Picking your nose is not only disgusting - it can also be really dangerous

Next time you find yourself tempted to have a little dig around, remember this warning - and especially if you have kids

While, in isolation, bogies might be the source of much amusement, picking your nose is something we can all agree is 'frowned upon'.

As a child , you probably had your hand swatted away by a parent as you furtively tried to have a good pick.

It's not uncommon to see children have a good nasal root around, but by the time we reach adulthood, the understanding is that we've grown out of it (or have become better at doing it in private).

There's no official figure on how many adults occasionally have a quick pick, but our estimation would be '99 per cent of them'.

But aside from the fact it's seen as a bit gross and uncouth, IS having a surreptitious little pick such a bad thing?

Stop picking your nose

Yes, according to Dr Erich Voigt. Not just bad either - but dangerous.

Staphylococcus aureus is part of human normal flora, shown here on a nasal hair

Speaking on a Business Insider video, Dr Voigt explains how introducing germs into your nose such as Staphylococcus aureus ("a germ which can live in the front of the nose"), combined with picking can cause abrasions.

As a result, these abrasions "bleed, promoting germs, increasing the crust and irritation by picking your nose."

Depending on where you are and where your hands have been, this could introduce some serious nasties into your body.

You could be introducing a lot of germs into the body by doing this

Dr Voigt also points out how bad it can be for children, saying, "children are notorious for picking their nose, and they give themselves nose bleeds.

"The blood supply to the nose is very vigorous - there are five arteries that lead to the front of the nose (kiesselbach's plexus).

"When an abrasion occurs there can be vigorous bleeding, children induce a lot of nosebleeds that way."