5 Ways to Quickly Get Rid of Pimples
There are few things that can ruin a day faster than finding a pimple on your face when you wake up in the morning. A pimple is literally a blemish on what could have otherwise been a perfect week. Pimples are painful and unsightly, and just about everyone gets them. Fortunately, there are a few solutions besides merely waiting for the zit to sort itself out. Below are our top quick fixes for getting rid of pimples and getting your clear complexion back:
- Schedule an appointment with your dermatologist.
If your breakout looks and feels particularly severe, pick up the phone and schedule a visit to your dermatologist immediately. You can also do this if you have a big and important event coming up and want your skin to be flawless – like a wedding, for example. Dermatologists can remedy the situation by injecting a hormone called cortisone directly into the pimple, which destroys it upon contact. Celebrities get cortisone shots whenever they need to appear perfect or expect to be photographed a lot, like right before awards ceremonies or movie premieres.
- Pop it.
Most guides will tell you not to pop a pimple. Of course, popping a zit will lead to inflammation and possible infection, and may leave a nasty mark if you aren’t careful. However, if you know how to safely pop and treat a pimple, you can get rid of them practically overnight. The bottom line is this: a pimple is really a kind of wound, which means you treat it as you would a similar wound or cut.
Here’s how: when your pimple looks like it’s ripe and ready to burst, pop it with a couple of cotton swabs – don’t use your fingers! Squeeze as much of the gunk out of it as you can, then apply a pimple patch, like CosRX’s Acne Master Pimple Patch. This little miracle worker comes in the form of a hydrocolloid patch that sucks the nasty stuff out of your pore while also protecting it from the elements that may infect it – yes, including your own fingers. Leave the patch on for a day, then just take it off or replace it with a fresh one.
- Keep it clean.
Keeping your skin clean and well-exfoliated can help get rid of pimples, fast. You can use whatever face wash you already have on hand, and then apply a chemical exfoliant product, preferably one that contains salicylic acid. This beta hydroxy acid goes down deep into your pores and flushes the impurities out. You can also look into CosRX’s One Step Pimple Clear Pad. These cleansing pads have been pre-soaked in betaine salicylate and willow bark water that exfoliate your skin without drying it. The active ingredients penetrate into the pores and dissolve oil and dead skin cells – the primary causes of pimples.
- Turn the heat up.
If you feel a blemish coming on, try applying a warm wet towel or wet compress to your face, or consider hitting the steam room. Experts agree that heat is an easy and convenient way to soothe your skin if it starts to feel a little irritated. A warm compress or steam will bring that pimple to the surface, allowing you to use spot treatment on it.
- Use a spot treatment.
There are many available pimple spot treatments on the market, but the trick to successful zit eradication is not just using one, but combining several. Benzoyl peroxide kills the bacteria that cause acne, while salicylic acid exfoliates and removes excess oil. Meanwhile, cortisone cream reduces inflammation. By addressing as many factors that cause pimples as possible, you stand the greatest chance of getting pimples off your face quickly and painlessly.
And that’s our guide! Keep these tips and tricks in mind and you’ll be on your way to getting flawless, blemish-free skin every day.
