Aaargh! A pimple - your worst nightmare. You’ve got a hot date coming up tomorrow and a big red bump has appeared out of nowhere right in the middle of your chin. If you’re anything like me, you go straight into a panic attack. How can you get rid of it fast – like overnight?
It helps to understand just what caused that very unwelcome bump to appear in the first place. A blackhead or whitehead forms when too much sebum (oil) mixes with dead skin cells causing a blockage in the pore. In the right conditions this promotes the growth of the p. acnes bacteria causing a massive inflammatory reaction. That’s why your pimples go red.
So basically, you need to fix four things to get rid of your pimple as fast as possible – reduce any excess oil on the skin, clean out your pores, kill the bacteria, and reduce the redness.
It’s far more straightforward than you think. Here are 10 fast and easy ways you can make it happen - naturally or with a little help from powerful anti-acne ingredients. Choose between some highly effective skin clearing acne products, DIY pimple treatments at home or even a quick emergency trip to the derm, and your pimples can be pretty much gone overnight…
And no – you don’t need (or want) toothpaste…
- Keep Your Skin Clean.
You want to reduce the build-up of oil, dirt, grime and bacteria which makes pimples worse. Cleanse twice a day using salicylic based products like CeraVe Blemish Control Cleanser and BioNike Aknet Purifying Cleansing Gel. Keep some face wipes handy to clean your face after a heavy workout or on a hot day.
It may be worth your while to invest in a sonic cleaner to help deep clean your pores. If these are a little pricey for your pocket, then use a facial brush for a deeper clean.
A word of warning – do NOT over cleanse (no more than twice a day) as this can stimulate production of excess oil. Gentle is the name of the game with an oily skin.
- Steam Away.
A very simple solution is to open your skin pores to help get rid of all the bacteria, dirt and oil trapped inside your pores. Fill a large basin with boiling water, hold your face over the water placing a towel over both your head and the bowl to trap all the steam inside. Hold for about five minutes and then rinse your face with lukewarm water.
- Ice That Spot.
Ice is very simple and effective way to help reduce all that swelling and inflammation. Hold an ice cube/pack directly onto the spot for 10-minute increments – 10 minutes on then 10 minutes off – for about an hour.
- Emergency DIY Trifecta Spot Treatment.
Dr. Joshua Zeichner, Director of Cosmetic & Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital suggests a combination of benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and 1% hydrocortisone cream in a custom acne spot treatment.
Benzoyl peroxide kills acne causing bacteria, salicylic acid unclogs pores and helps remove excess oil, and the cortisone cream reduces inflammation and redness. This way, you can treat angry red pimples by fixing as many of the underlying problems as possible.
For benzoyl peroxide, we recommend Benzac AC 5 Gel. Mix it with concentrated salicylic acid treatments like BioNike Aknet Quick Pen Anti-Imperfector, Celltone Spot Blitzer, or Acne Solutions Clear Skin Blemish SOS Spot Corrector. You can get an OTC cortisone cream from your local pharmacy dispensary.
Note: This combo treatment is best for big red zits but is less effective for those nasty blind spots where the pimple is deep within the skin.
Blind spots are best treated with regular doses of pure salicylic acid (or a trip to your derm). Start off with a salicylic rich mask like Skin Republic’s Spots And Blemish Face Mask, and follow up with concentrated salicylic acid spot treatments like Skin Republic Salicylic Acid 2% Serum in the morning and at night.
Read More. Here's How to Effectively Treat Every Type of Acne (And Hide Them Too!)
Order click & collect online and pay on collection at Dis-Chem.
NO payment online. NO delivery costs. NO minimum order.