HEALTH
计算机导联诊断 1
that's disgusting // POPPING YOUR PIMPLES
dude. gross.
Nothing ruins the day like waking up to find a huge nasty zit on your chin. Your fingers may be itching to pop it, but experts say you ought to keep your hands off.
Those day-ruining pimples form when your body's naturally produced oils combine with dirt from the outside environment, clogging a pore. When this happens bacteria attack the goop inside the pore, which creates that unattractive red bump, says Soony Hall, certified physician assistant at the Wichita Clinic office for dermatology. Even though it's tempting to give that zit a squeeze, it can actually make your acne worse. The bacteria oozing from the infected pore can spread and clog other pores, leading to more yucky blemishes.
The best way to avoid popping your pimples is simply to keep your acne in control by cleansing your face daily. Hall says, "It's like brushing your
Popping your pimples can also expose you to outside germs and lead to infections, says Kathy Tompkins, licensed practical nurse at American Dermatology Associates in Shawnee. Opening your skin by force irritates the pore. If you do this often enough it can make pores bigger and eventually cause scarring, she says. Also, because every pore on your face contains a hair follicle, pinching that follicle irritates it, which can lead to an infection.
teeth. It's something you have to do every day," she says.
If you absolutely refuse to leave the house with a whitehead on your face, don't pick at it. Hall recommends using a comedone extractor. This device, often used during facials, uses a pin to remove the gunk from a pimple without spreading bacteria or abusing the skin.
"You have to be kind to your face because that skin isn't like any other skin on your body." Tompkins says.
When it comes to popping pimples, just say no.
// KIRSTEN HUDSON
Photo illustration by Kirsten Hudson Just let it go' Popping pimples can actually cause clogging in other pores.
good for you/bad for you // WET PONYTAILS sometimes it's hard to tell.
The ponytail has long been a quick hairstyle fix for bad-hair days, when we're in a hurry, or when we just don't want our hair in our face. But could what you've always considered a quick fix be hurting your scalp?
Lawrence dermatologist Matthew Buxton says a common and often overlooked problem he sees among his female patients occurs after they get in the habit of pulling their hair up while it's wet. Buxton says that the wet hair holds in moisture and heat.
The combination of heat and moisture promotes dermatitis, a minor hair follicle infection. This scaling rash is fairly common and may appear on the scalp as a dry spot with pinkish color that can cause itching.
Photo illustration by Amy Johnson PonyFall: Putting your hair up when it's wet could cause dermatitis.
While this rash is typically harmless, Buxton says you should take precautions when sculpting the perfect ponytail. If you're really in a rush and your hair is wet, try just blow-drying the roots of your hair to keep the scalp area dry and rash-free.
// AMYJOHNSON
VERDICT: BAD FOR YOU
17
09
17
09