Protruding plug from pores on nose

[sam7377 0]

Hello, 

I'm a 24 male seeking some insight on what the hell is going on with my nose. I have clear skin on my entire face except for the sides of my nose where I get protruding gunk coming out of my pores. This gunk will keep getting larger until plucked, after it is plucked it is left with an empty pore that does not return to its normal size. The pore wil hen  fill up with the same exact substance within a week or so. I'm not sure what the plug is But I'm guessing it's hardened sebum? It's a tan-yellow type color, much like petroleum. I went to the derm about 2 months ago and he precibed me tazorac gel 0.05. Since using taz my nose has been popping up with more of these plugs and it seems like these pores are scarring. I have been doing a lot of research to figure out what the heck this is and I've been seeing answers from some sort of fungal infection, demo-Dex or sebaceous fillaments but no concrete diagnosis . im having a hard time finding people with the same condition. To give you some backroumd my nose is very oily. 

Here is my regimen . 

Am
cetephil gentle cleanser 
cerevea am lotion/sunscreen 

pm
cetephil gentle cleanser 
cerevea pm moosturizer
taz 0.05 

thw he past two weeks I have also been adding 10% gycoloc wipes and alternating nights with taz.  

Check out out the picks of my nose. This is about after a week of leaving my pores unplucked. I'm really hoping someone out there knows what' the is. 

Edited May 17, 2018 by sam7377

[username110 79]

yes from personal  experience, I believe  its caused by an overproduction of sebum. 
 
if you google it, your find ways to stop your body overproducing sebum. 
 

[sam7377 0]

16 hours ago, MrBakery said:

yes from personal  experience, I believe  its caused by an overproduction of sebum. 
 
if you google it, your find ways to stop your body overproducing sebum. 
 

Unfortnately this is one of the responses I've feared as controlling oil without the help of accutane can be hard to accomplish. Since you had mentioned you dealt with this personally is there anything you tried with success? 

[username110 79]

myself.. vitamin zinc, minimal face washing, avoiding products  containing sls, pure tea tree oil  topically. 

[sam7377 0]

3 hours ago, MrBakery said:

myself.. vitamin zinc, minimal face washing, avoiding products  containing sls, pure tea tree oil  topically. 

Sorry for not knowing but what exactly is sls? 

[username110 79]

sls is Sodium laureth sulfate, its in most creams and soaps. its known to cause problems for people with acne problems

[sam7377 0]

Does anyone else out there have some insight on what might be the cause of this and possible treatments? 

[HeavenlyBlouse 0]

On 5/17/2018 at 6:07 PM, sam7377 said:

Hello, 

I'm a 24 male seeking some insight on what the hell is going on with my nose. I have clear skin on my entire face except for the sides of my nose where I get protruding gunk coming out of my pores. This gunk will keep getting larger until plucked, after it is plucked it is left with an empty pore that does not return to its normal size. The pore wil hen  fill up with the same exact substance within a week or so. I'm not sure what the plug is But I'm guessing it's hardened sebum? It's a tan-yellow type color, much like petroleum. I went to the derm about 2 months ago and he precibed me tazorac gel 0.05. Since using taz my nose has been popping up with more of these plugs and it seems like these pores are scarring. I have been doing a lot of research to figure out what the heck this is and I've been seeing answers from some sort of fungal infection, demo-Dex or sebaceous fillaments but no concrete diagnosis . im having a hard time finding people with the same condition. To give you some backroumd my nose is very oily. 

Here is my regimen . 

Am
cetephil gentle cleanser 
cerevea am lotion/sunscreen 

pm
cetephil gentle cleanser 
cerevea pm moosturizer
taz 0.05 

thw he past two weeks I have also been adding 10% gycoloc wipes and alternating nights with taz.  

Check out out the picks of my nose. This is about after a week of leaving my pores unplucked. I'm really hoping someone out there knows what' the is. 

I have the exact thing on my cheeks! I have been trying to find someone with the same thing but no luck! I'm thinking its sebum that has hardened inside the pore and not being fully pushed out? We need an answer!!

[ElaineA 33]

Recommend that you get a dermatologist to test you for microscopic demodex skin mites and a possible fungal infection.  Both can cause folliculitis.  The treatment for each cause is completely different.  That is why it is important to get tested.  If its fungus, you will need an anti-fungal treatment.  If the cause is demodex, you need an anti-parasitic treatment.

Everybody over the age of 5 has demodex skin mites.  A healthy immune system normally keeps the mite population in check.  The mites can get overpopulated when the immune system is low due to illness or stress.  The mites eat skin oil and live in the pores and oil glands.  They can cause demodex folliculorum or plugs coming out of the skin among other skin and eye issues. 

Effective treatment for demodex skin mites is available.  Note:  Use a clean towel daily to dry your face after washing.  The mites can live on a wet towel for up to 54 hours.  Ordinary laundering at 58 degrees Celsius in washer/dryer machines will kill the mites on towels, etc.

Topical:  Prescription:  Soolantra Cream (1% Ivermectin).

                 Over the counter:  Tea Tree Oil based Face Wash (Desert Essence, The Body Shop, eye eco all are good brands).  Tea Tree Oil Ointment (5% tea tree oil) used at night before bed.  The mites are active at night.

Oral:    There is a 2 week, highly effective, cheap, 2 drug oral, anti-parasitic treatment for demodex.  It was published in the May 2013 International Journal of Infectious Diseases by 5 doctors.  It is a proper medical study on 120 patients.  

2 Week Anti-parasitic treatment consists of taking 2 inexpensive, generic anti-parasitic drugs:  
1.  Oral Ivermectin:  Two doses, one week apart (each dose based on body weight at 200 micrograms per kilogram of body weight) - Take Day 1 and Day 8.
2.  Oral Metronidazole at 250 mg 3 times a day (with food, no alcohol while taking or for 72 hours after last table).  

Both drugs have good safety records and are on the WHO's list of 100 essential medications.  

Link to the medical paper  "Evaluation of the efficacy of oral ivermectin in comparison with ivermectin–metronidazole combined therapy in the treatment of ocular and skin lesions of Demodex folliculorum"     URL:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

If the link is broken, Google the title of the paper to find it.

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by ElaineA

[sam7377 0]

Bump. It’s been almost 3 years and I’m still battling with this issue. I’ve tried taking a break from all actives to repair moisture barrier along with a sulfur mask treatment. Not exploring finacea. Nothing has really helped so far. Anyone out there have the same condition or know how to treat or diagnose? 

[MyLifeIsPain 8]

Hello,
I have been suffering from terrible oily skin for than 3 years. When I wash my face in the morning, 2 hours later it's completely oily. There is also a lot of blackheads on my nose. I also suffer from enlarged pores. I have tried many things over the years including using face wash (different brands), large doses of vitamin B5, vitamin A, D, K zinc, clay masks, Differin gel, tretinoin, other retinoids and retinols, Niacinamide, Jojoba oil and lot of other things with no success. Only thing that helps are mattifying creams, but only temporarily, for say like 4-5 hours, after that my face gets completely oily. I have been to 5 dermatologists over the last 2 years and all of them told me that it's genetic or hormonal, even though nobody in my family has ever had problems with this, and I also went to endocrinologist who told me my hormone levels are were in the norm. I really dont know what I should do more, it's so embarrassing having this oily skin when going out.

[Redwine 10]

On 2/11/2021 at 9:04 PM, sam7377 said:

Bump. It’s been almost 3 years and I’m still battling with this issue. I’ve tried taking a break from all actives to repair moisture barrier along with a sulfur mask treatment. Not exploring finacea. Nothing has really helped so far. Anyone out there have the same condition or know how to treat or diagnose? 

Hey Sam - have you found a resolution? I’m in the same boat for the last 1.5 years. Elaine in this thread also helped greatly in another thread on white plugs. 
 

I think the sulfur is possibly the best thing for this. I have been using Mupirocin also but that may not be having an effect. Overall my skin is looking good but I don’t feel like this is “gone.” 

[ElaineA 33]

On 2/12/2021 at 12:32 PM, MyLifeIsPain said:

Hello,
I have been suffering from terrible oily skin for than 3 years. When I wash my face in the morning, 2 hours later it's completely oily. There is also a lot of blackheads on my nose. I also suffer from enlarged pores. I have tried many things over the years including using face wash (different brands), large doses of vitamin B5, vitamin A, D, K zinc, clay masks, Differin gel, tretinoin, other retinoids and retinols, Niacinamide, Jojoba oil and lot of other things with no success. Only thing that helps are mattifying creams, but only temporarily, for say like 4-5 hours, after that my face gets completely oily. I have been to 5 dermatologists over the last 2 years and all of them told me that it's genetic or hormonal, even though nobody in my family has ever had problems with this, and I also went to endocrinologist who told me my hormone levels are were in the norm. I really dont know what I should do more, it's so embarrassing having this oily skin when going out.

Good, they tested the hormone levels so you can rule that one out.  Since blackheads are not a symptom of fungal acne, sounds like a fungal infection can be ruled out as well.   There is only one thing left.  Have you been tested for demodex skin mites?    A lot of dermatologists just do quick visual exams and  miss demodex skin mites.  Everybody has a few demodex skin mites.  But when the mites get overpopulated they can cause blackheads and enlarged pores.  The mites eat skin oil and possibly skin cells.  Their debris clogs the pores.  Anti-bacterial acne medication and retinoids don't work on demodex skin mites.  If the cause is demodex, the condition is now classed as Rosacea Subtype 1 or 2.   Mites can get overpopulated when the immune system is down.  One major cause that leads to demodex overpopulation is due to Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).   Recent research has shown that at least 50-60% of Rosacea patients also have SIBO.   Treatment with an antibiotic that targets the type of bacteria causing the SIBO can clear the underlying cause in as little as 2 weeks.    Oral antibiotics such as Oral Metronidazole and Rifaximin that work on bacteria that cause SIBO have been shown in medical studies to clear the skin condition.   Here are 2 medical study papers that used these treatments successfully.

The following 2 week highly effective, inexpensive treatment with generic Oral Ivermectin and Oral Metronidazole worked for me after decades of being misdiagnosed with bacterial acne and "allergic conjunctivitis" in my eyes.  My skin was super oily and had lots of large blackheads.  I also had long term symptoms of SIBO.  The skin, eye and intestinal issues were all diagnosed as separate unconnected problems,   The doctors who did the first study in 2013 were not sure at the time how Oral Metronidazole helped.  Now its becoming obvious that the Oral Metronidazole likely cleared a SIBO infection.   Inexpensive, generic, Oral Metronidazole is highly effective against at least 2 different types of bacteria that can cause SIBO.  The Oral Ivermectin kills the active demodex skin mites.

 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

Here's a more recent study from 2016 where the Rosacea patients were first tested for SIBO and then treated with the expensive antibiotic Rifaximin.  The test was the older 2 gas test so some patients with the third type of SIBO may not have tested positive for SIBO.

https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(12)02330-4/fulltext#:~:text=Of the patients with SIBO%2C 28 were treated with rifaximin,and SIBO reported marked improvement.

The older 2 gas breath test for SIBO only tested for Hydrogen and Methane emitting bacteria.  In 2020, researchers developed a new test to add the third gas, Hydrogen Sulfide to the SIBO test.

Most of the human immune system is in the gut.  For long term skin health and a healthy immune system, it is important to eat a healthy, balanced diet and reduce sugar in the diet to a minimum.  Probiotics and fermented foods like kefir yogurt can also help to maintain a healthy gut.