What Causes Pimples Inside the Nose?

Let’s start with a quick anatomy lesson. It’s important to understand how differences in the skin inside your nose contribute to the development of a pimple there.

What Pimples Inside the Nose

Can Look Like

It’s very possible to get a “typical” pimple inside the nose, which could range from a whitehead to a painful red, cystic acne bump, says Dr. Rodney.

Cysts and pustules are the most common types of nose pimples, as they tend to have more of a bacterial component than other varieties, she adds.

That said, it’s more likely that a blemish in your nose is not a pimple at all, but rather a sign of a different condition, notes Dr. Gonzalez. One option is nasal folliculitis or nasal vestibulitis, which is essentially an infection of those tiny hair follicles found in your nose. It typically manifests as a red, inflamed bump or a collection of red or white bumps at the openings of the nostrils

How to Determine If It’s Truly a Pimple Inside Your Nose

Distinguishing between the aforementioned scenarios can be very tricky — even the pros agree. But there are a few key differentiators that might help you figure out if that aching bump is truly a zit or something else. “A classic pimple will usually go away on its own within three to seven days,” says Dr. Evans. And you shouldn’t be dealing with them constantly. If you’re continuing to have reoccurring lesions or bumps, it’s much more likely that they’re being caused by folliculitis or a staph infection, she adds. Folliculitis bumps tend to go away within two to seven days and those of staph infections within one to two weeks.

Cold sores, on the other hand, are the easiest to self-diagnose (and go away within a week). “If there’s both tingling and pain, it’s more likely a cold sore than anything else, especially if you have a history of them in general,” says Dr. Evans.

While you could technically figure all this out on your own, it’s always a good idea to contact your dermatologist for their professional assessment and opinion – especially if you’re continually dealing with any bumps, sores, or legions in your

“The inside of your nose has a lining that’s covered in both mucus and small hairs, which work to capture dust, germs, and other small particles so that they can’t get into the lungs,” explains Annie Gonzalez, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at Riverchase Dermatology in Miami. However, the actual skin cells inside the nose are much smaller than those on the rest of your face — and the outermost layer, the stratum corneum, is thin to non-existent, adds Tracy Evans, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and medical director of Pacific Skin and Cosmetic Dermatology in San Francisco. “It can be more prone to bacteria that may otherwise have a hard time entering the skin elsewhere,” she says. ICYDK, in general, pimples pop up when a combo of bacteria, oil, and dead skin cells end up clogging a pore that then becomes inflamed and infected.

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Similarly, when the mucus membrane inside the nose dries out, people tend to want to pick their nose, and this also transfers bacteria, says Ife J.

Rodney, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and the founding director of Eternal Dermatology in Fulton, Maryland. Weather changes and low humidity can dry out the mucus membrane, which can lead to dried pieces of mucus, aka boogers,

actually a cold sore, as this area of the face (think: around the mouth, lips, and nose) is prone to the cold-sore-causing herpes simplex virus or HSV-1, says Dr. Evans. Staph infections can also cause what people mistake for pimples because the bacteria that cause these infections — aka Staphylococcus aureus — frequently lives inside the nostrils, she adds. That’s totally normal: in fact, about one in every three people have staph in their nose or on their skin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And even though nose hairs are small, it’s also possible that the stubborn zit-like bump in your nose is actually an ingrown hair (which is usually the result of improper hair removal), adds Dr.

Gonzalez.