Best New Zit Pops 2023 (2025)

FAQs

What is the best pimple to pop? ›

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.

To remove a large pimple or painful acne cyst or nodule, your dermatologist may also use a procedure called incision and drainage. It involves using a sterile needle or surgical blade to open the blemish and then removing what's inside.

After popping a pimple, clean the area and apply an antibacterial ointment to reduce the risk of infection. Avoid touching the area to let it heal and minimize scarring. The urge to pop a pimple is difficult to overcome: It's staring you in the face and you just know that all you have to do is squeeze.

A pustule sits deeper beneath your skin, so it requires a bit more work. Use a hot compress to draw the pus to the surface before applying pressure. As with a whitehead, you may need to use a sterilized needle to open an exit. Stop the process if your popping attempt isn't immediately successful.

Popping your pimples anywhere on your face is not advised, especially in the area on your face known as the "danger triangle." You risk an infection that could travel to your brain and bloodstream if you pop a pimple in that region. While popping pimples is tempting, it is not worth the risk of complications.

PROFESSIONALS RECOMENDED LANCETS: It is durable, easy to grip, very sharp on one end, and a loop on the other. Face care was never easy as it effortlessly remove even deep stubborn pimples to get rid of the pus.

Dermatologists and well-trained estheticians know how to do it safely. They wear gloves and lance a pimple with a sterile needle, then remove the contents with an instrument called a comedone extractor. So, your best bet is to leave popping a pimple to the pros.

Acne holes are scars or pick marks from pimples. They usually look like indentations or holes in the skin. Acne holes occur due to damage in the deeper layers of the skin after popping pimples.

When treated, pus-filled pimples will start to dissipate on their own. You may notice the pus disappears first, then the redness and overall acne lesions lessen. Above all else, you must resist the urge to pop or squeeze out the pus. Picking at acne can cause the inflammation to worsen.

Can I pop a blind pimple? Never try to pop or squeeze a blind pimple. Doing so pushes the oil and bacteria deeper, causing more inflammation and increasing the risk of infection.

What is the clear liquid that comes out of a pimple after you pop it? ›

If the drainage is thin and clear, it's serum, also known as serous fluid.

Pustules are a type of pimple that contains yellowish pus. They are larger than whiteheads and blackheads. Home remedies and over-the-counter creams may help treat pustules. Pustules appear either as red bumps with white centers or as white bumps that are hard and often tender to the touch.

"The best approach is to allow your body and skin to heal on its own and make sure you cleanse and keep the area moisturized," Gatt says. "Your next best option is to visit your skincare professional to have them handle the breakout with care.

Warm compresses and acne stickers can help to bring a pimple to a head so that the sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria can exit to the skin's surface. Using ice can relieve inflammation. If blind pimples occur frequently or are particularly inflamed and painful, a person should seek advice from a dermatologist.

That can cause the pimple to become more red, inflamed, swollen and infected, and may even lead to permanent scarring. "It's best to let a pimple run through its life span," Rice says. Left alone, a blemish will heal itself in 3 to 7 days. Popped improperly, it can linger for weeks or lead to scarring.

Blind pimples are usually not positioned near the skin's surface, which means that they cannot be “popped” like whiteheads. Trying to pop a blind pimple can result in permanent scars, a more-noticeable pimple, the pimple becoming more painful, or an infection.

It's tempting, but popping or squeezing a pimple won't necessarily get rid of the problem. Squeezing can push bacteria and pus deeper into the skin, which might cause more swelling and redness. Squeezing also can lead to scabs and might leave you with permanent pits or scars.