So you have a button and you are officially in crisis mode. His charming arrival probably coincides with a major event in life; pimples likes to rear its ugly head precisely at the worst times, right? Pimples have a brutal way of appearing right before first dates, important job interviews, school dances, and weddings. You need a fast, efficient fix, or you’re seconds away from squeezing.
Hold it right there. That’s right, you can’t clean a pimple in an hour – and even getting rid of it overnight can be a challenge – but popping isn’t necessary. It is possible to rid acne of its worst traits if you use a diligent diet. Dr. Purvisha Patel, certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare says, “Pimples are tiny micro-infections of the hair follicles.” “You might not be able to ‘get rid’ of a pimple overnight, but you can make it a lot better, so it looks like it’s gone.”
Adding Dr. Angela J. Lamb, Practice Director at Westside Mount Sinai School of Dermatology in New York City, there are “no assurance” when it comes to a bedtime miracle, but there are several steps you can take to get your glowing skin just on time. Read on, and good speed.
First of all, make sure you are using the right ingredients.
Do us a favor: stop staring at your button for a second and do a little research on it. Dr. Patel explains that pimples are usually caused by four things: follicular occlusion, microbial growth, the production of sebum (or the addition of oil to your skin), and inflammation.
All of these problems can be solved and helped when a button is at the start of the game. “The most regular way to solve these problems is by using benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid based products, sulfur or tree oil before going to bed,” says Dr. Patel.
Benzoyl peroxide is a bleaching agent that dries up the oil and kills germs in the follicle. Tea tree oil and sulfur also do similar things to benzoyl peroxide by drying out the pimple. Dr. Patel says, “The pimple can become smaller in the morning by these products.”
Dr. Lamb also recommends using prescription topicals, if you have them in your medicine cabinet. Gels containing clindamycin, an antibiotic, or topical minocycline can act quickly on an angry pimple.
But if you’d rather use products that don’t require a doctor’s note, Dr. Patel and Dr. Lamb both recommend trying salicylic acid first. Dr. Patel says, “Products based on salicylic acid not only dry out the pimple and kill germs, but also discard the skin on top to let any cat come out of the hair follicle.” (Crude, but effective.)
Then wash it off with a quality cleanser.
Spot treatments and pimple patches are popular for acne emergencies, but don’t ignore the power of a good cleanser. You can find one soaked in the ingredients mentioned above – like Effaclar Medicinal Cleansing Gel, with 2% salicylic acid, from La Roche-Posay – or invest in another good exfoliating cleanser. Regular use of a cleanser will not only treat the pimples you have, but prevent future emergencies.
Dr. Patel says, “Exfoliating cleansers are great for pimples because they help clear pores not only to treat them, but also prevent them from occurring further.” Visha Skincare Advanced Purifying Cleanser contains glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, tea tree oil and B vitamins to exfoliate pores, decrease microbe growth and calm inflammation.”
If you are desperate, try hydrocortisone cream.
Yes, it’s more than mosquito bites!
Says Dr. Patel, over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream can be a quick fix for redness, as long as you don’t use it for more than three consecutive nights. Don’t stack it either: it can clog your pores if you’re not careful.
It is best to find a hydrocortisone cream made with hyaluronic acid because hyaluronic acid is a water-binding molecule that does not clog the pores.
While you are processing, avoid edible ingredients.
Products with coconut oil, olive oil, or almond oil look luxurious and healthy, but when it comes to acne treatment, they only make the problem worse. Avoid edible ingredients if you are in the middle of a pimple attack.
“If we can eat the product, bacteria and fungi can eat the product, then that could possibly make more pimples,” says Dr. Patel.
Miracles can happen if you use a good spot treatment or a pimple patch.
Dr. Lamb strongly recommends putting a well-examined pimple patch on a problem area, as treatment “usually can’t hurt”. However, avoid overdoing them, especially those that contain acids or benzoyl peroxide, as they can create additional irritation.
When you’re in a bind, Dr. Patel prefers to turn to spot treatments, which “work best for overnight repairs. Blister bandages or hydrocolloid patches work by pulling out the contents of a pimple compared to topicals that dry out the pimple.
In an emergency, use cortisone injections.
If you have access to a dermatologist the day before your major event, it is true that you can receive a cortisone injection to immediately treat your zit. But be sure to give serious thought to the level of necessity.
Dr Patel said, “They really are for a pimple emergency.” “Think about the day before your wedding for an emergency.” Steroid injections immediately decrease the inflammation of the pimple, but the side effects of steroid injections are thinning of the skin, flashing, and possible indentation at the injection site. They are NOT recommended as a regular treatment for pimples.
If purchasing new products isn’t an option, try a DIY treatment.
It is possible to prepare a great acne treatment at home with a few ingredients in your kitchen. Try the following:
- A small paste of crushed aspirin at a pimple helps dry out the blemish and inflammation.
- Toothpaste – the opaque type, not the gel – can be used to dry out pimples.
- The red pimple ice immediately constricts blood vessels and helps reduce redness.
- Conversely, you can use a warm compress to get a pimple to a head faster, says Dr. Lamb.
Believe it or not, an option can be popping. Just proceed with extreme caution.
If you’ve exhausted all of your options, nothing worked, and you’re hours of walking down the aisle with a huge white dot, it’s finally time to consider jumping.
Says Dr. Lamb, squeezing a zit is usually a huge no-no. But if a pimple has a big white dot – and all of its contents are visible at the top – you can use clean, gloved hands or cotton swabs to apply light pressure and pop.
The problem, she explains, comes when you pop pimples that aren’t ready to pop or squeeze them with dirty fingers.
Dr. Patel says, “Tightening them with non-sterile fingernails can lead to the spread of the micro-infection, more inflammation and scarring.” So in most cases it is better to be safe than sorry.
Finally, trust your concealer.
Makeup was done for times like these. It’s possible to make a zit non-existent, even if it hasn’t completely gone away, if you invest in a quality concealer. Dr. Lamb loves the Make Up For Ever concealer, or you can try a green concealer, which neutralizes acne redness and inflammation. Either way, you’ll end up looking gorgeous – button or not.
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