This is arguably one of our favorite series to write about. We don’t love bursting your bubbles, but we do love busting some of these crazy skin myths that we hear about. We hope that by dismantling false narratives about how you treat your skin, we’re helping to set you on a path toward clearer skin and happier days. Let’s get into it.

 

The myth we’re busting this week is a common one: that it’s totally fine to perform at-home extractions (in laymens’ terms, that’s sitting in front of your mirror and having a pimple popping fest). Spoiler alert: this is false with a capital F. Although, if you stick around until the end you’ll realize that we’re only going to debunk this myth about 75% of the way. 

 

Listen, we get it, and we’ve been there: you see a new pimple and you think, “if I just pop it this one time it will go away!” Of course, it doesn’t – often that one new pimple turns into 2 or 3, and you’re back to square one. So why is squeezing your zits so bad for you?

 

Though it seems like popping a pimple pushes all of the gunk out, thus clearing the clogged pore, the opposite is often true. Squeezing at an area of skin can actually push some of the pus and bacteria deeper into the skin, which only exacerbates your issue. It can cause even more swelling, and even more redness. In addition to pushing the existing bacteria further down, popping your zits is a surefire way to introduce new bacteria to the skin. It also can cause scarring of the area if you’re constantly poking and prodding at skin that is already irritated and delicate. So you see, even if doing it is satisfying, popping a zit will ultimately do more harm than good. Myth = busted.

 

Now, let’s flip this myth on its head. We said we’d only debunk it about three quarters of the way, and here’s why: every once in a while, it is actually okay to pop a pimple. But WAIT! Before you run off on a popping spree, keep reading. 

 

If you absolutely need to pop a pimple, your first step is to put on your shoes. Next, grab your keys. Third, get in your car and head straight to a licensed esthetician or dermatologist. A professional will be able to safely and cleanly perform an extraction on your skin that truly cleanses your pores, rather than clogging them further. They’ll use the correct, sterilized tools that remove the gunk and nothing more. After getting a professional extraction done, you’ll want to make sure that you keep your skin extra clean, and your hands extra off, afterwards so that you don’t reverse their hard work.

 

Now, if you absolutely need to pop a pimple, and you absolutely cannot get to a professional who can do it for you, there are safer ways to perform the extraction yourself. Geez, we sound like we’re sending you to scrub in for a surgery here. Although in essence, we kind of are. Before getting your hands anywhere near your face (which should be clean and makeup-free), you need to wash them thoroughly, and we mean warm water, ABCs thoroughly. Next, apply a warm compress for a few minutes. After removing the compress, you can gently squeeze at the pimple,  but make sure you’re applying a downward pressure so that you can get as close to the root as possible. Most importantly, be gentle and don’t force anything – if you’ve gotten to this point your pimple should pop easily so if it doesn’t, that means it isn’t ready. Forcefully picking at your skin is when things start to go downhill. Finally, you’ll want to avoid putting anything on your skin while you let it settle. 

 

In the long run, the sooner you let go of your pimple popping habits, the better. You’ll save yourself a lot of unnecessary blemishes and scarring over the years, and your skin will thank you for it!