Black spots on the nose and cheeks: what they may be

Dots centred in pores suggest blackheads or visible sebaceous filaments. Flat brown or grey marks are more consistent with pigment, particularly where pimples, irritation, or sun exposure occurred before.

Clusters of similar dots along the oily centre of the face commonly reflect pore contents. Blackheads have an open plug, while sebaceous filaments tend to be smaller, more uniform, and quickly become visible again after extraction.

Scattered flat patches on the cheeks can follow acne lesions, friction, picking, or irritating cosmetics. Redness, flushing, sensitivity, scaling, pustules, or itch adds useful context because these features may indicate an inflammatory skin problem alongside the colour change.

Start with a gentle cleanser, a fragrance-free moisturiser, and broad-spectrum sunscreen. Sunscreen helps prevent existing facial marks from becoming more noticeable. Introduce only one active product at a time so you can identify irritation.

Salicylic acid may suit pore-based dots, whereas flat pigmentation may need a different plan selected for your skin tone and sensitivity. Skip abrasive scrubs, repeated extraction, lemon juice, and unlabelled bleaching mixtures, which can inflame skin and deepen discolouration.

Book a dermatology visit if a mark grows, develops uneven colour or borders, becomes raised, bleeds, crusts, or does not heal. Prompt care is appropriate if facial swelling, significant pain, rapidly spreading redness, eye symptoms, pus, or fever accompanies the spots.

Seek routine help when discoloration continues despite a simple routine, recurrent pimples are leaving marks, or over-the-counter products cause ongoing stinging and peeling.

Ask whether the pattern is comedonal acne, sebaceous filaments, post-inflammatory pigment, or another condition. Bring a list of creams and cosmetics, and ask which active ingredients can be combined, what irritation should trigger a pause, and whether a changing lesion needs magnified examination.