Pustules: What to Do and What to Skip in the First 3 Days

Item	Detail	Basis
Touching it on day one	Squeezing a pimple makes it redder and more swollen, brings on inflammation and leaves a scar	KDCA · institution
How often to wash	For acne-prone skin, wash twice a day with a gentle cleanser and remove makeup every night	KDCA · institution
Depth and scarring	Papules and small pustules are shallow lesions; deep pustules and nodules can leave permanent scars even after they settle	Korean Dermatological Association · institution
Squeezing and marks	Of 262 people with acne, 69.0% picked or squeezed, and 87.2% had pigmentation	2019 PMID 30426810 · B
Patch-type formulas	An analysis pooling 13 clinical studies of hydrogel formulas (3,654 people) found no serious side effects reported	2026 PMID 41528187 · A

What should you do first on day one of a pus-filled pimple?

Taking your hands off it comes first. After that, just stick to washing twice a day with a gentle cleanser. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) explains that squeezing a pimple makes it redder and more swollen, brings on inflammation and eventually leaves a scar, and that squeezing it the wrong way can burst oil into deeper skin and leave pitted scars.

Most of the time, your hand goes there because you don’t like how it looks. In a 2019 survey of 262 acne patients in the Middle East, 69.0% picked or squeezed their spots, 87.2% had pigmentation after acne, and about half said the marks bothered them more than the acne itself. The closer you are to a big presentation or job interview, the more it helps to take one photo on the first morning and step away from the mirror. That is where the three-day plan starts.

In what order do washing, makeup and a patch go?

In the morning: wash, dry completely, add a patch if you want one, then apply thin makeup only around it. At night: remove makeup with a gentle cleanser, let your skin dry and put on a fresh patch. KDCA recommends gentle, noncomedogenic cosmetics and gentle washing twice a day for acne-prone skin, and advises removing makeup every night with a gentle cleanser and water.

Keep your expectations for patches in check. A 2026 meta-analysis pooling 13 clinical studies with 3,654 acne patients reported no serious side effects from hydrogel formulas, but the hydrogels in those studies each carried different medicine ingredients, so the results can’t be applied to ordinary patches. In this article, a patch is only for covering the spot so your fingers can’t reach it. Skip thick layers of foundation over the patch, since you’ll end up rubbing when you take it off at night.

What if it pops on its own?

Don’t squeeze out more. Rinse the spot under running water, pat it dry and leave it alone. Pressing around it to push out leftover pus can, as KDCA explains, burst oil into deeper skin and lead to bumpy scars.

If it popped while you were washing your face, skip scrubs and exfoliating pads that night. The Korean Dermatological Association explains that overusing exfoliating products can make things worse through physical irritation. If a scab forms, don’t pick it. Just write the date in the “scab” column of your log. If there are lots of tiny bumps around it that haven’t turned into pus yet, see Closed comedones: cut down what you apply and watch for four weeks as well.

From day four, what do you look at to decide?

If it is shrinking and the pus head is drying out, keep the same routine. If it is getting bigger or turning hard and deep, shift toward a visit. The Korean Dermatological Association explains that deep pustules and nodules, unlike shallow lesions (papules and small pustules), can leave permanent scars after they settle, which can become a bigger appearance concern than the acne itself.

The more severe the acne, the higher the scarring risk. In a 2023 meta-analysis of 37 studies and 24,649 people with acne, scar prevalence was 47%, and compared with mild acne the odds ratio for scarring was 2.34 for moderate and 5.51 for severe acne. Even if one spot settles in three days, if new ones keep appearing, consider a dermatology consultation, using KDCA’s guidance as the benchmark: if things don’t improve after 6–8 weeks of steady treatment under medical care, change the approach.

First three days, step by step

When	Do	Don’t	Write down
Day 1 morning	One photo, wash gently and dry completely	Squeezing, lancing with a needle, scrubs	Size (grain of rice or pea), pus head yes/no, pain 0–10
Day 1 daytime	Patch on dry skin, thin makeup only around it	Layering concealer over and over	How many times you touched it
Day 1 night	Remove makeup with a gentle cleanser, fresh patch once dry	Peel pads, exfoliating	Whether pus was on the patch when you took it off
Day 2	Same order morning and night, photo in the same light	Pressing to see if it has popped	Change in size, whether it popped
Day 3	Same order, compare photos	Picking the scab	Date of the scab, how far the redness spreads
Day 4	Smaller: keep the routine / Bigger: book a visit	Starting several new products at once	What you decided

On days when the routine is hard to keep, like late nights at work or exam week, keep at least the one line “remove makeup at night,” and mark the days you missed in the table.

What signs mean it’s time for a dermatologist?

• If it gets bigger over the three days, or turns hard, deep and painful, don’t squeeze it. See a dermatologist.
• If several pus bumps come up at once and spread across your face, back or chest, consider a dermatology consultation.
• If redness spreads well beyond the pimple and feels warm, or you have a fever, get medical care right away.
• If you can’t stop the urge to squeeze, or marks stay dark for months, talk with a dermatologist. Whether you need oral medicine or a procedure to open the lesion is decided at the visit.

Research this three-day plan uses

• In a 2023 meta-analysis pooling 24,649 people with acne (37 studies, PMID 37357642), scar prevalence was 47%, and the odds ratio for scarring with moderate acne was 2.34 compared with mild acne.
• In a 2019 survey of 262 acne patients in the Middle East (PMID 30426810), 69.0% picked or squeezed their spots, and 87.2% had pigmentation.
• A 2026 meta-analysis pooling 13 clinical studies (3,654 people, PMID 41528187) reported no serious side effects from hydrogel formulas carrying medicine ingredients.