One scroll through the Instagram of California-based dermatologist Sandra Lee, a.k.a. Dr. Pimple Popper, and you'd think the skin expert was a celebrity. With more than 2 million Instagram followers (and just as many subscribers on YouTube), the woman behind the almost-too-gross-to-watch-but-can't-turn-away pimple-popping videos of her patients is quickly become a household name.
Which is why we invited Dr. Pimple Popper, who also has her own Acne Spot Treatment, to the Allure office for a Facebook Live to shed some light on when you should—and definitely shouldn't—ahem, pop your pimples. Here, we've highlighted her best pro-approved tips and tricks for battling blemishes on your own, because, just as she says, if you're going to do it (which we strongly urge you not to, but we digress), you might as well do it right.
"My mantra is 'Know when you pop, and know when you stop'," Lee tells Allure. "I can tell you [not to pop] until I go blue in the face, but you're going to pop your pimples just like I do at home. You just need to know when to stop because you want to prevent scarring."
If You’re Going to Pop, Know When (and When Not) to Do It
"When you have a red pimple under your skin, it’s not ready to pop. You know it’s there, but you can’t get to it. The thing to do is to apply a warm compress and wait for it to come to a head. I know it’s really hard to do that, but that’s really the best way to do it."
But If You Are Going to Pop, Use a Tool
"I actually use an extractor—a comedone extractor. The main thing I want to tell people about using it is, the way to least traumatize an area is to put pressure on it—you really want to rotate around because you’re trying to push all around as a coin. People tend to just push down and pull, and while you might see me pull away, I’m lifting it off the skin. Just give it a little wiggle."
More on acne treatments:
...Or a Sterilized Pin
"At the office, we use a little Eleven Blade, which is a blade that comes to a very fine point—it’s really supersharp and sterile. People at home can use a lancet, which is something aestheticians use more. At home, if you really need to knick the surface of something, you want to do it really superficially and you want to use a sterile needle (maybe run it under a flame and clean it off with a little alcohol) and squeeze it if it’s a whitehead or something that’s come to a head. But if you see a little trace of blood, stop. But also, if you don’t see a trace of blood, don’t keep going either until you see one and then you have this enormous huge bump on your face."
Treat It Once You've Popped
"Keep the area clean. I usually try to dry it up a little bit with a topical acne spot treatment with a little benzoyl peroxide or an antibiotic in it. Even if you have an over-the-counter steroid, like Cortaid, you can apply a little dollop on it. Or even an antibiotic cream works. Just put a little bit on it because you want something that’s antibacterial, as a steroid is anti-inflammatory, so it helps to decrease redness. And then you leave it alone. The less you touch it, the more it will calm down. You can even use a little ice on the area to help it calm down."
If All Else Fails, Go See Your Derm
"If you have a special event or you’re going to a party and you need [your pimple gone] right away, you can maybe see if your dermatologist can inject a syringe of steroid, which usually gets rid of the [blemish] in about 24 hours."
For the full interview with Lee, check out our Facebook Live here.
Now, watch how you can treat adult acne:
