What type of pimple should I pop?

Imagine having a wedding, party, interview, meeting or a really important big day and then a day before, a pimple, out of the blues, appears on your face or some part of your skin and it didn't stop there, it made itself very visible. You tell yourself that you just have to pop it, you then go ahead to pop it, but unfortunately, the popped pimple turned into a boil perhaps because of an infection or because you popped a pimple in the "triangle of death" region, or because you popped the type of pimple that shouldn't be popped.

Wow, a lot of words with "popped", how about I use the word "pick" moving forward?

Pimples, acnes or zits vary in size and in the way they look, knowing the type of pimple that you have, makes treating it easier, you will also have a better judgement on what type to pick (if you must) and what type to leave be.

Keep reading to learn more about the different types of acne, what they look like and how to treat them. Also, you will find a little gallery of different acne images at the end of this post.

Please Note: Acne, Pimple and Zit all mean the same thing. I will use these terms a lot in this article so let's get acquainted with the words shall we?

In this article, we will take a look at 6 most common types of pimples.

- White heads

- Black heads

- Papules

- Pustules

- Cysts

- Nodules

I will explain these pimple or acne types based on how they look like and how they feel like. I will also use images to show how they look like so that you could have a visual insight of the type of pimple, acne or zit that you might have.

Noninflammatory acne types

White heads and Black heads can also be classified as noninflammatory acne types. 

Characteristics of noninflammatory acne types

• They do not look red
• They are not usually warm to touch
• They do not contain pus and finally they are not tender to touch (painful)

Fun fact: Most times, white heads and black heads do not leave scars or pits on the skin after they heal.

Important to note that;

If you decide to pick a White head or Black head pimple, you might get away with it. So if you must pick a pimple (which I am strongly against), make sure its a white head or a black head.

How to know if you have a White head pimple?

White heads are little bumps or blemishes that appear white as the name implies with a closed white surface. 

If you see little bumps that are not inflamed, that appear to have closed surface and are white, then its possible that you've got a white head pimple, acne or zit. See image below

How to know if you have a Black head pimple?

Black heads are little bumps or blemishes that appear black as the name implies with an open surface.

If you see little bumps that are not inflamed, that appear to have an open surface and are black, then is possible that you have a black head pimple, acne or zit. See image below

Important to note that;

White heads and Black heads when wrongly picked or when irritated could result to an inflammatory pimple, acne or zit. When this happens, seek help from your doctor, dermatologist or skin therapist.

Inflammatory acne types

Papules, Pustules, Nodules and Cysts can be classified as inflammatory pimple, acne or zit type.

Characteristics of inflammatory acne types

• Just as their name imply, these acne types usually cause the skin surface where they appear to be inflamed. What they all have in common is that they are usually quite painful.

If you see a bump, swelling or blemish on your skin that is filled with pus, warm, tender to touch (painful) and red, then you might just have an inflammatory type of acne.

Papules are usually small red bumps or blemishes on the skin. Most papules get filled with pus a few days after they appear or, if they get further irritated. Papules do not have a yellow or white center. See image below

Pustules are just papules that are filled with pus, they could be slightly larger than papules. Pustules could have a white or yellow center. See image below

Nodules are more complicated cases of papules. They are larger in size than papules and much more painful and if picked, they could leave scars or pits on the skin. See image below

Cysts are the most severe type of acne. They are usually filled with pus and are larger in size. They look like big bumps with pus. See image below

Important to note that;

The inflammatory acne types are the types of acne that you should never pick, pop, prod or squeeze. Picking these pimples could cause further damage to your skin, leaving your skin scarred with pits and acne scars. 

Now that you have learnt about the different acne types, it is also important to note that they can all be treated and the right type treatment will leave your skin feeling healthier and free of scars and pits.

Continue reading to learn how to effectively treat different types of pimples. 

Different types of pimples, acne or zit with images;

Pustule with white head

Papule without any yellow or white center

Black head with open comedones

Black head

Pustule with yellow head

This illustration, gives a quick summary of how the various types of acne look like, so what type do you think you have? Read more on acne types here

Was this post helpful? Share your views and thoughts in the comment section.

Now that you know the different types of acne, let's see how they can be effectively treated to prevent scars and pits, also, you will learn what you can do to clear scars and pits if they appear.

See how to effectively treat acnes to avoid scars and pits here