Pop goes the pimple

What happened to your face?” is a question I’ve been asked many times over the past week. I have given many different answers, too. My favorite reply is “the cat scratched my chin when I was playing with it,” although I’ve given far more sarcastic and farfetched answers than that (something along the lines of a meteorite hitting me). I’ve yet to tell the truth.

Why? Because it’s embarrassing to admit that I did what I did — which is pop a giant zit on my chin. I didn’t go through any cleansing ritual or use special zit-popping tools, not even a cotton bud, which is what Tyra Banks says to use. When I saw it, I just went ahead and squeezed it with my fingernails.

This is bad for two reasons: first of all, it hurts as much as having a tooth removed, and second, it could (and in my case, it did) get infected. It also left a mark the size of the hole in a five-centavo coin — a mark that went from bright pink to scabby brown within 24 hours. It looked like a pale mole! At least it couldn’t grow hair.

Hiding it with a bandage was not an option because people would know for sure what I did once they saw a little round Band-Aid on my mug. And to think all this stress and pain was brought about by a small, inflamed, and pus-filled spot on my skin (which was probably caused by stress in the first place).

So, why do people obsess over pimples, blackheads and zits? It’s an obsession that transcends age, gender, and culture. It’s not a new fad either. Many, many years ago, my uncle was a teenager who had his dad pop his huge pimples for him. For him, it was worth it — blood, pus, tears and all. Obviously, it was worth it for me, too.

The only major difference is the solutions then and now. According to my oh-so-reliable source, in times when I was but a distant dream, pimple and acne removers were quite simple.

Perla soap, which I know to be used for washing clothes, was one of them. Toothpaste was also quite popular for “drying” out acne. Another was Eskinol with a capsule of antibiotics. I use Eskinol, yes, but the antibiotics I save for flu season.

Local remedies such as gumamela leaves were also used. My yaya swore by this remedy from her hometown. I was so impressed with her testimony that I made my science project for that year to develop a pimple-removing cream based on the natural oils in the gumamela plant. It worked, I tell you!

Not to be forgotten is the tried-and-tested pimple solution that all parents give to their kids — “Puberty lang yan. Mawawala din yan pag tanda mo.” Yeah, thanks, Mom and Dad, that’s really helpful. No wonder my uncle stuck with good old-fashioned popping!

In these modern times, however, no one has to resort to such painful and barbaric ways of getting rid of zits, blackheads and other blemishes. New and improved (or so they say) facial washes, creams, and gel treatments attempt to prevent outbreaks of acne. They work — most of the time.

When a tiny red volcano erupts on your forehead, what to do? I personally like to pop them first (hey, it’s crude, but effective!) and then slather it with anti-pimple gel. I use three different brands, Garnier, Eskinol, and Face Shop and they all work quickly, but they also all sting really badly for a few minutes when you apply them to a fresh blemish.

Facials are also new solutions to acne problems. When I had my first facial, I expected some nice face massaging and some kind of cold mask on my face. Was I ever surprised. For clueless people like me, facials hurt. A lot. Manly men are brought to tears by the pain. It’s very effective, but nothing comes for free. In this case, beauty is paid for with not only money, but a lot of teeth-gritting and hand-clenching too.

Men, women, old or young shell out lots of money just to have perfect, flawless skin. Why do we do it? Is it because celebrities don’t have acne? Maybe.

Is it because they’re painful (believe me, when you bend over and the blood rushes to your head, they can be very painful)? Perhaps.

Or is it simply because people are just vain? Well, this one pretty much hits the nail on the head. But to put it in a better light, let’s just say people go through the pain for the pleasure of being able to put their best face forward.

So the next time someone decides to question why you need to buy another bottle of pimple remover or have another facial, just tell them that you’re saving face.