How to Pop a Pimple

The reason you’re not supposed to pop pimples is that anytime you deliberately break skin, you risk creating a scar or getting an infection. Sometimes, though, it’s impossible to wait for a pimple to go away on its own. This article describes how to figure out when a pimple is ready to be popped, and how to do it safely with minimal pain and damage.

Steps

Deciding Whether a Pimple Should Be Popped

1 – Pop whitehead pimples. Whitehead pimples have usually been around for a few days, and they have a white tip where pus has collected underneath the skin. These pimples are easy to pop, and when treated with care they can be safely removed without causing an infection or scarring.

2 – Don’t pop other types of pimples. Whiteheads are the only type of pimples you should be popping. Popping other types of pimples can lead to scarring, infection, bleeding and pain, so leave them alone.

• Pimples that have just appeared in the past day or two aren’t ready to pop yet. Wait until the whitehead appears at the tip of the blemish.


• Pimples that are big, red, and sore should not be popped. There’s too great a risk that an infection could occur, and popping a pimple this big will almost definitely lead to a scar.

Prepping Your Hands and the Pimple

1 – Wash your hands. This is a very important step, so do it thoroughly, especially underneath the nails, and use plenty of soap and warm water. You’ll want to avoid letting your fingers and nails actually touch the pimple, but just in case they do, having them clean will reduce the likelihood of irritation and infection.

2 – Clean the skin surrounding the pimple. When you pop the pimple, you’ll be opening the skin, creating a way for bacteria to enter. The pimple will heal faster if you don’t give bacteria a chance to settle in and create an infection. Cleaning will also remove any oil, sweat, dirt, and makeup.

• To cleanse the area, you can use antibacterial face cleanser or swab the area with rubbing alcohol using a cotton ball.


• Don’t scrub the area too hard, or you’ll irritate it further. Gently cleanse the area, rinse it with warm water, and pat it dry with a towel.

3 – Cover your hands. Put on disposable gloves just before you’re ready to pop the pimple. Not only will this put a barrier between any remaining bacteria on your fingers (and in your fingernails) and your skin, but it will also prevent the sharp edges of your nails from impacting the pimple. Applying pressure with your nails is unnecessary, especially if you’ve followed all these steps.

If you don’t have disposable gloves, you can cover your fingers with clean tissues.

If you don’t want to use your hands, you can use a clean small-loop-headed blackhead/whitehead remover tool, which will evenly apply pressure around the edges of the pimple where it is needed and not in unnecessary areas where it will simply cause pain and bruising. (Since the end of the tool is sort of pointy, be careful not to poke yourself too hard with it.)

 

Popping the Pimple

1 – Plant your fingertips around the pimple’s peak. The peak of the pimple is its highest point, usually located right in the center. Place one fingertip on either side, just below the tip of the whitehead. Instead of pushing your fingers together, like most people do, you want to pull the skin apart. It should pull apart easily, allowing the pus to come out.

• If no pus comes out, position your fingertips in slightly in a slightly different place around the pimple, then try again.


• If the pus still remains in the pimple, stop trying to pop it. The pimple is not yet ready to be popped; either wait a few days or let it go away on its own.

2 – Massage the skin around the pimple. This will encourage the remaining pus to come out; keep doing it until the pimple is completely drained. Don’t touch the pimple itself, except to blot away the pus with tissues. There should be no bleeding whatsoever. If there is, you’ve squeezed too much, and created a wound that may scar.

3 – Wipe the area with an antiseptic solution. Again, the important thing is to make sure bacteria doesn’t invade the opening in the skin.

 

4 – Apply a benzoyl peroxide acne treatment on the pimple. This will help oust any bacteria that was inside the pimple.

 

Tips

• To prevent future pimples from coming up, watch your diet and clean your face every day.


• All pimples will eventually go away on their own, and you minimize your risk of infections or scarring if you decide not to pop it.


• Extremely resistant pimples can be forced open with a needle or small pin. Sterilize the needle or pin either with alcohol or by holding the needle or pin in a flame for 10-15 seconds. Let it cool a few seconds before puncturing into the side of the pimple, if you puncture the top there is a greater risk of damaging the skin.

Source wikihow

Source: How to Pop a Pimple