Squeezing out pus is strongly discouraged by medical professionals because it can lead to worsened inflammation, the spread of infection, potential serious complications, and permanent scarring.
Don't squeeze out pus from larger spots like boils or open wounds. A medical professional should be the one to provide that kind of care. Letting them handle it is the best way to avoid worsening infections and other complications.
You might think it's a quick fix, but squeezing pus out of a zit can cause more long-term issues than relief: Infection risk: Popping cystic acne only pushes bacteria deeper into your skin, causing infection or new breakouts.
You may be tempted to pop this unwanted guest, but it's not a good idea. Contrary to what pimple popping videos may show, squeezing your skin to extract the contents of a pimple — a mixture of oil, dead skin and bacteria — can cause scarring and infection.
These white blood cells, along with dead skin cells and sebum (oil), form the pus you see in a pimple. Over time, the inflammation subsides, and the pimple either comes to a head and drains on its own or is reabsorbed by the body.
When a pimple is not properly extracted, the underlying infection may remain, leading to the pimple refilling with pus. It is crucial to refrain from squeezing or popping pimples forcefully, as this can worsen the infection and increase the risk of scarring.
When you use your fingers, you risk pushing the infection deeper, leading to more inflammation, scarring, and even rupturing beneath the skin. Dermatologists use specialized tools because they apply even pressure, making extractions safer and more effective. If you do use a tool, be gentle!
Purulent (pronounced “PYUR-uh-luhnt”) drainage (pus or exudate) is a symptom of infection. This thick, milky fluid oozes from a wound that isn't healing properly. It contains a mixture of dead cells and bacteria, as well as white blood cells, which rush to the site at the first sign of injury.
Previously Popped Pimple
If you squeezed a whitehead, but it wasn't fully removed, it can become inflamed again. It's also possible for another pimple to appear next to it because the area got irritated and exposed to bacteria.
Dopamine: Against dermatological advice, many people pick at their skin routinely. This habit releases dopamine, the feel-good hormone. As a result, popping and picking—or watching someone else do it—brings on a cathartic rush of satisfaction.
Color transitions.
Normal wound drainage is pale or has a slight hue. Purulent drainage is milky and thick. If the pus appears green, yellow, or brown, it indicates a progression of the infection.
Smells Like: Onion or Garlic
Zits are filled with pus, which is essentially dead white blood cells that provide a feast for infesting bacteria, Chimento says. These bacteria are mostly anaerobic (meaning they don't require oxygen to survive), and they generate their own sulfur compounds as they grow, she explains.
The white fluid found in some pimples corresponds to pus, a mixture of sebum accumulated in the follicle, neutrophils, dead cells resulting from the initial hyperkeratinization, cellular debris corresponding to fragments of follicular walls, and bacteria.
Over time, a boil will develop a collection of pus in its center. This is known as the core of the boil. Do not attempt to remove the core at home as doing so can cause the infection to worsen or spread to other areas. Boils can go away on their own without medical intervention.
The whitish-yellow, yellow, yellow-brown, and greenish color of pus is the result of an accumulation of dead neutrophils. Pus can sometimes be green because some white blood cells produce a green antibacterial protein called myeloperoxidase.
While the disorder has become extremely uncommon with the development of antibiotics, it still carries a very small chance to develop a high risk of death, and needs to be treated aggressively with antibiotics and blood thinners.
On the other hand, bumps caused by STDs, like herpes sores or genital warts, are often accompanied by pain, itching, or changes in appearance, and they tend to appear near the vulva, vagina, and anus.
When bacteria get into a cut, the body's immune system sends white blood cells to fight the infection. It's these white blood cells that can collect and make pus. If pus collects and can't drain out, the area forms a painful abscess.
This is the process of the abscess draining itself. This may look like an infection. But if the pus doesn't smell and is not yellow or green in color, you should have nothing to worry about. A healing abscess will produce clear or pink fluid.
Signs and symptoms of hidradenitis suppurativa
These bumps come and go, and at times become red and drain pus, a yellow-white liquid. Sometimes the bumps also itch or burn. In severe cases, multiple bumps connect with one another and form narrow channels under the skin called sinus tracts.
Any licensed esthetician will highly advise against doing your own extractions at home. First of all, it takes professional training to tell which blackheads are actually extractable and which ones to stay away from. Picking at the wrong kind of blackhead could cause infection, scarring and make it look even worse.
Treating deep, painful pimples: Dermatologist tips