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If you woke up with a big pimple on your face, you feel a spot brewing under your skin, or you suffer from chronic acne—don’t worry sis, we’re here for you! You could pull a Carrie Bradshaw and draw on a Cindy-Crawford-style beauty mark on top of your zit, but that is not a long-term solution. I promise someone will notice that you have a moving “beauty mark.” Let’s talk about some more practical tips to get rid of a big pimple fast!
Beauty Tips To Get Rid Of Acne And Pimples
Okay, let’s get nerdy and maybe a bit gross for a second. Before we can talk about getting rid of acne, let’s quickly talk about what acne is and some common causes. According to the Mayo Clinic, acne is caused by:
- Excess oil (sebum) production – if your skin type is oily, you can blame your pimples and acne on your overachieving sebaceous glands.
- Hair follicles clogged by oil and dead skin cells – if your skin type is dry and flaky, your dead skin cells are just lingering around too long, waiting to clog your pores and create pimples.
- Bacteria – as much as you might hate to hear this, everyone’s skin naturally has bacteria on it. The acne arises when you have an abnormal amount of acne-causing bacteria present.
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Inflammation – the more inflamed your skin is, the higher probability that your white blood cells will rush in to save the day, and voila! You have pus and a dreaded pimple.
Now that we’ve covered the ick, let’s look at the four factors linked to acne:
- Stress – Stress just throws your body and chemicals all out of whack! According to Karthik Kumar, for some, stress dries out your skin and for others it ramps up oil production—both can lead to acne.
- Diet – A 2009 study has shown that a high-glycemic-index diet and diets high in dairy have been linked to acne. Unlike popular belief, salt, chocolate, and fatty foods haven’t been conclusively linked to causing pimples—thank God!
- Genetics – Yes, you may be able to blame this one on Mom and Dad!
- Hormonal Changes – Frustratingly, more adult women experience acne which could be attributed to monthly hormonal changes surrounding your cycle. Pregnancy hormone changes can also trigger breakouts.
Alright, so if you’re on top of some of the factors that you can control, but you still find yourself with a dreaded pimple, let’s talk about the five best tips to quickly get rid of a big pimple!
Do Not Pop Your Pimple And Apply Ice & Heat To The Pimple
I know this can take an inhuman amount of self-control, but the number one pimple treatment tip is DO NOT pop your pimple. I repeat DO NOT squeeze your pimple. Even if you have one of those “safe” extraction tools, popping your pimple will only cause more inflammation. What you’re most likely doing is just pushing bacteria deeper into your skin where it will create a bigger infection and potentially cause scarring.
Based on the amount of time you have and the type of pimple you have, ice, heat or a combo can work wonders. If you feel a pimple coming on, do this before bed to reduce pimple swelling overnight.
- Inflamed, white head—head straight for the ice, babe! Grab some ice or a frozen compress, wrap in a CLEAN towel and apply it directly to the pimple for up to 15-20 minutes if you have the time.
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Large, painful pimple under the skin (no whitehead) – a heat compress is your best bet for this one. Adding heat will help with the pain and most importantly, encourage the pimple to drain, and drainage=shrinkage!
If you don’t have a heat compress on hand, just run a clean towel under warm water for a minute, then apply it to your skin for up to 20 minutes. Please know that hotter does not mean your pimple will drain quicker, you still need to be safe and gentle to your skin so warm is just fine. You may need to rewarm the towel during the 20 minutes. - Large and inflamed (there is a noticeable-sized bump under your skin and a white head) – you’ve probably already guessed it, but alternate back and for between hot and cold to tackle his pimple.
If you don’t have a lot of time, even a few minutes with of ice or heat can work wonders!
Cleanse Away Dirt And Bacteria
The key to treating pimples and preventing them is anti-acne skincare. The essential products for oily and acne prone skin include a great cleanser, moisturizer and SPF in the AM and a cleanser, retinol, and moisturizer in the PM.
As we mentioned above, you want to be gentle with your skin. You may be tempted to wash aggressively with abrasive scrubs or cleansers, but this will only aggravate your skin and make your acne more inflamed. The best pimple treatment tip is finding a cleanser with salicylic acid, tea tree oil and benzoyl peroxide. These will work together to remove dead skin cells and wash away dirt and bacteria.
Wash your skin twice a day with lukewarm water. Make sure your hands are clean and work your fingertips in small, circular motions for 30 seconds to a minute. Be sure to pat dry with a CLEAN towel—like not the hand towel every else in your house uses or the same body towel you use to dry your bum.
As we mentioned above, you want to be gentle with your skin. You may be tempted to wash aggressively with abrasive scrubs or cleansers, but this will only aggravate your skin and make your acne more inflamed. The best pimple treatment tip is finding a cleanser with salicylic acid, tea tree oil and benzoyl peroxide. These will work together to remove dead skin cells and wash away dirt and bacteria.
Wash your skin twice a day with lukewarm water. Make sure your hands are clean and work your fingertips in small, circular motions for 30 seconds to a minute. Be sure to pat dry with a CLEAN towel—like not the hand towel every else in your house uses or the same body towel you use to dry your bum.
Spot Treatment To Fight Acne And Reduce Oil By Using Tea Tree Oil
Always keep tea tree oil on hand for acne and other skin conditions! It’s a powerful anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial which means it tackles two of the four causes of acne while also working quickly to minimize the appearance of existing acne.
Apply a small dap to your pimple in the morning and in the evening to reduce pimple swelling overnight. Studies have also shown it can treat dandruff, promote hair growth, heal psoriasis and eczema, plus reduce oiliness in oily skin types. It’s a no brainer to keep this in your anti-acne skincare line up and apply it at the first sign of a pimple!
Do Not Wear Heavy Make Up
This is a hard one because your first instinct is to pile on the concealer and foundation to hide any pimples or acne you’re dealing with. But wearing makeup everyday could be making your acne worse and potentially increase the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Dr. Joshua Ziechner shares that “overuse of makeup, especially foundations, can lead to skin irritation or acne breakouts. Taking a break from makeup can help the skin repair itself.”
Your skin needs oxygen to function properly and produce collagen and elastin—the King and Queen of youthful-looking skin. Some research has also shown that prolonged exposure to the same chemicals or substances can create an allergy. So, try taking a few days off from the heavy concealers and foundations every week—your skin will thank you!
Your skin needs oxygen to function properly and produce collagen and elastin—the King and Queen of youthful-looking skin. Some research has also shown that prolonged exposure to the same chemicals or substances can create an allergy. So, try taking a few days off from the heavy concealers and foundations every week—your skin will thank you!
Change Your Pillowcase And Sheets
Please wash your pillowcases and sheets AT LEAST once a week. Even if you wash your face and shower before bed, you body temperature fluctuates while you’re sleeping so you’re leaving sweat and dead skin cells in your bed every night.
And no matter how clean you are, dust mites love bedding which means that their poop and dead bodies build up in your sheets. If you don’t believe it, check out the American Lung Association, who shares that four out of five American beds have detectable levels of dust mites. Yuck!
And no matter how clean you are, dust mites love bedding which means that their poop and dead bodies build up in your sheets. If you don’t believe it, check out the American Lung Association, who shares that four out of five American beds have detectable levels of dust mites. Yuck!
If you have sensitive, acne prone skin, you will probably benefit from changing your sheets twice a week, or at least your pillowcase. Your actual pillows should be washed every 4-6 months if washable, if not, just replace them. Pro tip: get silk pillowcases to reduce friction which could cause acne and wrinkles.