“Doctor, I cannot resist popping pimples; how should I do it correctly to avoid scars or marks?”

No matter how much counseling we dermatologists do on not touching your pimples, you fall into the irresistible urge to pop your pimples. Fiddling with pimples might spread the infection deeper, increasing the chances of healing and leaving dark marks or depressed or raised scars. In this article, I have given you a step-by-step guide on popping pimples in the right way.

6 steps to Pop pimples

STEP 1: Find the right pimple to pop

You can pop pus pimples with sufficient pus inside, visible as white pus points. Popping a solid pimple is futile. Putting pressure on big cystic or nodular pimples is dangerous, and extracting comedones with the hand is tedious. Better use a comedones extractor with the help of an expert.

Step 2: Sterilise a pimple and your hands

Wash your hands and thoroughly apply hand disinfectant, followed by wearing gloves (optional, skip if you don’t have one). Put Betadine ointment on pimples and surrounding skin; do not use spirit or Dettol because they might irritate the delicate skin of the face.

Step 3: Puncture the pus point

Take a sterile needle (available at the chemist, preferably 23G) or put the needle on fire and let it cool before puncturing the pus point in the center. You can avoid this step if the pus is already oozing out.

Step 4: Apply gentle pressure

Apply gentle pressure in the upward direction with the help of two index fingers, as shown in this video:

Step 5: Stop

Stop if nothing comes out, blood discharge begins, or white serous fluid comes.

Step 6: End with disinfecting

In the end, again, apply Betadine to a pimple and the surrounding skin.

While popping pimples is a quick solution for your looks, our clinic works on the diet, lifestyle, and skincare to find a long-term solution to zits, as summed up in this article: How to get rid of Pimples I Dermatologist's guide

6 steps to Pop pimples I Dermatologist Guide