📌 What you’ll learn
- Most tiny dark dots on the nose are sebaceous filaments
- How to tell sebaceous filaments from blackheads
- Why they come back after squeezing, and why squeezing isn’t recommended
- When to see a dermatologist
Hi, I’m Derrick. Look closely in the mirror and you see little dark dots all over the tip and sides of your nose. No matter how you wash, they’re still there.
You can’t resist squeezing, and out comes a thin, whitish-yellow strand. You use a nose strip, it looks clean for the moment, then a few days later they’re all back exactly as before.
Because of this, many aunties think “my blackheads are very serious” and clean harder and harder. Actually, those little dots you see are very likely not blackheads at all, but “sebaceous filaments”, a normal skin structure everyone has.
What are sebaceous filaments?
Under our pores are sebaceous (oil) glands. The oil they produce needs a channel to reach the skin surface.
Sebaceous filaments are thread-like structures in the pores, made of sebum and skin cells, that help guide oil to the surface. Once the oil reaches the surface, it forms a thin film of sebum that helps keep the skin supple.
Patient education material from the Cleveland Clinic in the US says the same: sebaceous filaments help sebum travel from the sebaceous glands to the skin surface. They can sometimes look more obvious and are easily mistaken for blackheads, but the two are different.
In other words, sebaceous filaments are not dirt, and not clogged pores. They’re part of how skin normally works. It’s just that on the nose, chin and forehead, where the oil glands are more active, the filaments are thicker and the tips have a bit of colour, so they stand out. Here it’s hot all year round and we produce more oil, so it’s normal for them to look more obvious.
How do you tell sebaceous filaments from blackheads?
A blackhead is a type of acne: the pore gets clogged with too much sebum and dead skin cells, forming a plug. Its opening is exposed to air, oxidises and turns dark. You can tell them apart by these points:
Why isn’t squeezing recommended?
Once you know they’re a normal structure, it’s easier to see why “cleaning them all out” doesn’t work:
- They come back. Your oil glands produce sebum every day; after the filaments are cleared, they usually fill up again within a few weeks.
- Squeezing hard hurts the skin. Fingers or comedone extractors can cause redness, broken skin, and even leave marks.
- Pulling at them again and again may make pores look more obvious. Using nose strips or peel-off masks too often can also irritate the skin and damage its outer layer (stratum corneum).
The more you worry and the more you squeeze, the redder and oilier your skin gets, and the dots stand out even more. Many people fall into this cycle.
What can you do every day? 4 gentle care directions
Sebaceous filaments can’t be, and don’t need to be, “totally cleared”. The goal of skincare is to make them look less obvious while keeping your skin stable.
1. Cleanse gently, don’t overdo it
Wash once in the morning and once at night with a gentle cleanser; washing off excess oil and dirt is enough. Washing too often or using a cleanser that’s too strong dries the skin, and then it may actually produce more oil.
2. Help shed old skin cells, in moderation
Products with ingredients like salicylic acid or fruit acids can help skin renewal, making the area around the pores cleaner and smoother. Follow the product label for how often, and start with less. If your skin stings or peels, stop.
To tell what’s normal and what’s not, see “Peeling or stinging after skincare: is it normal?”.
3. Moisturise and use sun protection
Many people skip moisturiser because they’re afraid of oiliness. Then the skin lacks water and actually produces more oil. Choose a light moisturiser to keep the oil-water balance.
In the daytime, use sun protection to reduce the sun’s effect on skin elasticity, so the support around your pores is less likely to be lost.
4. Keep your hands off
This one is the hardest, and also the most important. Look in the magnifying mirror less, don’t squeeze, don’t pick. That is the best care you can give your nose.
At the normal distance when you’re having kopi with friends at the kopitiam, honestly nobody will notice the little dots on your nose lah.
For more common misunderstandings about pores, read “Large pores? 4 common pore-care myths”.
When should you see a dermatologist?
- The dots are clearly raised or hard, or the area around them keeps getting inflamed or breaking out
- After squeezing, there is redness, swelling, pain or pus
- You have used gentle skincare for a while and it still bothers you a lot, and you want to know about professional treatment
- No.1 Gentle Complete Cleanser: soap-free, gently washes away oil and sunscreen, and your face doesn’t feel tight after. The Horse Chestnut Extract inside helps soothe and moisturise, so pores look finer.
- No.2 Clear Balancing Lotion: after washing your face, wipe gently with a cotton pad to take away leftover dirt and soften the dead skin. It also helps balance oil and moisture.
- No.5 Crystal Clear Conditioning Cream: use at night. It has glycolic acid to help old dead skin turn over, so pores look finer. Mix it with No.9 and you can give the oily T-zone a little extra. While you are using it, you must wear sunscreen in the daytime.
- No.9 Moisture Repair & Replenishing Cream: a light moisturiser. Even oily and combination skin can wear it in our kind of weather. It helps hydrate the skin and keep oil and moisture in balance.
Products aren’t a must. Choose based on your own skin; if you’re not sure, ask me first.
FAQ
Q: Can sebaceous filaments disappear forever?
No, and there is no need. They are a normal part of the skin that carries oil out. As long as your oil glands are working, they will be there. What skincare can do is make them less obvious.
Q: Can I use nose strips?
Using them once in a while is not a big problem. But what they pull out is mostly sebaceous filaments, which grow back quickly, and using them too often can irritate the skin. If your skin turns red or stings after using them, they are not suitable for you.
Q: Do sebaceous filaments get more obvious as we get older?
Possibly. Cleveland Clinic mentions that how visible sebaceous filaments are depends on age, skincare habits and the size of the follicles themselves. Some of it is just how you were born, so don’t blame yourself too much.
In closing: once you know what it is, you don’t have to keep fighting it
A lot of skincare worry comes from treating something normal as a problem. Those evenly spread little dots on your nose are usually just a sign that your skin is doing its job.
Instead of trying to clear them all out, it’s better to get the basics right: cleansing, moisturising, sun protection. Then put your hands down. Not sure which type you have? Feel free to WhatsApp Derrick for a chat, no pressure.
Want to know how to care for your skin?
Tell me about your situation, no pressure 😊
※ This website is run by Derrick, an independent IT’S BEATTIYA distributor, and is not the official website of the IT’S BEATTIYA company. This article shares general skincare knowledge. Cosmetic results vary from person to person and cannot replace medical advice; if your skin reacts abnormally, stop using the product and consult a dermatologist.
