Let’s face it— even those with “perfect skin” have gotten a pimple that’s so bad they didn’t want to leave the house. And while everyone knows that the only surefire way to avoid potential scarring or further breakouts is by leaving it alone to heal by itself, it can sometimes to be much too tempting to pop the zit and get it over with!

With that being said, a pimple that isn’t popped properly can have some very disastrous consequences beyond prolonging the breakout; it can also be potentially life-threatening. Don’t believe us? Gorgeous gal Katie Wright is living proof of this scary truth.

The 21-year-old Austin, Texas resident has beautiful skin, but she, like the rest of us, is still susceptible to the occasional blemish. So, when one particularly stubborn bump sprouted up near her eyebrow, she couldn’t help but do something about it.

But, instead of taking a visit to the dermatologist for professional help, the young woman tried her hand at the DIY method, heading into the shower for a painful pimple popping session. After some squeezing, she dried off and went about her normal makeup routine, which included filling in her brows with a makeup pencil. This is where things started to go wrong.

Soon after she popped the zit, Katie started feeling intense pain in the area, and the next day she woke up to a swollen face and an angry-looking wound where the large pimple had been.

She rushed herself to the emergency room of St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, and it was there that she was diagnosed with cellulitis, a skin infection caused by dangerous streptococcus or staphylococcus bacteria. The dermatologist who treated Katie informed her that, if left untreated, the condition could claim her sight, or even kill her.

splitscreen of Katie Wright before and after staph infectionKatie Wright via gofundme

In an interview with TODAY, Katie explains how a dirty eyebrow pencil contributed to her infection. She says, “Where I made my mistake… I separate my brushes from my product to wash them. I threw my eyebrow pencil with my products instead of taking the spoolie with it to clean.”

We have to admit—we haven’t ever even considered cleaning an eyebrow pencil before! Sure, brushes are, of course, common items to clean, but it’s very easy to forget about the hard-to-sanitize products like pencils.

After a full month of recovery that included multiple hospitalizations and IV antibiotics, we are happy to report that Katie’s infection has healed and she is back to her normal self. Now that she is better, the lucky young woman has taken to social media, as well as given interviews with various international news outlets, to warn others of her scary experience. Good for her!

Now that you know all about Katie’s harrowing beauty experience, we’d love to hear from you! Have you ever gotten an infection from either popping a pimple or applying makeup with a dirty brush or product? How do you sanitize your harder-to-clean makeup items? Do you have any tips for maintaining clear skin?