I know it's bacteria. But what causes the bacteria? The acne would have to be irritated in some way and altered from its original form into something else in order to get that way.

Using this line of thinking, anything we do to the said acne to touch it, or squeeze it, would make it worse. It might look better in the short term but in the long term it would make it look bad. Ice, and other things help calm the irritation of the skin and make it look more normal. Over doing ice would also irritate the skin.

Overwashing would also irritate it. Being too rough on it, pushing it, and doing all other kinds of things, and picking on it, all can irritate the skin.

When you pop a whitehead and you see red marks, that's because you've irritated it.

Am I understanding it right now? I'm dealing with something that looks like either a bug bite or a boil, or just big acne, and, I think I'm starting to understand what it is.