Although it might feel good to pop a pimple, dermatologists advise against it. Popping a pimple can cause infection and scarring, and it may make the pimple more inflamed and noticeable. It also delays the natural healing process. Due to this, it is usually best to leave pimples alone.
This means that by touching, prodding, poking, or otherwise irritating pimples, you run the risk of introducing new bacteria to the skin. This can cause the pimple to become even more red, inflamed, or infected. In other words, you'll still have the pimple, rendering any attempts useless.
Popping a pimple could spread the bacteria and pus from the infected pore to surrounding pores in the area. This can cause an to spread. Popping a pimple can delay your body's natural healing process, which causes your pimple's healing to take longer. You could push the pus and bacteria further under your skin.
DON'T pop, squeeze or pick at the blemish. Doing so can make acne more noticeable and increase your risk of infection, discoloration and scarring. DON'T apply toothpaste to the area.
Eventually, the hair follicle can burst, breaking the clog free from your pore and beginning the healing process. This is your body's natural mechanism for dealing with clogged pores and acne. When you pop a pimple yourself, you may be triggering this healing process and get rid of the pimple while you're at it.
Don't pop or squeeze pus-filled pimples
You can cause the bacteria to spread and the inflammation to worsen.
While most people pop their pimples on occasion, skin picking can be a symptom of a psychological disorder. Zakhary defined skin picking disorder as "skin picking resulting in skin lesions, with repeated attempts to stop the behavior and that is causing distress and impairment."
These unwanted side effects are likely when you pop pimples at home. If you push some of the contents inside the pimple deeper into the skin, which often happens, you increase inflammation. This can lead to more-noticeable acne. Some people develop acne scars and pain.
A pimple typically heals on its own in three to seven days. However, if you pop the pimple, it can become infected and take longer to heal. Topical acne treatments can shorten the amount of time it takes to heal.
When we have changes in hormone levels on a monthly basis, an increase in hormones can trigger increased oil production, increased risk of bacterial infection, and re-irritation of that pimple again. 'Sometimes these reoccurring pimples are cystic and come back because they never form a head to be extracted.
That can cause the pimple to become more red, inflamed, swollen and infected, and may even lead to permanent scarring. "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.
Pustules are what most people think of as a zit: Red and inflamed with a white head at the center. The stuff you squeeze out of them is pus, which contains dead white blood cells.
Most whiteheads go away on their own, but it may take a little time—sometimes up to seven days. It's better to see a healthcare provider at the first sign of whiteheads and follow their treatment suggestions.
Picking makes acne worse
When you pick at lesions, you actually make them look worse. The skin around the picked lesion may become red and inflamed, which makes the pimple look bigger. Your popped pimple could bleed or develop a scab.
When to Pop, and When to Stop
If your pimple has a white or yellow head, it's prime for the popping. “At that point, it is OK to extract because the bump is very superficial to the surface of the skin,” says Lee.
So the pimple simply explodes by itself, because of the huge pressure inside the pimple. This pressure explosion results in damaged and scared skin. Certainly, it is likely that it will cause a red mark on the skin, as you probably get a small wound, which will become a scar.
Popping pimples releases dopamine
A lot of people find popping pimples satisfying. After feeling and hearing that “pop”, some people get an immediate sensation of pleasure and relief. That's because dopamine — the happy-hormone — is released when you feel a sense of accomplishment.
Skin picking disorder is a body focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) that affects about 1.4% of adults in the United States. People with skin picking disorder may repeatedly pick, pull, or tear at healthy skin, pimples, blisters, or scabs. Skin picking disorder occurs more frequently in females than males.
Stage 4: Severe acne
In the most severe stage, acne becomes extremely painful. There will be numerous pustules, cysts, papules and nodules in the affected area or on various parts of the body.
A pimple is ready to squeeze when it has developed a white or yellow "head" on top, Dr. Pimple Popper Sandra Lee told Marie Claire. "If the pimple has a head, at that point it is the easiest to extract, with the least risk of scarring because the bump is very superficial to the surface of the skin," she said.