Brow Beaten asks…I tweeze my own eye brows and I notice that almost every time I tweeze I start to sneeze. My sister says I’m just imagining it and it doesn’t happen all the time but I thought maybe you could find out.
The Left Brain responds:
Dear Brow Beaten, your “tweeze and sneeze” problem is a new question that I’ve never heard. I wasn’t able to find any documentation in the technical literature to confirm this effect is real but I can think of two possible mechanisms that could explain what’s happening to you.
First, the act of pulling hairs out of your brows could be agitating the follicle and triggering a histamine response. Histamines are chemicals in your body that are released in response to certain injuries. They increase blood vessel permeability which in turn allows fluid to escape. This reaction leads to a runny nose and watery eyes, and potentially a sneeze.
Another possibility is that the tweezing is causing your eyes to tear up. When this happens, some of the tears may not be making it all they way out of the tear ducts and they may be draining back down the lacrimal canal inside your nose. This drainage could be “tickling” the cells inside the nasal cavity and causing a sneeze.
Either way, you don’t sound crazy to us. Tell your sister there may be a plausible scientific reason for what your experiencing.
Image credit: Tamikoadyms.blogspot.com
Have YOU ever sneezed from tweezing? Leave a comment and help save Brow Beaten’s sanity.
Brow Beaten asks…I tweeze my own eye brows and I notice that almost every time I tweeze I start to sneeze. My sister says I’m just imagining it and it doesn’t happen all the time but I thought maybe you could find out.
The Left Brain responds:
Dear Brow Beaten, your “tweeze and sneeze” problem is a new question that I’ve never heard. I wasn’t able to find any documentation in the technical literature to confirm this effect is real but I can think of two possible mechanisms that could explain what’s happening to you.
First, the act of pulling hairs out of your brows could be agitating the follicle and triggering a histamine response. Histamines are chemicals in your body that are released in response to certain injuries. They increase blood vessel permeability which in turn allows fluid to escape. This reaction leads to a runny nose and watery eyes, and potentially a sneeze.
Another possibility is that the tweezing is causing your eyes to tear up. When this happens, some of the tears may not be making it all they way out of the tear ducts and they may be draining back down the lacrimal canal inside your nose. This drainage could be “tickling” the cells inside the nasal cavity and causing a sneeze.
Either way, you don’t sound crazy to us. Tell your sister there may be a plausible scientific reason for what your experiencing.
Image credit: Tamikoadyms.blogspot.com
Have YOU ever sneezed from tweezing? Leave a comment and help save Brow Beaten’s sanity.