One of the most common questions I get from younger patients is, “What’s that stuff that forms inside my nose and is ripe for the picking?”

Well, let me put everyone in the know — or should I say nose — and tell you what it is and is snot.

It turns out that every day your nose and sinuses make about a quart of sticky slimy liquid. This is a substance we refer to as mucus or snot. Why do we make it? The stickiness in snot is able to trap dust, dirt, germs and pollen. This prevents these substances from travelling into the lungs, inflaming them and making it difficult to breathe. When the mucus combines with dirt and other debris, it subsequently dries up and clumps forming what we affectionately call nasal debris or a booger.

When boogers do form, consider it a sign that your nose or your child’s nose is working well. If you want to get rid of this debris, the best solution is to blow your nose, and the worst is probably to pick the boogers out of your nose. This is because germs will deposit on your fingers and can even make your nose bleed as the dried debris is peeled off the inside lining of the nose.

It’s important to remember that you can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but please don’t pick your friend’s nose.

When the mucus and debris in the nose do not dry up, it may be because the production of mucus is increased to keep more germs out of your body. This is what happens when your nose runs due to a cold, the flu, or allergies. An overproduction of warm mucus can also happen in order to warm up a cold nose in the winter.

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The colors of snot — what they mean

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¯ Clear – Clear mucus is normal and means there is not likely to be an infection. It may mean, if it is excessive, that you are dealing with an allergy.

¯ Yellow or Green – These colors mean cells that fight infection are mixing in with the clear mucus, thereby making the snot darker. This often occurs with a bacterial or viral respiratory infection.

¯ Reddish Brown – This color mucus may mean there is some dried blood in the mix due to too much blowing or picking of the nose.

The bottom line is that while boogers may be gross to talk about, they are actually a great filtering system to keep us healthy!

Hopefully, tips like these will be mucus or should I say music to your ears and allow you and your child to sniff out the benefits of making boogers and snot in your nose each and every day.

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Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at the Golisano Children’s Hospital at UVM Health and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and MyNBC 5.