causes nosebleeds?

Physical trauma isn’t the only thing that causes nosebleeds. Things like sinus infections, weather, stress and even aging can cause regular nosebleeds. Minor complications that point to a physical trauma are nothing to get up in arms about, although a quick checkup wouldn’t hurt. Consistent or unexplained nosebleeds fall into their own categories as undefined. Professionals will fill in the blanks to let their patients know what the problem is. Here are some of the biggest causes of nosebleeds;

  • Physical trauma to the face or nose
  • Dryness in the nostrils
  • Sinus Infection
  • Allergies
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Some Medications
  • Alcohol Abuse
  • Even pregnant women have nosebleeds, based on their hormonal changes

How to stop them

The most common advice for stopping a nosebleed is to put your head forwards and apply pressure to the end of the nose. This move pinches the blood vessel and prevents further blood from the nose. Doing this for ten minutes should stop the current bleeding. Patients should never tilt their head back during a nosebleed, as this will cause them to swallow blood. Besides exacerbating the problem, it doesn’t stop the nosebleed. Any blood that gets caught in the throat should be spit out immediately before it goes down. 

When to see a doctor

Stopping the blood is simple enough, but when should patients look for a doctor’s help? Santa Cruz E.N.T. handles many conditions of the nose, including bleeding. The condition may be related to another underlying issue, which can be treated, like allergies. This does not include emergency situations where an emergency room trip would be appropriate. Patients should go the ER for nosebleeds when it interferes with breathing, after a big injury or when the nose won’t stop bleeding. These are more serious nosebleeds that need to be addressed as soon as they happen.