Beauty
Aug 17With a little extra care at the end of the day, you can clear your complexion by morning: Here are expert tips on getting rid of a pimple overnight
Wash this way
Acne-covered skin tends to be sensitive and washing your skin the wrong way can aggravate a pimple, making it hang around longer. Jennifer Ahartz, global curriculum developer at Dermalogica, suggests starting with a double cleansing if you want to know how to get rid of a pimple overnight: “The first cleanse helps to remove oil, makeup, and pollution from the skin and the second cleanse removes any remaining debris, helping to keep the follicles clear,” she says. “I recommend using Dermalogica PreCleanse first to remove excess build-up; do your second cleanse with Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash to wash away impurities and bacteria.” Learn what dermatologists do when they get a pimple.
Preparing your skin
After washing your face, add a leave-on exfoliant, mask, or moisturizer before getting skin ready for treatment. “Often, people overtreat a pimple in order to try to get rid of it, essentially worsening it due to the irritation,” says Melissa Kanchanapoomi Levin, MD, an NYC dermatologist and clinical assistant attending professor at NYU Langone and Mount Sinai Hospital. “While there is no magic cure for bringing pimples down overnight, there are things you can definitely do to minimize the inflammation.” Make sure these symptoms aren’t one of the 8 signs your skin products are secretly damaging your face.
When to pop
How to get rid of a pimple overnight? Pop it: If it’s a whitehead or a blackhead and easy to extract, go for it, says dermatologist Sandra Lee, MD, better known as Dr. Pimple Popper. However, touching cystic or other types of acne will make matters worse. If you do decide to take matters into your own hands, she says, apply a warm washcloth or take a steam shower to soften the pimple first, which make it easier to extract,
When not to pop
“If the pimple is a cyst or nodule, I recommend you can see a dermatologist for a simple steroid injection that can get rid of the pimple by decreasing inflammation,” says Dr. Levin. In the meantime, prime the skin by cleansing and then moisturizing, she says, then apply benzoyl peroxide, an effective anti-inflammatory and bacteria-fighting agent that minimizes redness and inflammation. Learn the 7 sneaky reasons for your acne breakout.
