Most patients with acne have a tendency to pick at it with their fingers, to squeeze it or even push it down. These activities are all done by many under the belief that their actions actually makes the acne healing process faster but however, the truth is far from it.

Acne is an infection

Acne is an inflammatory process and there is an actual infection in existence under the skin. When a pimple is squeezed, the infection gets pushed further laterally into the skin and this increases the chances of the skin getting pigmented or scarred. This condition is called acne scoring – acne caused by scratching.

Picking acne also causes the dirt and micro organisms on the fingers to get transferred to the area of infection, further aggravating it.

Scratching/picking is a stress response

Doctors treat this differently. They see acne scoring as a stress response of the victims in order to heal the acne faster, from not being able to accept it, as they feel the acne affects their social lives and absolutely do not want to be seen in public with it on their faces. However, this response only ends up causing more scars on the skin that it would have had otherwise.

It is best to get the root cause of acne treated and eliminated. There is no better way to treat acne. Please do feel free to get in touch with us anytime, to know more!

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The information provided in Dr. Dixit's answer is for educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice. The information provided should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultations with a qualified health professional who may be familiar with your individual medical needs.