If you're bleeding, she says to “gently blot the area with a clean tissue or cotton pad and clean the area with alcohol.” Once the blood has stopped, she advises applying a spot treatment containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid as mentioned above.
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.
Blood-filled pimples are a result of picking or popping pimples. They are not serious and will not cause any lasting damage to your skin unless you repeatedly pick at them, which can lead to scarring.
“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.
For acne lesions, the bandages can be applied directly on pimples and help decrease inflammation, redness and irritation, and they can absorb drainage from active acne blemishes.
Neosporin does not kill the most common acne-causing bacteria, so it won't typically be effective at fighting pimples or cystic acne. Because it has many moisturizing, skin-healing oils in its ingredients, Neosporin may temporarily tame irritation and also heal areas of damaged, broken skin.
Dab on an Antibiotic Ointment
Treat your popped pimple like an open wound, because that's basically what it is. 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's best to let a pimple run through its life span," Rice says. Left alone, a blemish will heal itself in 3 to 7 days. Popped improperly, it can linger for weeks or lead to scarring.
Use a basic, fragrance-free, lightweight moisturiser to soothe the area and apply a non-comedogenic broad-spectrum sunscreen. You can also opt for an in-clinic procedure with your dermatologist like a chemical peel, dermal infusion, Q-Switched lasers and IPL light to resolve the damage and prevent scarring.
Use an antibacterial wash to clean the area, such as benzoyl peroxide. Try one with 2.5%-5% Benzoyl Peroxide to start, as you may find it can be very drying. Apply a topical salicylic acid to the spot. If you find the over-the-counter creams to be too harsh and drying, try a toner with salicylic acid.
The conclusion: No, Vaseline does not treat acne. In fact, using Vaseline on your face may actually cause breakouts.