Before you get carried away, it's important to know that at-home extractions are always a bit of a risky game, and many dermatologists will tell you not to attempt it. You could cause more damage by pressing inflammation deeper into the skin, exacerbating the blackhead and even causing scarring . But let’s be honest, we all pop our spots from time to time, so if you are going to let loose, my advice for this next step is just to try and limit how far you go. Your pores should be softer and easier to squeeze thanks to the warmth from the damp flannel, so make sure your hands are clean and wrap your index fingers in a little bit of tissue, then very gently press any visibly blocked pores. Don’t go in too hard and if the blemish doesn’t budge after one or two attempts, then leave it — you could do more harm than good by carrying on. In fact, you might be dealing with a sebaceous filament , which sometimes get mistaken for blackheads. Here's how to tell the difference