Why you should never pop a pimple in the 'triangle of death' on your face

Pimple popping is the best-kept secret of millions. It's gross, it's unhygienic, and it can cause us knock-on problems - but for some reason, we love it.

However, despite every dermatologist on the planet pleading with people to leave their whiteheads alone, there's one little-known area on your face where you should definitely avoid popping those pesky spots, because it's actually more dangerous than just risking scarring.

Known in the derm circles as the 'Triangle of Death', this particular area of your face is a no-go zone, as it's at increased risk of infection that can be, well, deadly.

"It is quite a serious part of the face", leading doctor, Dr Ahmed El Muntasar (also known as The Aesthetics Doctor), tells us. "The venous blood supply communicates both with the superficial circulation and the deep circulation.

"That deep circulation goes directly inside the skull, which means if there's quite a bad infection in the skin, it can really easily drain into someone's skull and infect the brain."

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The triangular area (hence its name), spans from the top of your nose between your eyebrows, down to the corners of your mouth.

Aside from increased inflammation, worsening the swelling and pushing the infection deeper, Dr Ahmed warns us that "rarely that infection can lead to cellulitis."

According to Mayo Clinic, cellulitis causes skin to be "swollen, painful and warm to the touch", and that the infection can cause "a fever and become very serious, involving deeper tissues."

This particular infection can usually be treated with antibiotics.

"Another thing that is super rare but is still very dangerous is something called cavernous sinus thrombosis", Dr Ahmed continues.

"This is a condition where a blood clot forms in the deep veins inside the brain due to an infection... the blood becomes stale."

The infection is described by the NHS as "life-threatening".

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Yikes. So should we actually be nervous next time we're stood in the mirror eyeing up juicy pimple?

"Anatomically yes", Dr Ahmed warns. "The reality is, it's super rare, but why would you put yourself at risk doing this?"

However, if you're someone who simply can't leave your face alone (although he suggests you absolutely should if you can), he has some advice.

"Only pop the pimples that have got a bit more of a whitehead, which means it's more superficial", he suggests. "Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly, wash your skin, and ideally use antiseptic solution on the spot, before using some Q-tips to apply some gentle pressure on the sides."

One thing that's off-limits is forcing gunk out when it hasn't reached the surface; as apparently, you could be pushing just as much dirt in.

"Try and kick the habit all together, it's not worth it", he adds.

When the doctor speaks, we listen.

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