Of course, there are times when the temptation to pop a pimple may be too great, or a pimple may cause such discomfort that you want it drained. It’s certainly possible to pop a pimple with fingers, especially if the pimple has an obvious white head. Taking steps to prevent skin damage and infections is important if you decide to go this route. You may even need a professional’s help.

Is It Better to Pop or Leave a Pimple?

The best approach with a pimple is to leave it alone. Though it might not be the fastest method, it reduces the risk of skin damage. Popping a pimple can lead to infection, scarring, and worsened acne.

If you squeeze a pimple, you might get some pus out of it. But the problem is that the squeezing pushes the pimple both up and down. It’s not just the pus that you’re moving, you’re also moving the core.

A pimple’s core holds a plug of dead skin cells and sebum, a natural skin oil. When you squeeze, you push the plug deeper into the pore.2

The more the skin is damaged, the worse your skin may get and the higher the chance you’ll develop acne scarring.1

How to Pop a Pimple

Popping pimples should always be a last resort. If you’re going to pop a pimple, do it safely. Remember that when you squeeze a pimple, you can damage your skin.

The correct way to pop a pimple with your fingers depends on if it is a whitehead or blackhead:

Whiteheads

This method only works for pimples with large, obvious whiteheads that are close to the skin surface:

1. Wash your hands well with soap and water.
2. Sanitize a needle or pin with rubbing alcohol.
3. Gently prick the very top of the whitehead with the tip of the needle. Do it at an angle that is parallel to the skin. Do not go so deep that you draw blood. If it hurts, you’re poking too deeply or the pimple is not ready to be treated.
4. Wrap your fingers in tissue or cotton. Place your fingers on either side of the blemish.
5. Gently pull away from the blemish (the opposite of squeezing). This will often drain the pimple without the risk of pushing any infected matter deeper into the skin.
6. If it works, stop here without squeezing. Cleanse the area with soap or facial wash, and apply a bit of toner or astringent.

If you still have the whitehead, continue with these steps:

1. Grab two cotton swabs to use instead of your fingers. Use the swabs to apply gentle pressure to the sides of the pimple.
2. Work the cotton swabs around the pimple. Avoid continually pushing from the same sides.
3. Do not squeeze too hard or draw blood. You want just enough pressure to drain the whitehead.
4. Once you’re done, wash your face with cleanser, and apply toner or astringent. You can also use a tiny dab of antibacterial ointment on the pimple.

In general, you can gently pop a whitehead pimple once, but don’t try to draw more out again later. Doing so can lead to scarring.

Blackheads

It’s safer to extract a blackhead than an inflamed pimple. There’s less risk of infection and scarring, but you still need to treat your skin gently.

You may want to try removing a blackhead right after a shower or bath. The steam and warmth from the shower will relax the pore openings, as well as loosen and soften the blackhead plugs. This will make it easier to coax them from the pore.

1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
2. Wrap your fingers in cotton or tissue.
3. Place gentle pressure on either side of the blackhead. Try to get below the blackhead and push up carefully.
4. Instead of steady pressure, massage the plug or use a rocking motion to help loosen it. Do this until the core is completely removed. Do not press so hard that you draw blood or leave finger marks on your skin.
5. When you’re done, use a toner or astringent on all the areas that you’ve extracted.

Using Comedone Extractors

A comedone extractor is a small metal tool that estheticians use to remove blackheads.

While you can get one online or at the drugstore, it can hurt your skin if you don’t use it properly. It’s easy to apply too much pressure and bruise your skin.

If you do use an extractor for comedones, follow these steps:

• First, sanitize the tool with rubbing alcohol.
• Then, put the loop of the tool around the blackhead, with the blackhead in the middle.
• Apply gentle pressure straight down. Don’t dig into the skin. If you leave red marks on the skin, you’re pushing too hard.

Pimples You Should Never Pop

There are some types of pimples that you should never try to pop, including:

• Any red pimple without a white head: These pimples are not yet close enough to the surface of the skin to be drained.
• Big, inflamed, deep blemishes: These could be nodular acne and cysts. You should never squeeze this type of acne because the core of the pimple is too deep in the skin. It’s best to let them heal on their own. A spot treatment or acne medication might help.
• A large and very painful blemish: You might think these are just big pimples, but they could actually be boils. See a dermatologist if the pimple is particularly painful.

Draining a Pimple Without Popping It

Before you start squeezing, take a look at some of the alternatives to popping a pimple:

• Professional extraction: A dermatologist or esthetician can safely drain pimples using sterile tools. If the nodule hurts, they may inject a corticosteroid to speed healing and reduce scarring. This can be a good option for large, painful nodules, whiteheads and blackheads, or when you need to clear a pimple up fast.
• Warm compress: For a pustule with a white head, apply a warm compress to help open the pore, soften the pimple, and ease drainage. Soak a washcloth in warm water and hold it on the pimple, reapplying as needed. This method will not work for pimples without a head or blackheads, which require different treatments.
• Over-the-counter (OTC) treatments: Using an OTC acne spot treatment containing benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or sulfur can speed up healing. Hydrocolloid patches can draw out pimple material and prevent picking. When using makeup, choose noncomedogenic (won’t clog your pores) products or those with acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid.
• Natural remedies: Some people have success using baking soda, tea tree oil, bee venom, honey, hydrogen peroxide, and other natural remedies to treat pimples.4 Speak to a dermatologist before trying these or other such treatments.

Summary

It’s best to leave pimples alone to heal. Attempting to pop one may prolong your breakout and lead to scarring and infection.

If you are going to go ahead and pop a pimple, take steps to minimize the risk of skin damage and a worsened infection.

The technique you’ll want to use to pop a pimple will depend on what kind of pimple you have and what stage it’s in. Whiteheads and blackheads can be manageable, but you should never try to pop inflamed, cystic acne.