Step Away From the Mirror! Put Your Hands Behind Your Head!
I know from first hand experience how tempting popping zits can be. I also know the damage that can follow. Touching your skin or squeezing pimples only prolongs the life of the acne bacteria. Instead of pimples getting smaller, they start growing bigger. Whenever I did squeeze a zit, another would pop up near by! No doubt there was spread of bacteria beneath the skin because of the pressure from surface squeezing.
Although its hard to resist popping zits, the best thing to do is leave them alone. There is always the danger of bacteria being pushed deeper into the skin and for scarring to occur. Who knows why some people scar easily, and some never bear a mark even after popping their zits. Everyone is different.
However, if you absolutely must pop a zit, read the following advice to minimize any damage to your skin.
(from Acne Resource.Org)
Professionals in the medical field do not agree on the practice of popping zits. Some say that popping zits will not scar you, but others believe it is a large contributor to more infections and increased tissue damage. Either way the decision to rid your body of the lesions should be done with care and knowledge.
Wait until the pimple is fully developed on the surface and the white center is nearly bursting on its own.
Wash your hand thoroughly, especially the fingertips and under the nails, to get rid of any bacteria that could contaminate the already infected pimple. You may want to consider using sterile gloves or a gauze square.
Take a sterile, finely tipped needle and gently prick the center. Sterilizing a needle is simple. Run the needle tip through an open flame such as a match or lighter for a few seconds and keep it free from touching anything on the counter or table.
Next gently squeeze the zit taking extra tissue from around the zit. Give equal amounts of pressure on every side. Continue until a clear liquid or blood comes out. Do not squeeze after the cleansing clear liquid is visible. The pimple cell should heal in a day or two.
Use a clean, napkin, toilet tissue or Kleenex to dab away the liquid. Be careful not to spread it beyond the open zit.
Wash your hands again and prepare for the next step.
If there is swelling, you may want to apply a cold washcloth in which ice has been wrapped and hold it against the open zit for a few minutes.
When your squeezing procedure is finished, dab a good amount of hydrogen peroxide on the open pore and use an ointment containing a healing agent such as clindamycin phosphate as a topical solution, or something else from over the counter.
It is imperative that you wash your fingers between squeezing each zit if you want to bring your acne under control. Bacteria will implant itself under your nails and carry those germs to the next pimple or blackhead.
Attempting to squeeze a pimple or a blackhead that is not mature and below the surface will lead to flare-ups. The most important thing to understand is that if a zit is under the surface and you dig at it, you will push bacteria further down into the pimple causing more infection and usually a larger breakout in a few days.
If you have a stubborn zit that you simply cannot leave alone there are a few steps you can take to rush along its maturing process.
Sterilize your hands to the best of your ability or use sterilized gauze pads.
Prepare a mixture of 1/4 tsp. salt in about 1/2 cup of hot water. Use a gauze pad to dip into the hot water and then place the soaked cloth on your pimple or blackhead holding it there for several minutes. The heat will soften the blemish and draw the liquids to the surface. You may need to do it more than once. It is best not to squeeze until the white center is visible and appears to be ripe.
Click here for a Natural Acne Treatment. Get rid of blackheads, whiteheads and rosacea naturally with the ONLY proven natural acne treatment that works. Throw those over the counter medications away and get your life back.