A nose infection typically shows up as redness, swelling, and tenderness in or around the nostrils, often with visible sores, crusting, or discolored nasal discharge. The exact appearance depends on the type of infection, where it’s located, and how far it has progressed. Here’s what to look for with each kind.
Nasal Vestibulitis: Infection at the Nostril Opening
The most common type of visible nose infection is nasal vestibulitis, an infection of the skin just inside the nostrils. It looks like one or more pimples or small sores right at the rim of the nostril or just inside it. The surrounding skin becomes red, swollen, and tender to the touch. You’ll often notice thick yellow crusting or scabbing around the septum, the strip of tissue between your nostrils.
This infection is usually caused by bacteria entering through tiny cracks in the skin, often from nose picking, frequent nose blowing, or trimming nose hairs too aggressively. In mild cases it resembles a stubborn pimple that won’t go away. In more advanced cases, the swelling can spread to the nasal tip, making it visibly puffy and painful to press on. The yellow crusts may flake off and reform repeatedly.
Nasal Boils: A Deeper, More Serious Infection
When a hair follicle inside the nostril becomes deeply infected, it can form a boil (also called a furuncle). This looks different from vestibulitis because the swelling is more localized and pronounced. You’ll see a firm, painful lump inside the nostril, and the skin over the nose may become tight, shiny, and red. The boil may eventually develop a visible white or yellow center as pus collects.
Nasal boils can cause the entire side of the nose to swell noticeably. In some cases, purulent discharge and crusting are visible at the nostril opening. This type of infection is taken seriously because the veins in the nose drain toward the brain. If swelling starts spreading across the cheek or toward the eye, particularly with fever, that signals the infection is moving beyond the nose.
Impetigo Around the Nose
Impetigo is a highly contagious skin infection that commonly appears around the nose and mouth, especially in children. It starts as small red, itchy sores that quickly break open and weep clear fluid or pus. Within a few days, the sores develop a distinctive crusty coating that looks golden or honey-colored. This honey-colored scabbing is the hallmark of impetigo and makes it easy to distinguish from other nose infections.
The sores tend to cluster around the nostrils and upper lip. They heal without scarring once treated, but they spread easily to other parts of the face and to other people through direct contact. If you see these golden crusts on or around a child’s nose, that’s the classic presentation.
Sinus Infection Discharge
A sinus infection doesn’t always change how the outside of your nose looks, but it changes what comes out of it. The nasal discharge is typically thick, cloudy, and yellow or greenish-gray. You might notice it draining from the front of the nose or feel it sliding down the back of the throat.
One common misconception is that green or yellow mucus automatically means a bacterial infection. During a regular cold, mucus naturally progresses from clear and watery to thick and colored over several days. The timing matters more than the color. With a bacterial sinus infection, thick colored discharge tends to appear right at the start. With a viral cold, it shows up later, usually a few days in. Doctors generally look for symptoms lasting 10 days or more without improvement, or symptoms that get worse after initially getting better, as signs that a bacterial infection has set in.
Facial swelling, pressure around the eyes and cheeks, and a reduced sense of smell often accompany the discharge. The skin over the sinuses may look slightly puffy but usually doesn’t turn red unless the infection is severe.
Fungal Nasal Infections
Fungal infections of the nose are rare and primarily affect people with weakened immune systems, such as those with uncontrolled diabetes or those on immune-suppressing medications. They look dramatically different from bacterial infections. The key visual sign is a black, dead-looking patch of tissue (called an eschar) visible inside the nose or on the roof of the mouth. This black discoloration is caused by the fungus destroying blood supply to the tissue.
The surrounding area shows redness and swelling of the nasal bridge and cheek. In advanced cases, the skin over these areas may darken. Nosebleeds can occur as the tissue breaks down. This is a medical emergency. If you notice blackened tissue inside the nose alongside facial swelling, especially in someone who is immunocompromised, that requires immediate hospital evaluation.
How to Tell the Infection Is Spreading
One of the reasons nose infections get clinical attention is their proximity to the eyes and brain. Knowing what a spreading infection looks like can help you recognize when something needs urgent care.
The first warning sign is swelling that extends beyond the nose itself, moving across the cheek or up toward the eye area. If the infection reaches the tissue around the eye (a condition called orbital cellulitis), you may notice the eyelid becoming swollen and red, the eye appearing to push forward slightly, and difficulty moving the eye normally. The white of the eye may also look puffy and inflamed.
A nasal boil that started as a localized lump but now involves mid-face swelling, a high fever, or visual changes has moved beyond something you can manage at home. These signs indicate the infection has spread into deeper tissue.
What Healing Looks Like
As a nose infection responds to treatment, the progression roughly reverses itself. The intense redness and swelling begin to fade first. Any boil or abscess shrinks and drains, either on its own or after being opened. Sores and pimples inside the nostril flatten and dry out, forming crusts that eventually fall away. The yellow crusting around the septum thins and stops reforming.
The crusting stage can last several days and may look worse than it feels, since the drying scabs are visible at the nostril rim. Resist the urge to pick at them, as this can reintroduce bacteria and restart the cycle. Full resolution of the redness and tenderness typically takes one to two weeks for vestibulitis and impetigo, though deeper infections like boils can take longer, especially if they required drainage.