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Popping Pimples

Hey, don't pick, scratch, pop or squeeze your pimples yourself! When the pimples are squeezed, more redness, swelling, inflammation and scarring may result.

Dirt from your fingers can force bacteria into your pores and cause an infection, leaving you with a bigger bump and, even worse, possible scarring. If the zit is deep down and the whitish stuff inside isn't close enough to the surface, you might end up squeezing the acne bacteria back down into your skin (the result: a big, irritated cyst that can stick around for a long time).

With that said, some of you will try to pop the pimple anyway, so what procedure should be folllowed? .First, clean the area thoroughly. Then take two sterile gauze pads and gently press on each side of the pimple, using the gauze (not your fingers, and especially not your nails) to apply pressure. If the white stuff can be squeezed out easily, do it. Then use another gauze pad to apply hydrogen peroxide and spread on an antibiotic ointment (like Bacitracin).

If the white stuff doesn't budge after squeezing gently, don't even think about popping it. Instead, soak a piece of sterile gauze in a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup warm tap water. Hold the gauze on the spot for five to 10 minutes and repeat several times a day -- the salt water may help dry out the spot and draw the pimple to the surface. Only attempt to squeeze after you see whitish stuff under the skin.

Popping your pimple will release the same bacteria that caused your breakout in the first place, allowing it to spread to other areas of your face to form even more pimples. A scab will probably form, too, which can leave you with a permanent pit or scar.

Since popping isn't the way to go, patience is the key. Your pimple will disappear sooner rather than later, and by leaving it alone, you won't be left with any nasty reminders that it was there. If you do touch your face though, at least wash your hands and face first.

If the pimple is deep and painful, see a dermatologist. Tell him it's an emergency. He can inject it with cortisone, which should eliminate the redness and swelling within a few hours. She'd have to be some date to go to that much trouble, though.