Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, then apply pressure to both sides of the clogged pore using your fingers. With a little pressure, the blackhead should pop out.
Because popping isn't the way to go, patience is the key. Your pimple will disappear on its own, and by leaving it alone you're less likely to be left with any reminders that it was there. To dry a pimple up faster, apply 5% benzoyl peroxide gel or cream once or twice a day.
Lancer on employing a needle for the job, he firmly answered with a "never under any circumstances try to use a needle on your own face." While celeb aesthetician Kate Somerville agreed that "of course, it is a bad idea to pop a pimple," she was realistic about the notion of at-home extractions.
Applying a warm compress can help to treat a blind pimple. The heat can open up pores, which may draw the pimple closer to the skin's surface and create a head. The formation of a head enables the sebum, cells, and bacteria to exit the skin. The heat from the compress can also help to relieve pain.
Basically, what happens if you don't pop a whitehead is that it goes away on its own, usually in 3 to 7 days. It may happen that you wake up one morning and notice the pimple is gone. Or you may notice the pimple draining.
What Causes a Painful Pimple? Pimples hurt because the body is trying to get rid of the stuff that doesn't belong there. The redness, swelling, and inflammation cause the pain. The body knows that the dead skin, oil, and bacteria are supposed to be in the hair follicle (which is outside the skin).
When a pore becomes clogged or a pimple forms under your skin, your hair follicles can fill up with pus or sebum (oil). Eventually, the hair follicle can burst, breaking the clog away from your pore and beginning the healing process. This is your body's natural mechanism for dealing with clogged pores and acne.
Although people can pop some noninflamed whiteheads and blackheads if they take the necessary precautions, they should never try to pop or extract inflamed acne. This type of acne is deeper in the skin and may be more likely to cause scarring and infection if a person tries to squeeze it.
"It's best to let a pimple run through its life span," Rice says. Left alone, a blemish will heal itself in 3 to 7 days. Popped improperly, it can linger for weeks or lead to scarring.
A sebum plug can look like a tiny bump under the surface of the skin or it may stick out through the skin like a grain of sand. When a sebum plug forms, bacteria that normally lives harmlessly on the surface of your skin can start to grow within the follicle. Inflammation follows, causing a breakout.
If you once squeezed a whitehead until it burst, it's possible that the entire blockage wasn't removed—meaning that pimple could become inflamed again, says Dr. Zeichner. The irritation or exposed bacteria could also cause another pimple to form right next to your previous one.
If you're bleeding, she says to “gently blot the area with a clean tissue or cotton pad and clean the area with alcohol.” Once the blood has stopped, she advises applying a spot treatment containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid as mentioned above.
If your skin is red and irritated and you need to apply concealer, try to leave as much time as possible between popping and makeup. The best time to take on your pimples is in the evening, right before bed, so your skin has all night to recover.
Blind pimples are too far below the skin to pop. Trying will only irritate them further, and may cause infection or scarring. Instead of popping, try to bring the pimple to a head so it can exit the skin via other treatment methods. Use a product containing benzoyl peroxide.
Management and Treatment
Don't try to pop or drain an infected pimple. Doing so can make it worse or spread the infection. You should: Clean the area: It's very important to keep the wound clean.
It may be tempting, but popping pus-filled pimples can worsen acne and damage the skin. Releasing the pus allows the bacteria to disperse, which can spread infection.
Instead of popping or picking at the boil, which can lead to infection, treat the boil with care. Follow these steps: Use a clean, warm cloth to apply a compress to the boil. You can repeat this several times a day to encourage the boil to come to a head and drain.
Over-the-counter skin cleansers that contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can be applied to affected areas to help the pimples clear. If your pimples have developed into papules or pustules, you may want to see a dermatologist.
"The most common way to address these issues is to use benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, tree oil, or salicylic acid products before you go to bed," says Dr. Patel. Benzoyl peroxide is a bleaching agent that kills microbes and dries up oil in the follicle.
Hard pimples develop when dead skin cells, sebum, and bacteria enter the skin's surface. Once under the skin, bacteria can multiply quickly. This can cause the skin to become irritated and even infected. Hard pimples appear as raised bumps on or under the skin's surface.
Blackheads, or open comedos, are clogged pores that are filled with dead skin cells and oil, not dirt or grime as myth may suggest. The blackish portion of a blackhead — aka the sesame seed — is due to the oxidation of the dead skin cells and oil when exposed to air.
Nodules are a type of hard pimple that can be large and painful. They form when an infected skin pore or follicle is located deep below the skin surface. Cysts are found deep below the skin when a pus-filled membrane forms around the infection.