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12th January 2024
05:37pm GMT
You wouldn't be alone in that urge but sometimes you should think before you pop - at least according to the professionals.
Globally-renowned dermatologist Dr Samantha Ellis has been using her TikTok platform to educate her followers on all things skincare including what not to squeeze.
In one of her videos, she explained that under no circumstances should cystic pimples - the larger types of spots that develop under the skin - be popped.
@drsamanthaellis Pick your battles. #pimple #pimpleremoval #acne #cysticacne #acnescars #pimplepatch #pimpletok #skincaretok #derm #dermatologist #hottake #acneadvice #acneproneskin ♬ Vibez - Instrumental - Prod. Dior
To really bring her point home, the expert showed her own cystic spot to the camera while speaking about what can happen if you give into temptation.
"Do not mess around with pimples like these," she explained, pointing out the deep, red cyst on the side of her face.
"As a dermatologist, I would consider this cystic. It is deep, it's like an iceberg. We're seeing 10 per cent of it on the surface of the skin and the rest is down below."
"They are painful, they feel juicy, like, it feels like it's going to be satisfying, but it won't be," she warned.
Though tempting to just go to town on it, Dr Ellis says you should keep your cool to prevent further damage to your skin.
"Because of how deep these are, when you squeeze on this, the chance that you get most of that gunk out is actually pretty low. And what you're really going to do is drive that stuff deeper down into the skin," she said.
Ailments including "inflammation, irritation and permanent scarring" can be caused by squeezing these annoying yokes, and also have the potential to trigger infection.
"So, if I can't convince you to not pop any of your pimples, at least don't pop the cystic ones," she concluded the video. "Choose your battles wisely."
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