You have probably been told by your mom to never touch a pimple or it will turn into a scar, this is partly true but letting it fester is not great either, why?
Lets start by understanding what a pimple really is...a bunch of dead cells glued together with sebium (our own oils) that grows and grows over a period of 9 weeks. This bead is called a COMEDONE and often gets stuck under the skin.
If not extracted, it can rupture the wall of the pore and debris are released into the skin inducing a gigantic inflammation that shows on your skin as a big red swollen and painful bump.
Sometimes especially is you are acne prone (sensitive to the acne bacteria) it will get infected and turn into a white mess containing pus (Pus consists of a buildup of dead, white blood cells that form when the body's immune system responds to the infection)
Scarring and pigmentation is the result of this inflammation, therefore you do not want your pimples to get to that stage!
What should you do?
1- Reduce inflammation, simply ice your pimple
2- Treat the real culprits, the micro-comedones that are working unseen beneath the surface to undermine your best efforts. As long these micro-comedones are developing, no amount of extraction will clear the skin because while you’re busy rooting out surface comedones, a new crop of pimples is already forming. Ask us about our FaceReality acne skin care.
3- Extraction is an acne cycle disruptor that promotes overall healthier skin. Done properly, it speeds the healing time of pimples, reduces future breakouts, and minimizes the chances of scarring.
But it can also be tricky. If not performed with precision and care, the process can make problems worse—inflammation, scarring, spreading of acne bacteria, to name a few.
There’s an art to extraction. It requires a steady hand, a sterile tool, an understanding of which pimple to address and which to leave alone.
Of course the best is to get extractions done by an esthetician during a facial or mandelic peel, Be smooth facials are only $60 and Mandelic peel $50!
Or DIY
The secret to successful extraction is by preconditioning the skin and loosening the comedone. The skin needs to be supple, this can be achieve by steaming your face over a pot of hot water or if you only have a few pimples by applying a wet hot cotton ball on the pimple.
Know what to extract and what to leave alone. Not every pimple is a candidate for extraction. Inflamed papules and cysts, for instance, are generally better avoided during extractions because the bead is deep in the skin and trying to root it can cause scarring. A blackhead or whitehead can be extracted easily because the pore opening is already dilated and the impaction has moved up to the surface.
We prefer you do extractions by hand , using an extractor that can easily damage the skin, same with your nails, just use the soft part of your fingers.
If you are extracting a white head or an infected pimple you must puncture the skin first otherwise you will tear the skin and create the big mess your mom was talking about!
Clean a needle with alcohol and gently pierce the pimple.
Wrap tissue paper around your two index fingers, placing them on both sides of the pimple, and gently wiggle the pimple out, pushing down and in toward the pimple to get it to pop out.
Your fingers should not be to close to the pimple, this way you can extract deeper and not leave any part of the comedone behind or you risk a papule or pustule developing.
If the "pearl" does not pop out, don’t force it. Move on to the pimple or black head. Go back to the stubborn spot after about five minutes when a small amount of swelling has developed. The swelling gives you some leverage to push against to remove the rest of the comedone.
Disinfect with alcohol or hexomedine
To help the healing after the extraction, use an ice compress for three to five minutes.
