I’ve seen this almost everywhere, 11 out of 10 persons I’ve met have warned me against pressing pimples growing on my face. They only suggest that I wait it out.
Anytime I ask, I always get a similar response, “it’ll make it worse”
But does it make it worse? And how exactly?
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Yes it makes it worse. Scarring. Discoloration. Your dirty fingers add even more bacteria to a now open wound so it get worse. You aren’t gentle and rupture the pore making the infection worse. Just don’t do it. There are so many products out there that help with acne.
Popping pimples on your face can cause irritation, inflammation, and scarring, especially if done with too much force. In some cases, it can also allow the bacteria from the pimple to get deeper into your skin. Leaving them alone and not picking or pushing at them can allow them to heal without irriation.
It *can* make it worse, especially in case of the deep ones. They are contained, a small “battlefield” where anti-bodies duke it out with bacteria. If you manage to squeeze it *in* instead of *out*, you’ll spread the bacteria everywhere around and can expect a fresh wave of pimples everywhere in a day or two. Never mind introducing all kinds of new bacteria from your fingers to the new wound.
But if it’s on threshold of bursting, there’s no point waiting the last couple hours until it manages to chew through dead skin on top and makes the inflammation worse. Apply some antiseptic, give it a light squeeze from afar, remove the pus, apply antiseptic again, and be done with it.
I’m 31 and get the occasional white head. Been popping for over a decade and I don’t see any issues. Perhaps some skin is just way more prone to issues.
the veins above the connecting line between the corner of your mouth and your earlobe can drain via the venous system of the brain. if infectious material, e.g. from a pimple is pressed into a vein, it might end up in the brain and cause a septic thrombosis within the brain‘s sinus veins. This is quite rare but very serious.
Am i the only one that pinchd or scratch the top layer before squeesing?
Estheticians will pop, but (a) have lots of experience knowing when they’re ‘ripe’, and (b) will use a lance to open the top of the zit so it’s going out, not in.
When you pop a pimple, you’re essentially tearing the pore open. That pore will never return to its natural size, and may heal as a crater. Regardless, you’ll be increasing the size of your pores every time you pop.
11 out of 10? How many say it’s a good idea?
A pimple is basically a battlefield where white blood cells are fighting against bacteria (the white stuff is mostly dead white blood cells).
White blood cells are made to fight inside your body. As long as the pimple stays closed they generally have the advantage, they can fight well and call for reinforcements – chemical weapons, more white blood cells, etc. Basically it gives your body control over the site. Once it is open to the air and dried out, they can’t get to the site anymore.
Of course, many bacteria are also more suited to a moist environment than a dry one, and they will usually die when the pimple opens. But there are other kinds of bacteria that can handle both environments. These often live on your skin (all over, but especially your fingers) and will invade the wound when it is opened; once the wound closes up the battle will begin again, which is why popped pimples very often come right back. There is also the possibility of breaking layers of skin underneath the pimple, in which case the invading bacteria will be able to get deeper and cause more problems.
Generally the best thing to do is to wait; once the battle is over the body will clean up the mess on the inside. If you must pop it, make sure to clean the site well, ideally with antiseptic to kill opportunistic bacteria that try to invade the site.
Also, don’t dry up that clear fluid that sometimes leaks into a popped pimple – white blood cells can live in this fluid and that will allow them to fight the invading dry-surface bacteria. If the area is dry the skin bacteria will be able to multiply unmolested and get a head start in the next battle.
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