A pimple on the penis works just like a pimple on the face: It starts with swelling, progresses to pain and ends with an explosion of puss. Zits are really gross, and they can hurt a lot, too. While there's little that men can do to make penis pimples go away quicker, there are all sorts of things they can do that make these bumps worse. Sometimes, the steps men take can be so bad that they result in the need for intensive penis care.

That's what happened to Pete. He agreed to share his story, in the hopes that he can keep others from making the mistakes he did.

Picking Is Bad

"As soon as I saw this pimple pop up on my penis, I knew I was in trouble," Pete says. "I've always been really bad about picking at spots on my body. I just can't help myself. I know I should leave these things alone, but as soon as I know they're there, I can't help but poke and pick. It's what I do."

"So I started squeezing and squeezing this thing, hoping I could get the puss to come out," he says. "It hurt like hell, but for some reason, I thought I could make all the junk come out if I pushed hard enough."

"When that didn't work, I pulled out a needle," Pete says. "It sounds really stupid, I know, but I thought I could just poke a hole in there and make room for the puss to come out. I was sure that doing that would be the answer to my problem."

"The trouble is that I couldn't really see where I was poking and what I was doing. So I ended up poking a whole bunch of holes near the pimple without getting at the pocket of stuff," Pete says. "By this time, my whole dick was hot and bleeding and really sore. And I felt really stupid."

Things Get Worse

"I promised myself I wouldn't touch the pimple again, and I packed everything up and went to bed," Pete says. "But when I dropped trou in the morning to take a shower, I saw that I had made everything worse. I looked like a leper or something."

Turns out, Pete had driven the infection that caused the pimple further into his skin, and the holes he made with the needle were beginning to harbor an infection.

"Basically, I made things a hundred times worse with my poking and pushing around," Pete says. "I ended up going to the emergency clinic, and I spent days on antibiotics. I also had to sit through a pretty embarrassing lecture about pimples. I wouldn't recommend it."

Better Options

There's no reason for men to follow in Pete's footsteps. Men who do get penis pimples can get relief by:

- Using a warm compress, to bring the puss to the surface

- Wearing loose clothing, so the spots don't chafe

- Avoiding sex and masturbation, to reduce the chance of friction injury

- Drinking extra water, to help the body heal itself

Men prone to penis pimples can pay attention to overall skin health, too, and that might help them to avoid future problems. A penis health cream (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil) can help. These products contain the vitamins and emollients penile cells crave, and a daily application could keep oil cells on the surface of the skin from overreacting. Without a lot of oil on top of the skin, pimples are less likely to appear. And with vitamins, the skin has the tools it needs to heal. When it comes to penis pimple prevention, this is a worthwhile tool to have on hand.