# Getting a pimple to a head **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122 "2004-03-29T17:49:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/1 "2004-03-29T17:49:47Z")
I’ve heard that you should use heat to bring a pimple to a head. 1. Does this really work? 2. What is a good tool for it? Is there something short of my buying a heating pad that I wouldn’t use for anything else? ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/2 "2004-03-29T17:53:25Z")
It worked for me when I had an awful boil on my thigh. I soaked a washcloth in the hottest water I could stand and pressed it against the boil until the pus was drawn to the surface. I still have a scar. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/3 "2004-03-29T18:30:30Z")
I’ll second the washcloth and hot water approach. I was told to do that by my doctor when I had something on my eye. I also have a scar. You don’t notice it, which is nice, because I’d hate to have to explain what’s wrong with my eyelid… ---
**Author:** ![Queef\_Sniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a698b9/32.png) [@Queef\_Sniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queef_Sniffer)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/4 "2004-03-29T18:54:55Z")
This may sound strange but what is really effective is to take a piece of bacon fat and place it on the eruption. A band-aid works well to hold it in place. Leave it on for several hours or preferably over night. In the morning you will find the eruption will have come to a head and the bacon fat will have additionally made the skin in the area very soft and pliable. This has always been effective for me and I think the softening effcct on the skin may even help to prevent scarring. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/5 "2004-03-29T19:56:36Z")
It’s also possible that bringing it to a head isn’t the best approach. I have deep cystic acne and many times, when I have realized something is developing, I’ve succeeded in shrinking it down with an ice pack. If you can get it to go down, you avoid the scarring. If the thing insists on coming along even when you’re holding an ice pack to it, then you know Destiny wants you to squeeze hell out of it! ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/6 "2004-03-29T21:42:49Z")
You don’t need to burn yourself to localize the infection. Use water hot enough to feel it, but not hot enough to cause a burn. Hot pack it at least 4 times a day with a couple hours in between. Benzoyl peroxide has been proven to be effective as well. Keep the area clean. Pray for better genes. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/7 "2004-03-30T19:29:17Z")
Well, I guess the hot water helped, because I got a a 25 pointer out of it. It’s still there, though, and looks even worse. I think it’s got another load in there still. Urrrrggghhhh… ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/8 "2004-03-31T02:11:12Z")
Keep us posted on further developments. Don’t be skimpy with the description of expelled material. We need to know the important stuff: texture, size, color, tensile strength, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/9 "2004-03-31T02:39:22Z")
I hear alot of people talking about scarring. I have made this mistake before too, squeezing to hard and stuff. Anyone got any suggestions about how to get the scarring to go away? Or at least lessen the appearance. Don’t say vitamin e-oil either. That will only break my face out worse. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/10 "2004-03-31T02:57:00Z")
Don’t know. Despite hearing so much about it, and seeing Mark MacGwire’s neck, I still don’t know how people get scars from it. I never have, and I’ve probably had at least 40-50 big nasty week-long zits in my life. I’m going to go home and put hot towels on my chin again and take a big shot of whisky at about 10 and get some goooood sleep. Maybe that will make it peak again. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/11 "2004-03-31T03:17:47Z")
Raw bacon. Cut you off a little piece, slap on a band aid over it. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/12 "2004-03-31T03:24:18Z")
Despite the scoffs of my nurse practitioner mother, I may just try that. I’m kind of desperate, as I look ridiculous. Have you tried it yourself? The other poster supposedly had. ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/13 "2004-03-31T04:04:46Z")
There are tons of products out there…don’t give yourself a scar. Do y’all not read all the women’s mags? 😃 OK, this one is free of charge: when a pimple emerges, put a dab of toothpaste on it. It works. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/14 "2004-03-31T05:59:31Z")
Once again, the amazing-ness of the SDMB! 🙂 I think if it was a very small thing, I 'd use some over the counter thing like TCP (no idea what is USA equivalent) or, if it was more like a boil/abscess thing, use mag-sulph paste, but not in a million years would I have thought about bacon fat. SO, is this a terrific excuse always to have some bacn around the house, just in case? 🙂 Ah, rats, no, there’s the toothpaste option too (also hitherto unknown to me). And now I want some bacon to eat. Not got any. BAH! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/15 "2004-03-31T07:07:26Z")
Using the good old hot washcloth method is best, in my experience. Not only does it bring the zit to a head, but it will soften up the skin so that it’s easy to drain. Sometimes, a zit or boil will spontaneously open and start to drain after heat has been applied to it, and of course the washcloth is helpful here, too. My doctor says it’s about the best home remedy there is. She also approves of using a hot water bottle, wrapped in a towel, for those deep boils. One thing about using heat to help bring a boil or zit to a head is that it usually also helps relieve the pain. If you have chronic acne, especially if it’s the kind with the deep throbbing cysts, you really need to talk to your doctor about getting on some sort of prescription medicine. It might not clear up your skin entirely, but it almost always makes a HUGE improvement, and of course it prevents future scarring. ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/16 "2004-03-31T08:37:43Z")
I just wanted to clarify that _my_ scar was actually stretched skin (like a little pocket) from all the pus that was in there. I did not have to squeeze my boil to empty it. I used the hot compress and then put a small amount of pressure evenly around the area when it was ready. I never squeeze zits. Nothing ends well if you do. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/17 "2004-03-31T14:50:56Z")
I have not personally tried the bacon. My mother did, though (in college) and she had a huge one on her cheek that had her in actual pain, and it worked. I have tried toothpaste, and it didn’t work for me, but I know others that swear by it. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/18 "2004-03-31T19:33:08Z")
If I have a difficult, deeply rooted zit developing, I stick the sticky part of a band-aid over the blemish. Usually the next day it’s decreased significantly and by the end of two or three days of band-aid sticking, the zit’s completely gone, sucked back into whatever hell dimension it came from. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/19 "2004-03-31T23:27:20Z")
I’ve got cystic acne, and my comments only apply to that miserable affliction. I haven’t found much I can do but wait and hope it comes to a good head, or goes away. As noted earlier, a hot compress will help. I haven’t tried bacon fat. I have learned not to squeeze unless a good head has developed. Doctors can do two things that I know of for this kind of acne. The can give antibiotics like erythromycin or cleocin, either for topical or internal use. Works like a charm for awhile, then you develop a tolerance and the antibiotic is useless. I ran through them all years ago. The other thing is to give you a little cortisone injection, which sort of blows the thing apart in the dermis. I used to have this done fairly regularly, but then a doctor told me that sometimes people get a disfiguring reaction from these shots. Something about atrophying the fat cells, as I recall. Nowadays I don’t do much except pop them, which is hit or miss: either a cyst forms or it doesn’t. I have found that profuse sweating a couple times a week tends to minimize acne formation, and it’s easy to sweat profusely where I live (Houston) much of the year. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122/20 "2004-04-01T08:09:06Z")
Jngl’s deepest deep zit secrets…from the deep. TMI…be warned! I don’t get pimples often anymore, but when I do, I use my tried and true procedure. When I feel one lurching forward, zombie-like, I usually take a hot shower and quickly check its progress after I get out. I have a skin tone that becomes, ermm, _even more_ transparent after hot showers. Since I primarily suffer zits within an inch of my mouth, I can usually get behind them and apply pressure from the rear, often with my tongue\*. This assult from the back usually slightly pinkens my skin…except where the head of the zit is! Something about the pressure, I guess, makes it pretty much light right up. Then, I get my trusty lance. Its a sewing pin with a ball on the dull end for easy manipulation. I apply the tri(disin)fecta: three disinfectants…First fire, then Listerene (Orange, at the moment), then 90% isopropyl. Now, with, heh, pinpoint precision, I lance the puppy. Straight as I can, perpendicular to the affected area and usually with a twist. The skin resists for a short distance, but you can feel it ‘give way’ when it enters the ‘puss cavity’. Now, with the hole drilled, squeezing is effortless and painless. Not much feels better than “squirtin’ the mirror!” The tiny pain from the needle is completely worth the satisfaction of seeing the zit ‘kernal’ on the square of toiet paper, swirling away, down, down the drain. Almost make me wish I had one right now. And, this isn’t just for the face. I have used this method elsewhere on my body, too. Once I had one sort of on my groin/inner thigh. A little of the lance treatment revealed that there was in fact a suprisingly large coil of a hair that had apparently become ingrown. If I’d had let that grow, I might have needed real medical attention. At the very least, it would have hurt alot. \*Yes, I know, rear, tongue, applying pressure. Hysterical. Read on. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-pimple-to-a-head/237122.md?page=2)