How To Heal a Breakout - Fast!
This article explores a skill we all want to crack: how to heal a breakout - and fast. Because really, is there any better way to heal a breakout? From what to do and what not to do, keep reading to discover our best tips and tricks for ridding your face of pesky pimples ASAP.
Don’t: Touch Your Face
The number one rule: don’t touch your face! We can’t emphasize this enough, touching your face, especially when touching turns to picking or popping your pimples, is the number one way to ensure your pimple will be sticking by your side in the days to come. While it can be incredibly tempting (some might even say satisfying) to do so, touching your face transfers more bacteria to the area, while picking it can lead to inflammation, infection, and possibly even scarring. That said, if you have a particularly sensitive pimple that has developed white pus on the tip, there is something you can do. (Hint: the answer is below).
Do: Apply A Compress
Applying a warm compress is a must if you are dealing with a pustule (a pimple that contains pus). Take a face cloth and run it under warm (but not hot) water. Then hold the cloth up to the affected part of your face for 15 minutes (you can do this two to three times per day as needed). The warm cloth will draw everything up to the surface, helping to excavate the pus without popping the pimple. If your acne is pus-free, but still sensitive then skip the warm compress and opt for a cold compress instead. A cold washcloth, or even an ice cube wrapped in a thin towel, will help reduce swelling, inflammation, and redness. Apply the ice for three to five minutes at a time, a few times a day.
Do: Be Wary of Home Remedies
You’ll find a myriad of home remedies on the internet, all claiming to disappear your pimple overnight. A few of the most popular include toothpaste, apple cider vinegar, crushed aspirin, and lemon juice. However, the reality is that many of these remedies are not backed by science, and what limited studies are available have shown them to be ineffective at best and harmful at worst. For example, lemon juice is known to cause irritation on sensitive skin, while toothpaste can result in the overdrying of acne, which exacerbates it. One home remedy that Dope Skin can get behind? Tea tree oil. Tea tree oil has been proven to reduce inflammation and fight acne-causing bacteria. That is why we’ve chosen to include it in many of our products. Tea tree oil is best applied in the form of a skincare product that contains it, as it should always be diluted.
Do: Wash Your Face
To get rid of a breakout as quickly as possible, washing your face regularly is a must. Not washing your face adequately is often what leads to breakouts in the first place. This is because, when you don’t wash your face, your skin’s natural oil mixes with anything it comes into contact with - dirt, pollution, sweat, makeup, you name it - and clogs your pores. Thus, be sure to wash your face twice daily, as well as after working out.
Don’t: Shy Away from Salicylic Acid
Rather than lathering your face in apple cider vinegar, toothpaste, or whatever other concoction the interest is obsessing over, choose an acne-fighting product that really works: salicylic acid. Salicylic acid, as well as glycolic acid, are both popular ingredients in skincare products because they work to exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin cells and excess oil from the surface of the skin. And since trapped oil is the number one cause of acne, using skincare products that contain at least 2% of either of these ingredients can make a big difference. Most pharmacies will sell a variety of products containing salicylic acid, with the most common being cleansers, toners, and spot treatments.
Do: Avoid Makeup
This is easier said than done for many people, but avoiding pore-clogging makeup is definitely the best course of action when trying to heal a breakout. Thankfully the pandemic has made not wearing makeup less of a sacrifice for a lot of people, but if you’re someone that really can’t go without it try to avoid heavy liquid foundation or concealer. Opt for mineral powder foundations over oil-based ones just until the breakout is gone.
