How to pop a pimple? Everything you read online probably tells you to never, ever pop a pimple because it’ll actually make acne worse. What many of these articles mean is that if you don’t know how to pop a pimple, you should never do it because you will make things worse. It is a common myth that you should never pop your pimples, but like all myths, there’s a kernel of truth to it. If you have acne and you’re dying to pop your pimples, you’ll want to read this article first. It will describe the different types of acne and which ones are safe to pop, explain the risks involved in pimple popping, offer a guide for how to pop a pimple safely, and answer some frequently asked questions.
How to pop a pimple? Everything you read online probably tells you to never, ever pop a pimple because it’ll actually make acne worse.Before you pop anything, it’s important to know what kind of acne you’re dealing with.
Summary:
The first step in learning how to pop a pimple is knowing the difference between pimples and other kinds of acne
There are five main types of acne: blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, and cysts
Bacteria plays a major role in papules, pustules, and cysts
The pus in a pimple is a sign that your body is successfully fighting the acne infection
There are risks involved even if you know how to pop a pimple, especially for people with dark skin
Popping a pimple can help your skin, but picking and scratching definitely will not
There are just a few easy steps for how to pop a pimple
The best approach for pimples is to prevent them
Blackheads and Whiteheads and Pimples, Oh My!
Okay, there are actually more types of acne than blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples. There are five main kinds of acne: blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, and cysts. You may have noticed that pimple isn’t even in there at all—or is it? A pimple and a pustule are actually the same thing: a clogged, inflamed pore containing pus under the skin. This is the only kind of acne you should ever try to pop.
In order for you to know what kind of acne you are allowed to pop, you also have to know a little about the acne you shouldn’t pop.
Blackheads Are Open, Clogged Pores
Another common acne myth is that blackheads are caused by dirt clogging an open pore. In reality, acne has nothing to do with dirt, and trying to scrub blackheads away could actually turn them into whiteheads. Blackheads are just open pores that are clogged with excess skin oil, also called sebum, and dead skin cells. It only turns dark because of how it interacts with the air. Although it can be tempting to pop these and squeeze out the sebum and skin cells clogging the pore, you will likely also squeeze out the healthy sebum in the pore, leaving it unprotected against acne-causing bacteria. Unlike popping a pimple, popping a blackhead really can make acne worse.
Whiteheads Are Closed, Clogged Pores
Whiteheads are a lot like blackheads; they are caused by sebum and dead skin cells clogging a pore. This pore, however, is not open to the air. Instead, a thin layer of skin has grown over the clogged pore, leaving a small white bump. If you know how to pop a pimple, you can see why popping a whitehead is also a very bad idea. In order to pop it, you’ll have to break the skin, which can lead to scarring.
Papules Are Closed, Clogged Pores Affected By Bacteria
You might be unfamiliar with the term “papule” but if you have acne, you have probably had papules. These are the bumps that are more raised than a whitehead, probably with more redness, and less of a defined “head.” Unlike blackheads and whiteheads, which are just clogged pores, a papule is a clogged pore that’s been affected by p. acnes, the bacteria that contributes to acne. Even though these are larger and often more noticeable, you definitely don’t want to pop them. In a minute we’ll go through how acne and your immune system interact, but for now just know that trying to pop a papule can actually help bacteria grow under your skin.
Pustules Are Closed, Clogged Pores Fighting Off Bacteria
These are pimples: raised, inflamed pores with a yellow-ish head containing pus. Most papules become pustules when the immune system fights the bacteria under the skin and creates pus, but more on that in a moment. These are the only kind of acne you should ever try to pop, and even then you should do so with caution or the help of a dermatologist.
Cysts Are Lesions Created By Multiple Infected Pores
Cysts are large, raised lesions on the skin, significantly larger than one single pore, often containing pus. Cysts develop when your immune system and p. acnes get into a drawn out fight that makes the site of infection spread deeper and to a larger area. Even though cysts contain pus like pimples, you should never pop these, even if you know how to pop a pimple properly. Popping a cyst can lead to significant scarring, and could make the infection worse.
Your Immune System vs. P. Acnes
Acnes bacteria always live on our skin, and in reasonable numbers, they can help us in some ways. They use sebum as a food source, so they can cut down on excess oil, and they excrete acids that can be good for our skin. When they are present in large numbers, however, they can be very tricky to treat. This is because of two main factors: they are anaerobic, and they can take advantage of our immune system.
Anaerobic means that they cannot survive in oxygen. Instead, they burrow into our pores that are clogged with sebum, and with all that extra food, they can reproduce quickly and create a minor infection.
When the immune system detects this growth of bacteria, it triggers the inflammatory response. This is when our bodies send extra blood to the site of an infection, which helps in two ways. First, increased blood flow can cause swelling, which cuts off any air that would help (most) bacteria grow. This swelling is what leads to papules.
Even though swelling doesn’t help fight p. acnes, the other effect of increased blood flow does. The blood transports bacteria fighting agents, like macrophages or t cells, to the site of the infection, so more blood means more fire power. Typically, these cells kill the bacteria and often themselves in the process, which creates a byproduct called pus. That’s when you get a pimple.
This doesn’t always happen though, because p. acnes can release chemicals that trick our immune system into fighting our own skin cells. This allows the infection to spread and results in cystic acne. Certain people are naturally more prone to cysts, but if you don’t know how to pop a pimple and accidentally try to pop a papule, you could also run into this problem.
To Pop or Not to Pop
So why is it okay to pop pimples, but not papules? How do I know it’s time to pop?
You should never pop a pimple until it is truly a pimple, with pus that creates a yellow head. Trying to pop pimples when they’re still really papules can lead to even more issues.