You should rinse the skin right away with warm water and a gentle cleanser. Don't use any face scrubs or exfoliants, just stick with a foaming facial cleanser and carefully pat your skin dry afterward using a clean washcloth.
“Post-picking, you want to keep your skin in a moist environment for optimal healing,” Nava Greenfield, M.D., a dermatologist who practices in Brooklyn, said. “Aquaphor is great until the skin has healed and then Bio-Oil or a silicone gel as a scar prevention.”
Apply a cold compress to the affected area for five minutes or so to reduce swelling, advises Dr. Lee. If it's more of an open wound (bleeding, etc.) than just a squeezed pimple, should you do anything different? Again—if you're picking your skin until it bleeds, STOP!
Top the scab with a small amount of thick concealer.
A thinner concealer won't hold your makeup in place, so opt for a thick and creamy one. Again, put a small amount on your finger and dab it on top of the foundation. If the concealer is the color of your skin tone, it should do a great job of hiding the scab.
Woolery-Lloyd recommends using an acne treatment with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to help prevent breakouts. "A salicylic acid cleanser or treatment product may be especially helpful because it also acts as a gentle exfoliator to smooth the skin," she says.
Dermatillomania is a mental health condition where a person compulsively picks or scratches their skin, causing injuries or scarring. Also known as excoriation disorder or skin-picking disorder, this condition falls under the category of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCDs).
Most pimples take 1-2 weeks to go away on their own. Some can take up to 6 weeks. Although they can't be cured overnight, they can be treated with many different methods that have been proven to work such prescription acne treatment like tretinoin and topical antibiotics.
You might permanently damage your skin
Hyperpigmented spots and scars don't go away on their own. By trying to pick away or pop your acne, you risk permanent damage that may take many trips to the dermatologist to improve. The better choice is to see a dermatologist as soon as you're troubled by acne.
Scrapes on the head or face may appear worse than they are. They may bleed a lot because of the good blood supply to this area. Most scrapes heal well and may not need a bandage. They usually heal within 3 to 7 days.
“If you pop the pimple, it becomes a micro-wound,” explains Kazin. At this point, it's best to apply a little antibiotic ointment like Neosporin ($6, drugstore.com) at night to help speed up healing. Allowing it to “breathe” during the day without anything on it, if possible, will also help it mend faster.
Popping a pimple — whether you're successful or not can spawn more spots. “The bacteria, oil, and debris that are being contained by the acne papule, pustule or cyst once released, can spread and lead to more acne,” Shah says.
Neosporin does not kill the most common acne-causing bacteria, so it won't typically be effective at fighting pimples or cystic acne. Because it has many moisturizing, skin-healing oils in its ingredients, Neosporin may temporarily tame irritation and also heal areas of damaged, broken skin.
Skin picking may be triggered by anxiety as a way to relieve stress. When it becomes frequent and intense, however, it can become a condition called skin picking disorder or excoriation. People with skin picking disorder do it out of habit and may struggle to control the impulse.
People may pick their skin for various reasons. Some may feel compelled to remove perceived imperfections, while others pick in response to stress, boredom, or out of habit. In many ways, skin picking disorder is a repetitive or obsessive grooming behavior similar to other BFRBs, such as hair pulling and nail picking.
Skin picking disorder can also interfere with social life, school, and/or work. Mild to severe pain during or after picking; sores, scars, disfigurement; and other medical problems like infections can also occur. In extreme cases, skin picking can cause sores severe enough to require surgery.
Genetics: Individuals who experience dermatillomania are more likely to have at least one first-degree relative (parent or sibling) who also has this condition.
One reason a pimple keeps popping up in the same place is that the pore it developed in is damaged -- usually the result of too much picking. Prodding at a pimple can loosen the cell lining of the pore and cause the clogged oil to slip deeper into the skin, creating an inflammatory reaction.
More common in adolescent females than males, the condition is usually associated with depression, anxiety, OCD, body dysmorphia, or emotional triggers. “Pickers' acne,” as it's sometimes called, is more common than you might believe.
Acne extraction is usually offered when other acne treatment fails to clear the skin. it's rarely a first choice because it takes time and can be expensive. When performed by a dermatologist, acne extraction is a safe way to get rid of blackheads and whiteheads.
For acne lesions, the bandages can be applied directly on pimples and help decrease inflammation, redness and irritation, and they can absorb drainage from active acne blemishes.
There's no evidence that hydrogen peroxide can safely and effectively cure acne. In reality, hydrogen peroxide may actually increase scarring on the skin by interfering with the wound-healing process. It can also cause skin irritation and burns if used at too high of a concentration.
Ice is the best way to soothe it down and reduce inflammation. Use an ice cube or cold pack, either wrapped in a soft cloth or paper towel. Apply it over the swollen area for a few minutes at a time, several times a day. This will help take down the swelling and make your popped pimple look and feel a whole lot better.