Most articles will tell you not to pop your pimples, but let’s face it, most of us do! The common belief that popping pimples always causes more harm than good isn’t entirely accurate. While it’s generally advised not to pop pimples due to the risk of scarring and infection, the reality is more nuanced.
First let’s understand how pimples form
Understanding the differences between blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples is key to recognizing and treating various types of acne. Each has a distinct formation process:
Blackheads (Open Comedones)
Blackheads originate in your hair follicles. They start in the hair follicle when it becomes clogged with a mix of sebum (oil) and dead skin cells. Unlike whiteheads, the top of the pore remains open, and the accumulated sebum and skin cells are exposed to oxygen. This oxygen exposure makes the sebum turn dark, and is particularly noticeable on the nose, chin and forehead.
Whiteheads (Closed Comedones)
Like blackheads, whiteheads form when hair follicles get clogged with sebum and dead skin cells. The difference lies in the fact that the top of the pore closes up. Because the pore is closed, the sebum and skin cells are trapped and aren’t exposed to oxygen so do not turn dark.
Pimples
Pimples are formed when the clogged pore gets infected with bacteria (usually Propionibacterium acnes: where “Acne” gets its name). This leads to inflammation and the formation of a pimple. The body’s immune system responds to this infection by sending white blood cells to fight the bacteria. The combination of dead skin cells, excess sebum, bacteria and dead white blood cells accumulate, forming pus. These can appear red, swollen and tender. The pus is often visible at the top of the pimple as a white or yellowish spot.
Evolution of Each Formation
- Common Start: All three begin with clogged hair follicles.
- Blackheads: Formed by exposure to air without a bacterial infection.
- Whiteheads: Develop when the follicle is completely blocked and not exposed to air.
- Pimples: Result from bacterial infection and immune response, leading to inflammation and pus formation.
Should I Pop My Pimple
Now we know how pimples form, what can we do to tackle them. Why will most articles tell you not to pop them yourself and to leave them alone or get them professionally cleared? The short answer is that most article writers won’t trust you to do it correctly and don’t want to be responsible for you damaging your skin. This makes sense, I mean, who wants to be the reason behind someone potentially causing serious damage to their skin. However, if most people do pop pimples at home (and 84% of people we surveyed confirmed they do), then we might as well help you do it right.
Dermatologists and skincare professionals can safely pop pimples in a sterile environment. They use specific tools and techniques to minimize damage and prevent infection, making it a safer option than doing it yourself at home. But if you are reading this, you most likely already plan to or do pop your pimples yourself. Let’s look at the problems you can face if you pop pimples at home so we know how the problems occur and what we can do to avoid them.
Popping pimples at home can lead to several problems. Without sterile tools and proper technique, there’s a risk of pushing bacteria deeper into the skin, causing inflammation, infection, or even more breakouts. Additionally, improper popping can lead to scarring or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. DON’T SKIP TO THE GOOD PART!
The Bad Part
Acne Scars
There are two main types of scars, indented scars (called atrophic scars) that form because your skin doesn’t produce enough collagen when it heals and raised scars (called hypertrophic scars and keloids) that form when too much collagen is produced when healing. We’re going to share how to ensure you don’t cause damage that can create these scars in The Good Part.
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Another common issue is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) which is a decolourisation and darkening of the skin that occurs at the site of the healed pimple. This usually impacts people with naturally darker skin tones and occurs due to an over production of melanin during the healing process.
Infection spread
Infection and increased acne breakouts are the next common trouble that can occur, and for most this is the worst thing that can happen. Squeezing a pimple can push the bacteria and pus deeper into the skin, causing more inflammation and potentially leading to an acne cyst or nodule. When a pimple is popped, the bacteria that was trapped inside it can now easily spread to the surrounding pores, leading to more breakouts.
Repeatedly squeezing, scratching and picking at pimples can cause the pores to become enlarged due to damage of the pore walls. Once this happens, it’s very difficult to reverse without professional help.
Above all, the psychological impact that pimples and the long-term effects they cause to the skin creates extra stress and anxiety for many.
The Good Part
If you skipped the bad part, go back and read it before continuing.
You can pop pimples at home, and most people do, BUT a lot of people don’t do it right, causing more problems than if they just left things alone. While popping pimples isn’t always the best option, understanding the right way to do it and when to seek professional help can make a significant difference in maintaining your skin’s health.
Steps
1. Sterilise your tools
Choose the right tools, these should be tools designed for pimple popping:
- Comedone Extractor – a small metal tool with a looped end, used to gently press out blackheads.
- Lancet – a sharp pin like tool that is used to puncture the top of a whitehead to allow for easier extraction.
- Pimple Popping Tweezers – sharp tipped tweezers usually used to extract deep blackheads.
- Alcohol Swabs – To clean the skin around the pimple before and after popping to prevent the spread of acne bacteria to surrounding pores.
- Disposable gloves – reduces the risk of spreading bacteria.
Before you use any tool on your skin, it needs to be super clean. Simply running it under the tap for a few seconds is not going to do anything. Go a step further. Wash the tools with dish detergent or antibacterial soap, and rinse repeatedly (5 times is recommended to ensure the soap and any dead bacteria have been washed away).
Next, you’ll want to disinfect the tools with Alcohol. Use isopropyl alcohol, commonly available from your pharmacy. Soak the tools in a shallow bath of alcohol for a few minutes, then let them dry off immediately before you intend to use them. If you don’t have isopropyl or ethanol on hand, you can put your metal tools in a clean pan and boil them for 10 minutes, but make sure you let them cool down before you handled them.
2. Prepare your skin
Making sure your skin, both hands and face are washed is very important. The best time to perform any pimple popping is after a shower, when you’ve washed and cleansed your face. Ensure the entire area around the pimple is clean, and your hands are VERY clean (pro tip – wear surgical gloves if you have them available). Remember, your hands are the fastest way for bacteria to travel to other parts of your face and body, so I can’t stress enough how clean your hands need to be.
Use an alcohol swab and wipe the area around the pimple to help kill off any additional bacteria that might still be hanging about.
Make sure your tools have been sterilised and are ready for action.
3. Popping / Extracting
IMPORTANT: Stop! If you are applying a lot of force and nothing is coming out, you are running the risk of pushing the material in the pore deeper, and we know what that can cause (the bad part)!!
To make it easier, you can help soften skin by using a warm compress before attempting the extraction.
For blackheads, use the comedone extraction tool or two clean cotton tips and gently apply pressure around the blackhead, not directly on it. For the two cotton tips technique, it’s a good idea to press down, either side of the blackhead, this will gently force the pore opening to expand slightly, while pushing the tissue under the skin together forcing up the hardened material.
For whiteheads, the process is largely the same, although you may need to use a lancet to make a small prick to break the pores surface and allow the material in the pore to be extracted. You must take extreme care as extra digging, jabbing and tearing of the skin with the lancet can cause scaring. It’s important to know if the pore is too tight to allow extraction and to stop.
4. After Popping / Extracting
If you have done it right, there should be little or no blood. Your pore should hopefully now be clear. Keep in mind that bacteria have been forced out of the pore and is sitting on your tools, face, fingers or gloves. Anything that these things touch will get a bit of that bacteria on it, so it’s a good idea to do the following before moving on to the next pimple or wrapping up:
- Clean your hands
- wipe the freshly popped pimple / extracted blackhead or whitehead with a fresh alcohol swab / apply antiseptic ointment
- clean the tools with another alcohol swab.
Prevention
Here’s some quick tips for preventing acne
- Whiteheads & Blackheads: Use a gentle facial scrub 2 or 3 times a week to help prevent pores from clogging
- Use a good Vitamin C serum daily to help protect your skin barrier and balance your skin’s microbiome
- Learn about how what you eat can impact your skin
