Well, firstly there are three very good reasons to restrain yourself and not pop...

1. You can cause damage to your skin

2. If the pus is not close enough to the surface, you can force it deeper into your skin. This will result in a big irritated cyst that will take much longer to go away.

3. Touching acne makes it last longer and creates more acne.

Acne areas tend to be inflammed, red, sore and swollen. The more you touch irritated skin, the more irritated it becomes. The more irritated and swollen the skin, the more liklihood of acne in the surrounding pores and the longer the current acne will take to clear.

When I talk about touching I am talking about anything at all touching the acne area. This includes;
- Fingers and other skin
- Clothing
- Towels and wash cloths
- Wash sponges
- Application of cosmetics
- Razors

Some of these are very hard to avoid however if you are aware of it, the less likely you are to irritate it and the less likely your acne is to continue.

So you've considered all of this, however the pimple is right on the end of your nose and it is so enormous you simply can't help yourself and you have decided to pop it anyway. What next?

Well, there are some things you can do to limit damage.

- Wash your hands
- Gently apply a warm facecloth or take a warm shower to soften the skin and open your pores
- Cleanse as per The Acne Treatment Programme
- Sterilise a needle by running it through a flame
- Gently prick the tip of the pimple with the needle
- Wrap a clean tissue around each index finger
- Gently apply pressure to the sides of the pimple and ease out the pus. If the pus does not come out easily, stop, the pimple is not close enough to the surface of the skin to pop.
- Stop once the pus is out and/or clear fluid comes out. Do not continue or the pore will bleed and this could cause scarring.

Never squeeze a cyst, pustule or papule. Squeezing these will result in further infection. Also, never squeeze a pimple if it looks like it is developing into a cystic lesion. See your doctor.