Little black dots in your eyebrows are usually blackheads (clogged pores with oxidized sebum/dead skin), ingrown hairs (hair curling back under skin), or inflamed follicles (folliculitis), often caused by sweat, makeup, oils, or skin irritation from plucking/waxing, but could also be fungal (like dandruff) or even tiny lice. Identifying them as blackheads (flat, dark), ingrowns (red bump with trapped hair), or something else depends on texture and if they're painful.
An improper skincare routine
Throughout the day, sweat, oil, dirt, and even skincare and makeup products can build up on your skin. If you don't wash your face often enough, these impurities can clog your pores, leading to pimples between your eyebrows or elsewhere on your face.
Symptoms of eyebrow seborrheic dermatitis
White or yellow flakes in or around your eyebrows. Itchy skin under or between your brows. Greasy, scaly patches that can look shiny or crusty. Redness or irritation beneath the flakes.
How do you get rid of blackheads between your eyebrows? One can use a daily BHA exfoliant like salicylic acid to clear the pores. To cleanse deeply, one can apply clay masks weekly.
Bumps around or underneath the eyebrow can result from a variety of causes, including blocked hair follicles, sebaceous gland issues, or minor skin injuries. Common causes include clogged pores due to excess oil production, poor hygiene, or use of heavy cosmetics that can clog pores.
Acne around the brows is linked to your gallbladder and liver. If you're getting breakouts in this location, try eating less processed or junk food and reduce the amount of fat in your diet. Pimples come out to play when there is an overindulgence of unhealthy foods, alcohol, or a food allergy.
If you're hoping to eliminate those pesky blemishes around the eyebrow area, here's what we recommend:
Don't Touch Your Blackheads
Blackheads are the result of blocked follicles, so it's important to keep your pores clean. Touching your blackheads can spread bacteria across your skin, blocking pores and potentially causing more pimples. Popping, squeezing or picking blackheads risks acne scarring too.
Blackheads are drawn out by ingredients that dissolve oil and dead skin (like salicylic acid), absorb excess oil (**clay and charcoal masks), or increase skin cell turnover (retinoids). Gentle exfoliation and regular cleansing with these ingredients, combined with techniques like steam to open pores and careful extraction, help dislodge the plug of sebum and skin cells, preventing future blockages.
The exact cause of seborrheic dermatitis isn't clear. It may be due to the yeast Malassezia, excess oil in the skin or a problem in the immune system.
Moisturize regularly: Moisturizing isn't just for the rest of your face — your eyebrows deserve some love too. Choose a nourishing, non-comedogenic moisturizer, like Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Deep Moisture Body Cream, and make it a part of your daily skincare routine.
Acne between the eyebrows may be caused by stress, late night eating, greasy foods and alcohol. Once you understand the underlying cause of your acne, you can take steps to eliminate your acne once and for all.
Spots on the chin and along the jawline are usually linked to hormonal issues. They often crop up at the same time of the month or may be linked to your contraception, new medication, illness or pregnancy.
Acne is triggered by hormonal changes. Chocolate, crisps, and beer may not be good for your health, but they are not the cause of acne. On the other hand, dairy products and high Glycemic Index foods (like sugar and white flour) do have a role in triggering acne outbreaks.
While Vaseline doesn't directly dissolve blackheads, it does soften keratin and sebum inside the pores, allowing them to be removed more easily — a gentler alternative to forceful squeezing.
No, toothpaste can irritate the skin and is not recommended. Benzoyl peroxide for blackheads? It's more effective for inflamed acne but can help reduce bacteria and oil.
Do blackheads go away on their own? Blackheads can sometimes go away on their own — it depends on how deep blackheads are in your skin. If a blackhead is close to the surface of your skin, it's more likely to go away on its own. However, some blackheads can be deeply embedded in your skin.
What happens if you don't remove blackheads like these? They'll likely turn into deep blackheads and potentially result in the following: Pimples: If you leave blackheads be, they can get all irritated and turn into pimples. Bacteria can build up in those clogged pores, making them red and swollen.
Pore strips can remove blackheads from the skin's surface but are not a long-term solution. Not all dark spots on your nose are blackheads; some are just large pores that pore strips cannot help. To get rid of blackheads, you may need treatments like retinoids or salicylic acid.
“Honestly, you should always avoid popping pimples,” Dr. Vij advises. “Doing so can lead to inflammation, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and scarring — and, of course, infection.”
Apply a warm, damp washcloth to try to bring a pimple to a head. Soak a clean washcloth in hot water, then apply the warm, damp washcloth to your pimple for 10-15 minutes, three times daily. This will help the deep pimple move closer to your skin's surface so it can heal.
Prepare your skin before hair removal
Above all, don't skip exfoliating this area. In fact, regularly exfoliating your eyebrows helps remove dead skin and other residues that could clog your skin and facilitate the appearance of pimples or ingrown hairs following hair removal.