How to Pop a Pimple Using Science! Avoid Scars & Speed Recovery
Let me start off by asking: what in the WORLD do you think you’re doing? Why? WHY? WHY?!?! Pimple popping is horrible for you! Leave this article right now and we’ll forget this ever happened.
Do you feel guilty yet? Good.
While I don’t recommend that anybody pop their pimples, I understand that we’re all human and succumb to this awful temptation from time to time. Do know that you if decide to take this route, there are some potentially devastating long term side effects like atrophic scarring if not done properly.
And believe me, if anyone knows a thing or two about scarring — it’s me.
This is the result of not taking proper precautionary measures when popping pimples. Most of these scars could have been avoided entirely had I followed the guidelines I will list here.
God, what I would give to go back in time and slap myself!
The difference in acne scarring you see didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of a long, extensive, and strenuous journey of skincare treatments throughout the past year. I will eventually make a whole post about how I achieved this kind of progress completely from home. Subscribe to the email newsletter to stay tuned.
With that said, if you absolutely must, and I mean absolutely must pop a pimple, I will be going over the best and safest method possible to minimize your chances of atrophic scarring and speed up recovery time.
If I sound like an angry or disappointed father or friend throughout this article, it’s probably because I am. My apologies ahead of time. I take this subject matter very seriously, and would prefer that people abstain from popping pimples at all cost. I’m simply relaying this information to you all in case you absolutely can’t help yourself or think it’s warranted.
Table of Contents
What You Will Need.
A comedone extractor, 70% isopropyl alcohol (no, not for the face), single use sterile lancets, hydrocolloid bandages, and vaseline or aquaphor. Optional: liquid bandaid.
A Comedone Extractor.
For the uninitiated, this pimple popping tool is called a “comedone extractor.” It’s what dermatologists and estheticians use worldwide during extractions. You’re going to need one. This is the set I use.
It’s cheap, durable, made of surgical steel, and will last you a lifetime. It comes with a set of five (I lost one) to address different needs (whiteheads and blackheads), pimple size, and pressure intensity. For example, see how the one on the left has a slight bent to it at the loop?
This provides a bit of a buffer by bending slightly if too much pressure is applied. The one on the right doesn’t bend at all, so it’s super sturdy and only to be used on very stubborn clogs, but can do some real damage. For most purposes, the first one will do just fine. Learn from my mistakes and don’t opt out for something cheap like this. It will only do more harm than good.
Can I just use my fingers?
NO! Using your hands often results in squeezing pimples, an absolute no no. There’s a reason dermatologists and estheticians worldwide use comedone extractors and not their hands. These tools ensure that all the gunk is removed. There’s so much room for error when using your fingers. Even if you think you got everything out, chances are you didn’t.
****TRIGGER WARNING:****
Here’s an old photo. This is the result of not using a comedone extractor.
Aren’t you all glad I’ve taken photos of absolutely everything? :p The last thing I want to see, is you ending up in my shoes. Acne scars are some of the most difficult things to treat. Cut the BS, save yourself the trouble, and drop 5 to 10 bucks on some professional extractors.
70% Isopropyl Alcohol
You will need this to sterilize your comedone extractors. The brand doesn’t matter, just make sure it’s 70%. No, 99% is not better. To properly sterilize surfaces and tools you need 70%. This has to do with the way microorganisms are killed.
To summarize, higher concentrations of alcohol evaporate more quickly, which don’t allow complete contact with microbial life. There’s more to it, namely how water works in the solution but you get the point. If you want to read more about why 70% is optimal for sterilization — read this.
Hydrocolloid Bandages.
After you pop a pimple, you need to put a hydrocolloid bandaid over it (more about this in a bit). Hydrocolloid dressings are bandages used on open wounds to absorb exudate (i.e. the pus-like or clear fluid that oozes out of cuts and pores).
It’s a waterproof gel-like adhesive that prevents blood-clotting, and creates a moist wound healing environment to speed up the recovery of the tissue beneath it. If you want to read more about how they work, go here.
How will this work on acne?
Essentially, it’s gonna suck out all the gunk inside a popped pimple, and close up the wound without the possibility of it tearing or opening back up when the bandaid is removed.
I’m warning you now: this is highly addictive. Nothing is quite as satisfying as waking up the next morning after popping a zit and seeing a bandage filled with juicy white pus from your now non-existent pimple. 😉 If you have no idea what this looks like — check it out!
[Misc] Is there anything more satisfying than waking up to 4 full hydrocolloids? No.
Which hydrocolloid bandages are best?
I’ve had the lovely pleasure of dealing with tons of whiteheads in the past (sarcasm), so I kinda consider myself a connoisseur of hydrocolloid bandages. As you can tell, I’ve tried quite a few brands. Not shown here because I threw boxes away: Nexcare Acne Absorbing Covers, and Dream Dots.
Some work extremely well, others simply don’t. In my quintessential experience (HAHA), the Duoderm Extra Thin Dressings are the best.
They’re medical grade and used on wounds after surgery. They may seem more expensive initially (about $20), but they’re the best bang for you buck considering how many of them you get
Avoid buying Nexcare Acne Absorbing Covers, Dream Dots, and [Cosrx] Acne Pimple Master Patches. They work fine but are the same thing as Duoderm just cut up into tiny circles, and overpriced for how much product you actually receive.
The Walgreens brand use to be my holy grail, but they’ve recently changed and a took a dip in quality for the worse. We should all start a movement and protest… maybe they’ll restock the original kind.
I digress. The CVS brand is a close second to Duoderm bandages IMO.
Sterile Single-Use Lancets.
The reason we use these is threefold:
1. LOOK HOW SMALL THE NEEDLE IS!
I’m not even sure you can see it in the photo that well, but trust me it’s super thin — even smaller than pores! This will ensure we do absolutely no damage to the skin when we GENTLY stab the pimple.
2. For sanitary reasons. I don’t have to explain to you why using the same needle over and over again is a bad idea. The last thing we want is to poke our pimple with a microbially-infested sewing needle. Single-use diabetic lancet needles are sterile and safe.
3. It’s important to minimize as much pressure possible when pressing against a pimple during extraction. (That alliteration though.) Lancing it beforehand with a tiny needle relieves the blockage and gives room for the “plug” to exit more freely. Again: make sure you do this as gently as possible!
UPDATE: Several people have asked which ones I use. Here ya go.
Aquaphor or Vaseline.
This will be used for aftercare. More about this in a bit.
When to Pop A Pimple.
WHITEHEADS ONLY. Don’t you dare do it otherwise. If the pimple hasn’t come to a head yet, leave it alone. You can do some things to speed this process up, for example warm compresses or chemical exfoliants.
THE PIMPLE POPPING PROCEDURE!!!
Step 1:
Disinfect your comedone extractor by letting it sit in 70% isopropyl alcohol for approximately 5-10 minutes. (1)
Step 2:
Cut out your hydrocolloid bandage to the approximate size of the pimple you will be placing it over.
Step 3:
Make sure your face is throughly cleansed.
Step 4:
Go to a mirror and lance the pimple gently with a single-use lancet needle.
Step 5:
Now using your comedone extractor press down GENTLY against the pimple you just lanced…. AND POP! The entire “plug” should have come out at this point. It should look like a little grain of rice. If it didn’t, you did something wrong. Now’s the time to start panicking.
Just kidding… sort of. If you find yourself in this position: LEAVE IT ALONE. In most cases, it will do you no good to continue trying to extract it at this point. Accept your losses, and live to see another day.
Step 6:
Wipe down the area with a q-tip, preferably with saline solution.
Step 7:
Place your hydrocolloid bandaid over the popped pimple, and leave it alone for a minimum of 8-12 hours. You can leave hydrocolloid dressings on up to a couple of days if you want, but most people would rather not go to work or school with a pus-filled bandaid on their face.
If you’re the kind of person who wouldn’t care, more power to yuh. *Cyber high-five*
If you have plans during the day it’s a good idea to do this whole procedure at night so you can simply remove the bandaid in the morning.
And that’s it! You’ve made it! Hurray! Congratulations, you now have a new juicy pus-filled bandage as a souvenir. Take a photo, frame it, and show all your friends!
Aftercare.
Hydrocolloid bandages do a good job of creating a moist wound healing environment that speeds up recovery time. It’s important to recreate these conditions once the bandaid has been removed to reduce any chance of scarring, PIE (post inflammatory erythema), or PIH (post inflammatory hyperpigmentation). Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline), Aquaphor, or Cerave Healing Ointment are you best friends for this.
Both contain a high amount of Petrolatum, which is the most powerful occlusive in the world, capable of preventing up to 98% of transepidermal water loss and accelerating barrier recovery. (2, 3)
Aquaphor has the added benefit of containing lanolin alcohol, another healing agent. Contrary to popular belief, Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly) is non-comedogenic. I will be doing a whole post about this soon.
If the wound hasn’t closed or completely healed yet and you want to apply makeup, use a Liquid Bandaid. This provides an even surface for makeup application while also protecting and covering up the wound. Make sure to cleanse the area before applying it, as hydrocolloids can leave behind some sticky residue.
Dermatillomania (Excoriation Disorder).
This is a very serious subject matter and bares mentioning. Dermatillomania is a compulsive skin-picking disorder that can cause severe emotional distress. If you suspect you have a picking problem, please please get help. Talk to a medical professional, or at the very least join a support group. This is a really good place to start.
Thanks for reading! Have a great day.
Don’t let your friends pop their pimples! Share this! 😮
Once again , another great and helpful post . Do you have a good spot treatment you’d recommend to keep a zit from fully forming ? I have 2 working their way to the surface. One is on my chin . I can tell there is puss under the surface . I’d prefer to nip it in the bud . I have fair skin and my spots stick around forever . I put some Curology w Climdamycin, Epiduo , and calamine on it before bed . Helped a bit . I haven’t had a true zit like these in three years . Thanks for any suggestions ?
Here’s my view on spot treating: there’s only so much you can do before your skin naturally pushes out the blockage on its own. For me, a pimple hardly ever goes away before turning into a whitehead. It’s SUPER annoying.
In terms of topical treatments I have found that benzoyl peroxide is the best, so you using Epiduo is already covering that part. Many people also recommend icing the pimple or trying a hot compress. I’ve had marginal success with both. I’d say like a 25% success rate.
Either way, the best thing here is prevention. Just make sure you’re avoiding irritation whenever possible because from your other comment it seems that this was the problem considering you started using BHA twice daily. Some of the worse breakouts I ever had in my life were because I was simply doing too much to my skin and causing a bunch of irritation. Remember, your skin is like your baby. Pretend you just had one and someone glued it to your face. Treat it accordingly. 🙂
Haha ! Thanks for your advice . I immediately babied my face , continued the Epiduo , and Doug disappeared . You’re right tho . He’s waiting to come out . I’ll go back to the BHA , BUT once a week , then twice a week …etc . HAHA that thing about a baby glued to your face is funny ! Like when Peter Griffin taped Brian to his face cuz he’d lost is mustache in a fire ????? . Thank you so much ????
Hahaha. Glad you found it funny! 🙂
Interestingly enough, there was a good post about babying your face over at r/skincareaddiction today. Here’s the link.
While I don’t agree with everything she said (for example, not washing makeup off your face) the overall gist of the post is a good reminder about how one needs to think about treating their skin.
Hint: gently. :^)
Wow. Amazeballz. The link to why to use 70% alcohol is broken, can you please update?
Thanks for the heads up! Argh, it appears you are right. I updated the link for you with some relevant research on the subject matter. The quick and dirty version: 70% is more bactericidal because it doesn’t coagulate protein as quickly, which allows it penetrate through bacterial membranes more effectively.
Hope that helps! 🙂
i wanna cry!!
Im a popper and have asked derms and estheticians how to do this and have given my self so much scarring. Thank you thank you thank you!
Awww, don’t cry! :/ I feel your pain though. I’m right there with you. I gave myself a lot of scarring from doing things incorrectly in the past. It’s still the one thing I’m working to get rid of.
But do note, that I do not recommend people pop their pimples, especially on the cheek area which is very susceptible to scarring. This should be used as last resort if you absolutely can’t let a whitehead dry out and die on its own. I’ve yet to develop any scars using this method, but the nature of popping pimples is still very traumatic for the skin and should be avoided if possible.
Hope you have a great day!
Thank you! I was wondering whether you would recommend doing this before or after a skincare routine. I don’t want to apply the hydrocolloid before skincare or go thru my skincare routine with an open wound, but I also don’t want to risk acne bacteria spreading across the face of I extract after skincare.
Hi, AJ. It’s best to do it directly after cleaning your skin, but before you skincare routine. Once the hydrocolloid bandage is on the pimple, you can continue the rest of your routine as normal. Just make sure to avoid putting any products near the bandaid because it might loosen it/make it less adhesive.
Hi! First off, this is such an amazing and helpful guide! Thank you for sharing!!
Can you give advice on my situation please? I don’t struggle a ton with acne but I have super clogged skin. Recently, with the help of a BHA, my deep-seated clogs have been surfacing. I’ve been doing the whole wait until a whitehead forms and lance it and use a comedone extractor, but the clog, still stuck inside the pore (I guess a little different than your plug?) will refuse to come out. If I wait longer, another whitehead will form but the same thing. The only way the clog will come out is if I use enough force to make the pore bleed, which is clearly not a good thing at all. (I’ve been guilty of doing this a couple times and the result is a permanently stretched out pote) Any advice for either getting the clog out or dealing with the resulant enlarged pores ?
Hey there, Emily. Woah, you are extracting the whitehead waaaaaay too early. Just a friendly reminder that you need to be very careful when using this method. I don’t want you cause permanent scarring. My recommendation is that you either wait until the whitehead dries up and goes away on its own, or at the very least wait until it’s protruding enough to where if extracted the entire plug will be removed. You definitely can’t do this method as soon as a whitehead peaks its head. It’s best to wait a day or two to ensure that all of it will be gone if/when lanced and extracted.
Hey! I have one question! after 3 months of cyst free life, I had one week where I couldn’t use actives and got two cysts, one had developed a head and the other looks like a nodule or cyst without head 🙁
I tried following this method with the one cyst that developed a head but when I lanced it, it was just blood :/ and some yellow liquid, I panicked and put on a hydrocolloid. Now it’s slightly less inflamed but it’s still there. So what should I do? lance it again or leave it alone? 🙁 help me please 🙂
Definitely leave it alone!!!! It will go away on its own eventually. Don’t touch it anymore of you risk scarring.
I thought I had to extract the sac or something like that? 🙁 is it really to go away on its own? It doesn’t have a head, just a lump under the skin 🙁
Only if it is ready to be extracted. Remember this whole hydrocolloid method is not something I recommend unless someone absolutely can’t wait for the whitehead to dry out and go away on its own. You should only extract a pimple if it is certainly ready to all come out in one go, NOT when it first rears its head. The lump will eventually go away on its own, further sabotaging it is not a good idea at this point. Please remember what’s most important here: being gentle with your skin. You know what’s worse than a pimple that’ll last a week or two? A permanent scar that will last a lifetime.
Hi, this is very informative for my occasional “I can’t stand and I need to pop” self, thanks before. I do have question tho, for the “I am patient enough to wait for this zit to go away” self, what do you recommend to dry out the whiteheads? Thanks!
Sulfur!
Hiii! Thank you so much for creating this blog <3 I just wish that I read your blog earlier… I broke out a year ago because of cleansing oil. Thank God, most of them are gone for good now but still leave me with PIH and a dormant acne on my cheek I don't know how to deal with. It's painless and I just know it's there when touching it. I've been using BHA 2% and AHA 10% for 4 months and switched to Paula choice BHA 9 recently but nothing happened. So I saw estheticians few days ago in hope of getting rid of the dormant acne, they tried to squeeze it but it didn't come out because it's too tough and deep. Then they recommended me to have microneedling to soften the acne, so they might pop it later. The worst scenario is that I need to visit doctor for injection. Now I really don't know what to do. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!v
Hello, thank you so so so much for your informative blog. Please keep writing, we need you. 🙂
Anyway, i’m wondering, can you pop extract malasezzia? Is that possible? Thank you in advance.
I proudly rock my hydrocolloids to work! I do buy the cosRX because I like them best for wearing in public; I keep a pack in my purse and when one fills up and turns white I remove it and slap a new one on until I wash at night. It helps me not pick during the day and they aren’t that noticeable on my fair skin
Ok, so I am 61 and my forehead has some small bumps under the skin that are hard and do not come to a head.
Your How To states NOT to use this method unless they come to a head. I thought they were a “closed comedone” but am confused.
Do I poke them, try to extract using the tool or not? Thanks for your assistance.
thank you for this amazing article! I have slowly been going through all your posts and wish I had found them sooner. until I read this I didn’t know there was a word/disorder for it but I have been unable to see a pimple and not pop it since I’ve been about 14 (now 28 -.-) I can literally stand in front of a mirror for half an hour going over my face and consequently have to stay in because of how i’ve irritated it. I’ve also definitely been guilty of using that “microbially-infested sewing needle” lol. your disappointed father/friend comment was amusing and spot on, I felt obligated to comment and promise that I will use your above-mentioned tips form now on 😛
These could have been my words exactly – just found this article tonight! My acne is definitely stress/emotional related and then I panic and start to tear my face up which I know I shouldn’t do and I know it makes it worse! I had a great year of almost no problems with acne or picking, and my scars had healed! And then life happened and I’m back to acne explosion and this weekend ruined so much by aggressive popping/picking and now will have scabs to heal, not to mention what scars stick around.
Just found your site and have to say it’s the best thing I’ve found in weeks! I seriously wish I had this when I was battling high school acne. Thank you for all the posts with research and hard work – it’s really well presented and clear (and hilarious at times). My highest compliments on a job well done.
So is lanolin good or bad, in terms of choosing a patroleum based product to put on top of my moisturizer at night?
Thanks for this blog, I never knew that hydrocolloid dressings are so beneficial.
This is such a great article. I struggle with the popping addiction, but I haven’t got any of these supplies, so you can only imagine how bad the scaring is. One problem that bothers me is the presence of milia near my eyes and the bridge of my nose. Do these popping tips apply for those too? Or should I not touch them?
What gauge lancet do you use?
What if I don’t have any Hydrocolloid bandages?