dried blood in nose

I have recently been experiencing a constant build up of painful dried mucus in my nose, it is like a contanst dry nosebleed. But the mucus is so dry and hard it actually becomes quite painful and is embarrsing when  have no other choice than to sit (with a tissue!!) and try and gouge out the debris. I am thinking it might have something to do with heating/air conditioning as in these environments it is worse.

It is showing no signs of clearing up so I wanted to see if anyone would be able to give me advice as to anything which might help. I feel a bit  sily going to the doc about this as its not serious, just very uncomfortable

thanks

[National Jewish Health]

What you describe is almost always more of a nuisance than a serious health problem.  Rarely, it is, so you should have your nose examined by an ENT specialist.  A nasal wash helps remove mucus and bacteria from the nose and sinuses.  Nasal washes done 4 times daily would help.  Once your nose is free of dried mucus, you could simply continue with the nasal washes, while observing if once, twice or 3 times daily might do the job.  Depending on the cause of the inflammation, if not infectious, a prescription nasal steroid spray might also prevent mucus build-up by decreasing the nasal swelling and mucus production.  To get the most out of a nasal steroid spray use it after doing a nasal wash.  A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms.  It may require several weeks of routine use to become effective.  Please read our nasal wash treatment information at http://www.nationaljewish.org/disease-info/treatments/alt-ther/nasal-wash.aspx to learn more about this technique.  Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment.