Comments on: Go Ahead, Pop That Pimple—Just Be Careful How You Do It!

By: Patti Black

Patti Black — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:39:04 +0000

I agree that most adults can be trusted to remove blackheads if educated properly and they take proper care, but this advice neglects several important factors! First, if you need to remove blackheads and pustules on a DAILY basis there is a good probability that you are one of those women who are constantly staring in the mirror, scrutinizing every flaw in your complexion while absent mindedly stroking and touching these flaws with your dirty, oily fingers. No offense, but we get a bit OCD about our faces and forget that acne is exacerbated by oil and bacteria, both of which are all over our fingers. Try to touch your face as little as possible, and then only with freshly washed hands. Which brings me to my second point. Paula is very meticulous about down to earth, reliable instructions, but I’m very disappointed that not once did she mention the importance of washing your hands thoroughly before attempting any of these techniques. Treating and opening comdeones with dirty tools (fingers) will likely do more harm than good. Lastly,it’s important for anyone reading this to understand the difference between whiteheads, blackheads and pustules. Milia are not whiteheads. Milia are keratin cysts, whiteheads are comedones that have not been exposed to oxygen. Big difference. Pustules are actual pimples, with “heads” of pus. A comdeone extractor should never be used on a pustule!

By: Paula Begoun

Paula Begoun — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:09:02 +0000

@Willa- When you say whiteheads I’m sure you mean milia, hard white bumps under the skin. There are no skin care products that can eliminate those, but they don’t have to be there to stay. A skilled esthetician or a skilled dermatologist can easily remove them by simply excising the bumps.

By: Willa Cummings

Willa Cummings — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 01:28:09 +0000

I used Paula’s salicylic acid for years and it didn’t stop the whiteheads from sprouting up. My dermatologist told me the salicylic needed to be more than only 2%, I quit using it, however I do use the glycol 8% product. I can’t get rid of my whiteheads, they are there to stay.

By: Julie Hall

Julie Hall — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 20:37:23 +0000

Wish I’d read this as a teen.

By: SouthSideMom

SouthSideMom — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:30:26 +0000

I wish I’d had information like this available to me when I had bad acne in college. I did end up with some scarring because they would not get better fast enough so I would not leave them alone. I would add one more thing: never do this in the morning, because you’ll have redness to deal with all day. Do it at night and the spot where the blemish was will be partly healed up already when you awake.

By: To Be Pore-fectly Honest: The Truth about Pore Size | Beauty Bunch

To Be Pore-fectly Honest: The Truth about Pore Size | Beauty Bunch — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:55:31 +0000

[...] For stubborn clogged pores and blackheads it can help to physically remove the plug. You can do this yourself if you’re careful and don’t overdo it or you can have an esthetician do this for you. Paula wrote about how to do this here. [...]

By: Comedone Extractor Ray

Comedone Extractor Ray — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:57:37 +0000

Yeah, there’s no way I’m leaving a big, nasty pimple on my face. I just feel gross and less attractive so I try to hide them as much as possible. Guys don’t have the option of covering them up with makeup.

By: Bruce the Blackhead Remover

Bruce the Blackhead Remover — Sun, 30 May 2010 00:13:30 +0000

I LOVE blackhead tools. I have OCD or something and I can’t stop picking at blackheads and pimples. Extractors are a nice way to keep me from making more acne scars. Which is good, cause I don’t need anymore

By: David

David — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:20:49 +0000

If it pops right, a blemish heals right up. If it doesn’t, it just gets scarier!

I’ve never used a comedone extractor. Is it really better than clean fingers with a tissue? I guess it must be, or Paula wouldn’t recommend it. I’ll pick one up (although thanks to PC products – particularly the great BHAs – I rarely break out). Thanks Paula!

By: kibble

kibble — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:42:19 +0000

ive only got one acne scar, and that was from leaving a pimple which eventually became a boil, it was so bad and probably needed a doctor to lance it,
you may feel silly going to the doctor over acne but i wish i did.
im waiting for isotretinoin now and it cant come soon enough.
my acne only bothers me when it is painfull and that is often,