The Deadly Danger Lurking When You Pop a Spot in the ‘Triangle of Death’ — What Doctors Won’t Tell You

Woke up this morning to find a new crater on your face—a freshly erupted, angry spot glaring back at you in the mirror? Yeah, I’ve been there too, and sure, the temptation to pop that sucker is as strong as my morning coffee. But here’s the kicker—even though every parental figure and your GP has drilled into your head that popping spots just makes things worse, what if I told you there’s a certain zone on your face where squeezing a pimple isn’t just a bad idea—it’s downright forbidden? Welcome to the ominous ‘triangle of death’—a patch so perilous it makes the Bermuda Triangle look like a kiddie pool. Curious why poking around this perilous patch can turn an innocent zit into a full-blown nightmare? Strap in, because this isn’t your usual skin-care spiel. LEARN MORE.

We’ve all at some point in our lives woken up and discovered a brand new crater has burrowed its way through our skin and erupted into a very angry spot.

It’s also natural to want to pop said spot, despite being warned by everyone from our parents to the GP that doing just that will leave the spot looking a lot worse than before.

Worst case scenario and you could end up with a scar, a permanent reminder of your impatience when it comes to dealing with spots.

But what if I told you there was a certain portion of your face where pimple popping is not only advised against but considered an absolute no-no?

Well ,that’s all thanks to a place known as the ‘triangle of death’.

It can be tempting, but don’t do it (Getty Stock Images)

What is the ‘triangle of death’ on your face?

Also known as the ‘danger triangle of the face’, this forbidden region for spot pickers spans from the corners of your upper lip to the point in-between your eyebrows.

Basically, your face’s own personal Bermuda Triangle.

So what is it about this portion of your face which makes it so risky to pop spots here? Well, apparently it’s all down to its proximity to your brain.

“The area of the face connecting the nose to the corners of the mouth is thought to be a particularly dangerous area of the face because of their close connection to the brain,” Joshua Zeichner, MD, an associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, recently explained to Health.

Basically, if you get an infection in this area of your face, it’s a short distance away from your body’s control centre.

According to Cleveland Clinic, this area of is particularly vulnerable due to your cavernous sinus, a network of veins which is situated behind the eye sockets which is responsible for draining blood from the brain.

Your internal carotid artery also travels through this area, which means an injection would quickly travel to your brain and the rest of your body.

Don’t even think about it (Getty Stock Images)

What is the likelihood of getting seriously ill or dying from popping a spot in the triangle of death?

The good news is that popping a spot isn’t a definite death sentence, with Cleveland Clinic’s Dr Alok Vij saying ‘it’s relatively unlikely’ that you’d die.

However it can still happen, with one US woman ending up needing urgent care after attempting to pop a spot close to her nose.

Explaining her story to PEOPLE, 32-year-old Alisha Monaco was left unable to lift one side of her face and felt like her ear had become ‘full of fluid’.

After making her way to the local hospital, Alisha was placed on an immediate course of antibiotics and has since warned people off popping spots in the area on social media.

“Don’t pop your pimples. It’s not worth it. Learn from me,” she told the outlet.