Help! I Have a Pimple
So you feel a pimple blooming? Bad news first: esthetician Renee Rouleau says, “Patience is necessary when dealing with a blemish.” That doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about an emerging spot, it just means there’s no fast fix (other than an expensive cortisone injection, more on that later). Whatever you do, don’t pick! “A picked-at blemish is far harder to conceal and will be far more noticeable than a closed bump,” Rouleau says. Here’s what you can do.
Photo: Kenneth Willardt/Trunk
1. If you find the pimple at 5PM and dinner’s at 8PM, press a piece of ice onto the skin to minimize the redness and irritation, apply your anti-zit cream of choice, and cover it up. (Here’s a guide to covering it up.)
2. When you get home, evaluate the blemish. There are two different kinds: pustular and cystic. The former will rise to the surface of your skin. “Wait a day or two for the infection to appear, which will allow you to effectively control the blemish without damaging the skin,” Rouleau says. Once you can see the whitehead, wrap your fingers in tissue, or use two Q-tips to gently squeeze it out. Immediately apply a spot-drying treatment like Clearasil’s Ultra Rapid Action Treatment Lotion ($9) so that it gets under the skin. But seriously, wait. “If you apply a drying treatment before the whitehead is on the surface, it will simply dry out the surface of the skin keeping the infection trapped underneath for longer,” Rouleau adds.
Related: 7 Foods That Can Trigger Acne
3. The reason I asked Rouleau to answer this questions is because I used to suffer from cystic acne, and the only product I found that actually did something about those below the surface knots, was her Anti-Cyst Treatment. I still don’t understand how it gets underneath the skin, but it does, effectively dissolving the infection. “Cysts are like submarines; they are meant to stay under the skin,” Rouelau says. “No matter what method you employ, cysts will never rise to the surface of the skin.” Translation? Don’t pick!
4. So what about those cortisone injections? You can get one at your derm’s office, but each one costs about $100—and there’s always a risk with needles. “The skin can atrophy in the injection site and can end up looking sunken in,” Rouleau says. “It usually is temporary and can take up to a few months to heal.”
Related: Surprising News About Fighting Acne
As for toothpaste? Rita Ora just said it’s her go-to zit cream, but does it really work? Rouleau’s tried it herself, and says ingredients like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, and Hydrated Silica, have dehydrating, bacteria-fighting effects that do make toothpaste an option in a pinch, but you’re better off with something specifically formulated to fight a pimple, like Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion ($17) or Burt’s Bees Treatment Cream ($13).
