---
title: "Acne on Nose: Log Pore Strips, Glasses Pads and Nose Blowing"
description: "When acne on your nose keeps coming back, log pore strips, squeezing, glasses pads and tissue rubbing, and know what to check for blackheads or redness."
url: https://troublediary.com/en/cause/nose-breakout-habit-check/
markdown: https://troublediary.com/en/cause/nose-breakout-habit-check.md
language: en
site: "TroubleDiary"
publisher: "KW Cosmetic Content Team"
author: "KW Cosmetic Content Team"
section: "Causes & Areas"
keywords: ["acne on nose", "acne on nose cause", "pimples on nose causes", "acne on nose bridge", "glasses cause acne on nose", "is it bad to use pore strips on your nose", "why am i getting nose acne", "acne on nose in adults", "bumps on nose causes"]
published: 2026-10-01
updated: 2026-10-01
evidence: "Mixed · Evidence across several grades"
image: https://troublediary.com/images/nose-breakout-habit-check/nose-breakout-habit-check-cover.jpg
alternates:
  ko: https://troublediary.com/cause/nose-breakout-habit-check.md
  vi: https://troublediary.com/vi/cause/nose-breakout-habit-check.md
  th: https://troublediary.com/th/cause/nose-breakout-habit-check.md
  tl: https://troublediary.com/tl/cause/nose-breakout-habit-check.md
  ja: https://troublediary.com/ja/cause/nose-breakout-habit-check.md
---

# Acne on Nose: Log Pore Strips, Glasses Pads and Nose Blowing

> If acne on your nose keeps coming back, start by logging, by date, the habits that touch your nose: pore strips, squeezing with your nails, glasses nose pads and blowing your nose.

When acne on your nose keeps coming back, log pore strips, squeezing, glasses pads and tissue rubbing, and know what to check for blackheads or redness.

![Front view of a middle-aged man with a gray beard in a thick knit sweater by a snowy window, his cheeks and nose flushed pink](https://troublediary.com/images/nose-breakout-habit-check/nose-breakout-habit-check-cover.jpg)

| Habit or situation | What to log | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| After squeezing or picking | The date and method, and how many days the spot stayed red or left a brown mark | Of 324 acne patients in seven Asian countries, 58.2% had marks left after acne, and at least half lasted a year or longer · B (2016) |
| When your hand wanders | When your hand went to your nose: studying, working, in front of a mirror | 30 patients who pick their acne scored higher on unplanned impulsivity than 30 who don't · B (2023) |
| Shine | How shiny your nose gets in the afternoon | In women with acne, oiliness tracked with how much oil each follicle put out rather than the number of active oil glands · B (1991) |
| Redness that doesn't fade | Weather, drinking and hot food on days your nose and cheeks flushed | Rosacea is marked by lasting redness, bumps and flushing on prominent areas like around the nose and on the cheeks, chin and forehead · Korean Dermatological Association |
| Extraction | Whether you squeezed it yourself or had it done at a dermatology clinic | A dermatologist may extract comedones, but you should not pick or squeeze inflamed pimples yourself · KDCA (Korea) |

## Squeezed with a pore strip or your nails? What to write down

Write the date and method (pore strip, nails, cotton swab), how many days the spot stayed red, and whether it left a brown mark. If you also follow whether a new bump comes back in the same spot a few days later, the link between squeezing and your nose breakouts shows up in the table.

A 2016 survey that assessed 324 acne patients in seven Asian countries found post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the dark marks left after acne, in 58.2%; at least half lasted a year or longer, and 22.3% lasted five years or longer. In the same survey, patients said these marks bothered them as much as or more than the acne itself, and scratch wounds were common. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) also notes that scratching or squeezing acne yourself makes scars more likely.

## In what moments does your hand go to your nose?

Writing down the time and place your hand goes to your nose shows where to cut back. One study found higher unplanned-impulsivity scores in people who pick, so knowing when comes before knowing how much, and makes it easier to cut back.

In a 2023 case-control study comparing 30 acne patients who pick with 30 who don't, the pickers scored higher on the non-planning part of an impulsivity scale, and the more severe the picking, the higher that score. Depression and anxiety scores did not differ between the two groups. Just write down the situation as it is, like a student touching the side of the nose while leaning on a hand during exam prep, or an office worker rubbing their nose while watching a video call.

## Should you log glasses nose pads and nose blowing too?

The sides of the nose bridge where glasses pads sit, and the sides of the nostrils and under the nose where you wipe with tissues, get rubbed over and over, so mark them separately. The idea is to check whether days you blew your nose a lot for allergies or a cold, or wore glasses all day, line up with new bumps.

The Korean Dermatological Association lists friction or mechanical irritation, pore-clogging cosmetics, stress and heavy sweating as factors that can bring on or worsen acne. We found no study that looked at nose pads or nose blowing alone, so this column is not for pinning down a cause; it is a log for finding overlapping days. During seasonal changes, noting nose blowing as roughly "a lot, some, a little" is enough.

## Blackheads, rosacea or acne: what should you look at?

If dark dots sit evenly in each pore and the skin around them isn't red, think blackheads or oil; if your nose and cheeks flush often and the redness doesn't fade, think of rosacea separately. Writing down the temperature, drinking and hot or spicy food on days the redness came up makes it easier to explain at a visit.

The Korean Dermatological Association explains that rosacea appears on the center of the face, especially prominent areas like around the nose, and on the cheeks, chin and forehead, with lasting redness, bumps and pus bumps, and repeated flushing, set off by things like UV light, heat, cold, alcohol, and hot or irritating food. In a 1991 study of oil output, shine in young women with acne was linked to the amount of oil each follicle produced rather than the number of active oil glands. That means a very shiny nose alone can't tell you why nose acne happens.

![Two hands in knit sleeves wrapped around a terracotta mug with a little steam rising, on a sunlit wooden table](https://troublediary.com/images/nose-breakout-habit-check/nose-breakout-habit-check-1.jpg)
*Noting days your nose and cheeks flushed after hot drinks or food makes it easier to explain at a visit.*

## Weekly nose habit log

| Day | Pore strip or squeezing | When your hand went there | Glasses (hours) | Times you blew your nose | Redness or new bumps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | None | Rubbed side of nose during a meeting | 9 | Some | None |
| Tue | 1 with nails | At the mirror at night | 9 | Some | Red where squeezed |
| Wed | None | During exam prep | 10 | A lot (allergies) | 1 new bump on side of nose |
| Thu | Pore strip | — | 4 | A lot | Red on bridge of nose |
| Fri | None | — | 9 | A little | Brown mark where squeezed |
| Sat | None | — | 0 | A little | None |
| Sun | None | At the mirror at night | 0 | A little | None, photo |

At the end of the week, just mark whether redness or new bumps overlapped with days of squeezing or hand-to-nose moments, and days with lots of glasses time or nose blowing. Pick the habit that overlapped most, cut back only that one the next week, and compare using the same table.

![Side profile of a young man in a brick-red knit sweater against a wall lit at an angle by window sunlight, showing the line of his nose and jaw](https://troublediary.com/images/nose-breakout-habit-check/nose-breakout-habit-check-3.jpg)
*Photographing the side of your nose in the same window light every weekend lets you compare redness and marks by date.*

## When is it time to have a dermatologist check your nose?

- If a squeezed spot keeps swelling, gets bigger and hurts, stop touching it and see a dermatologist.
- If redness on your nose and cheeks hasn't faded for weeks and keeps flushing, have a dermatologist check whether it is rosacea.
- If you find it hard to stop picking on your own, talk to a dermatologist about it along with your skin.
- If a brown mark from squeezing hasn't lightened after several months, consider seeing a dermatologist.

## What this article is based on

- A 2016 survey in seven Asian countries (324 acne patients) found post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation after acne in 58.2%, lasting five years or longer in 22.3%.
- A 2023 case-control study found 30 acne patients who pick scored higher on unplanned impulsivity than 30 who don't.
- The Korean Dermatological Association explains that rosacea shows up as lasting redness and flushing around the nose and on the cheeks, chin and forehead, set off by things like heat, UV light and alcohol.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is it bad to squeeze nose blackheads or use pore strips?

The evidence behind this article has no study on how pore strips affect nose acne. Korea's KDCA notes that a dermatologist may extract comedones, but that you should not pick or squeeze inflamed pimples yourself. If you use pore strips, note the days you used them, and stop if the spot swells red afterward or pimples increase.

### Can glasses nose pads, pillows or phone contact cause acne?

The evidence here has no direct study showing that nose pads or phones increase nose acne. Because the Korean Dermatological Association lists friction and mechanical irritation as things that can worsen acne, the practical step is to log whether bumps sit where the pads touch and whether long glasses days line up with new bumps.

### How can I tell if the dark dots on my nose are blackheads or tiny hairs?

The evidence used for this article includes no proven way to tell for sure at home. Trying to squeeze them out based on looks can leave them red, swollen or marked, so unless the skin around a dot turns red, leave it and track changes with photos. If it bothers you, having a dermatologist look under magnification is more accurate.

### When oil keeps building up around my nose, how do I tell it apart from a skin condition?

There are signs to go by. The KDCA separately describes a state with red skin, yellowish scales and itching on oily areas, and the Korean Dermatological Association describes rosacea as ongoing redness and flushing around the nose and cheeks. Shine alone without redness or scales is far from both, but if the redness doesn't go away, a dermatologist visit is the accurate way to tell.

## Sources

- [Frequency of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation after acne in seven Asian countries, 2016 (PMID 26813513)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26813513/) — B
- [Impulsivity traits in patients who pick their acne, 2023 (PMID 36409553)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36409553/) — B
- [Sebum secretion patterns in young women with and without acne, 1991 (PMID 1835938)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1835938/) — B
- [Korean Dermatological Association — Rosacea (Korean)](https://www.derma.or.kr/new/general/disease.php?uid=592&mod=document) — Institutional
- [Korean Dermatological Association — Acne vulgaris (Korean)](https://www.derma.or.kr/new/general/disease.php?uid=994&mod=document) — Institutional
- [Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) National Health Information Portal — Acne (Korean)](https://health.kdca.go.kr/healthinfo/biz/health/gnrlzHealthInfo/gnrlzHealthInfo/gnrlzHealthInfoView.do?cntnts_sn=3947) — Institutional
- [Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) National Health Information Portal — Seborrheic dermatitis (Korean)](https://health.kdca.go.kr/healthinfo/biz/health/gnrlzHealthInfo/gnrlzHealthInfo/gnrlzHealthInfoView.do?cntnts_sn=6289) — Institutional

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TroubleDiary is a notebook kept by KW Cosmetic Content Team. The routines and logs here are general information, not a diagnosis or medical care. If painful, swollen spots are spreading or have not changed in weeks, consider seeing a dermatologist.

Written by KW Cosmetic Content Team · Last updated 2026-10-01 · https://troublediary.com/en/cause/nose-breakout-habit-check/