Should you pop your pimples? That is the question everyone wants the answer to.
Picture this: You wake up, roll out of bed, and make your way into the bathroom, only to discover that somehow your face has grown an unsightly, white-tipped pimple overnight.
It happens to all of us. Pimples can make our skin sensitive and swollen, puffy, and sore, these miserable little pustules can come out of nowhere and completely ruin your day.
And even though we all know that real beauty has almost nothing to do with appearance (despite what movies, television, fashion magazines, and advertisements may claim), having a massive zit (or zits) taking up all of the best real estate on your face has a way of negatively impacting any person’s self-esteem.
Why You SHOULDN’T Pop Pimples
Pimples are often filled with pus and accompanied by bacterial infection. So, trying to pop a pimple all by yourself is a bit of a risky job. Picking at a pimple or a scab can be a sure way to getting a deep seated acne mark that won’t disappear easily. This is especially true if you are a repeated offender and keep picking at the same spot.
While trying to squeeze out a pimple you may actually push some of the pus and the bacteria into the deeper layers of your skin. This can not only cause inflammation, pain and swelling, but may also result in a more severe breakout. Your acne can become more painful and noticeable.
Something to keep in mind: You can always come in just for extractions. We can accommodate these shorter appointments with little to no planning ahead if needed.
How to Safely Pop a Pimple
The best practice for pimple popping is to see an esthetician or skincare therapist. Period. Reason being is it’s a sterile sanitary environment and we have the proper tools to extract your pimple safely in a clean manner. BUT we understand that it’s not always possible in cases of travel and busy lifestyle.
If you are in a do-it-yourself mood, here’s how you properly extract a pimple at home.
1. The pimple should be firm and the pus almost near the surface when you are about to drain it. Do not poke it otherwise.
2. Wash your hands very carefully with a disinfectant soap and preferably apply a disinfectant such as 70% alcohol.
3. Now clean the zit with some alcohol. Dry it off. Wrap your fingers in clean tissue or bandage gauze before starting.
4. Gently press the area surrounding the pimple to drain out the pus. If the pimple does not drain with little pressure once or twice you should leave it like that as it is not ready to be popped yet.
5. Keep some sterilized cotton handy to clean off the pus and debris oozing from the pimple.
6. Clean the spot thoroughly and apply wipe out. You can also dab some ice to relieve any pain or redness.
7. Last but not least, take good care of the spot by washing, moisturizing and keeping it protected until it heals completely.
Post Pop Recovery
Whether you did it the right way or not, once you’ve popped the pimple, you have a few steps that you need to take to ensure that you leave your face in the right condition to heal properly. If you have a deep, throbbing breakout, ice it down.
Ice will reduce the redness and inflammation, making your breakout easier to minimize and cover up.
During the healing process, you want to treat your pimple like a wound. Keep the skin balanced and properly hydrated after popping a pimple is important because skin that is well balanced and hydrated will heal much quicker than skin that’s barrier is compromised and dry.
PRO TIP: Using an SPF is always important, but during the healing process it is arguably one of the most crucial steps in your skincare routine. The reason why this is, is because broken skin and scar tissue are easily pigmented by the sun so you run the risk of scarring, or hyperpigmentation.
Final Thoughts
All said, be kind to your skin and keep your hands off your face as best you can. The future you will be grateful you did. We all get pimples at least sometime during the course of our life and they are definitely annoying.
But popping a pimple in order to get rid of them faster is counterproductive. Popping a pimple may actually lengthen the healing process, increase chances of infection as well as leave permanent scars on your face.
In case you HAVE to pop a pimple, it is best to get it done by an expert to minimize the undesired side effects that can come with picking at your face.
Schedule your initial consultation today & let us help you get started on your clear skin journey!
Cheers to clear!
Rene