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Though there is never a good time for a pimple, or zit if you prefer, to make its ugly appearance, they seem to have an uncanny way of showing up at the worst time, just in time for an important event. This is bad enough when you’re a teen, but even worse once you’re an adult. In either case you want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Not only can pimples hurt your self-confidence, in very bad cases it can even lead to feelings of anxiety or worse.
Often, people differentiate between what we call a pimple and the disease called acne, but in fact there isn’t one. Pimple is simply the common word used to describe the medical condition of acne.
Pimples are caused when some skin irritation leads to clogged pores. Oil glands just beneath the skin, which are connected to the skin follicles, discharge oil for the purpose of clearing away dead skin cells from the follicle. Unfortunately the hair that grows out of the follicle can often obstruct the path of the ol and skin cell residue. When this happens, the oil can’t exit the follicle and a pimple forms.
The type of pimple that forms varies from person to person. If you are in the lucky group, the pimple appears as simply a small whitehead or blackhead. These are usually easily controlled. If you’re not in the lucky group, you likely have overly active oil glands that discharge too much oil that leads to the buildup of bacteria called “propionibacterium.” Though the bacteria are not necessarily dangerous, it can quickly lead to skin inflammation and irritation. Also, some people are more sensitive to the bacteria than others.
Once the bacteria form a hold and set up shop on their victim’s face, the area becomes inflamed and red. Some people develop spots or even more pimples. In the most extreme cases, painful cysts can develop below the surface of the skin. This can lead to an infection that can spread to adjacent areas. This widespread inflammation is what is generally called acne.
In this article, we’ll discuss some measures you can take to relieve pimples that arise occasionally. These are the type that aren’t too serious and do not require medication for treatment. By following the procedures outlined in this article you can avoid needing to visit a dermatologist for treatment and still successfully treat the problem in time for the big event.
Recognizing When the Pimple Is Ready for Treatment
People who often treat pimple by squeezing them can cause themselves to suffer increased skin infection, which can in some serious cases cause cysts to for. This is due to the infected material being forced deep into the follicle. In very bad cases, this can lead to permanent scarring. By waiting until the pimple matures, this can usually be avoided. Once you see the yellow or whitish puss beginning to break the surface, this is your indication that it’s time to treat the pimple. Not only is this safer, but it’s also less painful. A win-win situation.
Wash Hands
Before performing any procedure dealing with open skin, you should thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water. This will help prevent you from spreading additional germs to the area and likely increasing the level of infection. You also need to clean you face with gentle soap and warm water. As an additional safely measure, it’s also a good idea to cleanse your hands with the alcohol.
Self-Treatment Procedure
If possible, you should not use your bare fingers to treat a pimple. This can lead to contamination and an increased infection. The best method is to gather some simple supplies and use them to perform a simple surgery. You’ll need some alcohol, sterile bandage, needle and clean warm water. Ensure the needle is sterile by thoroughly cleansing it with the alcohol.
Be Gentle
Lancing the pimple requires you to only gently prick it. There’s no need to inject yourself with the needle. Squeezing the pimply gently by applying pressure on each side with your fingers will also help. Once you have inserted the needle, this will also help expel the puss from the pore. Continue in this manner until puss stops coming from the pore. Once you see a small drop of blood appear, the pimple has been effectively cleansed of puss.
Final Cleaning
When the pimple is free of puss, clean the area again with a sterile bandage soaked with alcohol. You might feel a small sting, which indicated that the alcohol has entered the poor, which is what you want. This helps ensure that the freshly treated pimple does not become re-infected. As a final step, cover the area with a sterile bandage to prevent new bacteria from entering the pore. If you need to attend an event soon afterwards and don’t want to have a bandage on your face, you can apply a coat of anti-bacterial concealer.
Keep an Eye Out for
These days there are medications available without prescription that can help effectively treat pimples quickly. Their purpose is to quicken the rate at which the pimple matures so you can treat it. An example is Pan-Oxyl, which is a topical ointment. It’s active ingredient is benzoyl peroxide, which repels the bacteria. Astringents, such as those that contain tea oil can also help mature the pimple. Tea oil has the added benefit of being a natural anti-bacterial agent. Some people will have better luck with these products than others depending on their skin and how it reacts. The only way to find out which treatment will work for you is to experiment with the different products available until you find one that works for your skin.
If you have no luck with medications, you can try a device called the “Zeno.” It is a device with a metal tip that produces heat. You apply this to the pimple which helps cause the puss to rise to the surface and in some cases actually pop, according to the manufacturer. Unfortunately these devices can cost $200 or more.
Non-Facial Pimples
Skin isn’t just on your face and neither are pimples. Pimples are actually common in any location that has active oil production. The most common areas are the chest, back and arms, but they can also form is less convenient areas such as the underarms, buttocks and even the penis. Fortunately penile pimples are not very common but they do exist. If you notice pimples forming on your penis, it’s recommended that you get tested for sexually transmitted disease since one of the signs of herpes is pimples. If you’re lucky, it will simply be an allergic reaction caused by some product or just the result of bad hygiene. In any case, any genital pimples should be checked by a doctor to ensure they don’t represent anything serious.