You know your older sister and your dermatologist have warned you about popping pimples. For many, though, popping pimples is an obsession and a bad habit. To answer the question, yes, popping pimples is really bad for your skin.

Skin Damage From Pimple Popping

You have an inflamed pimple and you’re standing in front of the mirror. It looks like that pimple is going to pop on its own so why don’t you just help it out a little bit and pop it yourself?

The reality is that your pimple is engorged with excess sebum, bacteria, skin cells and puss. That pimple is also already under a lot of pressure. When you squeeze a pimple you can force all of the debris deeper into the follicle, which can cause the follicle wall to actually fall apart. When you rupture the wall of the follicle you introduce all of the affected material into the dermis.

Let’s say you popped the zit anyways. Just because you may have gotten the pus out of the pore doesn’t mean that you’re in the clear. Many times you push infected material deeper into the dermis. Now you wish you would never have touched the pimple in the first place.

Popping Pimples Leads to Scarring

When you pop pimples you are just increasing your odds of creating a scar on your face. Even if you think you got a pimple, you can still develop acne scars.

Rupturing the follicle wall and introducing all of the infected bacteria and mucus can do much more harm to your skin then you think.

While your skin does a fairly decent job at healing it mostly fills in the ruptured gap with collagen. This collagen (scar tissue) usually grows back incomplete and imperfectly which leads to what most people refer to as acne scars.

If you have a pimple and you try to pop it, many times you think you got it but really it will come back bigger than before or worse, a second pimple appears right next to the original one you tried to pop. This isn’t a coincidence. Stop picking while you’re ahead. Picking at these pimples can lead to swelling and scars.

Many people on the other hand attempt to pick at pimples that haven’t developed a head. This leads to a larger infection and even scabbing. Yes, many people pick pimples so hard they put scabs on their face, which can appear more noticeable than an original pimple. Not to mention these scabs can lead to scars.

How to Pick your Pimples

The best pimple picking policy is a hands-free policy, meaning you don’t pick your pimples at all. Why would you want to spread the infection or make your pimples worse or more noticeable?

If you have to pick your pimples make sure you do it safely. Let the pimple heal as much as possible, do NOT use your fingernails or hard objects and don’t force a pimple to drain. Once again NEVER squeeze a deep pimple or a pimple without a white head. You have to treat your skin gently.

York Medical Spa

If you’ve been suffering from acne for years and now you’re looking for a remedy (besides creams and cleansers) then the York Medical Spa has a solution. We offer laser skin rejuvenation to help you lessen acne scars, decrease blemishes and more. Call today to schedule a consultation.