What This Is Really About
Those tiny dark dots on the nose aren’t dirt, and they’re not caused by poor hygiene.
They’re simply oil and compacted skin sitting at the surface.
Many people first notice these changes when they start experiencing broader acne and congestion concerns, even if they don’t have traditional breakouts.
Quick Summary
Black dots are open comedones: oil and dead skin collected in a pore opening.
They darken because the top is exposed to air.
The nose naturally makes more oil, so these dots show up more clearly there.
Pores look bigger when they’re filled, stretched, or when the surrounding skin loses support.
Why Does My Nose Have Black Dots?
Black dots form when dead skin builds at the top of a pore and thicker oil gets stuck underneath.
The very top of that plug sits in the air, so it darkens.
Similar to how the cut surface of an avocado turns deeper in colour once it’s exposed.
It’s oxidation, not dirt.
Why Does My Nose Look Like a Strawberry?
The nose is naturally more active.
More oil, more compacted dead skin, and more visible pores.
So instead of one dot, you may see several.
When these oxidised plugs sit close together, the dotted pattern looks like the surface of a strawberry.
It’s just a cluster of normal open comedones.
Why Does My Foundation Look Bad on My Pores?
Makeup reflects the surface it sits on.
When there’s uneven shedding, the skin behaves like a wall that hasn’t been smoothed
Makeup grips some areas and lifts from others.
If plugs are present, the foundation sits around them like paint catching on raised bumps.
And in the T-zone, where oil is often thicker, makeup separates faster.
The Science Explained Simply
Your pores are tiny pathways that move oil upward and shed old skin cells.
When shedding slows, excess keratin builds up.
Dead skin collects at the top.
If the oil underneath is thick or slow-moving, the pore fills more easily.
Think of it like a drain that’s working, but slowly:
When hair (dead skin) and soap (oil) move through too slowly, the opening becomes clogged.
It’s not that the drain is “dirty” — the flow just isn’t smooth enough.
Why Do My Pores Look Big?
Pores appear larger when:
- They’re filled with compacted debris
- The oil inside moves slowly
- The surrounding skin has less support
Pores don’t open or close.
They stretch when pressure builds underneath.
Similar to how fabric changes shape when something pushes against it from the inside.
How Do I Shrink My Pores?
You can make pores look smaller by supporting the processes that keep them clear:
- Improve shedding so the top doesn’t stay compacted.
- Smooth oil flow so the pore doesn’t keep filling.
- Strengthen skin support so the pore wall doesn’t pull outward.
When those improve, the pore naturally appears finer.
For individuals with long-term congestion or texture issues, professional approaches to achieving smoother skin texture, such as treatment with a fractional CO₂ laser, can complement daily care.
How Do I Unclog My Pores?
You unclog pores by treating the causes, not just the surface.
That means improving:
- shedding
- oil movement
- barrier function
Pore strips only remove the top of the blockage – like peeling off the crust of a loaf while the loaf is still underneath.
The pore refills quickly if the underlying processes don’t change.
Why This Matters Clinically
Surface treatments lift the top of the blockage, but they don’t change the pattern that created it.
Long-term improvement comes from supporting how your skin sheds, how your oil flows, and how well the pore is held by the surrounding structure.
Patient Example
A patient once told me, “I’m exfoliating constantly, and the dots keep coming back.”
Her shedding had slowed at the pore opening, and her oil was thicker in the T-zone.
Once we improved those two processes, the dots reduced and her nose looked smoother — without squeezing, strips, or harsh scrubs.
What People Commonly Get Wrong
- Black dots are oxidised oil, not dirt.
- Pores can’t open or close.
- Scrubbing harder often worsens shedding.
- Strips remove the top, not the cause.
Our Approach
We look at how the skin sheds, how the oil moves, and how the pore is supported.
Once these three areas improve, congestion slows, and pores appear calmer and smaller.
Key Takeaway
Pores look bigger when they’re filled or stretched.
Support the shedding, oil flow, and skin structure — and the pore naturally looks smoother and less visible.