Don’t let the face filters and airbrushed celebrity photos fool you. Skin has texture. Some areas have darker pigments, such as around the eyes. Some areas are puffy, wrinkled, freckled, beauty-marked, or bumpy. It’s all natural and normal. But some blemishes could be uncomfortable and indicators of a medical problem, such as severe acne and dry skin. Because of the skewed idea that skin must look smooth and untextured, it’s easy to confuse normal attributes for unhealthy ones. Take sebaceous filaments. They may look like tiny blackheads, but they play an important role in skin welfare.
What are sebaceous filaments?
You may have noticed a sprinkling of dots across your face, especially around the nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead. But don’t mistake them for clogged poors or blackheads. They are most likely sebaceous filaments, tube-like structures within pores, and they shouldn’t get picked on.
“Although sebaceous filaments may look a lot like blackheads, they are usually tanner or grayer in color unlike blackheads, and serve an important purpose, meaning you should leave them alone!” said Dr. Dendy Engelman, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City. “Sebaceous filaments are a natural part of your skin and provide an important service by moving oil from the sebaceous glands to the surface, helping your skin to stay hydrated and protect itself from damage.”