stop the spot

Why Your Blackhead Pops Up in the Same Spot

Turns out, it's not as uncommon as you'd think.
Person popping pimple on top of cheek on face while looking in the mirror
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No matter how many times youwash,scrub, or begrudginglypop(eek!) thatblackhead, which has so sweetly claimed real estate across your nose, it'll resurface weeks (maybe even days) later, as it if were an extra inThe Walking Dead。世界卫生大会t gives?

Turns out, that zombie blemish isn't as uncommon as you'd think. "It is an interesting and common occurrence to have a pimple or blackhead pop up in the same spot," says Ava Shamban, a Los Angeles-based dermatologist.

As for the cause of said alive-again blemish, well, experts aren't really sure — but they have some ideas. "One possible explanation is that there are a cluster of oil glands, or even a cluster of bacteria, that live in that location, which constantly cause inflammation," says Shamban.

And for those blackheads that keep re-appearing on the nose? Shari Marchbein, a dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University School of Medicine, says they may not actuallybeblackheads at all.

"On the nose, blackheads are often mistaken for simply enlarged pores — which are genetically predetermined and for which little can be done to truly change this — or a condition called, trichostasis spinulosa," she says.

Generally speaking, trichostasis is often under-recognized (and under-diagnosed) but is characterized as "black dots on the nose, which are actually a combination of very small hairs, bacteria, and oil production from the sebaceous gland," says Marchbein. That combo of gunk is probably what you see ooze out pores during a popping sesh.

The easiest way to eradicate that "blackhead" debris without squeezing, squishing, or popping? Following a consistent daily regimen — whether you see spots or not. "We know that acne-prone skin is constantly forming new pimples — even if you do not see the red bump or the blackhead," says Shamban.

Because of that, she recommends using acne treatments spiked with bacteria-busting ingredients, likebenzoyl peroxide(我们喜欢Clearasil's Ultra Rapid Action Vanishing Treatment Cream),retinoids(thisunder-$25 treatment from Neutrogena), orsalicylic acid(like theBioré Complexion Clearing Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser) to stop reoccurring blemishes in their tracks.

See the skin-care product winners, including acne-busting products, from this year's Best of Beauty Awardshere


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