Everyone always says that you should never squeeze a zit. I've learned that you can never say never in beauty.
IF the pimple is ready, and IF you do it right, there are some clear benefits to extraction:
- Healing faster: Draining a wound of pus definitely accelerates the healing process. The caveat is that the pimple must be "ripe," i.e. soft and sitting above the skin's surface.
- Reducing the bump: Usually, what is annoying about pimples is that they're raised-up, noticeable bumps. Extracting the contents should reduce this swelling quickly.
- Easier to cover: With the ugly white bump gone, it's far easier to camouflage a zit with concealer and powder.
- No scarring: "If it's done properly, it shouldn't cause any damage," says Dr. Neal Schultz of DermTV.
The Tools You Need
Now it's time to assemble your tools. Make sure to have the following on hand before you perform this minor self-surgery:
- Hand soap: Anything that gets your hands clean is fine.
- Face wash: Obviously, you don't want to do this process with makeup on.
- Exfoliator (optional): It's not a bad idea to remove dead skin cell build-up in order to create a clear path to the pore you want to extract.
- Clean towels: We've already talked about how fresh towels are CRITICAL.
- Clean washcloth (optional): This is useful if you want to gently steam your face with hot water, to soften up the pimple.
- Needle: You want a thin needle with a sharp point.
- alcohol: Also known as isopropyl alcohol, this gives you another element of disinfection (can't be too careful!). Use it for wiping down your tool, your fingers and also the pimple itself before and after the extraction.
- Drying lotion: This will help disinfect and dry out the pimple after the pus has been removed.
How to Pop a Pimple the Right Way
1. Clean your hands:
Wash your hands with soap and warm water. Dry with a clean towel.
2. Clean your face:
Wash and gently exfoliate your face. You may want to do this in the shower to also let the hot steam soften the pus. (If not, you can also run a clean washcloth under hot water, wring it out, and drape it over your face for a few minutes.)
3. Sterilize your tools:
Disinfect your needle and/or comedone extractor by passing it through a flame. Let it cool, and then wipe down with rubbing alcohol.
4. Sterilize the pimple:
Dab rubbing alcohol on the pimple itself and surrounding area. Wipe down your fingers and/or put on the latex gloves, if you are using them.
5. Pierce the pimple:
Hold the needle parallel to your skin, and then gently pierce the white part at the top in that same parallel direction. So you are piercing it ACROSS, not down. The reason you don't want to pierce down is because that encourages the bacteria to be pushed back into the pore.
6. Create a small tear:
While the needle is still in the pimple, pull it upward to rip—yes, rip!—the skin. This creates a small, clean tear from which the pus can safely drain out. Since the white head is already dead skin, this should not cause any pain or damage to the skin.
7. Release the pus:
Now you can gently push down on the sides of the pimple to help get the pus out. Make sure you are wearing gloves or that you've wrapped your index fingers in clean tissues. You want to use a scooping motion, pushing down and under, so the material can come up and out through the pore.
8. Apply drying lotion:
Dab the pimple with rubbing alcohol, and then your spot treatment of choice. Leave your skin alone for at least an hour before applying any makeup.