Tips on How to Treat Pimples and Get Rid of Them
Well, let me think…I think my first pimple was when I was around 13 years old. I have come a long way from using rubbing alcohol (which I recommend NEVER doing, as it dry outs your skin way to much!)
Beleive me, I am now 36 years (young!), and I have had many times of being pimple faced. Even today, I have the occassional break-out here and there. I am pretty good with giving myself facials or going to the spa for a regular “clean up” but unfortunately I can’t explain why I break out with a pimple, but I am guessing it could have been my diet at that time…
Through the years, I have found excellent remedies (home solutions or commercial products that I personally found useful) where I can get rid of my pimples faster, easier and without harming my skin. Here’s some tips for getting rid of pimples and zits.
- Two or three hours prior to going to bed (or if you are sitting at home in the day), wash your face, then dab a little toothpaste (not the gel types) or Intaglio’s clarifying clay mask on the entire pimple. Let it sit for at least 30 min or sleep with it on, then wash away. Repeat this for a few days. You’ll notice it will go away faster than if you just wash it.
- Drink lots of water! Always keep a bottle of water in your car, in your purse or at your desk. Not only does it leave your skin soft and younger-looking, it also fights acne. Also, try to stay away from processed food. Eat food that is alive – fruits and vegetables are very good.
- Use a facial Antioxident spray (try Jane Iredales Antioxident Spray with green Tea extract) to balance the skin’s oil production.
- Use cornmeal to exfoliate your face – it’s a home remedy that has worked for me in the past. It helps eliminate blackheads, and I rarely get any blackheads. I have also tried, Intaglio’s Clear Sal Cleanser-2: Antibacterial Gel penetrates deep into the pores and helps to reduce bacteria and excess oil. Exfoliate for clearer softer skin! Scrub away old skin cells. Very helpful for fine blackheads on the nose! Try it and you will love it! I have used two great products in the past: Intaglio Exfoliating Liquid Luffa-0 and Phytomer’s Gommage.
- If you are a girl and you wear a lot of makeup. If you know that you aren’t going anywhere for the weekend or the whole day, don’t put any cover-up on. Give your skin a chance to breathe for a while. If you really need to wear makeup, try Jane Iredales Mineral Makeup Bases – this line can cover and disguises skin imperfections and doesn’t clog your skin. Also, another great product is Jane Iredales Disappear Camouflage Cream - it contains Green tea extract that has also been documented to combat acne bacteria!
- Always use a moisturizer after drying out your face. Sometimes your worst acne is on dry skin, so go easy on the alcohol and astringents! This is where I went wrong in the past!
- Use a tea tree oil on your face. I seen it on TV on Oprah. It not only flattens the pimples, but also dramatically reduces the redness of the acne. You can get a bottle at most, if not all, beauty supply stores.
- Keep your hair and hair products off face. I have found this extremely important as I have a lot of hair and use many hair products that seem to effect my face skin. I know for a fact that when I put my hair up in a poney tail for 2 days, my face clears up!
- Steam it out – Every time I have a pimple, I usually put a steaming hot washcloth over it to open the pore. If you desperately think you need to pop the zit, make sure your hands are clean, then wrap tissue around your ring fingers. Push gently and if nothing comes out, stop!
- What most people don’t realize is that pimples are also caused by puberty for most teenagers. The one way you can clear acne up, however, is to drink lots of water, use facial cleansers and lay off all the unnecessary sugary products, like soda.
Youc an also see our updated acne post with more suggestions here.
Tags: acne, blemishes, Intaglio Skin Care, jane iredale, mineral makeup, phytomer
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12:57 pm on January 21st, 2009
Thanks!
I hope it’ll work
5:32 pm on January 22nd, 2009
Toothpaste?
I suffer from pimples everyday and kids at my school tease me!
I need help and I am considering anything.
Please, HELP!
6:39 pm on January 22nd, 2009
Delaney,
Make sure you start a skin care regimen and stick with it. Consistency and patience are huge in dealing with acne. Cleanse, tone, Exfoliate and moisturize. You’ll need to do all the steps. Take a look in our Acne section for some great suggestions. Don’t give up! There is a product out there that will work for you.
7:26 pm on March 13th, 2009
Good tips, isn’t it the older (or younger) you get, the less zits you get?
6:39 pm on March 17th, 2009
Unfortunately not. A lot of people experience adult on-set acne. It can be very frustrating if you’ve never had to deal with it before. TV and movies make it seem like it’s just an adolescent issue but it’s really not.
4:07 am on April 2nd, 2009
i’m still 15…i got many pimple at my face…i hope this work…
is steaming my face can get rid of pimple?
4:41 pm on April 2nd, 2009
Hi there,
Steaming the skin won’t really do anything to get rid of a pimple. That softens the skin making it easier to do extraction, as well as making the skin more receptive to some products. Really you want to be drying up the oil and killing the bacteria. That’s done with the ingredients salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide.
I hope that helps!
2:07 am on April 19th, 2009
Thanks! i’m 14 and I have two huge pimples on my face, is applying toothpaste going to help get rid of them?
11:46 am on April 20th, 2009
Hello!
White (not gel) toothpastes do work for some people. The important thing to remember is that the ingredient that would dry it out is Hydrogen Peroxide. This is also known as an extreme drying agent to the skin and can result in dryness, irritation, mild burns and scarring if left on too long. You should always use a product designed for the face. These have been formulated specifically to not damage the skin. If toothpaste were that effective and good for removing pimples, they would most likely advertise the fact ad make millions of more dollars. But they don’t because they know it’s not safe to do so.
Thank you for the great question!
11:50 pm on April 29th, 2009
hi there im 22 and and i had i pimples all over my face and also at my chest,back.im frustrated please give some other remidies except for costing too much
5:17 am on April 30th, 2009
hi!
im 14 and my skin breaks out when it feels like it, i suppose. ive used a couple of cleansers since ive been having breakouts and they all react to my face, my face isnt sensitive but seams to react to them by getting itchy. could you help?
1:14 pm on April 30th, 2009
With acne you want to make sure you’re using at least a cleanser, exfoliant and moisturizer every day. Look for the ingredients benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. They will kill bacteria and control the oil production. With the exfoliant, don’t use anything with crushed shells, nuts or pits in them. They scrape the skin and give bacteria more places to enter. Use an oil free moisturizer to balance out the skins oil production. You should be able to find those things at a drugstore. I can’t give you specific recommendations as I don’t know what lines would be available there. This is the post on basic acne care: http://blog.spaboutique.ca/beautytips/how-to-get-rid-of-pimples-and-control-acne/
1:19 pm on April 30th, 2009
Hi Nicole,
If itchiness is the reaction , it does sound like you may have some sensitivities. I’m going to suggest you fill out the skin care analysis form so I can help you a bit better. Sensitive skin with acne can be very complicated to try and solve. http://www.spaboutique.ca/skincare_analysis.htm With a bit more information I should be able to help.
1:32 am on May 6th, 2009
Hello, I’m currently 15 years old. And whenever I have pimples, they tend to grow on my nose or near the nose. >..< There’s also white stuff from it. Any more tips?
12:04 pm on May 6th, 2009
Hi Jessica,
I’m going to link you to a couple other of the posts. They pretty much give you all the information I’ve ever learned about acne. It really is about patience and consistancy with good products. http://blog.spaboutique.ca/beautytips/how-to-get-rid-of-pimples-and-control-acne/ and http://blog.spaboutique.ca/beautytips/extractions-or-how-to-pop-a-pimple/
Look for ingredients like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Also make sure to use a good oil-free moisturizer so your skin doesn’t dry out and produce more oil to compensate.
I hope that helps!
12:53 am on May 7th, 2009
Thanks for the tip. But I really ‘am getting curiouser. >.< Should I pop the pimple or not? If I do not, how will it go away? [I really want to go on the natural side and not use chemical products]
12:45 am on May 20th, 2009
Hi there..
i am a 34 years gal working as lawyer i also have a problem having some pimples on my face am so worried i also let you know i have oily skin and am mostly working in sun and using sun block so would you please let me know proper treatment for those and which cream and sun block i use as according to Asia Pakistan atmosphere when the temp is 45 and some how humidity there
Thanks
12:06 pm on May 21st, 2009
You’ll want to use an Oil-Free moisturizer that contains an SPF. Unfortunately I’m unaware of one that will have an SPF high enough for your region. Being here in Canada I don’t know what lines are available in Pakistan. Really the best advice I can give is to look for oil free sunblocks. Make sure that you are exfoliating regularily with a gentle scrub as well. I’m sorry I can’t help you more Anila!
12:50 pm on June 19th, 2009
So I am 21 years old, I’ve had acne since I was in 5th grade. Cystic Acne, to clarify. It was really burdened me in my career and my has ruined my self esteem. My husband tells me I’m pretty, but I wish I could believe it.
I’ve tried basically everything, Proactive, Acutane, may prescription creams and stupid pills, Eggs, lemon juice, rubbing alcohol, witch hazel and everything else.
I knew that half of the things or more were really bad for my skin, but I hated my skin so much I did it anyway. If there was a tiny bit of hope, I did it. I’m still suffering from it, and I’m very to feel pretty. One day perhaps.
2:47 am on October 8th, 2009
its good but any more tips for teens cause their skin will be really sensitive and applying harsh chemicals would take away the glow. i hope i’ll get the answer.
11:37 am on October 8th, 2009
Hi Saba,
There are only so many ingredients that actually work for controlling acne. Sensitive skin desn’t come down to being a teenager, however it does come down to the individual. Use a gentle, soap free cleanser. Make sure you’re exfoliating (find an enzymatic or aha exfoliant, they are less harsh on the skin than the mechanical ones with scrubby bits. even though they are chemical exfoliants they give more of a glow to the skin than anything else. enzymatic ones can contain papain from the papaya or bromelain from pineapple. aha’s come from sugar, milk and apples.) then use a spot treatment for the pimples that do show up. either a low percentage of benzoyl peroxide or a high percentage of tea tree oil. I hope that helps!
3:39 pm on January 23rd, 2010
im a teen and i have small zits around my cheeks and a couple scars on my forehead from provious zits…i’ve tried almost everything but they just dont seem to disappear!
do you have any tips for teens that will make my skin clear up and not seem dull again? i miss my glowing clear skin!
2:40 pm on January 25th, 2010
Thank you for the question. It’s difficult to know for sure as I’m not sure which products you’ve used in the past. There are a small number of ingredients that can make a different but you need to find the formula that will work best for your skin. It also takes time.
Use a gentle, soap free cleanser, an alcohol free toner, exfoliate 2-3 times a week (no crushed nuts, shells or pits) and use an oil free moisturizer. If you’d like you can fill out our skin care analysis form and I can give you a bit more individualized response.
Thank you.