What causes blind pimples?

What causes blind pimples?

As with other types of pimples, blind pimples develop when your skin’s pores become blocked. Pores are tiny holes in your skin. Healthcare providers also call them hair follicles. They can become blocked with:

• Bacteria.
• Dead skin cells.
• Hair.
• Sebum (oil your body produces to keep your skin moist).

If your body makes too much sebum or you don’t clean your skin properly, the oil and skin cells build up under your skin and form pus. It becomes trapped and can’t get to your skin’s surface to leave your body. A pimple forms, causing pain and inflammation. Excess sebum and blocked pores can result from many factors, including:

• Family history: If your parents had acne and blind pimples, you’re more likely to develop them.
• Hormonal changes: Teenagers going through adolescent development (puberty) are prone to acne breakouts as their hormone levels shift. Women are more likely to get pimples during their menstrual cycle or during pregnancy.
• Medications: Certain drugs, such as corticosteroids, can cause or worsen blind pimples.
• Sweat: Doing activities that make you sweat, especially while wearing a hat, helmet or tight clothing, can make acne worse.
• Skin care products: Heavy lotions and creams can clog pores and lead to zits.
• Stress levels: Anxiety and stress cause cortisol levels to rise and make more sebum, causing breakouts. Cortisol is the body’s “stress hormone.”

You may have a blind pimple from time to time. Or you may have many blind pimples that take months to go away. A severe type of acne called nodular acne can cause multiple blind pimples along with raised red bumps. These painful blind pimples, or nodules, contain pus and bacteria and feel hard under the skin.