"My hand goes to it every time one comes up — is it really so bad to squeeze it?"
"I've tried medication and tried squeezing, but it keeps coming back in the same spot."
These are things people who've struggled with acne for a long time say all the time.
I'm Director Kwon Si-jin — we'll be seeing you in Myeongdong soon ^^
We're getting ready to open our doors in Myeongdong soon, and since so many people have been asking about acne ahead of our opening, we wanted to put together this overview for your information first.
A great many people end up leaving a scar by squeezing.Start by seeing what makes them different.
The real goal of acne treatment isn't 'squeezing one out today' but 'not leaving a scar.' I hope this piece helps you set that standard.
Acne Doesn't Arise From a 'Single Cause'
Acne is a condition that arises when these four things overlap — sebum increases, dead skin clogs the pores, the acne bacterium (C. acnes) grows, and inflammation is added on top.
Let me clear up one misconception before we start.
So it's not a simple problem that ends with "just wash your face well" or "just take one pill".
It's easier to understand if you picture a blocked drain ㅎㅎ You have to wipe away the grime (sebum), pull out the hair (dead skin), and tackle the bacteria too before the water finally runs freely. Fixing just one side gets it clogged again in no time.
So with acne, the basic approach is to first sort out the type and cause, then combine methods such as topical agents, oral medication, extraction, lasers, and NeoBeam in stages.
First, 'Managing the Cause' Comes Before 'Squeezing'
Many people think, "Doesn't acne ultimately only heal if you squeeze it out?"
Of course, well-ripened whiteheads and blackheads can help recovery if a medical institution extracts them with sterilized tools at the right time.
But extraction is only one step, and that alone doesn't make the cause go away.
If you leave in place an environment where sebum keeps over-producing and pores keep clogging, it comes up again in the same spot.So managing the cause together with topical agents and oral medication, alongside extraction, is the path to reducing recurrence.(Responses differ from individual to individual)
Second, Deep Acne Needs an Approach That 'Changes the Texture'
Unlike the small surface bumps, the firmly entrenched nodular and cystic acne sitting deep down isn't solved by squeezing.
If anything, forcing a squeeze risks spreading the inflammation further, or damaging the dermis and leaving it as a pitted scar.
For this kind of deep acne, an approach like NeoBeam, which targets the sebaceous glands themselves, is sometimes used.It's used for chronic acne that recurs repeatedly in the same area, after assessing the indications.
That said, it isn't needed for all acne. After diagnosing the type and depth, we think it's right to recommend it in stages only to those for whom it suits.
Third, What's Really Frightening Isn't the Acne but the 'Scar'
When acne subsides, the mark usually fades, but a scar that has once been pitted doesn't.
Once the damage reaches the dermal layer, it doesn't fill in well even over time, and later on a separate scar treatment becomes necessary.
So the goal we pay the most attention to isn't 'how many we squeezed out today' but 'how few scars we leave'.
This is also why we discourage squeezing at home with your hands.If bacteria from your hand get in and cause an infection, or the inflammation deepens because you couldn't extract it fully, that leads straight to a scar. When it comes to acne, the slow way really is the fast way.
Honestly, In These Cases Dermatology Care Comes First
There are people who try to get by on 'management' alone, but in the following cases, getting care before self-care is safer.
If deep, firm nodules and cysts keep recurring, if a pitted scar has already started to form from squeezing, or if it just won't settle even with medication — getting the cause diagnosed before it's too late is best.
And let me say one more thing honestly: acne is a chronic, recurring condition, and clearing it in one go isn't something anyone can promise.
Because it's heavily influenced by hormones and lifestyle habits, it's less a matter of disappearing forever in one go, and closer to managing it well and maintaining a clear state.Knowing that going in tends to make things easier on your mind and better for the result, too.
Keeping it from becoming a scar is the point
The most important goal in treating acne isn't actually clearing what's there quickly.It's keeping it from turning into a scar.
Acne itself settles with time.But the deeper and longer the inflammation runs, and the more it's picked at, the higher the chance it leaves a scar.
So the order goes like this.Settle the inflammation quickly, manage the causal stage to reduce what forms anew, and then look at the marks that remain.
Go the other way and start with the marks, and you end up chasing marks while new acne keeps arriving.That's where the most time and money leaks away.
I'd add that there are two kinds of mark. Red marks tend to fade with time; brown marks are pigment and need managing. And depressed marks are a structural change, so the approach differs again.
The device families used here
Pores, scars and post-acne marks often overlap, so one device rarely solves all of it. The depth and method they target differ.
- Potenzadelivers radiofrequency through fine needles at different dermal depths. The tip combination lets the depth be divided, so it comes up where pores, scars and firmness are considered together
- CO2 fractional (Hestia)divides the surface finely to prompt repair. There's downtime, but the range of texture improvement is spoken of as large
- NeoBeamdescribed as an acne device targeting the sebaceous glands
- LDM-MED and Sonoelthe recovery and aftercare side, settling sites that have taken stimulation
The reason we have these families together at our Myeongdong clinic is simple: you can only say "this device can't do that" if there are alternatives. With one device, whatever skin walks in converges on that one device.
And whether a calming stage follows the stimulation changes the condition you arrive in for the next session.That's why the recovery devices sit separately too.
What to attend to during recovery
With this family, the aftercare shapes the result as much as the treatment, because a stimulated site is going through healing.
- Sun protectionrecovering skin makes pigment easily. Miss this and a red mark can stay as a brown one
- Moisturisingbetter to lean on hydration rather than irritating active ingredients
- Don't touch the flakingforcing it off makes a mark likely
- Avoid heatsafer to postpone saunas and hard exercise for a few days
If redness runs severe beyond three days, if blisters form, if there's weeping, or if pain steadily worsens, don't wait — contact where you had the treatment.
- Acne arises from several causes overlapping
- Before squeezing, managing the cause comes first
- The real goal is not leaving a scar
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is it okay to squeeze acne at home?
A. We don't recommend squeezing acne at home with your hands. Bacteria from your hands and nails can get into the pore and deepen the inflammation, and if you can't extract it fully, it can fester inside.Above all, forcing a squeeze raises the risk of damaging the dermis and leaving it as a pitted scar or pigmentation.Well-ripened acne is better extracted at a medical institution with sterilized tools at the right time, which is better for recovery and reduces the scar risk too.If your hand keeps going to it, that itself may be a sign to come in for care.Do keep in mind that how much you notice and how you recover differ from person to person.
Q. Does acne go away completely?
A. Acne is a condition closer to 'management' than to something finished in one go.Because it's influenced by sebum production, hormones, and lifestyle habits, it's hard to stop it from coming up entirely, but if you manage the causes in stages, holding a clear state for a long time is very much achievable.The usual approach combines topicals, oral medication and treatments over three to six months, and where it's chronic, continues into maintenance. Promising it will vanish forever in one go is difficult, but the aim is to ease the burden of scarring and to reduce recurrence. How quickly it progresses and how it turns out varies from person to person.
Q. Can acne scars be treated?
A. With acne scars, the degree of improvement varies depending on the type and depth.Because narrow, deep scars, round pitted scars, and square pitted scars all form differently, they aren't all solved with a single method. So after diagnosing the depth, we often approach it in stages by combining several methods. That said, a scar that has once been pitted takes more time to improve than active acne, and there can be limits to how much it improves. That's why managing it in advance at the acne stage, before scars deepen, is the best prevention.The degree of improvement varies by individual.
Not getting to a scar is the goal
Gather up everything to this point and it comes to this.
With acne, it's not 'squeezing' but 'treating the cause and preventing scars' that makes the result.
If you see it a little differently now than before you read, I'm glad.
If your hand went to it first in a moment of urgency, I completely understand that feeling.But if you just hold off by a beat and look at the cause first, you can go further with less to worry about when it comes to scarring.
DA Clinic Myeongdong is set to open soon.We'll share news of our opening and treatment information first on our blog and Instagram ^^
Thank you for reading to the end.This was Director Kwon Si-jin at DA Clinic Myeongdong.
This column is an informational article intended to provide general medical information; the effects and side effects of treatments may vary by individual. DA Clinic Myeongdong is set to open soon. (Medical Service Act Art. 56)