27 replies to this topic

[tabasco]

i'm usually a support of popping pimples. i havent really had any bad scarring or anything, and my pimples almost always disapear once they are popped and start to heal. however, the latest pimple i got was on my cheek. it started as one of those little red spots with a white dot barely noticable under the surface. i waited for it to surface as i usually do, and once i thought enough white was visible i decided to pop it. for whatever compulsive reason i didnt apply hot water w/a washcloth to it before popping as i usually do. i simply squeezed it. however, this time only a small amount of white fluid came out, i know from experience that the "clog" has to come out in order for the pimple to disapear, so i tried squeezing a little harder, trying to "milk" it out. However, nothing appeared to be coming out but i'm an idiot and just squeezed harder. eventually what i think could have been the plug came out of a pore very close to where the "white dot" under the surface had been, but i wasn't sure so i just kept squeezing. Basically i just squeezed the crap out of this thing and finally gave up deciding i was doing more harm than good. I washed teh area and applied bp as i always do after popping a pimple.

Anyway, when i woke up the pimple had a little bit of pus in it so i decided to try again, remembering past times when this has happend, and ridding the pore of the plug the next morning. however, again, all that came out was a little bit of pus. By now the pimple is very purple/red looking. I really hope it doesnt turn into a cyst. I've noticed it feels kind of hard to the touch, which is unusual for me because all i really get is whiteheads. Do you think this could be turning into a cyst? is there anything i can do? Also does anyone have any experiences like this, trying to pop a pimple and making it worse? how bad did it get? this sucks, my skin was good for like a month before this.

[Julian]

It was a cyst to begin with, shouldnt have fucked around with it.. [-X

[ritzvin]

I'd put some aloe on it to help it heal a bit faster. Next time, make sure you use a lancet or pin (sterilized) first and make sure you actually get the spot before trying to squeeze it.

[fugazi]

It was a cyst from the beginning, and for now don't even dream of touching it, just overwhelm it with BP.

[dawizzyjizzy]

I pop only if I see any signs of pus (or a whitehead). The thing with me is that I scar if I pop or not so it kinda sucks for me either way.

[sullen girl]

u bastard face torturer! learn from ur lesson and NEVER do it agin.. as for this zit, DO NOT TOUCH it ..

[tabasco]

i dont know if it was a cyst to start with... to cysts ever form little whitehead type things just below the surface. my impression has always been that cysts had no pus at all. however, it was "harder" than my usual pimples, however i just figured it became hard because it was having trouble reaching the surface. o well, as of right now it appears that all the pus has stopped forming, and the swelling has reduced. now i'm just left with a redish purple spot. Hopefully it will start healing now and not turn into a huge pimple.

[sullen girl]

lalal

[Chris]

im the same way. soemtimes i pop the hardcore plug in there and it leaves a big open bloody wound on my face. not only is the whole open with clear liquid in it, but its also red in and around it

[njacobs]

It's so tempting to pop a pimple. I have learned from experience to give up if nothing comes out on the first gentle squeeze. It is also very important that you wipe the area and your hands with rubbing alcohol. A needle wiped with alcohol can make it easier to expel the gunk inside, just be careful not to overdo it. Remember that if you are squeezing and nothing is coming out, you are probably just forcing the bacteria into the surrounding skin structure which equals inflammation and more pimples. Lastly, do not use hydrogen peroxide. I used to use it all of the time, but stopped after reading that it is too destructive to delicate skin tissue.

[tabasco]

the pimple never turned into a huge cyst like i feared, it is simply a red spot that feels like a scab to the touch. i definetly caused some trauma to the area, and expect to have skin discoloration there for at least a month. but njacobs, u called it, the area right next to the pimple feels like it is begining to swell up some. its not red at all which is good, but theyres definetly some suspicious activity beneith the surface. i'm gonna learn from my past lessons to not even think about touching a bump on my face unless its obvious. once there was a little bump on my cheek, but it was not red at all, definetly not noticable from even a foot, and even up close it didnt look bad. however, when i streched teh skin i could see white beneath teh skin. it was there for about a week and a half, and for some reason i went on a pimple popping raid one night, stuck a pin into it after applying hot water, and squeezed the white stuff out. i thought i had succeded in freeing the white crap from beneath the surface. i was awesome! that white stuff was going to lead to a huge irritated pimple if i hadnt popped it, and all i had to deal with was a little red spot for a day or two. DEAD WRONG, i took all precautions regarding sterility, flaming the needle, applying hot water to the area, and dousing it in bp afterward. by the next day it was apparent that it was trouble. it had become much more red, and white pus was begining to fill it. within a few days it got so ugly i popped it again. this time nothing came back, but i was left with a red spot for a while. I thought i had learned my lesson, I was only going to pop pimples when the white pus pertruded out from my skin. I jumped the gun on this odd pimple, which i thought was a whitehead, it appeared as though it was gonna become one by later that day, i could see teh white spot beneath the surface w/o stretching the skin and it was mildly red, but only a small amount of pus came out. I wonder if this is because i didn't apply hot water to it before squeezing? I almost always do, but i was in a hurry to paint my mirror i guess. Does anyone know why hot water is applied to pimples before popping? does it actualy bring whiteheads to the surface, or does it just loosen up the skin making i pop easier?

[Animal]

if you never actually got the 'plug' out i may come back. But you have to wait! I've done the exact same thing, but you must wait for the skin to heal otherwise it could scar.

[tabasco]

what the hell... i thought it went away but i woke up yesterday and the spot was red again and had a little white spot in the center of it. i didnt pop it cause i was afraid of what happend last time, after i got out of the shower the white spot was gone but it was even more red. Today it seems to be getting better but i hate the red spot. i think it came back because a few nites ago, i forget which night specifically, i fell asleep w/o doing anything to my face, and earlier that day i dont think i used any bp. i also have two new pimples because of this, one on my cheek, where i rest my head when i sleep, and one next to my eyebrow, also where i sleep. it really sucks to be "addicted" to this regimen to the point that 1 missed day results in breakouts.. or is it just a coincidence?

[wondergirl]

I think my skin is more messed up now because of popping my pimples........ they have grown really more bigger, redder and larger in diameter, and what's worse, I know the gunk is still under the skin even if some already came out.
THEY SAY DONT PICK ON YOUR PIMPLES, BUT IF THERE IS ALREADY A YELLOW OR WHITE STUFF/HEAD THEN I GUESS THERE'S NO CHOICE BUT TO POP IT OUT. IF I LEAVE IT ALONE, WILL THE BACTERIA INSIDE NOT JUST REMAIN THERE???? I would really like to keep myself from popping out the gunk but its almost impossible not to try if the pus is in the surface already. I used to be able to do it successfully but since I've used Benzoyl Peroxide the same thing happens to me (just like yours, Tabasco). I thought I've already pooped out the gunk, only to find the area larger and more inflamed, and with a new yellow head in the morning!!! UGH... disgusting.

[aw]

Tabasco, I totally understand where you are comming from. I normally pop my pimples and they heal up nicely - no scar. The few faint scars I have are from pimples I HAVE NOT popped - so I am soooo confused about all this. :-k I have squeezed cysts in the past and now there is no trace of them - I am convinced they never would have gone if i'd just left them 8-[ That said I have had some face-picking disasters where I popped everyting at once even stuff that was not ready to pop and nobody else could see. It got all infected and I got what you are describing but it all cleared up in a week or so . Whats ur skin like? I have really fine northern european skin and I read this is more scarproof than others - or scars are more likely to be very shallow. But thanks to Dianette I am almost perfectly clear now - only 1 spot at a time. =D>

it really sucks to be \"addicted\" to this regimen to the point that 1 missed day results in breakouts.. or is it just a coincidence?

I'm a bit worried that Dan's regimen does not stop clogs from forming - so it just 'suppresses' zits rather than fixes the real problem - so if you miss for a few days and breakout again - if it was stopping clogs you wold expect at least a few weeks after stopping breakout free. It makes more sense to me to also include a hydroxy acid like SA or GA in your regimen - maybe regular exfoliation too.

[slafavers]

Interesting theory, aw....I think it would also be wise to add some kind of BHA or AHA to the regimen for exfoliation. There's always the aspirin mask (which sounds weird, I know) -- but it works. I've also read that using baking soda can be a light method of exfoliation if SA is too irritating.

Just curious, what is dianette? some new form of birth control that I haven't heard of yet? ortho tri-cyclen and yasmin didn't do a lot for my skin.

[wondergirl]

Aw, how long have you been using Dianette? I've finished a month but I've also been on Dan's regimen ...... and well my face got worse.... so now I dunno what ACTUALLY made my pimple worse.

[slafavers]

Wondergirl and aw, do you live outside of the US? Just curious b/c I am trying to research Diane-35 and I don't think its approved by the US govt -- how convenient. ](*,)

[dawizzyjizzy]

Yeah I pretty much tried to force a pimple out that wasnt ready and now Im paying the price. It feels like theres a little ball inside and it hurts to touch it. Its really red, is BP the answer or should I use something else?

[aw]

Slafavers: Yeah i'm in England. I think in the US you can only get Diane/Dianette off the internet.