According to the American Academy of Dermatology, keeping your wounds moist helps your skin heal and speeds your recovery. A dry wound quickly forms a scab and slows your ability to heal. Moistening your scabs or wounds can also stop your wound from getting bigger and prevent itchiness and scarring.
An over-the-counter antibiotic ointment is your best friend. Dot a tiny amount directly on the popped pimple or scab. This will help speed up healing time. It also keeps the scab moist, so it won't look as dry, crackly, and obvious.
Scabs can take a week or more to heal, and in some cases, they may leave a scar. Scabs may be itchy and, in some cases, painful. Also, a scab may produce discharge, bleed, or cause a tingling sensation.
“Post-picking, you want to keep your skin in a moist environment for optimal healing,” Nava Greenfield, M.D., a dermatologist who practices in Brooklyn, said. “Aquaphor is great until the skin has healed and then Bio-Oil or a silicone gel as a scar prevention.”
“Using the pointed end of a Beauty Blender, lightly tap concealer to cover the scab,” Hewitt says. Liquid or cream is best—Hewitt says that powder will make the scab look drier and way more noticeable.
“If you pop the pimple, it becomes a micro-wound,” explains Kazin. At this point, it's best to apply a little antibiotic ointment like Neosporin ($6, drugstore.com) at night to help speed up healing. Allowing it to “breathe” during the day without anything on it, if possible, will also help it mend faster.
There's no proof that Aquaphor is an effective treatment for acne and might actually worsen acne in people prone to it. However, according to the makers, Aquaphor is an effective treatment for drool rash. You can apply a small amount of Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment to soothe irritated skin on your baby's face.
Wounds/scars heal best when they are kept well moisturized with Vaseline or Aquaphor. Any crusting/scabbing that occurs should be gently removed by soaking the area with warm water, increasing vaseline treatment until scab falls off on its own. DO NOT EVER PICK OFF A SCAB.
Aquaphor tends to be a better moisturizer because it contains humectant ingredients and is occlusive, while Vaseline is only occlusive. When used for wound healing after surgery, Vaseline has shown to cause less redness at the wound site than Aquaphor. If you have a lanolin allergy, opt for Vaseline over Aquaphor.
Apply antibiotic creams
Common over-the-counter (OTC) ointments, such as Neosporin, can be applied to the affected area. Apply only a thin layer of the ointment to your scab. OTC ointments or creams containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid contain antibacterial properties that can aid the healing process.
You can cause a blood-filled pimple by damaging blood vessels around an existing pimple. This often happens when you pop, squeeze, pick or over-exfoliate a pimple. Blood-filled pimples usually heal on their own if you prevent further damage and keep the area clean.
Because popping isn't the way to go, patience is the key. Your pimple will disappear on its own, and by leaving it alone you're less likely to be left with any reminders that it was there. To dry a pimple up faster, apply 5% benzoyl peroxide gel or cream once or twice a day.
Products that contain salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or a retinoid are the key, our experts tell us. In particular, Dr. Elbuluk recommends trying over-the-counter salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide products.
Moisturize the scab
The American Academy of Dermatology recommend keeping the wound moist to help the damaged skin heal. They suggest using petroleum jelly to prevent the skin from drying out, as well as to encourage healing and reduce scar formation.
To help the injured skin heal, use petroleum jelly to keep the wound moist. Petroleum jelly prevents the wound from drying out and forming a scab; wounds with scabs take longer to heal. This will also help prevent a scar from getting too large, deep or itchy.
Healing Injured Skin
Using Aquaphor has also been proven to speed up the recovery of injured skin, including recently tattooed skin. It can also help in the healing process of small or minor cuts and wounds, anything large or serious should be seen by a medical professional.
“The water-free formula creates a semi-occlusive, protective barrier on the skin that regulates the rate of water vapor loss and helps skin to retain the moisture it needs.” The formula includes active ingredients that work to accelerate skin regeneration.
The makers of Aquaphor claim it does not clog the pores on your face. Hence, it does not cause acne in individuals with dry to normal skin. However, using Aquaphor on naturally oily skin may cause excessive moisture and greasiness due to the thick consistency of this product.
Do not use this medicine on deep wounds, puncture wounds, animal bites, or serious burns. You may apply Aquaphor Healing as needed. First clean the area to be treated. Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after using this medicine for 7 days, or if your condition clears up and comes back.
Does Aquaphor break you out? Though there aren't any true breakout-inducing ingredients in Aquaphor (it's non-comedogenic, so it won't trigger acne), Dr. Gohara says it's a bit too occlusive for the majority of folks with acne-prone or oily skin.
“Slugging itself is not comedogenic (acne-causing), but if you have clogged pores or retained makeup, you could create an infection or outbreak by trapping these particles under the occlusive. Make sure your skin is SUPER clean before sealing it.
What Skin Product Does Beyonce Use? She enjoys using L'Oréal Paris Sublime Bronze One Day Gel and Scott Barnes Body Bling.
How long should you use it? You'll repeat the process of washing, drying, and applying Aquaphor two to three times a day for several days after getting inked.