Video: What is the hard thing that comes out of a pimple?

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If you’ve ever popped a pimple and had something hard erupt out of it, you’re probably wondering what exactly just came out of your face. Is it normal? Should you be concerned? In this video, dermatologist Margareth Pierre-Louis breaks down what’s inside of a pimple and why you might be finding something hard come out when you pop one.

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Key Takeaways

  • The stuff that comes out of a pimple is sebum, or oil.
  • Sometimes sebum can become compacted and feel hard when it comes out of your skin.

Video Transcript

What's coming out of your skin is called sebum, or oil, or it might even be a hardened amount of sebum or oil. So if it's oozy and draining, it could be that it’s inflamed material. But when it’s very hard, what you're actually getting is compacted oil production from that oil gland. We call that a cyst or we call it a milia, but that's what happens when it's kind of very white and hard. But most of the time the oozy stuff that comes out is just some of the sebum or oil that is inflamed or irritated coming out of that oil gland.


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