HEALTH

OK, let’s get the disclaimer out of the way: Popping pimples can lead to major scarring, so if you can resist the urge and artfully pile on the cover-up, you should definitely do what you can to leave the bump in tact.

If you can’t resist in the face of temptation, go ahead and pop that sucker. But follow our zit-zapping rules first, O.K.?

1. Don’t pop unless you can see (eww) the pus at the tip of the pimple. If you go at it before hand, you’re leaving yourself open to infection and an ever bigger bump that’ll hang around for ages.

2. Wash your hands. Thoroughly. With soap. Then wash your face.

3. Grab a tissue to ensure that your nails don’t damage your skin. With the tissue as a barrier, gently squeeze your pimple with the pads of your fingers, not your nails, until it pops. Push out all of the pus. See a red dot when you pull the tissue away? It’s fine, babe, just a dot of blood.

4. If your pimple isn’t bursting easily, leave it alone. Putting more force on the surrounding skin could cause blood vessels close to the surface to pop. Not pretty.

5. Once you’re finished, clean the area again with a bit of rubbing alcohol or a cleansing pad, then top with an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin or a spot treatment. Do not cover with moisturizer or makeup until the popped skin has dried up and heeled. For this reason, it’s probably best to pop zits in the evening before you go to bed.

Good luck, babe!

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by Brittany Taylor | 2/1/2016