Is it Healthy to Pop Your Pimples?

This should come as no surprise, but the answer is no and there is a very good reason for this. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), squeezing your blemishes may seem simple and easy but it’s best left to a trained professional like a board-certified dermatologist — this process is known as extractions. When done incorrectly, popping pimples at home can lead to a worsening of the acne, serious acne scarring, more painful pimples and worse yet, an infection. The reason is that when you pop a pimple at home, you could wind up pushing the contents of the pimple deeper into your skin, even when you think you’re not.

Instead, the much safer, smarter and healthier move is to see a trained, board-certified dermatologist for extractions as they are the ones who can effectively and completely remove pimples with the proper technique and instruments. The Cleveland Clinic agrees, noting that although popping a pimple yourself might feel immediately gratifying, seeing your dermatologist is much safer for your skin in the long run. And if that wasn’t enough to convince you not to pop your zits, the Mayo Clinic also advises against touching or picking at problem pimples, as doing so could trigger more breakouts and, as we said, lead to infection or scarring.

When you do see a dermatologist, they might extract pimples using sterile tools to get the gunk out of a blackhead or a whitehead. Or, for larger, cystic acne, a dermatologist might inject the pimple with a corticosteroid, which is known to speed up healing and reduce incidents of inflammation. 

Source: L'Oréal