How to Drain Whiteheads

 

A whitehead is named for its appearance, having a characteristically creamy white color. The whiteness of a whitehead is caused by oil trapped in your pore, resulting in a raised, white blemish. It's tempting to pop a whitehead since they the trapped oil is so close to the surface of the skin, but doing so improperly could result in permanent tissue damage and scarring. If you must pop and drain a whitehead, do so carefully and cleanly so as not to cause long-lasting side effects.

Step 1

Sterilize a sewing needle by wiping it down with rubbing alcohol. Never use an unsterilized needle as it could harbor bacteria, which leads to infection when introduced into an open wound on the face, such as a popped whitehead.

Step 2

Wash your hands with antibacterial hand soap to avoid transferring bacteria from your hands to your face, resulting in more acne and potential infection.

Step 3

Insert the tip of the needle into the side of the whitehead and guide it through until the tip of the needle emerges from the opposite side of the whitehead. While it's tempting to squeeze your whiteheads to pop them, doing so damages the tissue around the whitehead, leading to scarring.

Step 4

Pull upward on the needle to break the shaft through the top of the whitehead. This creates a puncture in the sealed pore.

Step 5

Place a clean washcloth or tissue over the broken whitehead and apply light pressure to soak up the discharge. Never squeeze the whitehead; rely on downward pressure to drain the whitehead instead.

Step 6

Cover the whitehead with a thin layer of antibacterial ointment to kill bacteria and aid in the healing process.

Things You'll Need:

• Needle

• Rubbing alcohol

• Antibacterial hand soap

• Tissue

• Antibacterial ointment

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