Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSkin DamageIncreased BlemishesHow to Care for PimplesSafer Blemish ExtractionsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Skin Damage
Increased Blemishes
How to Care for Pimples
Safer Blemish Extractions
Frequently Asked Questions
Poppingpimplescan be very tempting, but resist the urge. When you pop a pimple, it damages the underlying tissue and can leave your complexion looking worse.
Popping pimples on your face, back, chest, or buttocks can lead to more breakouts, discoloration, and acne scars.
This article explains why popping pimples is bad for your skin. It also provides tips for safely treatingacneso that it won’t cause skin damage or scarring.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Pimples and Inflammation
A pimple occurs when excesssebum(oil), dead skin cells, and bacteria become trapped in a pore. This leads to the development of red, tender bumps with white pus at their tips.
When you have a pimple, the pore is already swollen and under a lot of pressure.
What Happens When you Pop a Pimple?
While your instinct may be to squeeze a pimple, consider what is happening under the skin.
When you squeeze a pimple:
Have you ever popped a pimple thinking you “got” it, only to have it come back a few hours later bigger and “angrier” than before? You’re not imagining things. That’s because the damage happens below the surface of the skin and on the surface as well.
How Do Pimples Form?
How the Skin Changes After You Pop a Pimple
In addition to new pimples forming near a pimple that’s been squeezed, other skin changes, such as scars, and discoloration, can occur too.
Popping apapule(a pimple without a white head) forces the skin to break open to release the pus. This leads to the formation of a scab and the darkening of the surrounding skin.
Squeezing the area frequently can lead to the formation ofacne nodules(hardened acne lesions in deeper tissues) or acne cysts (deep, pus-filled lesions that look similar to boils).
Help for Cystic Acne
Popping Pimples and Scarring
Popping pimples can cause more than a swollen spot or a scab; it is a surefire way to increase your chances of developingacne scars.
Every time your skin is damaged, there’s a possibility tissue will be lost during the healing process. That is how you get depressed or pitted acne scars. The more extensive the damage, the higher the chance of tissue loss.
Even if depressed scars don’t develop, you can be left with dark marks known aspost-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This occurs when severe inflammation damages cells known askeratinocytes, causing them to release large amounts of a pigment calledmelanin.
If the damage is minimal, the darkening of the skin will often reverse. But, if the damage is severe or ongoing, the discoloration may lighten but not entirely disappear withouttreatment.
6 Steps to Heal a Popped Pimple Fast
Safer Ways to Care for Pimples
Picking at pimples can spread infection and worsen your acne. Clearly, a “hands-off” policy is the best choice when it comes to caring for acne-prone skin.
With that said, it’s natural to want to get rid of pimples and get rid of them fast. Fortunately, there are safer ways to do so.
Why You Have a Pimple-Like Rash
Acne Spot Treatments
Instead of popping a pimple, try over-the-counter (OTC)acne spot treatments. These products are dabbed on existing pimples to help them dry and heal. These include products containing benzoyl peroxide,salicylicacid, orsulfur. You can also try a warm compress orhydrocolloidpimple bandaids to help shrink a pimple that’s bothering you.
These OTC remedies work best for relatively minor pimples. You may need to see a dermatologist if you have a really big pimple that won’t go away. Spot treatments are unlikely to be of much help with more severe blemishes.
Best Over-the-Counter Acne Treatments
When considering how to manage acne breakouts, it’s important to understand that some options are safe, some are not ideal but are likely harmless, and some could be dangerous or unhealthy.
At one point or another, most people have popped a pimple even though they knew they shouldn’t. Occasionally squeezing a blemish, while not great for your skin, is normal and understandable.
But, when squeezing pimples becomes a compulsion, you may develop a condition known asacne excoriée(orexcoriatedacne). People with excoriated acne pick at their pimples, real or imagined, to the point of seriously damaging their skin.You can learn to stop this behavior, but you will likely need the help of a professional, particularly if acne is causing ongoing anxiety or depression.
You may consider booking an appointment with a dermatologist or esthetician experienced in professional pimple extraction. They may teach youhow to pop a pimple safelyand how to decide whether it’s safe for you to pop a pimple at home.
Among some of the things you shouldneverdo when popping pimples:
Safe Ways to Get Rid of Pimples Fast
Summary
How Acne Is Treated
The slang term “zit” is another way to describe a pimple. Zits usually form on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders.
Learn More4 Types of Pimples and How to Treat Them
When you leave a pimple alone, it clears up in a few days. A whitehead is close to the surface and may pop and drain on its own when it is ready. A deeper pimple typically dissolves on its own.
It may seem like popping a whitehead makes it clear up faster, but that’s not necessarily true. Popping a pimple may clear up the visual signs of a pimple, but it causes damage to the tissue and often makes it look worse.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Well D.Acne vulgaris: A review of causes and treatment options.Nurse Pract.2013;38(10):22-31. doi:10.1097/01.NPR.0000434089.88606.70Davis EC, Callender VD.Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation: a review of the epidemiology, clinical features, and treatment options in skin of color.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol.2010 Jul;3(7):20–31.Grant JE, Brian OL.Excoriating (Skin-Picking) Disorder. In: Phillips KA, Stein DJ, editors.Handbook on Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.MedlinePlus.Acne.Additional ReadingNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).“Questions and Answers About Acne.“Zaenglein AL, Pathy AL, Schlosser BJ, et al.“Guidelines of Care for the Management of Acne Vulgaris.“Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.2016 May;74(5):945-73.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Well D.Acne vulgaris: A review of causes and treatment options.Nurse Pract.2013;38(10):22-31. doi:10.1097/01.NPR.0000434089.88606.70Davis EC, Callender VD.Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation: a review of the epidemiology, clinical features, and treatment options in skin of color.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol.2010 Jul;3(7):20–31.Grant JE, Brian OL.Excoriating (Skin-Picking) Disorder. In: Phillips KA, Stein DJ, editors.Handbook on Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.MedlinePlus.Acne.Additional ReadingNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).“Questions and Answers About Acne.“Zaenglein AL, Pathy AL, Schlosser BJ, et al.“Guidelines of Care for the Management of Acne Vulgaris.“Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.2016 May;74(5):945-73.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Well D.Acne vulgaris: A review of causes and treatment options.Nurse Pract.2013;38(10):22-31. doi:10.1097/01.NPR.0000434089.88606.70Davis EC, Callender VD.Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation: a review of the epidemiology, clinical features, and treatment options in skin of color.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol.2010 Jul;3(7):20–31.Grant JE, Brian OL.Excoriating (Skin-Picking) Disorder. In: Phillips KA, Stein DJ, editors.Handbook on Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.MedlinePlus.Acne.
Well D.Acne vulgaris: A review of causes and treatment options.Nurse Pract.2013;38(10):22-31. doi:10.1097/01.NPR.0000434089.88606.70
Davis EC, Callender VD.Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation: a review of the epidemiology, clinical features, and treatment options in skin of color.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol.2010 Jul;3(7):20–31.
Grant JE, Brian OL.Excoriating (Skin-Picking) Disorder. In: Phillips KA, Stein DJ, editors.Handbook on Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
MedlinePlus.Acne.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).“Questions and Answers About Acne.“Zaenglein AL, Pathy AL, Schlosser BJ, et al.“Guidelines of Care for the Management of Acne Vulgaris.“Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.2016 May;74(5):945-73.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).“Questions and Answers About Acne.”
Zaenglein AL, Pathy AL, Schlosser BJ, et al.“Guidelines of Care for the Management of Acne Vulgaris.“Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.2016 May;74(5):945-73.
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