Rhiannon Ingle
A dermatologist has issued a pretty serious warning to anyone popping spots in the' triangle of death'.
Despite being told our whole lives to stop relentlessly picking at our skin until we're beetroot red, it's clear that absolutely nothing comes between a person hellbent on squeezing every single pimple, blackhead and whitehead we see crop up on our face.
But, even if you find it nearly impossible to leave your skin alone, you may want to think twice before trying to pop a spot on one particular part of your face which is, as it turns out, a super spot-prone area.
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The dermatologist, who goes by Dr Mark online, took to TikTok to explain the pretty harrowing reason why you should leave this area alone during a spot-popping spree, starting: "As a board-certified dermatologist, this is why you should never pop a pimple on the nose."
According to Dr Mark popping spots in the centre part of the face - AKA the 'triangle of death' - can be particularly dangerous.
"This area of the face, from the bridge of the nose down to the corners of the mouth, have veins that connect directly to the brain via a blood vessel called the cavernous sinus," he explained.
The doctor went on: "When you traumatise the skin in this area or pop a pimple, you are potentially introducing a nidus of infection into the bloodstream that can also travel directly to the brain."
"This can lead to infection and even death."
Health.com explains: "Popping your pimples anywhere on your face is not advised, especially in the area on your face known as the 'danger triangle'.
"Squeezing pimples in this area increases your risk of developing a serious infection that could travel to your brain and bloodstream."
While assuring it's 'incredibly rare' for this to happen, Dr Mark resolved: "I still leave my pimples on my nose alone."
He later added in a follow-up comment that dying from popping one of these nose simples was a 'very very very small probability'.
People who had clearly made a habit out of nose pimple popping couldn't wait to share their reactions to the revelation, with one TikTok user writing: "I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it."
"I’ve done this for decades," revealed a second, while a third quipped: "Oh ya I would’ve died like 100 times then."
Another joked: "I’m a walking miracle."
And a final TikTok user penned: "Stop so its a literal triangle of DEATH stop I thought it was called like that bc pimples get back there and spread."