How to Pop a Pimple

1. Take a warm shower or bath to soften your skin.

2. Wash your face and remove all makeup.

3. Wash your hands to prevent spreading germs and infecting the pimple.

4. Sterilize a needle by running it through a flame (a dirty needle will cause an infection and maybe a bigger pimple).

5. Gently prick the tip of the pimple with the needle.

6. Take a clean tissue or piece of toilet paper and wrap it around your index fingers.

7. Gently apply pressure to the sides of the pimple to ease out the pus. Stop when blood or clear fluid comes out.

Q:

I know you're never supposed to squeeze a zit, but I'm not about to leave the house with a major eruption on my face. Isn't there any good way to pop it?

A:

The real deal on popping zits: Dirt from your fingers can force bacteria into your pores and cause an infection, leaving you with a bigger bump and, even worse, possible scarring. If the zit is deep down and the whitish stuff inside isn't close enough to the surface, you might end up squeezing the acne bacteria back down into your skin (the result: a big, irritated cyst that can stick around for a long time). Reality check: If you have the kind of begging-to-be-popped zit where you can actually see the white stuff just under the surface -- and you've gotta do something about it -- at least do it safely. First, clean the area thoroughly. Then take two sterile gauze pads and gently press on each side of the pimple, using the gauze (not your fingers, and especially not your nails) to apply pressure. If the white stuff can be squeezed out easily, do it. Then use another gauze pad to apply hydrogen peroxide and spread on an antibiotic ointment (like Bacitracin). If the white stuff doesn't budge after squeezing gently, don't even think about popping it. Instead, soak a piece of sterile gauze in a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup warm tap water. Hold the gauze on the spot for five to 10 minutes and repeat several times a day -- the salt water may help dry out the spot and draw the pimple to the surface. Only attempt to squeeze after you see whitish stuff under the skin. --Sophie Knight

You wake up feeling a slight red bump on your cheek. You can barely see it, but you know it's there. By lunchtime, your friends have all given you the red alert - pimple at 3:00. It's getting bigger as the day goes on! You know what your mom, your health teacher, or your dermatologist told you - just wash your face twice a day and everything will be fine. But by the end of the day, your pimple has evolved into a perfect whitehead - perfect for popping, right?

It's a tempting thought, but popping a pimple won't get rid of the problem. At best, you'll get rid of the crust and fluid inside the pimple, but you'll still have a red blotch on your cheek that only time and antibiotics can fade.

At worst, popping your pimple will release the same bacteria that caused your breakout in the first place, allowing it to spread to other areas of your face to form even more pimples. A scab will probably form, too, which can leave you with a permanent pit or scar.

Since popping isn't the way to go, patience is the key. Your pimple will disappear sooner rather than later, and by leaving it alone, you won't be left with any nasty reminders that it was there. If you do touch your face though, at least wash your hands and face first.

While most Dermatologists probably cringe when they hear you've taken to performing minor surgery on your own face, there really isn't much damage you can do by popping a pimple, other than irritating already sensitive skin. Popping pimples will not cause scarring. However, there are times when popping a skin blemish can lead to more blemishes. Some pimples contain bacteria which your fingers will redeposit on other areas of your face. If you must squeeze, wash your hands thoroughly afterward to avoid spreading bacteria.

Myth #6: It's taboo to pop a pimple.

The unblemished truth: You don't need a medical degree or set of fancy surgical tools to zap a zit. "Acne surgery" is something most people can do at home. Reserve this technique for the occasional pinkish pimple or whitehead (cysts and blackheads call for a visit to your doctor). After thoroughly washing your face and hands, disinfect a fine needle with rubbing alcohol, then lightly nick the pimple's surface. Gently squeeze out the contents using a clean tissue. If you overpick or oversqueeze, you'll stretch the poor and push the white blood cells onto the skin, which can lead to infection and scarring. Leave the lesion alone to heal (antiseptic is optional).

Avoid the pick-it line if you can. There's a good reason everyone and their grandmother tells you not to squeeze a pimple: "You might squeeze something to the surface, but you'll also force the infection deeper into the skin," says D'Anne Kleinsmith, M.D., a dermatologist in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

The Big Squeeze technique often backfires, causing an even more outrageous cyst -- and it may leave behind a pit or scar that'll be with you when you're old and buying Depends.

But if a bulging whitehead has you housebound, here's a way to pop as safely as possible. Instead of squeezing, hold a warm, wet washcloth to the area for a few minutes. Then gently prick the very top of the head with a sterilized needle and wipe - don't squeeze -- the ooze that comes out.

If you don't see a whitehead, do yourself a favor: Just dry the skin and apply a benzoyl-peroxide acne product. Which is worse - the gigantic infected red spot you'll get from squeezing an unripe zit -- or the little red spot you'll get by leaving it alone?

Hold a warm, wet washcloth to your skin for a few minutes to help bring the pimple to a head. If it appears to be superficial, you can prick the head with a sterilized needle. Otherwise, just dry the skin and apply a benzoyl-peroxide product.

Squeezing is the worst thing you can do, says D'Anne Kleinsmith, M.D., a dermatologist in West Bloomfield, Michigan. "You may squeeze something to the surface, but you'll also end up squeezing the infection deeper into the skin."

If the pimple is deep and painful, see a dermatologist. Tell him it's an emergency. He can inject it with cortisone, which should eliminate the redness and swelling within a few hours. She'd have to be some date to go to that much trouble, though.