Getting Rid of Last-Minute Pimples

Take a Breath

First of all, you know that stress is likely what caused your pimple in the first place, right? Stress has a tendency to cause breakouts – and make them worse if you’re already having one. The last thing you need is five pimples instead of two, so remind yourself to take a deep breath and… Just. Calm. Down. We can solve this problem. It’s not the end of the world!

Clean Your Face

There are plenty of ways to cleanse your face and open its pores, but when an important event is just around the corner, you need to be careful not to over do it, or you could end up with an even worse mess – a face that’s red, blotchy and dry from over cleansing.

So, to keep things simple, do one or all of the following, depending on the extremity of your last minute acne breakout:

1) First, wash your face thoroughly with your routine facial cleanser. Now is NOT the time to experiment on a new cleanser, so if you don’t have one, either go to the pharmacy and buy one specifically designated for sensitive skin or skip this altogether. Make sure to use tepid water…not hot!

2) Next, rinse your face with warm (not hot) saltwater. Sea salt is best, but basic salt water is fine too.

3) Apply a gentle facial cleansing mask, once again, making sure the water isn’t too hot, as this will irritate your face. Once again, if you don’t have one you’re already used to using, now isn’t the time to experiment with a new one. Skip to step 4.

4) Grate an apple and mix it with a small amount of honey and a few drops of lemon juice, then apply it to the affected areas of your face for 20 minutes. Rinse the honey with warm water, then rinse your face with cold water. Honey is a natural antibiotic, so it will help to minimize swelling around the pimples and acne.

5) If you’re adventurous, try oil cleansing using extra virgin olive oil. Using a warm towel, massage a small amount of olive oil into your skin. Be careful not to irritate the pimples themselves, but be sure to clean them thoroughly, all around them and across your entire face. Rinse the washcloth with cool water and wipe the excess oil from your face.

6) Finally – even if you’ve skipped some of the previous steps – wipe your face down with witch hazel using a cool washcloth. This will mop up any residual dirt without robbing your face of its essential oils.

Overnight Treatments

Toothpaste! It’s an age old remedy, but it works. Take a clean cotton swab and evenly apply tooth paste (note: paste, not gel) directly onto and all around each affected area. The toothpaste will dry the pimples out and help the swelling and redness go down overnight. This works especially well on cysts, which may be inflamed and uncomfortable as well as unsightly. In the morning, rinse the toothpaste off using cool water and cleanse your face with your regular cleanser or witch hazel.

Covering Up

Now that you’ve done EVERYTHING you can to minimize your last minute acne, it’s time to look at option B – using cover up. Sometimes it’s just not possible to make pimples go away completely overnight Neutrogena has a great product called SkinClearing® Blemish Concealer that is simple, straightforward and works really well. Using a sponge applicator or cotton swab, gently apply a small amount of the concealer to your pimples, working the concealer into the area around the pimples until it’s completely blended with the rest of your skin. This works great for spot treatment, but it can work on a larger scale if you have a more widespread acne problem.

Let me know your thoughts!

This post was written by Brandon