8 Reasons Why You Should Stop Popping Pimples

 

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you see a pimple on your face? The mere sight of it urges you to pop it right away. Many people think that pimples rob them of their looks. As pimples appear, you tend to avoid social situations, become self-conscious, and experience a decline in self-esteem. And you might begin to think, “Popping a pimple is much better than walking around with a big bump on my face.” 

If you have any such temptations, please hold it for now because, in this blog, we will discuss why you should not pop your pimples.

 

What are Pimples?

Pimples are a common skin condition that occurs when your hair follicles become clogged with oil and dead skin cells, which promotes the bacteria growth there. 

While we commonly use the umbrella term “Pimples,” it is important to know that there are actually various types of pimples. 

Blackheads:

These are open comedones that appear as black dots on your skin. They appear black due to the oxidation of oil and dirt in the hair follicles. 

 

Whiteheads:

Closed comedones appear as white bumps on your skin. Whiteheads are not exposed to the air, so they do not get oxidized. 

 

Papules:

They appear as small, raised, pink, or red bumps that are usually tender to touch.  

 

Pustules:

As the name suggests, they are raised bumps that are filled with pus. 

 

Nodules:

These are painful lumps that develop deep beneath your skin. 

 

Cysts:

Pus-filled painful lumps that cause scarring. 

 

Popping Pimples Side Effects

1. Increased Risk of Infection

When you pop a pimple with your nail or finger, you might think that you have cleared the space. However, the wound stays open, which increases the risk of infection. This can lead to more severe breakouts and infections.  

 

2. Lead to Scarring

When you forcefully squeeze a pimple out of your skin, you damage the surrounding tissue. The depression that is left behind might appear pigmented. This is because when the skin is injured, it responds by producing more melanin in the affected area.  

 

3. Delayed Healing 

You create a wound on the skin’s surface when you pop a pimple. The injured area becomes a hotspot for bacteria and contaminants. To protect the area, your immune system ramps up inflammation as a protective process. This makes the injured area even more red, painful, and swollen. The resultant inflammation can slow down the healing process. 

 

4. Force Pimples Deeper into the Skin

Applying pressure on the blemish pushes its contents, such as oil, bacteria, and pus,  much deeper into the skin. This can lead to the formation of cysts. These are quite painful and take a longer healing time than a simple pimple. 

 

5. More Acne Formation

The pressure that you apply to your pimple not only forces the contents of the pimples to go much deeper into the skin but also causes them to spread in nearby pores. When the content spreads to nearby hair follicles or pores, multiple pimples start to develop near the original one.

 

6. Hyperpigmentation

When you injure a pore by squeezing out a pimple, the body produces more melanin in the affected area. The hyperpigmentation in the specific area may require several months to fade gradually. 

 

7. Damage Blood Vessel

A network of blood capillaries under your skin provides blood to your skin and plays a crucial role in regulating its temperature. When you aggressively try to squeeze out pimples, you might rupture the tiny vessels that are located close to the pimple. This can lead to a small hemorrhage beneath the skin surface, which is then visible through the skin and can take months to vanish. 

 

8. Makeup Application Issues

One of the side effects of popping pimples is that it can cause uneven texture. When you squeeze a pimple, you can cause that area to become bumpy, rough and scabbed. You may struggle in concealing the blemishes, as they can show through the makeup layers. 

 

Conclusion

The pimples on your skin can mar your look, and you might feel tempted to pop them right away. But now you know that the consequences of squeezing a pimple far outweigh any potential benefits of popping it. You can eliminate a single pimple immediately by popping it, but you can invite many more in the future. To prevent pimples, you can consult our virtual dermatologists on call.