advice for pimple pickers – don’t do it!

Everyone gets pimples. No matter how good or bad a person’s skin is, the white-tipped menace will rear its ugly head at some point. As tempting as it is to seek violent revenge on your skin’s invader, popping pimples is unhealthy and comes with many risks. Don’t forget that when you’re popping a pimple, you’re really attacking your own skin to try and get at what’s underneath it. When you think about it in these terms, you can start to see how it may be self-destructive. We understand that at times there is nothing more satisfying than finally getting rid of that sucker that has been blemishing your face for the past few days, but patience and restraint is necessary when dealing with pimples.

Why You Shouldn’t Pick

Pimples form because of harmful bacterial substances getting into your pores. Often times when people pick at them, they are further pushing the substances into their skin. This is not only unhelpful but counterproductive in the pimple fighting process. The body knows what it is doing, and it is getting all of the bad stuff clumped up and pushing it out itself to give you clear, healthy skin—don’t interfere.

Even if you do happen to get the bad stuff out, that could be more problematic than had you not. The substances in a pimple are exactly what cause the pimple and pus to form—they are not good for your pores. Popping a pimple often leads to spewing the contamination in the pus to the neighboring pores of where your pimple was. There are approximately 20,000 pores on a human face, so the chances of spreading the bacteria are very high if you don’t take precaution when removing a pimple.

This, of course, is all assuming that a pimple is even ready to be treated. One of the most common mistakes that people make in assessing their pimples is that it is time for them to go before they are ready. This means that 1) not all of the bacteria have been excavated yet, and 2) you’re clawing primarily at skin when you try to pop. If you’ve tried and failed at picking pimples in the past, you know that all that comes from a failed wave of attempts is frustration and puffy, red skin all around the warzone that you have clearly marked on your face. When nails enter the equation, you even can leave lacerations or imprints. Picking at a pimple, when done untimely or with nails, can lead to scarring, especially if done repeatedly. The skin is never able to fully heal as a cycle begins in which a pimple keeps starting to form because the skin hasn’t been given enough time to depose of its harmful bacteria.

I’m Convinced, But How Do I Stop?

This is the challenging part. Most people know, either from personal experience or other means, they shouldn’t pick at pimples or scabs, especially on their face. That doesn’t make it much easier to stop though. There is something calming or therapeutic in picking, even if it only a mindless behavior. Picking, like biting nails, becomes more likely in certain people when they are stressed, bored, thinking deeply, or engaged in some other action that is taking their attention, such as watching a movie or reading this post (STOP PICKING!).

Since picking can be such an unthinking behavior, one of the best ways to combat it is to set reminders for you. Many professionals suggest putting post-it notes on your standard bathroom mirror to remind yourself not to pick, or even tell friends and family to yell at you when you’re doing it. The need for these things will vary with the level of difficulty you have with picking, but if you want to go full-out you could even post harmful pictures of what picking your skin can do to your face. Beyond this it is just a matter of recognition and willpower.

For tips on the proper way to remove a pimple when it is ready check out the following link, here!