My Ex And I Used To Pop Each Other’s Pimples And It Was Oddly Refreshing

I always thought it was gross for people in relationships to pop each other’s pimples, but then one day my boyfriend asked me to get rid of one of his zits and it was a dating game-changer. Turns out, this seemingly gross habit was about so much more than just a pimple.

1. It felt like i was helping him. Is there anything worse than having a pimple you can’t get rid of on your own? It’s terrible. My boyfriend had a spot on his back and asked me to pop it for him so I did. I saw it as a way to help him with something that was getting on his nerves. It’s really not that different from a skincare professional doing it, so why should it have been gross? I was surprised to find that it really wasn’t! Getting rid of that zit was strangely satisfying.
2. He then returned the favor. A few weeks later, I got a pimple on my chin that infuriated me. My boyfriend saw me digging at it in the bathroom and he asked if I’d like for him to pop it for me. I know this sounds nuts, but it was so sweet of him to offer! I said yes, obviously.
3. It made us connect. It was a weird bonding experience to pop each other’s pimples. It made me feel like we were doing something really intimate together.
4. It felt romantic. I know this also might sound nuts, but it felt romantic for us to get so up close and personal with each other’s “gross” sides. He was so gentle while doing it and careful not to hurt me when he was popping mine. It was a display of his care for me.
5. It felt juicy. No, not the pimple but the experience of popping each other’s zits. It really is something that’s private. I’d never popped anyone’s pimples before and neither had my boyfriend. Doing this together felt like our little juicy secret and something that we could share without anyone else being a part of it.
6. It was a new phase. The honeymoon phase of our relationship was really over and this experience was proof of it. But I wasn’t sad. In fact, the opposite happened. I felt happy that we’d reached a higher level of truth and reality. We could be real with each other, and what’s more real than a pus-filled zit?
7. It kept our relationship fresh. When people want to do something new and interesting with their partners, they might turn to the usual ideas: going on holiday to a different place or eating dinner at a new restaurant. But popping pimples with my boyfriend was an oddly unique way for us to see each other in different situations.
8. It showed trust. When my boyfriend let me pop the pimples on his back, it was an act of trust. He had to trust me to be gentle, hygienic, and so on. When I let him pop my pimples, it was also a way for me to say that I trusted him.
9. It made me lose the need to be perfect. I’m not the type of girlfriend who usually lets her boyfriend see her really raw. I mean, I’d even go to sleep with my makeup on if I could (but I don’t because it’s really bad for your skin). Being fine with letting my boyfriend see me with pimples that haven’t been slathered in concealer was really about reaching a new level of comfort in our relationship.
10. It was a relationship milestone. Everyone talks about the first time they exchanged “I love you”s with their partner or met each other’s parents. But I think pimple-popping should be right up there as a relationship milestone. It definitely felt that way for me. My boyfriend and I were seeing different sides of each other while caring for each other’s bodies. You don’t just do that with anyone! You have to be dating for quite a while.
11. I’ve always been a nurturer. For me, popping my boyfriend’s zits was probably more interesting because I saw it as a way to show him how much I cared about him. I’ve always been a nurturing person who wants to take care of those around me. I have to admit, my self-confidence had a nice boost when I zapped his zit and my boyfriend said he felt a lot better because it had been such a nasty one.
12. Pimple popping is also linked to pampering. I’ve always loved skincare and sharing skin products with those around me. My boyfriend at the time wasn’t really into moisturizing or exfoliating his skin, so I loved the opportunity to share some of my skincare knowledge and products with him. It was a nice treat to pamper him because he was always pampering me in other ways. Now I could dish out some of the TLC. A few weeks later, when he said how amazing his skin was looking and he thanked me, I felt like a million bucks! Hey, it’s great to feel needed sometimes.