We all know that popping pimples usually just makes things worse — and yet we've all taken matters into our own hands (literally).
Thanks to the massive popularity of blackhead and pimple popping videos on the internet, squeezing your zits can feel even more tempting. Trust us, we get it — but there are endless ways to make a zit 1,000 times worse while popping it. Here are just a handful of them:
1. Popping with your bare, unwashed hands.
According to dermatologist Dr. Estee Williams, most people pop their pimples the very second they see them — and without thinking, forget to wash their hands before doing so. But hands (especially yours, public commuters) are ridden with bacteria, and when they touch the open sore of a freshly popped zit, they drastically increase risk of infection. The hand's natural oils can also clog the pores right back up and lead to more acne, according to Dr. Williams.
2. Popping with cotton swabs.
Q-Tips and cotton swabs are a popular and seemingly harmless alternate to your hands, but they're not not precise enough for the job — nor do they provide enough pressure to completely drain a pimple's pus.
3. Popping with an unsterilized needle.
This poses the same heightened risk of infection as unwashed hands if the needle in question goes unsterilized, Dr. Williams said. Plus, it's extremely easy to accidentally poke too deep with a needle and A.) really hurt yourself or B.) cause bleeding and scarring.
4. Using pimple popping "hacks" with household items.
"People can be really creative when it comes to finding ways to pop their pimples," Williams said, and she wasn't joking. Searches for pimple popping videos across Instagram and YouTube show "hacks" using just about everything from eyebrow tweezers, to dental floss, to bobby pins. Yikes.
This is probably starting to sound repetitive, but using a tool that's not dermatologist recommended (that includes all of the aforementioned) will cause your skin to freak the hell out and lead to more pimples and — even worse — scars on scars on scars.
5. Popping a pimple before it's ready.
"Inflammatory or cystic pimples — basically any pimple that is red or firm — should not be squeezed because these are high risk for scarring," Williams said. "The only time that it is probably OK to manipulate inflammatory or cystic lesions is when it is literally just under the skin surface and imminently about to open by itself."
6. Leaving a pimple alone after popping it.
Do not — I repeat, DO NOT — slack off on your skin care treatments after a pimple popping spree unless you want those sucker to come right back (and worse the second time around). Williams recommends washing the face with soap and water and applying a topical cream to the zit immediately after it's popped. If it's still red and swollen, treat it with some ice or a cold compress.
