Clear up acne and blackheads quickly — for good.
Getting a big, red pimple on your face happens to everyone, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept defeat and wait patiently until the blemish goes away. There are many ways to treat adult acne, but first it’s important to understand the basics on how and why acne occurs in the first place.
“We have sebaceous glands in the skin that normally provide moisture and lubrication, but the combination of stress and hormones can form clogs.”The bacteria causes inflammation in the skin, which is why blemishes and acne form.” And just like that, your skin flares up.
So, how do you free yourself of pesky inflammation and acne? Here’s how dermatologists recommend getting rid of those pimples quickly — and how to avoid making them worse. (If you need acne scar treatments to fix the aftermath of a troubling zit, there are many solutions to cure those as well.)
- Keep your hands off your face!
All dermatologists agree that you should never, ever pick at your pimple. We repeat: Do not pick at your pimple. “It may seem tempting, but remember that once you’ve picked at an acne lesion, it will take longer to heal and is more likely to scar.
And other derms agree, especially when trying to get rid of a pimple overnight. “Whatever you do, don’t pick your pimple before bed.”When you are tired you will inevitably cause more harm than good.” Trust us on this one.
- Tread carefully when it comes to home “remedies.”
While toothpaste, lemon juice, and even Windex have been cited as excellent at-home remedies for blemishes, dermatologists advise against them. Skip these “DIY fixes:”
“Toothpaste traditionally contained an ingredient called triclosan, which has antimicrobial properties, and the thought was that it helped lower levels of acne-causing bacteria to reduce inflammation and treat the pimple,” Dr. Zeichner explains. “Because triclosan is a known cause of skin allergies, it has been removed from most toothpastes, so they are no longer useful in treating acne.”
“Lemon juice is also irritating and wouldn’t have any effect on the pimple itself,” Dr. Day adds.
Windex — well, it’s glass cleaner. Don’t put glass cleaner on your face.
One way to remove pimples naturally is by applying tea tree oil, which “may help by reducing inflammation and lowering levels of acne-causing bacteria,” Dr. Zeichner says. But he warns against applying it undiluted to the skin, because it may cause irritation.
- Apply a warm compress.
Heat is a super simple way to soothe your skin if you feel a blemish coming on.”Use a warm compress or steam to bring everything to the surface,” she explains. Alternately, you can use a cold compress to bring down the swelling of a particularly large, painful blemish.
- Use an acne spot treatment.
On top of always washing off your makeup at night, using the right moisturizer for your skin type, and keeping your fingers away from your face, you can use a spot treatment to get rid of stubborn pimples once they surface. Ingredients to look out for:
Benzoyl peroxide to kill acne-causing bacteria.
Salicylic acid to help exfoliate and unclog pores.
Retinoids to help boost cell turnover, prompting cells to shed and preventing them from clogging.
While there is no way to get rid of a pimple in as fast as five minutes (aside from hiding it under makeup!), Dr. Zeichner recommends immediately treating it with either benzoyl peroxide or over the counter 1% hydrocortisone cream to reduce inflammation. “The pimple may show some signs of improvement in an hour,” he said.
