If you have a pimple, using benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or a pimple patch can help it go away faster. Your dermatologist can give you a cortisone injection to make a deep, painful, inflamed pimple heal quickly. Avoid picking or trying to pop your pimple — this can lead to more inflammation, redness, and scarring.
Benzoyl peroxide is known for its antibacterial properties and is effective in eliminating acne-causing bacteria. It also helps to reduce inflammation and dry out the blemish, so be sure to keep your skin properly hydrated to avoid flaking.
There are also small, medicated "stickers" called hydrocolloid patches that you can place over a pimple. The medication helps dry out the pimple, while the sticker covers the pimple and keeps you from picking at it. Be aware, however, that spot treatment works best for pustules.
People cannot remove pimples overnight, but home care can lessen swelling and may improve the appearance of pimples. Keeping the area clean, using ice, and hot compresses can help. For persistent or recurring pimples, people may wish to try acne treatments.
Ice: Ice can slow down the amount of blood that flows to your pimples, which will reduce inflammation and pain. Apply an ice cube or ice pack covered in a light towel over your pimples for at least 10 minutes. Apply ice to your pimples two to three times a day.
Drying out a pimple can be a safer course of action to explore, as when done correctly, it allows the pimple to dry out instead of spreading its pus to other pores. To dry out pimples safely, it's best to stick with over-the-counter products that contain acne-fighting ingredients.
Home remedies, such as cleansing the skin, applying ice, and using benzoyl peroxide, can help shrink a cystic pimple. However, in some cases, cystic acne may require dermatological help.
Salt kills bacteria by drying it out, and it can be harsh on your skin's moisture barrier. For this reason, people with combination or dry skin may find salt water does more harm than good, and even those with an oily skin type should use salt water to treat acne only in moderation.
It's tempting, but popping or squeezing a pimple won't necessarily get rid of the problem. Squeezing can push bacteria and pus deeper into the skin, which might cause more swelling and redness. Squeezing also can lead to scabs and might leave you with permanent pits or scars.
Fresh lemon juice: The Vitamin C in lemon juice helps dry up pimples. Dab the fresh lemon juice onto the pimple or pimples throughout the day and before going to bed at night. Ice dabbing: Dabbing ice onto the pimple can help reduce swelling and redness. Wet a washcloth with cold water and wrap an ice cube in it.
Place warm compresses on the pimple: Gently place a clean, warm, wet washcloth on the area for about 10 minutes, several times a day. But make sure the washcloth isn't too hot. The warm washcloth helps pus dissolve or rise to the surface. Use topical treatments: Benzoyl peroxide products kill bacteria.
Yes, using lemon for pimples works. Facial blemishes and acne marks can be extremely stubborn. The good news is that the citric acid in lemon can fade blemishes and even out your skin tone. It is also an effective way to reduce excess oil and sebum, which in turn prevents acne.
'Acne and toothpaste'
A claim found on many websites is that toothpaste can dry up individual spots. While toothpaste does contain antibacterial substances, it also contains substances that can irritate and damage your skin. Using toothpaste in this way is not recommended.
Your body can gradually break down pus and reabsorb its components. That's why small accumulations of pus (like in a pimple) often don't need treatment.
If you have an hour to tackle your pimple
Icing the bump can help reduce inflammation and prevent it from getting any bigger. “Use an antibiotic cream or some tea tree oil on top of the acne, use an acne patch (the small round stickers to cover acne) and then conceal it with makeup.
So once you've cleansed and dried the area, spot treat that erupting face volcano with a thick occlusive like petroleum jelly (a.k.a. petrolatum, the main ingredient in Vaseline and Aquaphor). According to Dr. Zeichner, this will lock in moisture and help your skin repair itself.
You may have a blind pimple from time to time. Or you may have many blind pimples that take months to go away. A severe type of acne called nodular acne can cause multiple blind pimples along with raised red bumps. These painful blind pimples, or nodules, contain pus and bacteria and feel hard under the skin.
Use An Over-the-Counter Acne Spot Treatment
Salicylic acid, mentioned above, is one of these. Another important ingredient to look for is benzoyl peroxide. In addition to reducing oil and removing dead skin cells, benzoyl peroxide also helps kill the bacteria that cause the pimples.
Rubbing alcohol is helpful in cleaning and disinfecting the skin before a procedure, but it should not be used to treat acne or as personal care product. Alcohol dries out skin cells, but it also dries out the skin. Dry skin causes inflammation, which can make acne flare.
Ice doesn't necessarily help clear up acne or pimples — particularly if you're suffering from cystic and nodular acne — but it can help inflammation. This works because acne is an inflammatory condition meaning that it causes flare-ups that contribute to swelling and redness.
Spot treatment with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can help you get rid of pimples fast. However, spot treatments do not work overnight. If you want to get rid of a pimple within 24 hours, your best bet is to see if your dermatologist can offer a cortisone injection or drainage and extraction therapy.
Pustules are typically white and, unlike papules, they contain pus. A person may find that a pustule is tender to the touch. Nodules and cysts are larger than papules and pustules and may need medical attention. With these types of pimple, the skin around the pore becomes very irritated.