In the last post we talked about how some tips for healing and concealing your acne. In this post we are going to talk about the real reason why you should stop yourself from popping your pimples.
As we well know acne comes in many forms, but basically blemishes can be classified into two types, inflammatory and non-inflammatory.
Inflammatory blemishes
Inflammatory blemishes are classified mostly as papules and pustules. Papules are pinkish in color and tender to the touch. Pustules are small and round lesion like pimples with a red base and a yellowish center. Nodules or cysts also fall into this category. They are large and extremely painful and tend to leave scars, making them one of the most severe forms of acne.
Non-inflammatory blemishes
A non-inflammatory blemish are classified as whiteheads and blackheads, also called closed comodones and open comodones respectively. Whiteheads are plugged follicles below the surface of the skin, while blackheads are enlarged plugs that look like minute black spots and push through the skin’s surface.
A common myth about acne is that squeezing blackheads can clear up the acne faster. This advice is not only false, but following it can also cause long-lasting damage to the skin.
As tempting as it can be, squeezing comedones can injure the sebaceous follicle as well as the tissue around it, forcing the contents and bacteria, deeper into the skin. This can and often does result in inflammation and infection. On the other hand, a fully developed blackhead will not become inflamed when you leave it alone.
Squeezing, or popping whiteheads can cause even more damage. As I mentioned above, this action will only force the bacteria deep down into the pore’s of your skin causing the blemish to become inflamed, infected and even impacted leading to permanent skin damage.
For the most part, whiteheads are relatively small and often can’t even be seen without close inspection in a magnifying mirror. Most of the time they are simply felt as roughness on the surface of the skin. These minuscule blemishes are much more likely to become inflamed and evolve into pustule’s or papule’s when irritated than blackheads are, so no popping!
When whiteheads evolve into papules or pustules, they should be treated very delicately. If they don’t heal within an adequate amount of time they should be seen by a dermatologist especially if they become infected.
For most of us it is hard to resist the urge to squeeze and pop our blemishes. It takes a lot of self-control to simply leave them alone, to heal themselves. However, most blemishes will heal within seven days, so the next time you find yourself in the mirror getting ready to pop your pimple, remind yourself it will be gone in a few short days, if you just leave it alone!
In the next post, we will be talking about the underlying causes and treatment options for adult acne.