Should You Pop A Spot?
- Emmaline Tsui
- Apr 7
- 2 min read
We've all been there—standing in front of the mirror, staring at an angry red blemish, debating whether to squeeze it or leave it alone. While the best answer is almost always don’t touch it, I understand that no one wants to walk around with a big whitehead on their face. So, if you must pop a pimple, here’s how to do it safely—and when you should absolutely leave it alone.
When to Keep Your Hands Off
If you have a painful, red bump under the skin (like a nodule or cyst), do not touch it. These deep, inflamed blemishes have already ruptured beneath the surface, meaning there’s nothing to extract. Squeezing them will only push the inflammation deeper, leading to more swelling, longer healing time, and an increased risk of scarring.
Even if the spot has a whitehead, leaving it alone is still the best option. The redness and soreness around a blemish is actually your immune system’s response—the follicle has already exploded inside the skin, and inflammation is your body’s way of clearing up the damage.
If You Absolutely Have to Pop It...
If you're determined to get rid of a whitehead, here’s how to do it with minimal damage:
Wash your hands thoroughly—dirty hands introduce bacteria and increase the risk of infection.
Wrap your fingers in a clean tissue to avoid causing extra irritation with your nails.
Gently squeeze using your fingertips (not your nails) and apply even pressure from both sides of the pimple.
Stop immediately if blood appears—this means you've gone too far. Over-squeezing will only make the inflammation worse.
Apply a spot treatment like Nimue Active Blemish Control, which helps to decongest the skin, regulate oil production, and soothe inflammation.
Use my ice roller to calm any redness and reduce swelling.
What Happens After You Pop a Pimple?
Once a blemish has been squeezed, the healing process begins—but your skin is now vulnerable. Here’s how to prevent further irritation and scarring:
Avoid touching the area—let it heal naturally without picking at scabs.
Always apply SPF—the Nimue Sun-C SPF 40 protects healing skin and prevents post-inflammatory pigmentation (those dark marks that linger long after the spot is gone).
Be patient—even if you don’t pop a pimple, the healing process can take up to 13 days as your body flushes out the inflammation.
What About Preventing Spots in the First Place?
The best way to deal with spots is to stop them before they even appear. Since we can’t predict exactly when a breakout will happen, using the right products regularly is key. If you're struggling with frequent breakouts, my skin check-in service is completely free—just fill out this short form, and I’ll personally recommend the best products for your skin. No Zoom calls, no appointments—just real advice tailored to your skin concerns.
I do get asked a lot about pimple squeezing so I thought I'd share another post on the topic. Lik I say, if you have to squeeze then do so, but try not to pick and squeeze just for the sake of it... and never try and squeeze the red lumps!
I hope you've found this useful,
Thank you so much for reading,
Emmaline
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