We’ve all done it, we know it’s bad, and we do it anyway.

 

I’m talking of course, about popping our pimples.

 

“But popping pimples makes them go away faster!”

 

Stop. It doesn’t. It makes the white head part go away. But it’s also pushing the infection deeper into your skin as you’re pushing some of it out. And it still leaves the hole. It’s still a red spot on your skin either way.

Popping that one pimple could scar you for life.

Popping one pimple can lead to an acne scar. And maybe it seems over-dramatic to say “for life” since there are multiple treatments to remove acne scars, but those aren’t always an option. The best option? Not picking your acne.

It could change the color of your skin

Post Inflammatory Hyper-pigmentation is like an acne scar in that it comes from improperly dealing with your acne (i.e. picking it) but instead of a scar, it’s a slightly darker area of your skin. The more inflamed your acne, the darker and bigger the area. The good news on this one is that it will (eventually) fade, but it can take up to 2-3 years.

It’s probably going to make your acne worse in the long run

Look, despite our best intentions when we set out to pop a pimple, even if we’re coaxing the infection and some of the pus out, it’s not all getting out of there. And if our hands aren’t clean, our tweezers aren’t clean enough, or there’s grime in our bathroom at all it’s not clean enough. Infected pimples are much larger, and sometimes painful. They’re much more difficult to treat and remove, and are a lot more unsightly.

 

So next time, do your face a favor: don’t pop. Let your body heal naturally. It can suck not doing anything, but it can suck to deal with the consequences a lot worse.

 

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