If you pop a pimple in the "triangle of death," you risk an infection that could travel to your brain and bloodstream. While popping pimples is tempting, it isn't worth the risk for pimples in that area.
Pressing on pimples can force bad bacteria and pus deeper into your skin. This can lead to increased swelling and redness in the area that makes pimples more noticeable. In some cases, trying to squeeze away pimples can cause a painful infection.
Compared with the rest of your face, your T-zone has more oil glands. That's why it tends to be oilier and more acne-prone. Specifically, acne often develops when excess oil and dead skin cells mix together. This blocks your pores, creating whiteheads and blackheads.
Popping a pimple could spread the bacteria and pus from the infected pore to surrounding pores in the area. This can cause an to spread. Popping a pimple can delay your body's natural healing process, which causes your pimple's healing to take longer. You could push the pus and bacteria further under your skin.
If you once squeezed a whitehead until it burst, it's possible that the entire blockage wasn't removed—meaning that pimple could become inflamed again, says Dr. Zeichner. The irritation or exposed bacteria could also cause another pimple to form right next to your previous one.
Whiteheads form when blocked pores close. These blemishes are close to the surface of the skin, so it does not usually require much intervention to get the contents out. The only whiteheads that are suitable to pop are those that look as though they are almost ready to burst on their own.
Exfoliate Your Skin Regularly
Another way to help combat excess sebum—and remove any buildup of oil on your t-zone—is to exfoliate. "Exfoliate your skin regularly, about two to three times per week," Frank says. Try Fresh's Umbrian Clay Pore Purifying Face Exfoliator ($33).
Given the increase in oil production, she says your skin will usually look greasier and slightly more inflamed. Zeichner adds that stress acne can also look like a combination of blackheads, whiteheads, red bumps, and pus pimples.
According to doctors, there is a reason why such pimples called "love" or "crush" pimple. They say boys and girls become much too conscious about their appearance when they discover someone has a crush on them and get stressed about their looks. This may result in pimples be on the nose and around the lips.
Your fingers are now outlining the danger zone – “the triangle of death.” It sounds very dramatic, I know. The scary name comes from the fact that the blood vessels in this part of the face have a direct link to blood vessels close to the brain. There are also important structures around the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Popping a pimple in the "death triangle" is dangerous is because it's near blood vessels with a direct link to areas of the skull where infections can spread rapidly and become serious, says Dr. Shamban.
There are certain types of blemishes that you shouldn't ever try to pop. They include boils, cystic acne, and pimples deep under the surface of your skin. If you can't see a visible whitehead or blackhead on a pimple, chances are you won't be able to pop it, anyway.
Pimples and genital herpes may appear similarly, but they have entirely different causes. Pimples: Caused by a blocked pore, not spread via sexual contact. Pimples form when excess oil or dead skin cells build up or get trapped in a hair follicle, resulting in an eruption of an irritating, but rarely painful sore.
Those disagreeable-looking white, round things are milia. Also called milium cysts, milk spots, oilseeds, or pearl acne, no matter what you call them, milia are decidedly unattractive, small or moderate-sized, round or dome-shaped, white or yellow bumps that are easily visible beneath the skin.
Popping pimples releases dopamine
A lot of people find popping pimples satisfying. After feeling and hearing that “pop”, some people get an immediate sensation of pleasure and relief. That's because dopamine — the happy-hormone — is released when you feel a sense of accomplishment.
It's been shown that unhealthy sleep habits can trigger insulin resistance, increase stress, spike cortisol levels, and impact hormones that are typically associated with acne.
Stress pimples will usually pop up in the oiliest areas of the face, like the forehead, nose and chin. Your T-zone might look greasier and more congested too. Doctors say that if you're getting clusters of pimples all at once, stress can be a factor—hormonal pimples happen one at a time.
While stress alone isn't the cause of acne pimples — age, hormones, acne-producing bacteria and other factors are at play — it's evident that stress can trigger breakouts and make existing acne issues worse.
The answer, though, is pretty straightforward: The area of the T-zone tends to have more sebaceous glands, or oil glands, than the other parts of your face. This can make your skin appear greasy and may also contribute to related concerns like clogged pores, congestion, and T-zone acne breakouts.
During puberty, hormonal acne often appears in the T-zone. This includes your forehead, nose, and chin. Hormonal adult acne typically forms on the lower part of your face. This includes the bottom of your cheeks and around your jawline.
Pores on your T-zone are usually more noticeable and produce more oil than the ones on the rest of your face. Wash your hands, then gently feel your skin. If you feel a coarse or uneven texture, your pores are likely enlarged and congested.
If you're bleeding, she says to “gently blot the area with a clean tissue or cotton pad and clean the area with alcohol.” Once the blood has stopped, she advises applying a spot treatment containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid as mentioned above.
Pimples are caused by hormonal changes and blocked skin pores while Zits are breakouts due to clogged melanin and oil glands commonly caused by stress, build-up body toxins, and other causes such as poor diet, hormonal imbalances, and improper skin care.
Acne scars do not go away entirely on their own. Depressed acne scars often become more noticeable with age as skin loses collagen. However, there are a variety of treatments that can make acne scars less noticeable. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or redness may lighten on its own within several months.
How long do pimples last? Pimples usually last between three and seven days. Most pimples go away on their own, but it may take some time. Deep pimples (pimples under your skin with no head that may feel hard to the touch) may take a few weeks to go away, if not longer.