There’s a special hell that is a ripe pimple cropping up in or around your nose. These intruders can be big, painful, and let’s face it, total eyesores. But before you even think about giving one of those suckers a good squeeze, you should know that there’s a reason—a few, actually—why you shouldn’t mess with nose zits.
Popping a pimple anywhere usually isn’t a good idea (you can read more about that here). But when it comes to your nose in particular, the stakes are considerably higher—so much so that experts have dubbed the region from your nasal bridge to the corners of your mouth the triangle of death or danger triangle, Mamina Turegano, MD, board-certified dermatologist at Sanova Dermatology in Los Angeles, tells SELF.
You can now enjoy the good news. probably won’t die after going to town on that annoying nostril bump in front of your bathroom mirror, Dr. Turegano says. You should read on to find out why exactly this part of the face is known as “the nose bump.”
What is the Triangle of Death?
Imagine a triangle that has three points. One on each side of your mouth, one at the tip of your nose. Kiyanna William, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic and staff physician, told SELF that everything within this shape is a danger zone.
“This area is unique because there are a lot of blood vessels there that are connected to the brain,” Dr. Williams explains. Specifically, she’s referring to a group of veins in the cavernous sinus, a region of the skull behind the eye sockets. A popped pimple can cause an infection to spread through the blood vessels in the triangle. This can lead to serious conditions such as meningitis (infection of tissues around the brain and spine) or cavernous sinus thrombosis.
Yes, these scenarios sound incredibly scary, but don’t panic: Getting a deadly infection from poking at a nose zit “is an extreme case,” Dr. Williams says, “but that’s why this part of the face, compared to the cheeks, for instance, is more high risk.”
Why you shouldn’t pop a pimple on your nose (or anywhere inside the “danger triangle”).
You might get more zits.
CST worries aside, there are much more probable outcomes you’ll want to avoid. For starters, you might make your blemish even angrier if you don’t leave it the heck alone, Dr. Turegano says. That’s because the force from squeezing can increase inflammation, leading to even more pain or swelling, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).