Pimples: They’re unsightly, sometimes painful, and more often than not, the bane of our existence when we’ve got somewhere important to go. Facial cleansers and topical treatments are often effective enough for frequent breakouts, but it takes a few days to see them start taking effect. Acne seems to show up at the most inconvenient times, leaving you with that one rogue blackhead in the middle of your face the morning of that big event. When we don’t have time to wait around for creams and astringents to work, many of us to poke and prod until we get rid of the nasty stuff that’s clogging up our pores.
While popping a pimple might seem like the fastest way to eliminate it, you might actually be doing more harm than good. In fact, many experts agree that squeezing out a zit only makes it worse. “But how?” you might ask. “Aren’t I getting all of the pimple-causing gunk out when I pop it?”
Not exactly. Pimples form when your skin’s natural oil (sebum) mixes with dead skin cells and gets trapped under the surface. Together, they create what’s called a comedone, which plugs up the pore. The sebum can also react with bacteria in your hair follicles, causing the inflammation that leads to those really red and painful pimples.
As anyone who’s ever popped a pimple knows, squeezing the surrounding area forces the comedone out of the pore, tearing the skin as it goes. At best, ripping your skin leaves you open to scarring and pock marks. At worst, you’ll exacerbate the problem—even if you wash your hands and face before you pop, the likelihood of getting residual dirt and bacteria into the newly formed hole in your skin is very high. This can re-clog the pore, or worse, cause infection.
Verdict: Fact. Frequent exfoliation and proper skin care can help to prevent pimples from forming in the first place, but if you do end up with one, resist the urge to pop. If there’s one that you just NEED to get rid of and don’t have time to go to a dermatologist for a professional extraction, use a comedone extractor (found in the beauty aisle of most drug stores), or at the very least, use cotton swabs instead of your fingers.
For more information on acne treatment, visit How Stuff Works.
How do you deal with pimples?
Won’t lie to you, THIS IS VERY HARD TO RESIST! ha ha ah! But luckily, it doesn’t happen to often thanks to clean eating and proper skin care! 🙂
It’s soooooo hard not to pop a zit when you get one! But every time I do I end up scarring my skin, not good. Instead, I find the best thing to do is to put rubbing alcohol on it and let it dry it out overnight. Works every time! Then on an everyday basis, I just use proper skincare. Ironic this is a topic today as I am currently doing a HUGE GIVEAWAY on my blog for four great skincare products from PCA Skin. Super easy to enter: http://liveanddiet.com/2013/11/giveaway-skincare-products-sun-loving-fitness-sistas.html