I understand your concern…
That you just popped a pimple on your face that you are never supposed to and immediately start to worry with all sorts of these questions like…
“What to do after popping a pimple?, How long would it take for pimples to go away? Would it cause those ugly scars or any bacterial infection? What will happen to my facial skin now?”
Well, you are not alone since every one of us is guilty of doing this at least once in their lifetime despite the fact that we know the harms of popping pimples. However, we need to accept the fact that we are never perfect and can’t always keep our hands off pimples and end up popping that pimple.
So, it’s not about whether you should poop a pimple or not rather it’s about what to do once you have ended up making that mistake of pooping cystic acne pimples.
With that being said, this does not mean you should leave your popped pimple as it is, rather you need to seek the following tips & remedies to heal those popped zits and get rid of that painful sore pain that follows as fast as possible.
Things to do after popping a pimple
Now that you have picked a zit but that does not mean you should panic or do nothing and expect to heal it on its own.
In fact, there are a number of remedial things that you can do on your own that will not only help your popped pimple to heal faster but would relieve you of any swelling or pain.
1. Promise yourself to never make that mistake again
This is the first remedial step that you need to take. You made that mistake and ended up pooping that pimple for the first time but now make a serious promise with yourself that you would never do that again.
Once you do this, you would allow your pimples to start healing again. This promise also means you don’t have to squeeze it check out if any things more comes out of it or not. Simply, leave the pimple alone with any interruption and you would find your pimple on the healing track.
2. Gently clean up to avoid getting an infection
This should be your step after you have popped that pimple. Washing up your pimple with a gentle cleanser would keep any potential infection-causing bacteria at bay and would allow harm-free healing of the zits.
You can make use of your regular face cleanser for a couple of times in a day but make sure that don’t rough up your pimple, instead give a gentle cleansing and let the scab form over the pimple surface
Alternatively, if you don’t have a good cleanser, you can use witch hazel and keep using it until scabs start forming. This gently cleansing would effectively protect your scabs from developing any serious infection.
Side note: Never use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide over popped pimples as it can cause severe allergic reaction and irritation and can aggravate pain and inflammation.
3. Use antibiotic treatment to speed up the healing process.
A popped pimple is just like a fresh open wound that is direly in need of OTC antibiotic ointment.
Putting a small amount on it would not only keep the scabs moist to allow your pimples to heal quickly but it would give antibacterial protection too. Keep doing this over pimple until pimple scabs harden to form solid protection for your popped pimple.
Side note: Use the antibiotic ointment only on your affected pimple area, not on the surrounding skin surface as it can lead to clogging of pores and developing other skin complications.
4. Try ice cubes to reduce redness and swelling of popped pimples
In most cases, the popping of pimples causes swelling and redness in your pimples area. To get rid of this redness and swelling, using ice can be a good remedy.
To do this, just take an ice cube in a soft cloth or wrapped in a paper towel and apply over the pimple area and keep it there for at least 5-7 minutes. Repeat this at least 3 times a day for effective pimple inflammation.
5. Continue using your pimples medication
If you were using some sort of acne or pimples medications before popping pimples, don’t stop using these medications once you have popped pimples.
Any OTC acne medication, you were using for your acne pimples would not aggravate your popped pimples in any way. Just remove this misunderstanding.
In fact, these prescriptions can be helpful in healing that pimples due to their good antibacterial properties.
How to pop a cystic pimple safely?
While popping a pimple is never a good idea, as a last resort, you might want to squeeze its liquid out to get immediate relief from the discomfort it is causing as normal healing can take a number of days.
Especially, if you want to get rid of those blackheads and whiteheads, there is a safer way to get that done. Read below to find out how to safely pop a blackhead/whitehead pimples.
How to pop a whitehead pimple?
Whitehead pimples, as the name indicates, have visible white pus trapped in their pores. To make their popping process easier, you can make use of benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid which can help reduce their inflammation and make your popping process less painful.
Steps to take
- Thoroughly wash your hands to avoid infecting your pimple bacteria on your hand and other body parts.
- Get and fine needle and sterile it with alcohol. Now, inject this fine pin in your pimple gently and you would see white fluid coming out.
- Without slacking your pimple skin, use a cotton ball to drain out your pimple. This would allow you to push bacteria deep in your pimple and skin.
- Once all the white fluid has come out, wash your pimple area with a sterilizing, antibacterial agent like with hazel.
- Just leave your pimple as its and it would start to heal in a couple of days.
How to pop a blackhead pimple?
Blackheads pimples form when pus and bacteria inside them turn black when get exposed to the atmosphere. These are easier to open and extract liquid as their pores are bigger as compared to a whitehead.
Steps to take
- First, properly clean up your hands with a good soap and lukewarm water.
- Now slightly loosen the pore further by applying a product like benzoyl peroxide to make your process easier.
- Using soft cotton swabs, press the blackhead pimple from both sides to squeeze the liquid and continue to do so until most of the liquid has come out.
- Finally, sterilize the blackhead pimple area by using witch hazel to prevent the germs of pimples to spread elsewhere.
When to not pop a pimple?
Not all pimples and blemishes are created equal and you should not try to pop these types of pimples.
If you would try to do so, i.e pop a pimple that should never be popped, you risk exposing your inner layers of skin to harmful germs and bacteria which can lead to serious infection and permanent scarring.
The kind of pimples you should never try to pop are.
- Boils
- cystic acne pimples
- Pimples deep under the skin surface
- non-whitehead/blackhead pimples
- Always seek professional help before you do it yourself as this would allow you to avoid getting a serious infection which is very much possible if you do it by yourself.
- Try making your pimple to pop on their own which is much safer. This could be done by simply applying a hot compress that slackens the pores and liquid can come out itself.
- Try first to heal your pimples with a good over-the-counter spot medication. According to Mayo Clinic, Look out for low key benzoyl peroxide ingredients for these pimples treatments.
- Try some of the following topical home remedies like baking soda, tea tree oil, and charcoal masks.
How to avoid potential acne scars after popping a pimple?
Scars after pimples are a common concern for a lot of people. However, not all pimples lead to scars. There are a number of things you can do to avoid getting those ugly scars on your face or body.
Bet tips for preventing acne/pimple scars
Follow these steps to prevent those acne scars associated with pimples.
Tip 1: Keep your affected face area clean – This is the basic yet effective key step to prevent the formation of scars in the first place. Keep your pimple area clean with lukewarm water and gentle soap for at least 3 times a day or after any physical activity.
Tip 2: Never touch or pick your pimples – This is the simple most important step to avoid scars as squeezing or pressing out the liquid from the acne breakouts can lead to permanent scars.
Tip 3: Sun-protect your pimples – Always cover up your pimples as direct sun exposure can darken your pimples and form acne scars.
Tip 4: Apply topical treatments like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid – Using topical treatments like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid ingredients that help exfoliate the skin’s surface can help regeneration of new skin cells and removal of dead skin cells which would greatly reduce the risk of formation of scars.
Look for ingredients that help exfoliate the skin’s surface like salicylic acid and glycolic acid, and encourage cell turnover and regeneration with retinol.
Tip 5: Seek professional help if everything does not work – If the above acne scars prevention tips don’t work, consulting your dermatologist should be your best bet.
They have a variety of effective medications like antibiotics, topical cream and cortisone injections, etc that can not only treat your acne pimples but prevent any possibility of scar formation.
Treating acne/pimples scars: How to get rid of acne scars?
So, you got those pimple scars despite all your efforts to prevent them from appearing but the question is how to treat those acne scars once you got them. Well, you don’t need to worry too much as you still have a lot of options to roll them back.
Best tips for treating acne/pimple scars
Following are the best tips for treating acne/pimples scars once they have formed and you have no way out of them.
Tip 1: Use collagen regeneration treatments
Using OTC collagen regeneration topical treatments like vitamin C, glycolic acid or retinol can help improve your skin cells turn over rate which helps remove dead skin cells and bring out new skin cells which directly remove scars.
Tip 2: Try out Microdermabrasion
You can try microdermabrasion to treat those scars which help remove dead & dark skin cells and bring out new skin cells that can significantly reduce scars.
Tip 3: Try out chemical peeling
This is another good choice to treat those stubborn scars as the removal of top skin in this process takes away acne/pimple scars with it.
Tip 4: Laser treatment is another option
This is a professional treatment that is used by a dermatologist to remove away dead skin cells by laser resurfacing therapy that smoothens the skin surface and remove away even the deepest of acne/pimples scars.
FAQs
Q: How do you make a popped pimple heal faster?
Ans: You can heal a pimple faster if you follow these quick pimple healing tips.
1. Promise yourself to never make that mistake again
2. Gently clean up to avoid getting an infection.
3. Use antibiotic treatment to speed up the healing process.
4. Use ice to get rid of redness and swelling of popped pimples
5. Continue using your pimples medication
Q: Is it better to pop a pimple or leave it?
Ans: It is always best to leave the pimples as they are and never touch or pick them. Otherwise popping the pimples can delay the normal pimple healing process and sometimes leads to serious bacterial infection.
Q: What reduces redness after popping pimples?
Ans: Taking the following steps can reduce the redness that comes after popping pimples.
1. Promise yourself to never make that mistake again
2. Gently clean up to avoid getting an infection.
3. Use antibiotic treatment to speed up the healing process.
4. Use ice to get rid of redness and swelling of popped pimples
5. Continue using your pimples medication
Q: Can you put toothpaste on a pimple after popping it?
Ans: No. You should avoid putting toothpaste on pimples once you have popped them as it can cause further redness and irritation on your pimples.
Toothpaste is not a good treatment for pimples and acne.
Q: How long does it take for pimples to go away
Ans: Normally, pimples would take 5-7 days to completely go away. However, if you don’t take proper care or continue to pick/pop/scratch your pimples, it can take further days & weeks for them to completely go away.
