So You Picked a Pimple, Now What?

We know, we know. Picking our pimples is the ultimate no-no. But does that stop us every time? Absolutely not. Because we are only human. Sometimes we can’t help ourselves, it just looks so ripe and ready … oh wait, not so much. Or maybe we’re anxious. Maybe quarantine has us spending way too much time in front of the mirror, obsessing.

First of all, oops. Yeah, it’s not ideal that we picked at that pimple. Most of the time, we’ve made it way worse than it was before said picking sesh. We cause scarring, barrier damage, redness, inflammation, and a spot that will take twice (if not more) as long to fade now. OK, so now that step 1, aka acceptance, is out of the way, what do we do about it?

Stacy Sitko of Yarrow Skincare Collective knows a thing or two about dealing with breakouts, and she has the kind of smooth complexion you can trust to tell you the truth. She wants to know, first things first, were your hands clean? Picking a pimple is creating an open wound on your face, after all.

Clean up your act.

If your hands weren’t clean at the scene of the crime, “be sure to cleanse your skin to avoid a new pimple from forming. My go-to option for this is the iS Clinical Warming Honey Cleanser. Honey is naturally antibacterial, hydrating, and healing. So you’ll get the area cleansed and also speed along the healing process.” You can also follow up with a pure manuka honey mask for some intensified antibacterial and healing ingredients directly on your sad spots.

Evaluate the carnage.

Sitko asks, “Did you cause a huge tear in the skin? This will no doubt lead to a scab and possible scar. The best thing to do is encourage it to heal. This means, try not to pick the scab. Scabs are more likely to lead to scars when they have continuously been reopened. You can use some Eminence Organic Facial Recovery Oil at night to help the area heal. Also, know that if you don’t get all the infection out, you will form a whitehead under the scab. Try not to pop it because it will likely rip the scab off. Most often, when the scab is ready to come off naturally, the whitehead will go with it.”

Tighten things up.

“Did you get out some blackheads and now your pores look enlarged? Use a tightening treatment that will minimize pore size temporarily. I love DMK pore-reduction drops. Not only do they reduce pore size but they are anti-inflammatory, so they help get rid of any redness caused by the squeezing.” DMK is not available online, so we’ll have to contact an aesthetician like Sitko directly. However, there are tons of great pore-minimizing options on the market, like the iconic Hanacure.

Ice, ice, baby.

“Did you squeeze and squeeze and end up with a massive lump under your skin? This means the infection burst into the surrounding tissue. Ice it! This will help the swelling go down and also trigger your skin’s natural healing response.” Icing is also great for any inflammation, so if you’re trying hard not to pick a pimple, ice it after steaming and masking for best results.

LED at home.

“If picking is an addiction you just can’t quit, I highly recommend investing in an at-home LED device. Use blue to kill the bacteria in the infected area and red to speed up your skin’s healing process.”