Beware the face's "death triangle": Experts caution against pimple popping

Professor Joshua Zeichner, a respected dermatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, highlights a particularly dangerous area on the face – the so-called death triangle.

This area has a venous blood supply that connects it directly to the brain, making it potentially risky. Any skin manipulation, such as popping pimples, can have catastrophic consequences.

The "death triangle" is characterized by the specific arrangement of blood vessels: the facial vein, the superior and inferior ophthalmic veins, and the angular vein. These are connected to the cavernous sinus, which is located inside the skull.

"Moreover, the veins and venous plexuses in this area generally do not have valves, which can lead to reverse blood flow. In practice, this means that if squeezing a pimple were to lead to an infection, and that infection led to sepsis, the infection could spread very quickly through the blood vessels and cause intracranial complications," says Joshua Zeichner, a dermatology professor, "Health".

The cavernous sinus, a large vein draining blood to the brain, provides a direct route for bacteria to reach the brain. Therefore, any skin interventions in this area are highly discouraged.

As a result, simply popping a pimple can lead to serious intracranial complications, which are life-threatening conditions.

"The cavernous sinus is the name of the large vein that drains blood to the brain, creating a connection from our exterior to our interior (...). In the case you pick at a pimple and an infection develops, the worst scenario is that the infection spreads from the skin through the sinus," warned Professor Joshua Zeichner during a conversation with "Health".

Symptoms of infection can include fever, headache, swelling around the eyes, and uncontrolled eye movements.

It is worth remembering that popping pimples, although not always as dangerous, is also not recommended on other areas of the face.