51 replies to this topic

[roxy712]

Newbie here...

I'll get occasional cysts, recently it seems I have a ton cropping up on my face, but sometime a really *huge* one will come along - you know, the kind you can feel growing. Yuck!

Now, I know it's not 100% kosher, but I'll admit it - I've sometimes taken a sterilized needle to drain the cyst and then hydrocortisone ointment-ed the hell out of it. Sometimes it works, sometimes not-so-much... but to be honest, I think the worst damage it's caused is a small red mark that eventually fades.

I've had cysts injected before and it's worked wonderfully - no damage to the skin whatsoever. On the other hand... last time I went to the evil Derm Doc, I had her inject two humongoid ones, and I swear she used a 7 gauge needle on them... surprise, surprise, I now have two dents in my face.

Okay, now, 'fess up! Am I the only "sinner" here?

[AcneSuksAss]

whenever i use a sterilized(heated boiled cleaned with alcohol) needle to prick open a cyst that is right at the surface i drain a huge amount of the gross stuff but it just fills back up the next day
why????????? why doest it just shrink after the puss is gone????????????????

[rian202003]

please don't do this!!

i have lots of self inflicted scarring that has totally ruined my life as a result of popping cysts.

it causes misery ,

go to your gp or derm and get it injected or lanced.

[glosoli&heima]

i admit i do it. but not really cysts...more pustules that won't pop and it's painful to squeeze. a little needle prick jus helps it along. sometimes i do go a bit mad though...i think i should stop...

[Elsewhere]

I have done this in the past, always with disasterous results......

[HolisticJane]

The only time I do this if it has come to a complete head or it's stuck around for more than 2 weeks, You can leave scarring, so you have to know that ahead of time. Often times it does more harm than good because you spread the bacteria around after popping. I do use Hibiclens to thoroughly clean the popped cysts and then use an antiseptic on top and let it dry. Keeps the bacteria from moving elsewhere. Personally I thin you should just leave it alone unless you get a doctor to do it for you.

[adell]

yes. ive done it. not a good idea, leaves a lovley scar to remember how silly it was to pop it.
Resist the temptation, if its that bad, see a doc to lance it.

[AcneAdviser]

Im just wondering, has anyone ever bought their own Syringe and tried sucking out watever is inside a pimple? it might work but i personally dont wanna be the test dummie. haha

Oh and by the way you know peroxide that sh*t that foams and stings like a b*tch when you spray it on your grazes and cuts well you should spray that on a pimple after you pop it, its really good it get deep down into the wound.

[adell]

Im just wondering, has anyone ever bought their own Syringe and tried sucking out watever is inside a pimple? it might work but i personally dont wanna be the test dummie. haha

Oh and by the way you know peroxide that sh*t that foams and stings like a b*tch when you spray it on your grazes and cuts well you should spray that on a pimple after you pop it, its really good it get deep down into the wound.

Oh god no!!! eeeekkkkk
the sewing needle thing was bad enough. I can tell you from personal experience, that peroxide sh*t is not good, it will ensure a nice big ice pick type scar.
Im sure a hypo syringe would not be the right tool to empty/ drain a pimple. OUCH.
please dont do this.

[geekygal]

It's pretty pointless to try to pop a cyst, in my experience, unless you plan on making a BIG FREAKING HOLE in your face to expose the entire bump... otherwise, it's just gonna re-fill with pus.

That said, this thing is awesome for getting rid of stuff that has come to a head. The lancet stays sharp, so it can make teeny tiny unnoticeable incisions from an angle that doesn't hurt. I don't really use the cup-shaped end at all, though, because I've never had any luck with that. (Also, don't ever use one of the flat "loop" extractors -- those just hurt like a bitch and push the bacteria further into your skin!)

[wenc3160]

Newbie here...

I'll get occasional cysts, recently it seems I have a ton cropping up on my face, but sometime a really *huge* one will come along - you know, the kind you can feel growing. Yuck!

Now, I know it's not 100% kosher, but I'll admit it - I've sometimes taken a sterilized needle to drain the cyst and then hydrocortisone ointment-ed the hell out of it. Sometimes it works, sometimes not-so-much... but to be honest, I think the worst damage it's caused is a small red mark that eventually fades.

I've had cysts injected before and it's worked wonderfully - no damage to the skin whatsoever. On the other hand... last time I went to the evil Derm Doc, I had her inject two humongoid ones, and I swear she used a 7 gauge needle on them... surprise, surprise, I now have two dents in my face.

Okay, now, 'fess up! Am I the only "sinner" here?

I am an admitted "sinner" of picking cysts. I use a sewing needle to poke it and it will help it come up to the surface but unfortunately the more you pick the more it spreads. Believe me when I say this. I have had cysts in a localized area because I keep trying to get them out. I have been to five derms, tried numerous meds, topicals, etc. The best thing is not to pick, apply a topical like clindagel or even a nonpresciption cream like neopsporin, has anti-biotic properties, and leave them alone. You may think it looks better if you can get it out but after five years of picking and digging the suckers out, I know have to have surgery (haven't determined which way to go yet) to have the skin corrected becuase I have actual tissue loss from digging. It is like a 1 1/2 inch line in which the skin above it puffed up because of the tissue loss underneath. So please resist the temptation to pick, you will be much happier down the road when the cysts do heal.

[Siava]

I've done this once and only once because I gave myself a pit scar. I couldn't help it though. It was the biggest one I'd ever had in my life. It got so big and swollen with fluid that the skin was almost transparant. Talk about disgusting and embarrassing!

[Cecelia]

Oh, PLEASE, don't use hydrogen peroxide. It's very caustic to delicate skin tissue.

The only thing that I ever use hydrogen peroxide on is an abrasion that has debris in it (like road rash) and always at 50% dilution, never more than once and followed by lots and lots of normal saline to rinse.

[Robbie]

I had a pretty rough one form like right on my cheek bone towards the very end of the football season last year. It grew, I messed with it, made it worse, and the skin around it had a sort of purplish hue to it. I was chillin with 3 gals n this dude and lo and behold, the dude points out that i had purple stuff on my cheek. That wasn't easy to play off.

Bottom line is I got pretty pissed with the thing, so for like 2 weeks me n that monster waged total war. Almost every night I would squeeze it, and sure enough every night it would have filled back up with pus and blood with a great deal of the latter becoming something like a waterfall of blood sliding down my cheek. You woulda thought I was bleedin to death.

It finally went away after awhile but made sure to leave a nice, deep reminder of the battles.

[iLlievee]

Lol. This reminds me of my friend. She did it in the past and shared her experience, telling me the whole process even the gross stuffs. She did not sterilized the needle and there was no infection/scar on her face. I nv did try that though, because i cannot bear risking my face to more damages funny gd ole days.

[acne_battle]

please don't do this!!

i have lots of self inflicted scarring that has totally ruined my life as a result of popping cysts.

it causes misery ,

go to your gp or derm and get it injected or lanced.

Hmmm lancing it! I never thought of that! I have a derm appointment tomorrow. I will ask him if he can do that but before I ask, what are the pros and cons of getting a cyst lanced? Ive had cysts injected with cortisone! Last year, I had a derm appointment and my derms PA injected ten cysts at one time! One of them left a really ugly dent which a year later is still there and hasnt filled in

[mameha]

I have! Multiple times. Fortunately, it worked to my favor and I lucked out in not having any scars afterwards.

One time I had this large (very painful) pimple on my forehead that wasn't backing down after several weeks. It throbbed often and was really starting to bug me.

So I took a sewing needle even though the pimple hadn't come to a head and positioned it directly in the middle of the bump. The point punctured the skin and the needle slid in with no resistance (ahhhh). There was a bit of clear fluid followed by a good deal of yellow-white pus after squeezing. It healed quickly afterwards.

[BrenOne]

I've been there - but I've resisted the urge... I swear I've used more ice and popped more ibuprofen to no avail on cysts. I'm glad I only get the really huge ones ocassionally. I think it'd be a bad idea because of the likelihood of scars... But then if I had regular cysts I'm sure the stress would make me think again...

[tyler_t.]

I used to do this before Accutane. I would numb the cyst a bit with ice, boil the needle and sterilize it with alcohol. Then after I popped it, I would gently squeeze till the puss stopped coming out, then put a thick coat of Proactiv Refining Sulf Mask on it, the next morning, pimple was gone without a mark of it ever being there!!

I have! Multiple times. Fortunately, it worked to my favor and I lucked out in not having any scars afterwards.

One time I had this large (very painful) pimple on my forehead that wasn't backing down after several weeks. It throbbed often and was really starting to bug me.

So I took a sewing needle even though the pimple hadn't come to a head and positioned it directly in the middle of the bump. The point punctured the skin and the needle slid in with no resistance (ahhhh). There was a bit of clear fluid followed by a good deal of yellow-white pus after squeezing. It healed quickly afterwards.

That sounds awesome!! I bet you were relieved. Even reading your popping story made me stress free and I for some odd reason gave a sigh of relief.

[mameha]

I used to do this before Accutane. I would numb the cyst a bit with ice, boil the needle and sterilize it with alcohol. Then after I popped it, I would gently squeeze till the puss stopped coming out, then put a thick coat of Proactiv Refining Sulf Mask on it, the next morning, pimple was gone without a mark of it ever being there!!

That sounds awesome!! I bet you were relieved. Even reading your popping story made me stress free and I for some odd reason gave a sigh of relief.

LOL yeah I like getting vicarious pleasure from zit popping stories too (and videos).

That Proactiv mask is awesome, only downside was my face smelled like a fart all day.