A woman's face swelled up after popping a pimple. She had to get treated for a potentially dangerous infection.
TikTok/@imlesbianflavored
- A TikTok user popped a pimple above her lip, waking up to swelling and pain hours later.
- She was diagnosed with a staph infection, which required treatment.
- Staph bacteria naturally occurs on some people's faces and can infect open wounds.
It's hard to resist squeezing a zit — even though we know it can cause hyperpigmentation and more breakouts.
But for some, the consequences of a popped pimple can actually be life-threatening.
TikTok user Hope (@imlesbianflavored) recently shared her own story of how popping a zit led to a painful staph infection on her face.
"I will never pop another pimple on my face, not ever," Hope said in the video that's gained over 2 million views.
She woke up to pain and face swelling
In the video, Hope said she popped a pimple above her lip, then woke up around midnight to pain on her face. When she looked in the mirror, she saw that half her face was swollen from where the pimple was to her cheek.
She went to a doctor and was diagnosed with a staph infection. At the time of the video, she still had a fever — a common symptom of a bacterial infection.
She also said in her TikTok caption that the infection was "worse than childbirth," but she was still in a parent pick-up line at school, she said in the video, "because being a mom doesn't stop."
Some people naturally carry staph bacteria on their face
About 30% of people are permanent carriers of staph bacteria on their skin, which is asymptomatic and usually harmless.
However, if you have an open wound on your face — from popping a pimple, for example — the staph bacteria can enter and cause an infection.
Not all staph infections require medical intervention; some just look like bigger boils that clear up on their own. But once staph enters your bloodstream, it can cause complications and can be fatal if left untreated.
While Hope didn't specify what her treatment was, staph infections that cause fever and swelling usually have to be treated with antibiotics.
If you must pop a pimple, do it safely
While Hope said she'll never pop another pimple after this experience, if you must pop a pimple, there are some best practices.
Dr. Sandra Lee, also known as Dr. Pimple Popper, previously told Insider that washing your hands first, keeping everything as sterile as possible, and waiting to see a whitehead are key to popping pimples with minimal damage.