Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

Blackheads Or Tricholastatis Spinulosa #shorts

31 Jul 2023 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:34

A short YouTube clip by board-certified dermatologist Shereene Idriss correcting TikTok misconceptions: many so-called nose 'blackheads' are actually trichostasis spinulosa—tiny clusters of vellus (baby) hairs emerging from single follicular openings rather than plugs of gunk. The speaker warns viewers not to treat these as typical blackheads (e.g., using magnifying glass or aggressive extraction), describes that they look like blackheads and can make the skin feel rough, and emphasizes the condition commonly affects the nose.

Chapters

Before you go and annihilate your face with a magnifying glass. I'm a board certified dermatologist, and those are not blackheads. So erase everything you've learned about blackheads on TikTok, because there is a condition known as trichostasis spinulosa, which can affect anybody, man or woman, especially on the nose. What does it look like? Ding, ding, ding. It looks exactly like blackheads. And that's where it gets tricky, because all of these tiny little dots that you see right here are not filled with gunk. They're in fact filled with many baby hairs growing out of single openings on the surface of the skin. And that person's skin can feel rough to the touch.