The Complete Guide To Safely Popping A Pimple On Your Own

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There are many different types of acne. There's the hormonal kind, which tends to pop up around menstruation, breakouts due to PCOS, and nodular acne, with its deep, painful pimples.

No matter which of these you're suffering from, there's one kind of acne we can all relate to: the kind that you just can resist popping.

These blackheads and whiteheads just stare back at you from the mirror, practically daring your fingers to release the tension building up underneath. Too often, though, the DIY route can lead to even worse things—bad infections, swelling, and even acne scars, which can lead to uneven skin texture.

Meet the experts: Sandra Lee, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founder of SLMD Skincare. Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at Elite MD Advanced Dermatology, Laser, & Plastic Surgery Institute and a member of the Skin of Color Society. Loretta Ciraldo, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Loretta Skincare.

That is why we’ve been told time and time again that we should never, ever, under any circumstance, touch breakouts on our face. But it's just so...hard to resist That's why we consulted with three top dermatologists to find out how to pop a pimple on your own without any collateral damage to your complexion.

How to pop a whitehead

For whiteheads, which are bascially inflamed pimples with a white, our experts have one piece of advice: Know when to pop and know—when to stop. “You need to know what part of the life cycle of the pimple you’re in,” says Sandra Lee, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of SLMD Skincare. “If it’s too early, you’re going to make things a lot worse.”

But how do you know when the time is right? Once the pimple comes to the surface and you can see that white center, you’re in the clear to start popping, says Dr. Lee. First, cleanse your face and use a salicylic acid cleanser to help soften trapped oil and dead skin. Then, reach for either cotton swabs or a sterilized comedone extractor (we like the Tweezerman Skin Care Tool) to pop the pimple. You can use your fingers too, she says, but make sure they are clean; popping a pimple breaks the skin and you don’t want to introduce germs and bacteria that might lead to an even worse infection. If you need to encourage the white center to come to a head, she recommends applying a warm compress before popping.

Apply gentle pressure to the sides of the pimple, recommends Dr. Lee. If it’s ready, it should burst quickly. If it doesn’t pop immediately, she says don’t press harder—just leave it alone. “Chances are, your pimple isn’t ready to be popped,” she explains. “You need to step away at this point or you’re very likely to cause bleeding, more swelling, and even scarring.” If that’s the case, she says to apply an acne spot treatment with benzoyl peroxide to kill the C. acnes bacteria that can lead to breakouts. In some cases, you might find that it shrinks the pimple small enough so that you don’t feel tempted to pop it after all.

Once you popped your pimple. Dr. Lee says it’s important to let it heal. To avoid dark or red spots, she recommends using salicylic acid to gently exfoliate skin to unclog your pores. This hero ingredient also has antibacterial properties to keep germs out.

How to pop a blackhead

Dr. Lee says there isn’t that big of a difference between popping a blackhead and whitehead. The prep work is the same and you’ll want to make sure that your face and tools (or if you're using your hands, your fingers) are clean. She likes to use a comedone extractor and a tweezer to extract a blackhead, as they’re more precise and less likely to cause damage to the surrounding skin like your fingers can.

To use the comedone extractor correctly, she says to center it over the blackhead and press gently, adding a bit of pressure on one side if you need to ease the blackhead out of the pore. Once it starts to loose, grab it with tweezers and pull it out. Once clear, she recommends using some sort of salicylic acid exfoliator or spot treatment to take care of any excess oil that might still be stuck in the pore.

Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Salicylic Acid Exfoliant

Micro-Exfoliating Cleanser

Types of pimples you should never pop

Any pimple that is deep below the skin's surface, like cystic or nodular pimples, should be left alone due to their depth in the skin and the face that attempting to pop them can lead to scarring, increased inflammation, hyperpigmentation, and even infection, says Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Elite MD Advanced Dermatology, Laser, & Plastic Surgery Institute and a member of the Skin of Color Society. Pimples near your eyes or ones that are just red bumps should be on that “never pop” list too, as those can also cause infection or create acne scars, says Loretta Ciraldo, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Loretta Skincare.

But for the most part, you can trust your gut on which pimples you can and can’t pop. “Most of us intuitively know when a pimple is ready to pop and when it’s not. The issue is almost always that we’re impatient,” says Dr. Lee. “If your pimple hasn’t come to a head on the surface of the skin, it’s not time.”

Other options besides popping

While popping a pimple is easy (and can feel extremely satisfying), all experts agree that there are better ways to treat those breakouts. “It’s always better to use acne-fighting skincare on your pimples instead of popping them,” says Dr. Lee. “A pimple is really just your skin’s natural response to C. acnes bacteria and it will heal on its own.”

Dr. Badreshia-Bansal recommends using products with known acne-fighting ingredients, such as benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or sulfur. She adds to look for non-comedogenic products and avoid anything that is oil-based to keep pores clear.

You can also opt for pimple patches, which Dr. Loretta says are great for a few reasons. “First, they cover the area so that you can't touch and infect your skin,” she says. “Secondly, they cannot produce scarring whereas popping a pimple can.” She goes on to explain that these hydrocolloid patches work by absorbing fluid and reducing inflammation. There are some that are made with salicylic acid, which she says can work to lessen whiteheads, blackheads, and other pimples that are caused by dead skin cells clogging our pores.

The Original Mighty Patch

Killa Spot Clarifying Patch

But for those deep acne breakouts, such as cystic or nodular pimples, Dr. Badreshia-Bansal says you’ll want to see a professional for treatment or if you want to reduce the size of it. “Deep, painful pimples and cysts should be treated by a professional to avoid complications,” she says. “But you can also see a professional when you want to receive the right education and learn a healthy routine to reduce breakouts and flare-ups over the long term.”

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