What Should I Do After Popping a Pimple?

Your dermatologist, your mother, your friends—you can’t even count the number of people who have reminded you to never, ever pop a pimple.

But maybe they haven’t been in your situation. Your zit is loud, proud, and it’s inconveniently at the center of your forehead. During times like this, we just want to know how to make a pimple less red. We can’t blame you for popping it, but are more concerned about reducing the damage after you’ve caved.

Read on for our top tips on what to do after popping a pimple—and wiser, kinder ways to manage your acne in the future. 

How to Heal a Popped Pimple: 5 Steps

For some, popping a pimple can feel as natural of a human urge as plucking an unwanted, wayward hair on your face. The unfortunate part? Satisfying the urge rarely leaves our face looking any clearer (and it often makes blemishes worse).

If you find yourself in a pimple pickle, follow the steps below to assert some control over the situation and find relief.

#1 Wash Your Hands and Face

Either way, start by washing your hands with antibacterial soap and warm water. Then, wash your face with a nourishing, gentle (but powerful) facial cleanser and pat—do not rub—your skin dry. Friction can provoke further irritation.

#2 Soothe the Area

To calm your skin, consider using:

• An ice pack wrapped in a soft piece of material or a paper towel
• A clean washcloth soaked in warm water

Apply either to the area for 1 or 2 minutes to ease swelling, redness, and tenderness.

#3 Reach for an Over-the-Counter Antibiotic Treatment

• Toothpaste
• Apple cider vinegar

With this step, your mission is to inhibit the growth of bacteria. Popping a pimple can spur the release of enzymes that can impact your pores and oil production, incite an inflammatory response, lead to an infection, and aggravate the whole situation.

Products such as tea tree oil or benzoyl peroxide can help minimize the spread of bacteria from your popped zit. Use either your freshly-cleaned hands or a cotton swab to the area, and wash your hands again after applying the treatment.

It’s important to note that as effective as these products can be, some people are allergic to one or both. Call your healthcare provider immediately if you develop a rash, itching, or hives—or have more serious side effects like trouble breathing or swallowing.

#4 Nurture the Wound

Some of the most effective treatments for pimples—popped and otherwise—include:

Tea tree oil – A mainstay of alternative medicine, tea tree oil is an essential oil with a wealth of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties. It may also lower your chances of scarring [1]. If you’re new to tea tree oil, however, be sure to:

• Perform a spot check on an unblemished/unbroken part of your skin to see how your skin responds to it
• Choose organic, genuine melaleuca (the genus of tea tree oil) over synthetic imitators
• Dilute it with a touch of carrier oil, like coconut oil, before applying it to your popped pimple

Benzoyl peroxide – Products with benzoyl peroxide—as opposed to this astringent on its own—may also help deter bacteria, which may naturally foster the healing process and keep acne from getting worse [2].

#5 Refrain from Touching Your Face

To keep you from getting too handsy, you can try covering the wound with a hydrocolloid bandage, a silicon sheet, or clear pimple patch (the latter have become quite advanced in recent years and blend well with many skin types).

#6 Overhaul Your Skincare Routine

• Using a daily moisturizer that does double-duty – As your popped pimple is healing, it may be even more sensitive to the sun’s rays. If a daily SPF isn’t part of your skincare routine, now is the time to add it in—and for reasons that go well beyond preventing discoloration and scarring. A daily moisturizer with SPF allows you to hydrate and shield your skin simultaneously. 
• Washing with warm (not hot or cold) water – Hot water can strip your skin of its natural, necessary oils. Cold water might boost blood flow to your face, but it’s not the best temperature for removing bacteria, makeup, dirt, oil, and dead skin cells (the things that can prompt acne) [3]. Warm water is the ideal temperature between those extremes.
• Calling on OTC acne spot treatments – Sulfur, benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid can all be potent allies for treating acne when it surfaces and potentially help you avoid future flare-ups [4].

Why Shouldn’t You Pop A Pimple?

Sure, everyone says you should resist the urge to squeeze a pimple into submission. But what’s the real reason behind it?

There are several ways going gloves-off with your acne can backfire [5]:

• Increased inflammation – Why do some pimples hurt? Dermatologists classify acne in two ways: non-inflammatory or inflammatory [6]. The former refers to those pesky whiteheads and blackheads that, while keeping you from the flawless complexion you’re after, are pretty harmless. The latter, however, is used to describe the larger, redder, more swollen, and even painful manifestations of acne, like pustules, nodules, and cysts. 

These types of blemishes, as their names suggest, occur because your body perceives the gunk in your pores as a foreign trespasser and promptly sends out an inflammatory response. Whether you attempt to pop a whitehead or stick a needle into a papule (which should be a hard “no” on your personal list of skincare dos and don'ts), it can trigger or exacerbate inflammation and actually worsen your acne.

• Acne scarring – Are acne scars permanent? Acne scars can be mighty difficult to conquer; indeed, some may be permanent. They appear as either atrophic (depressed) or hypertrophic (raised) and may require professional care in the form of chemical peels, fillers, and laser resurfacing to treat [8]. 

One of the biggest reasons we scratch at, poke, and pop our pimples is to, well, banish them from our face (or back, or shoulders, or chest). But doing so can boomerang and lead to more noticeable acne. 

If you struggle to keep your hands off your face, repeat these words, if you must: The worst of a pimple usually blows over in a few days.

What If You Can’t Seem to Stop Popping Your Pimples?

There’s the occasional urge, and then there’s a straight-up compulsion. If you’re struggling to abstain from squeezing pimples, you may have what’s known as acne excoriée [9].

With this condition, you continually scratch at and pop pimples that are both real and imagined. This may require treatment from a professional, especially if it’s paired with or causing depression and anxiety.

And if you do have pimples that are profoundly bothering you, by all means, book an appointment with your dermatologist. If appropriate, they can use safe extraction methods or corticosteroid injections while also advising you on acne-fighting strategies and products that can help you care for your skin long-term.

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