Is the Face ‘Triangle of Death’ Something I Should Worry About?

If you’ve ever gone to pop a pimple on your nose, a little voice in your head might have said, Don’t! That’s the triangle of death! But what exactly is this danger zone, and is there any truth to the concerns about picking your skin in that area? 

First, allow us to explain where the so-called “triangle of death” is. The area from the bridge of your nose to the corners of your upper lip gets its menacing name because of the cavernous sinuses located behind it. “Cavernous sinuses are a network of large veins located behind the eyes that drain blood from the brain,” says Sara Hogan, M.D., FAAD, a Washington, D.C.-based dermatologist. “They also contain several cranial nerves, which are nerves that emerge from the brain and are responsible for many functions throughout the body.” If you have trauma in that area — like a freshly squeezed pimple — and that wound gets infected, the bacteria doesn’t have far to travel en route to that crucial zone. 

“Infection from the triangle can spread retrograde, against the flood of blood in veins, to the cavernous sinuses,” Dr. Hogan says. Why is that so dangerous? Once that infection gets to the cavernous sinuses, it can cause the blood to clot, which can create a lot of problems. “This is a life-threatening condition,” she continues. “Paralysis of the cranial nerves can occur. Other complications of cavernous sinus infection include brain abscess and meningitis.” New York-based dermatologist Nicole Lee, M.D., MPH, FAAD, adds vision loss and stroke to the list of things that can go wrong in this event, too.

We won’t lie: That sounds super scary. But there’s good news: It is highly unlikely any of that will happen. We’ve all squeezed zits in that area, and some of us have even gotten piercings, wounds, scratches, and more in the triangle of death and have been fine.

“The likelihood is low,” Dr. Hogan says, “but infection in this facial area is slightly higher risk because of the vascular connection to the brain.” In the event that you do get an infection there, it’s relatively easy to address. “Modern medicine and access to antibiotics can typically treat it,” says esthetician and skin care brand owner Emme Diane Burg. 

That said, it’s always smart to practice good skin hygiene and avoid picking at pimples in general. “Recognize when a pimple is not just a pimple and resist our natural tendency to pop or squeeze them as they appear,” Dr. Lee says. “When diagnosed early, cavernous sinus thrombosis is treatable.” Burg also suggests keeping the area around a zit clean to avoid even the vanishingly small possibility of an infection. “If you do want to get rid of a pimple in this — or any — area quickly and safely, I recommend icing it and then applying a targeted spot treatment,” she says. It’s better to be safe than sorry.