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'Nasal hair,' or 'Nose hair' is the hair in the nose. Adult humans have hairs in the anterior nasal passage. These hairs act as a fibrous filter for inhaled particles. Diffusion of ultra fine particles to the nasal hair occurs mostly for particles < 5 nm. Nasal hair has important implications for the health of the human body because a lack of nasal hair could invite the transport of potentially harmful particles into the respiratory system.

Contents

Nasal Hair and Attraction

Nasal Hair vs. Cilium of the Nasal Cavity

Footnotes

References

Nasal Hair and Attraction

In some cultures, nose hair protruding from the nostrils may be thought unattractive, as is protruding hair from one's ears. A number of devices have been sold to trim the nose hair, including miniature rotary clippers and attachments for electric shavers. However, given the function of nasal hairs, many physicians recommend trimming them lightly, if at all.

Nasal Hair vs. Cilium of the Nasal Cavity

Nasal hairs should not be confused with cilia of the nasal cavity. Cilia of the nasal cavity consist of cells that form microscopic strands in the nasal passages that moisten the inhaled air (via mucosa), warm it, and trap foreign objects that flutter in its stream.^[1] Healthy cilia beat in a coordinated backward-&-forward motion on an average of sixteen times per second, unlike nasal hairs that have no coordinated motion. They draw mucus up from the epithelium by capillary action to maintain humidity in the nasal passages. This is accomplished by trapping moisture in exhaled air and humidifying its evaporation via inhaled air. Also unlike nasal hairs, ciliated cells push mucus back in towards the oropharynx where it can be either swallowed or ejected. This mechanism is much like the system by which cilia in the ear canal remove cerumen and other detritus; visible ear hairs have no such use.
Cilial motility regularly declines with advancing age, a fact that may be implicated in the higher incidence of respiratory infections in this group of individuals.

Footnotes

1. http://www.medicalook.com/human_anatomy/organs/Nose.html

References

★ The anterior human nasal passage as a fibrous filter for particles,(1) Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, ETATS-UNIS