Painlessly Pop a Pimple
Even if the urge is strong, you shouldn’t rush to pop every pimple as it appears. Popping a pimple before it is ready can be painful and can leave unsightly scars on your skin. But with a little bit of patience and some hand tricks you can learn to pop your pimples safely, painlessly, and perfectly every time.
Contents
Steps
Popping Pimples Painlessly
- Know when a pimple is ready to be popped. Do not try to pop a pimple that is deep in the skin, painful, shiny, or red. Instead, wait until you see a hard, white bump on top of the pimple. This white-head is pus gathering near the surface of the skin.
- Popping a pimple before it is ready will allow bacteria and debris to enter the pores, causing more pimples or painful infections.
- Apply skin-softening lotion the night before. Coating your pimple in aloe vera overnight can help soften dry, crusty zits, making them less painful and easier to remove the following morning.
- Avoid any oil-based lotions and Vaseline, as these will clog up your pores and cause more issues.
- Wash the pimple with soap and warm water. Clean the area around the pimple with a washcloth and soap. Use warm water to open up the pores and make the pimple easier to pop.
- The best time to pop a pimple is often right after a hot shower, when the steam and heat has opened up your pores.
- If you have to leave the needle or your hands get dirty, resterilize it before continuing. You need to do this to prevent infection.
- Wrap your hands in clean tissues. Your hands carry dirt and bacteria that will make your pimple worse if you do not protect it. Simply keeping a tissue between your fingers and the pimple should provide enough protection.
- Most professionals use latex gloves to protect you from infection, so wear them if you have them.
- Lightly squeeze the edges of the pimple until it pops. With your hands still covered, apply gentle pressure to the outside of the pimple to drain the pus. You do not want to cause pain, just drain the surface pus.
- Do not use your bare fingers or nails, as this is an easy way to bring bacteria into the wound.
- Once pus stops easily draining from the pimple, stop squeezing. Do not try to force out more pus if it does not come out with gentle pressure.
- Wash the pimple with soap and water. Clean off the puss with a wet washcloth and apply topical anti-bacterial cream like Neosporin to prevent another infection.
- Never try to dig out a pimple, pop a red pimple, or squeeze out deep pimples. These can all be signs that a pimple is not ready to be popped. In some cases you can prolong the infection, leading to hard cysts that can only be removed by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon.
Treating Pimples with Heat
- Use heat and moisture to remove pimples without popping. You can coax tough pimples to the surface and remove them entirely without ever having to pop them. This method takes a while, but prevents scarring completely. Steam and hot water can be used to draw puss to the top of your skin, eventually removing it.
- Get a clean washcloth wet with the hottest water you can stand. Ring out the excess water after you've soaked the cloth.
- Press the hot washcloth against your pimple and hold it for 5-10 minutes. If the cloth gets cold, reheat it under hot water and reapply it.
- Repeat every 1-2 hours, or until the pimple naturally pops. You may want to lightly massage the area through the washcloth. Sometimes the pimple will rupture painlessly on its own. Other times your body will naturally fight off the infection for you, returning your skin to its former glory.
- Clean the pimple with anti-bacterial cream to prevent it from coming back. Once the pimple has disappeared, clean the area and apply an anti-bacterial like Neosporin to clean the wound.
Preventing Pimples
- Wash your face every night. Pimples are caused when dead skin cells, dirt, and bacteria get into your pores and cause a small infection. Using warm water and a washcloth, gently wash you face with facial soap every night to keep your skin healthy and happy.
- Moisturize your face. Dry or cracked skin can easily lead to pimples. After washing your face, apply moisturizing lotion to promote good skin health and clear pores.
- Moisturizers with oil in them can often cause more problems. These oils will stay on your skin and clog your pores.
- Try a facial mask. You can find a wide variety of face masks at pharmacies and large grocery stores. Mud, tea tree, and witch hazel masks can help lower inflammation in your face that leads to painful pimples.
- Consult your doctor about acne medication if pimples persist. There are a variety of medications, creams, and lotions meant to limit acne or curb it completely. For example, some doctors prescribe birth control because it can limit the hormones that cause pimples to break out. Talk to your doctor or dermatologist about any medical solutions that might work for your body.
Tips
- Wash your hands afterwards and apply acne cream to the popped pimple.
- If there is a red area around the pimple, squeeze outside that.
- Try out an egg mask. This will tighten the pores and make the pimple smaller.
- Don't use this mask more that once a week or your skin may dry out.
Warnings
- Make sure the pimple is ready to pop (it will have a white head).
- See a doctor about any deep pimples, hard pimples, or extreme pain.
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