Petroleum jelly is an old standby for treating children with recurrent nose bleeds. The reasoning is that the bloody noses are caused by dryness of the mucous membranes that line the nose. When dry, they crack and bleed. The dryness causes nasal irritation and discomfort. The petroleum jelly, applied two to four times a day, was thought to help hold in the moisture thus preventing the dryness, cracking, and bleeding.
In a study of children with recurrent epistaxis (bloody nose), the half using petroleum jelly twice a day for four weeks had just as many nose bleeds as the half that didn't use the jelly. These children were not typical kids with nose bleeds. All had been referred by their own doctors to otolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat specialists). Many of the children in the study had already tried common treatments including petroleum jelly.
Parents shouldn't abandon petroleum jelly as a treatment for nose bleeds. It helps in children with occasional nose bleeds. However, in children with severe or chronic problems, it may not do much.
Clinical Otolaryngology, 2004; 266-269.
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