Usually the result of an upper respiratory infection, phantosmia is a technical term for phantom smells, where a person smells odors that aren’t really there or a normally pleasant odor is perceived as unpleasant. “If you have a concern about nasal polyps, evaluation by a physician can be helpful, as they’re able to look directly into your nose to see if they’re there or not,” says Dr. Treatments are wide-ranging, from topical nasal steroids ( Flonase, Nasacort, and Rhinocort are available over-the-counter Nasarel, Nasonex, Veramyst and the like require a prescription) to sinus surgery. “They may decrease your sense of smell or lead you to experience a foul smell in your nose.” “In addition to nasal obstruction and facial pressure, they can affect your sense of smell and taste,” says Dr. Polyps are noncancerous growths that form in the nose, usually as a result of chronic inflammation (say, asthma, allergies, infections). More severe infections may require a round of oral antibiotics from your doctor to clear things up. If the infection is mild, it can most likely be treated with the topical antibiotic bacitracin, which is available over-the-counter and may need to be applied for several weeks. Frequently picking or blowing your nose are the most common ways the infection can manifest, which can result in pimples at the base of nose hairs and sometimes crusts around the nostrils. “Some people can experience a bad smell in their nose from bacterial overgrowth in the anterior nostrils (the front part of your nostrils), called nasal vestibulitis,” says Dr. Manes, in which case your doctor will prescribe a round of antibiotics to alleviate the infection and decrease the foul smell. “When an infection lingers, it may represent a bacterial infection and may require a visit to the doctor for evaluation and treatment,” says Dr. Most sinus infections are viral (a la the common cold) and respond well to home remedies, such as decongestants and saline irrigations. Not only can a sinus infection increase the thickness of mucus, it can also “cause mucus to stagnate in the nose, leading to a worsening smell,” says Dr. The same goes for nailing down the cause of your postnasal drip and then doing things to counteract it (avoiding allergy triggers, taking a decongestant, drinking more water). “Nasal saline irrigations, either with a neti pot or an irrigation bottle, can often alleviate the feeling and odor of the mucus,” says Dr. Medications, such as birth control pills and meds for high blood pressure, can also produce increased mucus. Postnasal drip-the feeling of mucus draining in the back of your throat-can strike because of conditions like allergies, colds and flu, hormonal changes, and dehydration. “When it thickens, which happens due to a variety of conditions, it can become bothersome and produce a detectable odor.” Peter Manes, M.D., a rhinologist and sinus surgeon with Yale Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. “We swallow it and are unaware of its presence,” says R. Here’s a fun fact: The nose typically makes about one liter of mucus per day. “These symptoms may point to a severe or life-threatening infection or disease process,” says Matthew Kim, M.D., an ENT specialist at Westchester Medical Center in New York.Īs for what might be causing that bad smell in your nose? Read on for the likeliest suspects, according to doctors. It turns out there are a variety of health issues related to the sinus area that can trigger a rotten smell in your nose-most of which are temporary and not a sign of something more serious.īut if the bad smell in your nose has been hanging around for over a month, is getting worse, or is associated with red flag symptoms like fever or whole body chills, severe facial swelling or pain, vision changes or eye swelling, severe nose bleeds, and changes in mental status, check in with your doctor or an ENT specialist, stat.
“Patients present to the ENT (ear, nose, and throat) physician every day with complaints of a foul odor,” says Chris Thompson, M.D., an ENT specialist with Providence Mission Hospital in Southern California. Once you’ve ruled out the usual culprits and the bad smell still won’t quit, this could be a sign it’s coming from the inside of your nose. Perhaps you’re the funky something lurking. Maybe you haven’t inspected your fridge in a while or there’s something funky lurking in one of your garbage cans.
There are plenty of reasons why it might seem like something always smells off.