The second we see a pimple on our face, we instantly want to get rid of it. The real question is how? Haute Beauty sat down with a Haute Beauty expert to review the proper remedies to remove pimples both naturally and permanently. Here’s what Dr. Patel had to say:

Haute Beauty: Can you actually get rid of a pimple overnight?

Dr. Patel: Pimples are small micro infections of hair follicles. You may not be able to get “rid” of a pimple overnight, but you can make it look a lot better, so it appears to be gone.

HB: What are some tips to get rid of a pimple overnight?

DP: Pimples are caused by: follicular occlusion, microbe growth, sebum production/adding oil, and inflammation. These can all be addressed and helped when a pimple is early in the game. The most common way to address the above is to use benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, tree oil, or salicylic acid products on the pimple before you go to bed. BPO is a bleaching agent that kills microbes and dries up oil in the follicle. Tea tree oil and sulfur do a similar thing (make sure you are not allergic to these ingredients before using- placing a small test spot on your wrist or neck may be helpful to know. This can make the pimple look smaller in the am. Salicylic acid products not only dry up the pimple, kill any microbes, but also exfoliate the skin on top to let any accumulated puss out of the follicle.

HB: Should you invest in a certain cleanser?

DP: Exfoliating cleansers are perfect for acne, as they help unclog the pores to not only treat pimples but also prevent them from occurring. Visha Skincare Advanced Purifying Cleanser has Salicylic, glycolic acid, lactic acid, tea tree oil, and B vitamins to exfoliate the pores, decrease microbe growth, and calm inflammation. It is also used as an overnight spot treatment.

HB: Do Cortisone Injections work?

DP: Yes! BUT they can sometimes do more harm than good. They are TRULY for a pimple emergency…a day before weddings, prom, major event kind of emergency. Steroid injections decrease inflammation of the pimple, immediately. Side effects of steroid injections, however, are skin thinning, lightning, and could cause indentation where it is injected. This is not recommended as a regular pimple treatment. 

HB: What should you look for in a cream?

DP: Similar to the ingredients mentioned above, benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, and tea tree oil help with microbes and inflammation. Salicylic acid, and alpha-hydroxy acids as well as retinol, help with exfoliation. A quick fix for redness overnight (but not for more than 3 nights) is over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream. Make sure that the creams are not too thick (will not clog more pores), they are best if hyaluronic acid-based (a water-binding molecule that does not clog pores). Make sure that the creams also do not contain edible ingredients such as coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil…etc, because if we can eat the product, bacteria and fungus can eat the product. This could possibly make more pimples.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

HB: Do spot treatments work?

DP: Yes, they do! in fact, spot treatments work better for overnight fixes. Blister bandages or hydrocolloid patches work by pulling the contents of a pimple out vs the above-mentioned topicals that dry up the pimple. 

HB: Does tea tree oil work?

DP: Tea tree oil absolutely works! it is a natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory oil that helps dry up pimples overnight. Visha Skincare Advanced Purifying Cleanser has fruit acids and tea tree oil to be used as a cleanser and a spot treatment.

HB: Does toothpaste work?

DP: Sure does, toothpaste pulls the oil and moisture out of the pimple like a clay mask or charcoal mask would. 

HB: Any DIY tips you can share?

DP: A small crushed-up aspirin paste to a pimple helps with drying up the spot and inflammation. Toothpaste, the opaque kind, not gel is what should be used to dry up pimples (so far toothpaste has helped me zap zits, fill holes in my walls, and get small scratches off my car…the endless uses). Ice to a red pimple gives immediate blood vessel constriction and helps with redness. Over-the-counter nasal spray with aferin is also a vasoconstrictor so if the face is very red with lots of blood vessels around the pimple, putting a little of this on top helps with redness immediately. Spot treating with Visha Skincare Advanced Purifying Cleanser shrinks and soothes a pimple overnight. A dab of over-the-counter hydrocortisone will help with tender pimples to decrease the inflammation. 

HB: Anything else our readers should know?

DP: Remember that your skin is the largest organ of the body. We are mammals and covered with hair follicles, pimples are small infections of our hair follicles. Addressing 2 of the above causes of acne prevents pimples from forming. When they are there, squeezing them with nonsterile fingernails can lead to the spreading of the micro infection, more inflammation, and scaring. Putting products on pimples helps them go away, but they may not go away completely overnight… it takes time. It is possible to make them appear a lot less overnight though. In preventing pimples we need to take care of our largest organ of the body, we need 6 glasses of water, 8 hours of sleep, a multivitamin, and a probiotic. Diets high in sugar and dairy are more prone to acne breakouts as well.