Bye-Bye Pimple

By Mehwish Khan

| December 30, 2010

Staring back at you is a pimple. You know better, but your inner rebel begs, “destroy, destroy, destroy!” Let’s not kid ourselves. It’s only a matter of time before you give in and start picking, poking, and squeezing the life out of that zit. If you must – do it right.

HideWARNING: THIS ENTIRE ARTICLE IS GROSS. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Here's what you'll need:

2 Q-tips or Kleenex
Sewing needle (trust me)
Benzoyl Peroxide lotion or other acne treatment
Rubbing Alcohol (optional)

1. Recognize Your Zit

This is a whitehead. The pus (dead cells and oil) have come up to the surface. Done correctly, this type of blemish may be popped.

This is a nodule. No matter how hard you push or poke, you will not be able to expel it’s contents. At best, you will be red, sore, and further blemished. If a whitehead eventually forms, go for it. If not, back off.

2. Prepare

- Cleanse your face thoroughly with soap and warm water. Hold a warm washcloth over the blemish for a while, this will help bring the pus up to the surface.

- Thoroughly dry your hands and face. Any residual water or oil on the skin can cause your fingers to slip, leading to more damage.

- Sterilize the sewing needle by wiping it down with rubbing alcohol or passing the tip of the needle through a flame several times. (DO NOT USE AN UNSTERILIZED NEEDLE – INFECTION MAY RESULT!!!)

3. Pierce the Whitehead

Lay your sterilized needle horizontally against the surface of your skin. Slowly and gently, graze the tip of the whitehead, piercing it open. Do not go too deep. The point is to provide a tiny opening for the pus.

Gently pull the needle up. Your whitehead is now open and ready to be expunged.

4. Expel Pus

Firmly place Q-tips on either side of blemish. Gently press them in to the skin and push together. This should force the pus out of the opening you just made.

Press until pus has been expelled. You may see clear liquid or blood come up. This means your pimple popping mission is complete. Stop. Poking around after this point is only going to cause damage to the healthy skin around the pimple.

Clean pus using a tissue, making sure not to spread it to surrounding area.

5. Recovery

Victory! Project pimple is complete. Now it’s time to do some recovery work.

- Place a tiny piece of tissue on the popped pimple and leave it there for a bit. Let the tissue soak up any remaining fluid. This will help prevent bacteria from spreading to the surrounding skin.

- When you are certain the pimple is dry, cleanse hands and face, and pat dry.

- Using a Q-tip, dab a little benzoyl peroxide lotion directly on the blemish. Doing so will help kill off any residual bacteria and help calm the blemish.

Good luck!