Plus, acne treatments can be particularly drying or even irritating, so skin hydration is even more important for those dealing with breakouts and oiliness, Chang added.
Your skin is healthiest when it is hydrated and well nourished. Drying out your skin does not help with any skin condition and will certainly not get rid of acne. Dry skin is actually irritated skin and irritation heightens the risk of getting more acne.
An intensive focus on hydration—even if your skin runs on the oily side. "Hydrating the skin really well can help with those breakouts," Yoon explains.
Drying out your pimples can actually be a safer zit-busting strategy than popping them, as doing so with the help of anti-acne ingredients can help rid the pores of excess sebum and oil, which can trigger new breakouts.
Dehydration contributes to Congestion, Blackheads and Breakouts! When skin is not hydrated properly it leads to congestion, blackheads and breakouts because the natural oils in your skin are thick and easily stuck in your pores causing bacteria growth.
When the clot hardens, a scab is created. In addition to stopping blood loss, pimple scabs act as a barrier to protect the injured skin from physical and bacterial invaders so that your body can rebuild its skin cells. Pimple scabs are helpful, but they can cause some people discomfort and embarrassment.
The best way to make a zit go away fast is to apply a dab of benzoyl peroxide, which you can buy at a drug store in cream, gel or patch form, says Shilpi Khetarpal, MD. It works by killing bacteria that clogs pores and causes inflammation.
Make sure to keep it moisturized.
But once the bleeding has stopped and the area is clean, you can apply a gentle, relatively bland moisturizer to the area. You don't want to use anything “that's going to irritate the skin,” Dr.
You've probably seen these emergency pimple treatments at the drugstore — usually an extra-strong solution of salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or benzoyl peroxide. And yep, they can actually get rid of pimples overnight.
“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.
"The most common way to address these issues is to use benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, tree oil, or salicylic acid products before you go to bed," says Dr. Patel. Benzoyl peroxide is a bleaching agent that kills microbes and dries up oil in the follicle.
Left alone, a blemish will heal itself in 3 to 7 days. Popped improperly, it can linger for weeks or lead to scarring.
Cold water can be especially beneficial for dry or acne-prone skin, says Knapp. “If you have chronically dry skin, hot water can strip your sebum levels (oils) and exacerbate the issue, so cold water is a good alternative.”
However, adding 6 to 8 glasses of water daily can help in maintaining a healthy balance of water in the body and help in reducing the pimples, dryness and improves skin elasticity.
It turns out heat actually causes more swelling. So unless your goal is to plump up your pimples even more, it's time to introduce some cold into your regimen. Cool temperatures will shrink blemishes and help them become less noticeable, but the emphasis should be on cool.
DO apply ice to reduce pain and swelling. As soon as you notice the blemish, wrap an ice cube in a paper towel and apply it to the area for five to 10 minutes. Repeat this two more times, with 10-minute breaks between icing. DO apply a product that contains 2 percent benzoyl peroxide to the pimple.
If you've only got a few hours…
Grab an ice pack, or a single ice cube if your fingers can bare it, and apply it directly onto your pimple. Hold it this way for as long as you can stand it, then take a break for a few seconds, and repeat at least twice more.
According to Dr. Schultz, gently holding a warm washcloth on top of the zit every hour for three minutes at a time can bring blood to the area and help the bump come to a head. “Warm compresses can reduce swelling and bring bacteria to the surface of the skin,” says Dr.
Apply a warm compress
Applying a warm compress can help to treat a blind pimple. The heat can open up pores, which may draw the pimple closer to the skin's surface and create a head. The formation of a head enables the sebum, cells, and bacteria to exit the skin.