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How To Properly Pop a Pimple

BellaSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:00:18 -0700

We've all been warned at some point or another about the dangers of popping our own pimples (scarring! infection! irritation!), but the truth is, we do it anyway. If you're going to pop, you might as well know the right way to go about it.

First up, a word about which pimples are okay to squeeze, and which ones to keep your itchy little paws away from. A good rule of thumb is that you should only pop blemishes that have very distinct, white heads. This sort of blemish is common in cases of mild to moderate acne. Never try to pop something that does not have a white head, no matter how painful, red, or raised it is. Nothing will come out, and you will only make the pain and irritation worse.

Ready to get started? Then read more.

STEP 1: Be sure to start with a freshly scrubbed face and hands. I thought this one was common sense, until a friend told me about the staph infection she got from popping a pimple in an airport bathroom with unwashed hands. Ew.
STEP 2: Using a hot compress of some sort (such as a washcloth soaked in hot water), apply heat and pressure to the area of the pimple for at least a minute. This helps soften the skin around the blemish, allowing for an easier extraction.
STEP 3: Some advocate using Q-Tips, or even needles, to do the actual job. It's hard to get a good grip on the skin with a Q-Tip, and anything with a needle should be left to someone with a medical degree. I prefer toilet paper-wrapped fingertips, myself. It keeps the process sterile, and allows you to get a controlled grip on the skin surrounding the blemish.
STEP 4: Time to squeeze! The #1 most important thing to keep in mind is that you want to squeeze the contents of the zit upwards. If you don't get underneath the zit, you risk it rupturing downward into your skin, which causes further infection (and possibly, a painful cyst). Grip either side of the blemish and gently apply pressure with your fingertips, not your nails. If it is ready to pop, you shouldn't need more than gentle pressure. If you find yourself pinching the skin too tightly with nothing to show for it, the blemish just wasn't ready. Leave it alone and try again tomorrow. If the blemish pops, you can give it an additional squeeze or two (but that's it!) to get everything out. Once it starts expelling clear liquid or a small amount of blood, it's time to stop.
STEP 5: After you have finished squeezing, gently dab the area clean with an alcohol-based toner or cleansing pad. Don't put makeup over the blemish while it is still open and oozing! (This is basically the equivalent of stuffing dirt down into the open pore.) For this reason, it's best to save the popping for evenings, rather than before leaving for work in the morning. I prefer to let the pimple dry out a bit, and then apply a mild topical antibiotic such as Neosporin to help kill any infection-causing bacteria. Some people prefer to use an acne spot treatment. Either way, be sure to avoid any pore clogging products, including moisturizers, primers, and the like, until the lesion has dried completely.

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How-To: Bring a Pimple to a Head

BellaSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:00:36 -0700

Pimples under the surface of the skin can be painful, annoying, and just plain stubborn. Recently, a reader contacted me about an unfortunate case of an under-the-surface pimple on the chin. "I've tried a deep-cleansing pore mask, alcohol wipes, and soaking it with hot water and no luck," she said. Making a hot compress to apply to the problem area is one of my favorite ways to bring a pimple to a head, but since it doesn't seem to be working in this instance, I've done a little research on the topic. Find out how to get that pimple out fast when you read more.

These Celebrities Bite!

BellaSugarUK — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Admit it. Even if you're aren't a self-proclaimed nail biter, from time to time, your nerves get the best of you and you attack your claws like corn on the cob. There's nothing to be ashamed of, because believe it or not, 50% of people between the ages of 10 and 18 bite their nails. I'm guilty of enaging in this bad habit along with many others like popping pimples and picking at ingrown hairs, and despite being perfectly manicured on the red carpet, celebrities bite their nails too. Take your best guess and see if you can guess which of these beauties are biters.

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Girl-Grooming Is Booming. (Or Is It?)

BellaSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:00:41 -0700

Do you remember the first time you became interested in beauty products? While I played with peel-off nail polish and occasionally painted my mom's nails, it wasn't really until I was in junior high that I busted out the Bonne Bell and Rave hairspray. Anything beyond that just wasn't allowed via my parents' strict rules.

These days, girls get grooming much earlier. A recent Newsweek article reports on the growing trend of today's youth taking it to an obsessive, way-too-mature level. Pop culture has long valued appearance, but the pursuit of "perfection" means that girls are worrying about their looks long before they hit puberty. With fourth-graders receiving $50 haircuts, kindergartner pedicure parties, and 8-year-olds getting bikini waxes, haven't we crossed the line into scary territory? Experts blame Photoshop, makeover programs, and the prevalence of cosmetic surgery (and, I'd add, porn culture).

For my take on the issue, read more.

As therapist Susie Orbach notes in her recently released book, Bodies ($11), the danger of appearance obsession is that girls won't develop self-esteem from their skills, talents, and accomplishments. "It primes little girls to think they should diet and dream about the cosmetic-surgery options available to them, and it makes body the primary place for self-identity," she says.

Then again, the "girls are growing up too fast" meme is a perennial favorite for magazines, and I have to wonder how common these girl-grooming activities are. While I definitely think girls grow up faster these days than I did, the girls I know are more into books, soccer, and drawing than primping. Are they the exception or the rule?

I know it seems strange for someone who loves beauty to decry girls' obsession with their looks, but here's the thing: my parents encouraged me to be creative and to study in school, so I found most of my value in accomplishments instead of the way I look. As an adult, primping is something fun, but my day isn't ruined if I have a few pimples. (Beauty is just the icing on my cake of self-esteem.) So whether glamour girls are everywhere or not, what can we do to help them develop confidence that doesn't rely on fitting an impossible beauty ideal?

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Eight Great Tips From the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual

BellaSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:00:53 -0800

As a long-time admirer of Bobbi Brown's no-nonsense approach to makeup, I knew I was in for some serious beauty education when I opened the bright fuchsia-colored cover of her fifth book, the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual.

Chock full of tips, the book proves that Brown knows her stuff. You'll have to pick up a copy to truly get a sense of her style and approach to beauty, but in the meantime, I've put together a list of my top eight favorites below:

ACE it - Don't forget your antioxidant vitamins: A for aging, C for clarity, and E for environmental protection.
Go lighter - When it comes to under-eye concealers, go one to two shades lighter than your foundation. If your under eye circles are rather dark, use a corrector before. Depending on your skin tone, pick a pale pink for the fairest skin to dark peach for the deepest toned skin.
Set and forget - Set your concealer with powder (yellow toned for most, white for very fair) to actually prevent under-eye caking.

To see the rest, read more.

Bye-bye blemish - Don't use your under-eye concealer to cover pimples. Dab on an oil-free cover stick in the same color as your foundation instead.
Pop of blush - We all know to choose a blush shade that's the natural color of your flushed skin. so, if you find that your blush is fading too fast, perk it up by applying a bright pop of color over it.
Choose your color - The best lip color will be about a shade deeper than your natural lip tone. You'll know it when you see it because your face will look brighter.
Out of line - If you have dark under-eye circles, don't line them. Just conceal up to the lash line and apply mascara
Black eye - Layer black liner on top of your everyday liner for a sexier look.

Too Close For Comfort?

DearSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:03:06 -0700

I know many couples that do it, but I can say with certainty that you'll never catch me popping anyone's pimples but my own! Call me squirmish if you will, but I happen to think some things should be maintained and taken care of solo, in the privacy of your own bathroom, and popping your zits is one of them. Clearly Rihanna and Chris Brown disagree, so tell me, are you and your significant other pimple poppers or do you prefer to take care of such personal matters alone?

Bauer-Griffin Online

Baby Bump: Coping With Pregnancy Acne

LilSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:00:03 -0800

Stop seeing spots and start enjoying your pregnancy. It's upsetting for an expectant mama to find her once flawless skin covered in blemishes, but instead of committing to nine months of hats and big sunglasses, there are a few things a mommy-to-be can do to keep her skin (and her confidence level) in check.

Don't overwash your face - two times a day is plenty. Avoid scrubbing your face with a cloth; just use your hands to gently wash off the suds.
As always, avoid squeezing and popping your pimples. You may end up with some pregnancy scars, but I doubt you'll want them to be on your face.

There are other great tips so read more.

Use a mild cleanser and an oil-free moisturizer. Look for products that are labeled "noncomedogenic" or "nonacnegenic," such as Cetaphil. Or you could splurge for specially formulated cleansers like those from Belli ($22).
Talk to your OBGYN or dermatologist before using medicated gels or lotions with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid in them. These ingredients have not been cleared as safe during pregnancy, and your doc may advise an alternate solution.
Above all, don't let what's happening on the outside let you lose sight of the amazing thing taking place on the inside. Acne during pregnancy, while a nuisance, is completely normal and should clear up after your bundle of joy is born.

Did you get blemishes when you were pregnant?

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New Product Alert: Zeno Mini

BellaSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:32 -0700

Pimple-stopping devices are great - if you can afford to shell out the big bucks for them. In fact, in comparing Zeno to Thermaclear, one of my main complaints about the otherwise awesome Zeno was its price. Oh, but times have changed!

Zeno has recently released a smaller version of its zit-zapping device. The Zeno Mini ($89) is petite and portable, but it still helps stop pimples from forming. Aside from the lower price, it's great because it's powered by AAA batteries; the original Zeno needs to be charged, and there are times when it would be out of juice right when Krakatoa was about to erupt on my chin. Now all I have to do is pop in a battery and stop that bad mutha from getting any bigger. Plus, how much does the new design look like Eve from Wall-E? So cute, and much more budget-friendly!

Do You Have a Beauty Bad Habit?

BellaSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:00:11 -0700

A bad habit is an undesirable behavior pattern, like whipping out the credit card a bit too often during those late night infomercials or spending a mind boggling amount of time on the Wii. But what about beauty - do you have any bad habits you'd like to break? Whether it's pimple popping or nail biting, what's your worst vice? Such a delightful topic, no?

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Just in Time for Breakfast: All About Sebaceous Cysts

BellaSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:00:54 -0700

Most people don't get too disgusted by run-of-the-mill skin problems such as blackheads or cystic acne. But bring up sebaceous cysts, and things get messy. While these skin annoyances are generally harmless, they're also not so attractive - and they love to linger for months.

Sebaceous cysts usually pop up near the ears, neck, back and face, but don't mistake it for a pimple. Even though it's filled with sebum, it won't come to a head the way most blemishes do. That's because it isn't a clogged pore; instead, imagine a waxy goo-filled sac under your skin. They're two totally different things.

Although sebaceous cysts aren't a health hazard, they're unsightly - and in some cases, they can become very tender and painful. To find out how to treat them, read more.

As I mentioned before, sebaceous cysts aren't pimples, so topical acne treatments won't do a thing. Squeezing them isn't a good idea; it's probably too painful to do so anyway, so don't put yourself through it. (Although you might technically be able to make the cyst burst, you're likely to experience major blood seepage, infection, and scarring. Not worth it.)

One option is to have a physician surgically remove the cyst, but before going down that route, try treating it at home. Run a washcloth under very hot water for a few seconds, wring out the extra water, and press the hot, damp cloth against the cyst. Repeat as necessary for five to ten minutes. By undergoing this process twice a day for a week or so, the waxy sebum inside liquifies and drains over time.

Sorry to ruin your breakfast, everyone.