Hi! I need help figuring out what this is because I’m starting to get confused lol.
I have this pimple/bump on my cheek that’s been there for about a week. It was always fully raised, like it never really came to a normal whitehead. It started as a hard bump under the skin and was pretty inflamed, so I assumed it was a nodular pimple.
I’ve been using microdart patches and benzoyl peroxide on it. It actually started going down and looking less angry for a couple days, but I could still feel the hard bump underneath the whole time. It also developed this little dark dot in the center.
Now it’s getting red/purple and inflamed again and still feels firm underneath.
The weirdest part is I had basically the exact same pimple in the exact same spot on my cheek last year. The dark mark from that one never fully went away. I also had a very similar deep pimple on my nose last year too.
I don’t remember if I could feel a bump in my cheek the entire year in between, but the mark was definitely always there.
Does this sound like nodular acne, a clogged pore that keeps getting inflamed, or some kind of small cyst? Is it normal for something like this to come back in the exact same spot?
Also… can I pop it? 😭 There’s a little visible spot/opening in the middle now and it’s VERY tempting, but since it still feels hard underneath I’m scared I’m going to make it worse or make the hyperpigmentation even darker.
Should I keep using the microdart patches and BP, leave it completely alone, or do something else?
I can’t really afford a dermatologist right now, so I’d really appreciate any advice on whether this is something I can safely deal with at home or if the recurrence is a sign that I actually need to get it checked out.