Regardless of the fact that Pimples do not look good on your face and it can scar the personality of an individual, we would never advise you to pop a pimple by yourself. Doing this, you risk your skin of getting an infection in that area and nasty scars that are not at all easy to get rid of. It can also damage your skin for a long period. Though it is impossible to resist popping a pimple and let it cure on its own because it takes time. In this article, we will discuss a few safe ways that you carry out to pop a pimple when you cannot cope up with your resistance anymore.
We will also discuss that what kind of a pimple should be popped and what not. As all the pimples are not to be popped either by you or by the dermatologists. They are left to heal on their own and the skin takes its own time to recover.
How to Decide Whether to Pop a Pimple or not?
Whitehead Pimples
Whitehead can be easily removed without causing any damage to the skin. There are easy to pop as compared to other pimples. If treated with care they do not even scar the skin after completely healed.
Pustule
Popping these types of a pimple can cause scarring of the skin cells. It also leads to bleeding, swelling, redness and bump. This is the reason other pimples are never popped and left to heal on their own.
These kinds of pimples are big, red and sore. Popping them can lead to the risk of infection and will most definitely leave a scar due to being big in size.
The pimples that have just developed or are 1-2 days old should never be popped as they are not yet ready. The decision whether to pop this pimple or not will be taken when either white head develops on the surface or they grow large.
Steps to Prepare Yourself to Pop a Pimple
Contents
1.) Wash Your Hands Properly
The initial and most important step when you want to pop a pimple is, to wash your hands thoroughly using a disinfectant. Paying special attention underneath the nails, because this is where a maximum number of bacteria is found.
Though you are not at all allowed to touch a pimple with your fingers or nails directly, but cleaning them thoroughly will avoid the risk of infection.
2.) Clean the Affected Area
While popping a pimple you tend to open up the skin. This creates an inlet for the bacteria to thrive and cause infection. Cleaning the area will also help to heal a pimple quickly. It also removes the oil, dirt and dead cells that are gathered around a pimple.
- Use anti-bacterial face wash to clean the area
- You can dab a cotton swab soaked in rubbing alcohol.
- Do not prefer harsh scrubs, as this can damage the skin and cause inflammation.
3.) Heat Some Water
Steam will help to open up the surface of the pores and flush the sebum out of a pimple easily. This lowers the chance of scarring and inflammation caused due to infection.
- Just heat some water in a pan.
- Lean the face over it and cover with a towel.
- Make sure that you do not go closure to the pan or you can burn yourself.
- This will ensure that the steam doesn’t escape out.
- This helps to pop a pimple easily without causing much pain.
4.) Wear the Gloves
Direct contact of the affected skin with your hands can initiate the severity of the infection. Always wear the gloves before you plan to pop a pimple. This prevents the bacteria on your hands from reaching the pimple. Also, the sharp edges of your fingernails can harm the skin, so gloves act as a barrier between the nails and the skin. Follow the steps below to pop a pimple safely.
- Wear the gloves and then touch the affected area.
- If you do not have cloves, cover the fingers with a clean face tissue.
- In you still want to refrain from touching the pimple, use a tool.
- This is a small loop headed pimple remover.
- When pressed on the pimple, it applies equal pressure on the surface from all sides.
- It is a safe method to pop a pimple, preventing pain and scars.
5.) Plant Your Hands
Place covered fingertips around the peak of a pimple that you want to pop. The peak is located right in the center of a pimple. When performed in the right manner you will be able to feel the sebum filled follicle. But, if it feels squishy and not like a hard ball, this means that a pimple is not yet ready to pop.
- If no pus comes out of a pimple, position the fingertips in a slightly different place and try again.
- If still no sign of pus is evidenced, you should stop trying to pop. This means that a pimple is simply not ready to be popped yet.
- Just wait for it to get ready or else just let it go naturally.
6.) Give a Gentle Massage
- Gently massaging the area around a pimple will encourage the pus to flush out easily. Keep doing the process until the pus is completely drained.
- When the pus is flushed, do not touch it with your finger; instead, use a face tissue to blot the fluid of the skin.
- You may evidence some blood, this is the sign that the filled sebum has opened up the follicle it has accumulated in.
- Stop applying pressure immediately and leave a pimple alone to heal.
- Forcefully applying pressure on the pimple will increase the inflammation and swelling.
- This will help to pop a pimple safely and also prevent pain and scarring.
7.) Use Antiseptic Wipes
After you have finished with the popping of a pimple and the fluid is completely drained, wipe the area with a disinfectant. This will remove the bacteria from the affected skin and prevent it from thriving where the skin surface is opened due to popping the pimple.
8.) Apply Benzoyl Peroxide
Application of Benzoyl Peroxide on the popped pimple will kill any bacteria that are thriving under the skin. This prevents scarring and infection.
7 Reasons to Not Pop a Pimple
1.) Scarring
Popping a pimple on your own can cause severe scarring, and trust me this is far better than just a tiny red pimple.
2.) Scabs
Sometimes, popping a pimple may not cause a nasty scar. But, it leaves behind a crusty scab that is difficult to conceal with makeup and less attractive than the tiny little pimple, which you hate.
3.) Infection
Popping a pimple may cause infection if not properly cleaned. The bacteria on the skin around a pimple immediately thrive on the freshly opened surface of a pimple that is a result of popping.
Some of the infections may be severe and require medical help.
4.) Develop New Pimples
The sebum flushed out of a pimple can initiate infection to other parts of the skin thus causing more pimples. This makes it another serious reason to not pop a pimple.
5.) Pain
Squeezing the pimple can cause pain and the big ones hurt even worse. This is because they are located under the top layer of the skin.
6.) Slow Healing Process
When you pop a pimple on your own, you tend to damage the skin. It is because you are not a pro. This leads to slower the healing process of the skin.
7.) Difficult to Conceal
Squeezing make the bump more red and swollen. This becomes difficult to conceal with a makeup. It also risks the possibility of scarring and scabbing.
How Pros Pop a Pimple?
- Skin specialist and dermatologists are skilled and trained estheticians. They know how to pop a pimple safely and effectively without causing any damage to the skin.
- They always wear gloves while treating acne and pimples.
- A sterile needle is used to lance a pimple, this eliminates pain and scarring.
- The contents of a pimple are then removed using an instrument called Comedone Extractor.
So, if you cannot pop a pimple safely on your own, then just leave it to the pros to do it for you. Though sometimes, it is difficult to resist the temptation of popping it on your own. But, if you want it to be done safely then you have to trust the pros.