‘Don’t pop your pimples you guys’: Creator gets staph infection after popping pimple on their face
A 25-year-old creator based in Louisiana is cautioning against popping pimples on your face after contracting a staph infection as a result.
On Sept. 6, Hope (@imlesbianflavored) posted a TikTok, which they claimed had been in their drafts since August 2023, that showcases the consequences of popping a pimple on their upper lip.
‘I popped a pimple and it turned into a staph infection’
“Don’t pop your pimples, you guys,” Hope cautioned. “I will never pop another pimple on my face. Not ever. And do you know why? Cause I popped this…went to sleep, woke up about midnight [and my] face was hurting. I went and looked in the mirror. Swollen.”
A visit to the doctor confirmed that Hope had contracted a staph infection. “I popped a pimple and it turned into a staph infection,” they said. “Yeah. Don’t pop your pimples.”
Based on comments from TikTok users like @baboopy, @moongoddess33.33 and @marinalynne666, the area where Hope’s pimple was located is known as the “triangle of death.” @ravenesky, another creator, claimed that they had a situation similar to Hope and was “close to sepsis.”
What is the ‘triangle of death’?
The triangle of death, a colloquial term, according to Dr. Amesh Adalja, a board-certified infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Pennsylvania via Healthline, refers to “an area of the face that includes the region of the nose and corners of the mouth.” The area is a hot spot for infections because it’s “connected via blood vessels to area of the skull” where infections can spread quickly.
“As someone who has picked my whole life you might have convinced me to reconsider and redirect hope you are healing well,” @liltittiegothmom commented in response to Hope’s cautionary video. To this, Hope replied, “I worship pimple patches now as a fellow skin picker.”
Why did this staph infection occur?
Dr. Teresa Song, a Board Certified Dermatologist at Marmur Medical, explained that when a pimple is popped, “the surface of the skin that usually serve as a protective defense barrier” is broken.
“This allows bacteria that is naturally on our skin to gain a portal of entry in to the skin, leading to infections in the area,” she told In The Know by Yahoo via email. “It is more risky to pop pimples in the triangular danger zone of the face, which is marked by the nose and corners of the mouth, because important vasculatures lay in this area and infections can quickly travel deep into the body.”
Hydrocolloid patches or spot treatments are more effective methods of treating pimples, said Song.
“For single lesions one can use a hydrocolloid pimple patch, or spot treatment therapies containing sulfur, benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid,” she added. “If the pimple is deep and painful, serial warm compresses may help. Cortisone injections in office can be done for select pimples to help improve the spot quickly.”
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