Pimples under the surface of the skin can be painful, annoying, and just plain stubborn. Recently, a reader contacted me about an unfortunate case of an under-the-surface pimple on the chin. "I've tried a deep-cleansing pore mask, alcohol wipes, and soaking it with hot water and no luck," she said. Making a hot compress to apply to the problem area is one of my favorite ways to bring a pimple to a head, but since it doesn't seem to be working in this instance, I've done a little research on the topic. Find out how to get that pimple out fast when you read more.
- Tea bag compress: A warm tea bag cannot only help bring the pimple to the surface, but the tannins within, particularly in black tea, help reduce inflammation.
- Patch it up: This bit of advice comes from Dr. Adrienne Denese. Simply dab hydrocortisone cream on the infected area and cover with a Band-Aid. This simple remedy will help quell inflammation. (Psst: I've also done antibacterial cream and a Band-Aid with great success, and some folks even use honey for similar results.)
- For the unconventional: Joey Green, author of Amazing Kitchen Cures ($10) recommends Kiwi White Liquid Shoe Polish ($3.50) to help dry out pimples and bring them to the surface. He also recommends dabbing on some Preparation H ($6.50) to shrink the spot.
- Once it's ready: Make sure your hands are sanitized first before touching your face. Don't pop, but squeeze. You don't want to push the bacteria deeper into the skin. Once the pimple has been extracted, resist the urge to touch it, and treat with an antibacterial cream or tea tree oil, a natural antiseptic.
- If it's bad enough: Ask you doctor if a cortisone shot is right for you.
Fly London
Ugh these kind of pimples are the worst. My sister and I call them volcanic eruptions...no idea why haha
1When I got those in HS during the time of the month, I loved using Queen Helene's Mint Julep mask and witch hazel. It didn't so much make it come to a head...but it did make it disappear.
2Shoe polish?! Is this Beauty for Hobos?
3Tooth paste is a great way to dry out a pimple. Also very good is Tea tree oil.
4ha! my go-to overnight cure has always been to dab on a combination of neosporin, cortizone 10 (+aloe), and preparation h, all of which were mentioned. and of course it always starts and ends with a good salicylic acid cleanser and benzoyl peroxide treatment.
5Those types of pimples really hurt!
6Tooth paste saves my life.
7Great tips!
8This happened to me the other night. I dabbed a thick layer of camphor clay mask on the offending zit, left it for an hour or so while I watched tv and then washed it off and put a hot compress on it. It came to a head pretty quickly and I used an extraction tool rather than my fingers. It worked well. Then I put Neosporin on it after all the icky stuff was gone. SORRY, TMI.
9Two words: witch hazel.
10Man, I get one or two hormonal pimples at my hairline right before my period every month. I'm talking deep, advil sized bumps that take about a week to come to the surface (usually after my period ends) and man do they hurt. I'll have to try some of these suggestions.
11it's good to know I'm not the only one to get that, they really freaking hurt as well!
12I usually use toothpaste, a tea tree cleanser by Lush and Biafine cream to help with the pain. it usually works ok but it still hurts for like a day or 2
i've been using this anti-blackhead serum on those zits and it makes them go away without ever coming to a head. usually by the next day the swelling's down by a lot, and it's not so red. it's b.liv's off with those heads serum, not sure if they ship internationally.
13strong mixture of salt and water works amzing too! bring it right up but sometimes I try to fight it first with rubbing alcohol to see if I can stop it before it gets to big
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