Loading ...Pretty much everyone has been afflicted by pimples at some point in their lives. However, there are some pretty effective ways how to get rid of pimples that can solve your problem.
Now before we begin, it’s important to note that while pimples are considered “acne” they may refer to something a bit different. Acne is a skin condition that MAY include pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, or liaisons on the face. Getting rid of pimples is different than getting rid of acne. Basically, it’s a lot easier to get rid of a couple pimples than to cure an acne skin condition.
If you are looking for information on how to get rid of acne, follow the link just given. If you end up getting the occational pimple, then here’s how you can treat it.
What Are Pimples?
When sebum, hairs, and skin cells all clump together, they may forum what’s called a skin plug (or comeogen). This becomes a virtual breeding ground for bacteria which may cause a reaction in your body’s immune system. The result is that the area becomes swollen.
There is certainly no age limit to who may get pimples, though they are more prone to form in individuals with hormonal changes such as teenagers and pregnant women. It’s not unheard of for men and women in their late 40’s to 60’s to get pimples, however.
There are different “kinds” of pimples out there that you might suffer from.
- Whiteheads:
These are pimples that remain under the skin surface. Because of this, they often have a hard white shell. - Blackheads:
Blackheads are basically pimples on the surface of the skin. They form when skin plugs push out of the pore; the oxegen in the air reacts with the skin plug, turning it dark in appearance. If blackheads are your problems, check out our how to get rid of blackheads article for more information on how to deal with this issue. - Papules:
These are basically small bumps on the surface of the skin which are tender to the touch. They are pink in color. - Cysts:
Deep seeded pimples that are filled with pus. When cysts appear, acne scarring may occur. If you suffer from acne cysts, you will likely need a powerful oral treatment such as Accutane to get rid of acne cysts. - Pustules:
Are a type of pimple that are red on the bottom of and white at the top – the white being from pus inside of the top of the pimple. - Nodules
Pimples that are inside the skin. They tend to be hard to the touch as well as painful to the touch
Causes of Pimples
Pimples tend to form when the skin pores get blocked. There are a number of reasons why this may occur. Pimples can be managed through lifestyle changes (changing to a healthy diet, change your makeup type), changes in hygiene (such as washing your face twice a day, applying acne treatments to your face, etc), or even just pure luck.
There are a few things that are linked to pimples, however.
Hormones
Hormones are probably the biggest contributor to pimple outbreaks. Why? Because when hormones are particularly active, skin oil production soars which may lead to pore blockages and pimple formation. Basically, the more skin oil being produced by your pores, the more “chances” your pores may get blocked.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy causes a huge change in your hormonal balance which may cause pimples. The hormones of a woman run wild during pregnancy, prompting changes in the body that produce pimples.
Birth Control Pills
You may end up causing pimple outbreaks when you change your birth control pills to new ones or start taking them. This is because these pills mess with your hormonal balance. Ironically, taking birth control pills can actually reduce acne and are a known acne treatment.
Menstruation Cycles
The fluctuating hormones caused by menstruation may cause pimples.
Medication
Some medication has been linked to causing acne outbreaks on the neck, back, and face.
Cosmetics
Makeup can be a huge contributing factor to pimple development. Makeups or cosmetics that contain oil can block the pores of the skin, which in turns causes skin plugs to form. You should look for non-comeogenic makeup products or hypoallergenic cosmetics. You may even want to cut back on the amount of makeup used or even (gasp) avoid it.
Heredity
Chances are that if your parents had pimples, you will too. Heredity can play a very big factor in whether you will suffer from pimples or not.
How To Pop a Pimple
If you have a couple pimples on your face, then popping them may be a good option. If you leave a pimple full of pus, it may harden or remain full of pus for months. Popping it may give the pimple the best chance of going away! Keep in mind this is not a pimple cure or a long term pimple preventative treatment, it’s simply a means of dealing with a couple pimples you currently have. For long term pimple preventative treatments, see our get rid of acne article.
Here are the steps to popping a pimple:
1. Don’t Pop a Pimple Right Away!
While popping a pimple might seem to be the right thing to do, it can actually be the wrong thing to do. Popping the pimple before it’s ready to pop can cause an infection to break out around the area, making the pimple look even worse than before. Not a good thing.
That’s not to say you can’t pop a pimple, but you want to make sure it’s ready to pop. You can tell a pimple is ready to be popped when it’s full of puss and soft to the touch. If it’s hard, leave it alone!
2. Get The Right Stuff Ready
Before you do anything, wash your hands thourughly. If you don’t, you may cause yourself a lot of grief by spreading infection to other parts of your face. We recommend the following:
- A small needle
- Hydrogen Peroxide or Rubbing Alchohole
- Some soft tissue paper or gauze
3. Wash your hands
It’s very important to wash your hands before you touch your face. Your fingers and hands are fair seething with germs, bacteria, oil, and dirt. You don’t want to smear this over the affected areas.
4. Dip Needle in Alcohol
You’ll want to dip your needle in some rubbing alcohol to ensure you don’t get an infection after popping the pimple. Simply dip the tip of the needle in a drop of alchohole. To be “sure” everything is disinfected, apply a bit of alcohol to your hands too.
5. Prick the Pimple
Hold the area around the pimple together with both fingers in a slight squeezing motion. The idea here is not to squeeze the pus out the pimple, but to enlarge the pimple so you can lance it. With your other finger, push the tip of the needle through then squeeze out the push lightly.
Note: it’s important that you only prick the pimple lightly. Don’t spear it or dig up the area with the needle.
You will apply a gentle squeeze to the area with your fingers until the white pus is gone. When you see blood or clear fluid, the pimple has been emptied.
6. Clean Pimple Area
The next step is to dab the affected area with some alcohol. A gauze works well for this. Pour a tiny bit of alcohol onto a gauze then wipe the area around the deflated pimple. Don’t touch the area with your hands!
7. Apply topical acne treatment cream
Now, this step is very important because if you don’t apply some sort of acne treatment product, there is a good chance that your pimple will become infected and full of pus the next day. You have a few options here:
- Benzoyle Peroxide
- Salicylic acid
- Tea Tree Oil
In our getting rid of acne article, we talk about the differences between these popular acne treatments.
What’s the most effective topical acne treatment out of the three? It’s our opinion that Benzoyle peroxide is the best of the bunch because it does two things: helps exfoliate the pore which reduces blockages that may cause pimple breakouts and introduce an oxygen rich atmosphere inside the pore of the skin which actually kills the bacteria.
No matter what treatment you choose, you should apply it to the affected area twice a day – once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Assuming you have popped the pimple, your pimple should dry up and disappear within a few days. It will likely take around two weeks for the spot to disappear.
Commercial Pimple Treatments
There are a number of commercial treatments out there. These are more for preventative acne treatment and usually include three things (at least):
- A face wash product
- A topical acne treatment cream
- None-pimple-causing moisturizer
The most effective of such products (that we’ve found) are:
#1. Clear Pores
#2. The Acne Regimen
#3. Proactiv
There are literally dozens of such acne treatment systems out there, but we’ve found that the three listed are the most effective. Note that there are a LOT of scam acne treatment products on the market, so certainly don’t buy any acne treatment system without some thorough research on your part.
Pimple Home Remedy Treatments
If you want to get rid of pimples, there are a few other remedies that you might want to look at besides acne treatment creams. These are what you might call pimple home remedies so we can’t guarantee they work. Still many people swear by them (as does the author of this post), so you might find them a cheap means of getting rid of pimples.
The Toothpaste Pimple Treatment
Before going to bed, apply a bit of toothpaste to the affected pimple area before going to bed. If you are lucky, the pimple might be significantly reduced when you wake up. You will of course wash the toothpaste off in the morning. Repeat this every night until the pimple is significantly reduced.
This works best if the pimple has been popped, but it may still prove affected even if the pimple has not yet been popped.
The Lemon Juice Pimple Treatment
Another home remedy you may find effective is to apply a drop of lemon juice 2-3 times a day to the affected pimple area. You may find the lemon juice helps to dry out the pimple.
Vitamins
There are claims that pimples might react to niacin (take 100 mg twice a day) and Vitamin A. Vitamin E (400mg a day) may also prove to be effective. Some claim that 30 mg of zinc twice a day might help.
Coriander Juice and Turmeric
Mix half a teaspoon of coriander juice and combine it with a small pinch of turmeric. Before going to bed, apply this paste to your pimples and wash off in the morning.
Garlic
You can apply raw garlic to the affected area twice a day. You want to cut a piece of garlic up and rub it over the pimple. You might also try eating several raw garlic seeds once a day for 2 months – some claim that the seeds of garlic help to purify the blood.
Coriander Juice Pimple Home Remedy
Fenugreek
You can treat pimples by making a paste of Fenugreek leaves (mash up a couple leaves and mix with a bit of water). Apply the past to the pimple/s before going to bed and wash it off in the morning.
Orange Peels
Mash up a couple pieces of orange peel and combine with water. Apply to affected area and leave on for 30 minutes. Do so once a day.
Epsom Salt Bath
Some claim that taking a bath once or twice a week in water mixed with Epsom salts (a warm bath) may help your skin shed pimples
Final Word on How to Get Rid of Pimples
Getting rid of pimples can a crap shoot, we admit. Some treatments may work and some may not work as well (or at all). We recommend at the very least you practice a proper facial hygiene regimen which includes washing your face twice a day and applying some sort of medicated acne treatment (such as Benzoyle Peroxide) to your face. You may, however, wish to give some of the home remedies a try. And by all means, don’t discount changes in lifestyle — you might find that drinking 8 cups of water and eating a healthy diet (lean meats, complex carbs, lots of veggies and fruit, avoid sugars and fatty foods) makes a world of a difference too! Don’t try something for a week or two then give up. Getting rid of pimples might take months!
The bottom line is to start being proactive about getting rid of pimples!
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