Anyone who has ever been pricked and prodded by a cosmetologist will recognize the feeling. Whether the procedure is a facial or a microdermabrasion, the little pricks and pushes on your skin by the professionals feel similar to the pimple-popping efforts made at home. Yet, the professionals work leave wanted results, whereas one's own attempts typically end in skin irritation, further breakouts and even scarring. The reasons behind their success and one's own failures are simple and yet not commonly known. Everyone is told in the midst of their adolescence not to pop their pimples. If given a reason, it is simply stated, “It’s bad for you.” The true effects of pimple-popping are not often divulged.
What Is A Pimple
To understand these effects, it is important to first re-hash what a pimple actually is. Plain and simple, a pimple is a clogged pore or hair follicle. A pimple forms when the pore is clogged with dead skin, excess sebum (skin oil) and bacteria. The bacteria cause the skin to be raised and inflamed. The follicle is then blocked, resulting in either a whitehead or a blackhead pimple.
A whitehead or “closed comedone” is merely a completely blocked pore whereas a blackhead or “open comedone” is a semi-blocked pore. The blackhead is black only as a result of oxidation, not some dark horrible contamination. Because the comedone is open, the sebum is on the surface of the skin, allowing it to mix with the air. Thus the sebum becomes oxidized, resulting in the black color of the pimple head. The size of the pimple is not necessarily determined by the size of the follicle or pore. However, the depth of the pimple can be affected by the size of the pore. This is why some pimples form so deeply beneath the skin and others form right at the surface.
Effects Of Pimple Popping
Regardless of color or depth, when someone pops a pimple without proper technique they are causing trauma to their skin. Popping a pimple puts pressure not only the pimple itself, but on the delicate tissue around it. Further, when the pimple is in fact popped, the effort used to do so breaks more than just the head of the pimple. It breaks the skin. This is in effect a wound; and like anywhere else on the body, a wounded area of skin can result in scarring. The likelihood of scarring increases with the delicacy of the tissue. Because the skin on the face, especially the skin surrounding a pimple, is extremely delicate, scarring is very likely. Often, these scars take a long time and/or many specialized treatments to either reduce in appearance or remove completely.
In addition to scarring, improperly popping pimples can lead to further breakouts. When a pimple is popped it is actually pushed. That is, the head may be popped off, but the bacteria and sebum are pushed down deeper into the pore. This results in both a topical and a sub-surface spreading of the fluids which cause the pimples. The pushing-down is also a form of trauma to the skin. The skin sensitivity is further heightened as a result of this trauma, further increasing its vulnerability to the impure fluids. Making the skin more susceptible to breakouts.
Professional Approach
The professionals remove the risk of such breakouts by using sterile tools and proper techniques. When done correctly, these professionals do not actually pop a pimple, they lift a pimple.
Using a lancet or other comedone extractor, they gently press down directly over the pimple. Once the top of the pimple is punctured and the pressure removed, the sebum and bacteria typically oozes out on its own. To catch this fluid and prevent it from spreading onto the surface of the skin, sterile cotton swabs are placed on either side of the pimple to act as absorbers. At times, some of these fluids might remain inside the pore. To fully extract these impurities, the same tools are used to gently press from the base of the pimple upwards. The upward motion prevents the pushing down effect discussed earlier. Once the pimple has been lifted and all fluids extracted, the face is then washed with an antibacterial wash.
Beyond preventing further breakouts, this method of treatment is key to preventing pimple scarring. The comedone extracting tools ensure the applied pressure is focused solely on the pimple itself. Meaning no pressure is placed directly on the surrounding tissue, thus there is no trauma to the skin.
Pimple Prevention
There is no ground breaking advice here. Countless magazines and books have already declared the ways and means of maintaining a clear complexion. Just remember the bottom line is hygiene and proper products. To aid in product purchases a person should ask their cosmetologist, dermatologist or other skin therapist if they have one. If not, a few simple guidelines to follow are:
- Cream based products moisturize and gel based products dry. Neither is good or bad, it depends on your skin type and what your skin needs to stay healthy.
- Try to stick with products from the same line. This ensures a proper pH level, which if off balance, can stress out the skin and lead to breakouts.
Additional tips that bear repeating are:
- Keep hands and other objects away from your face. This will minimize the spread of bacteria.
- Do not over-wash your face. This will lead to increased sebum production as your skin will over compensate for the removal of natural oils.
- Clean your makeup brushes frequently and replace your make-up often. Both steps will also reduce the spread of bacteria, which can buildup on brushes and in makeup.
- Drink plenty of water. Water affects you externally the same way it does internally. It maintains hydration and flushes out impurities.
"Boehm, Rachel. Interview with Shanna Crossland, Medical Aesthetician. Dubai Cosmetic Surgery, Dubai. 29 Nov. 2009."
Rachel Boehm - I was raised in Austin, Texas and graduated from Chapman University in Orange, California. Currently I work as a freelance writer based in ...
