Should You Pop Pimples? Risks, and What to Do Instead

No, you generally shouldn’t pop pimples yourself. Squeezing can push debris deeper into the skin, and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) warns it can lead to permanent acne scars, more noticeable and more painful acne, and infection. Dark marks that linger for months are another common result. A pimple left alone, or treated with benzoyl peroxide, a warm compress or a patch, usually settles without leaving a trace. If a spot is big, painful or urgent, a dermatologist can drain it or inject it safely. Here’s what the evidence says, including where it’s thinner than you might expect.

Why is popping pimples bad for your skin?

A pimple is a clogged, inflamed hair follicle. When you squeeze it, not everything comes out the top. The AAD explains that you’re likely to push some of what is inside (pus, dead skin cells or bacteria) deeper into your skin, which adds to the inflammation. DermNet notes that rupturing the follicle through injury such as squeezing pimples makes things worse, not better.

That extra inflammation is what drives the three main risks:

• Scarring. Scars are the skin’s response to inflammation or injury, and DermNet says picking at active acne lesions can increase the likelihood of developing acne scars. A StatPearls review for clinicians says picking may promote the development of new acne lesions and scarring.
• Dark marks (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation). These flat brown or purple marks are more common and severe in darker skin tones, and trauma such as picking can exacerbate them. Fading can take months to years. See my guide to acne scars vs dark spots to tell them apart.
• Infection. The AAD warns that popping means you run the risk of getting an infection from the bacteria on your hands.

How strong is the evidence that popping causes scars?

Here’s something most articles won’t tell you: there’s surprisingly little direct research on it. When NICE reviewed the evidence on scarring risk factors for its 2021 acne guideline, it found no studies looking at picking, scratching or squeezing, and noted that overall the evidence was very limited. The factors that did show up were acne severity and delays in treatment: in a US study of 1,960 dermatology patients included in the review, severe or very severe acne was linked to 6.5 times the odds of scarring, and waiting 3 or more years for effective treatment to 2.8 times the odds. NICE rated that study as having a moderate risk of bias.

NICE’s committee still advised telling people that persistent picking or scratching of acne lesions can increase the risk of scarring, based on clinical experience and how scars form. I think that’s reasonable. The mechanism makes sense, every dermatology body gives the same advice, and the downside of not picking is zero. Just know the advice rests on expert consensus rather than trials. The bigger lever for preventing scars is getting effective treatment early, since the risk of scarring increases with the severity and duration of acne.

What do dermatologists do instead of popping?

Dermatologists do remove some spots, but with sterile tools, the right timing and training. The AAD says acne surgery should only be done by a board-certified doctor who is trained and skilled in performing acne surgery, to avoid scarring and infection.

According to the AAD, during extraction a dermatologist uses sterilized equipment to clean out your pores, and a corticosteroid injection will flatten most acne nodules or cysts within 48 to 72 hours. The 2024 AAD guideline includes intralesional injections for larger lesions among its best-practice points, but the AAD’s patient page notes dermatologists reserve this procedure for treating a few severe acne breakouts. DermNet mentions that surgical treatments are sometimes recommended to remove persistent comedones, including cautery.

Timing is part of the skill. For incision and drainage, the AAD notes that the key to clearing a pimple with incision and drainage is to do this at the right time. A spot that isn’t ready will just be injured, which is exactly what happens when most of us squeeze in front of a bathroom mirror. And removing one spot, however skillfully, does nothing to stop the next one forming. If you find yourself wanting spots removed often, that’s a sign your everyday routine needs an upgrade, not that you need more extractions.

What should you do with a pimple instead of popping it?

• Hands off. The AAD’s first tip is simple: touching, picking and popping can worsen acne.
• Warm compress for deep, painful spots. The AAD suggests a warm, damp washcloth for 10 to 15 minutes, three times a day.
• Ice for pain. The AAD notes that ice reduces inflammation. Wrap it in a cloth. A Cleveland Clinic dermatologist points out that ice and heat only temporarily ease the discomfort; medication does more.
• Dab on an acne treatment. The AAD’s deep-pimple advice lists products with adapalene, azelaic acid, benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. The Cleveland Clinic dermatologist’s advice is to spot-treat the pimple with benzoyl peroxide and then leave it alone. More in my benzoyl peroxide guide.
• Try a pimple patch. A hydrocolloid patch covers the spot so you can’t pick it. The evidence on patches is limited; I’ve covered it in my pimple patches article.
• Protect from sun. UV light can darken marks; StatPearls calls daily broad-spectrum sunscreen a foundation of treating dark spots.

One important caveat: spot-treating individual pimples won’t stop new ones forming. The AAD says treating only what you see fails to prevent new breakouts, so if you get pimples regularly, a whole-face routine matters more than any spot fix.

What if you can’t stop picking?

Almost everyone picks sometimes. But if you pick so often that it leaves sores, scabs or scars, and you can’t stop even when you want to, it may be excoriation (skin-picking) disorder. The Merck Manual estimates that approximately 2 to 3% of people have it at any given time, and pimples are among the things people commonly pick. It’s treatable: cognitive-behavioral therapy tailored to skin picking, including habit reversal training, is the psychotherapy of choice. Telling your doctor about picking isn’t embarrassing; it helps them treat both the acne and the habit. NICE also advises referral to a specialist for acne linked to persistent psychological distress or a mental health disorder.

When is a spot not just a pimple?

A hot, swollen, very painful lump that keeps growing may be a boil or skin infection rather than acne. MedlinePlus advises: never squeeze a boil or try to cut it open at home, because this can spread infection. It recommends seeing a provider if a boil is on your face or spine, doesn’t heal within a week, or comes with a fever, red streaks coming out from the sore or other signs of infection. Deep, painful acne nodules and cysts also shouldn’t be squeezed; my guide to cystic acne covers treatment options.

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