Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pimple

Help me get rid of this lingering pimple!

hotdiggitydog — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:55:31 -0800

Help me get rid of this pimple! I've tried everything and it hasn't gone down in the week I've had it. I'm male, if it matters. The pimple showed up on the tip of my nose, I believe, last Saturday. I didn't touch it for a few days until it started hurting a lot, so I made a mistake and tried to pop it. I couldn't. After squeezing it, it got red and swollen and since then I tried not to touch it. For some stupid reason, I decided to put Vaseline on it, hoping it would clog up and I could puncture it. It actually went down after the first night I applied Vaseline on it, by some divine miracle, and after that I've been applying toothpaste religiously every day and night (I've been home all Thanksgiving weekend).

When I woke up today I saw at the very top of the pimple there was a tiny red (well, darker red, since the pimple is all pinkish/red) spot, like there was bleeding/bruising and a white spot in the middle of that, though it might just be toothpaste I couldn't get off. It hasn't developed a white head this entire time. The skin over the pimple seems stretched out, if that makes sense. Also, it doesn't hurt anymore.

The pimple is extremely visible: red, swollen, and right on the tip of my nose. I want to get rid of it by Monday, when I have to go back to work/school. I'd rather not pop it, but if I should for quick results, I'd rather do it today so I have a day for it to heal tomorrow, and so I can possibly cover it up with makeup (I'd need tips on that too).

So what now? Do I pop it? Apply more toothpaste and wait? Also, when the skin around the pimple is looking dry, do I need to apply lotion or something?

Sorry if this post seems a bit jumbled, I just need this thing gone fast.

zit or is it?

Wroksie — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:25:22 -0800

I'm getting a strange new kind of zit (or is it?) My skin is fairly clear, but when I do get spots, they're the normal kind, small whiteheads and blackheads on my face and occasionally on my upper back. These new spots are like nothing I've ever had, and I'm worried that they might be some kind of bug bites or rash.

They're always on 'soft' parts of my skin - the side of my breast, inside of my thigh, under my arm- but never close to any kind of hair follicles so I don't think they're ingrown hairs or infected hair follicles. They're medium-to-large, sore, itchy, bright red conical bumps with a whitehead in the centre. Gross, huh?

Before you ask - I have been to the doctor. He said they're just normal pimples. They keep coming and coming, though - they're really unsightly, sore as hell, and zit cream just irritates them and makes them more red. I use a gentle exfoliant every day in the shower, and that hasn't seemed to make a difference. Aside from being on soft, relatively hairless skin, there's really no rhyme or reason to where they appear - i.e., sometimes it's a place that's always covered in clothes, sometimes not, sometimes on skin that touches other skin (inside of thighs), sometimes not. I am going back to the doctor soon to insist on a referral to a dermatologist (this is in the UK, so doing this kind of thing through the NHS can take a while) but in the meantime I'd thought I'd see if anyone else has any ideas or has experienced something similar. Spider bites (there are tons of spiders in my house)? Allergic reaction? Evil curse?

A smile on my dial without wincing awhile?

springbound — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:36:17 -0800

Poorly-positioned wound in corner crease of mouth means it won't/can't heal. Super duper fast wound healing solutions, apply within! I got a pimple on the corner of my mouth. I picked it. I KNOW! I'M AN IDIOT! It became a wound, whose attempts to heal, being right on the corner crease of my mouth/lip, have been continually thwarted. Every time I smile, laugh, or attempt to eat even a spoonful of the most liquid food items, it splits open again. My best effort to not open my mouth has thus far lasted about ten hours. A woman behind a counter selling me a drink made me laugh; that was ten hours wasted.

The problem is basically a little bit of split flesh. It starts to heal, I move my mouth, it tears. Rinse, repeat.

Help me not look like a kid with a cold sore any more. People are going to start to wonder why I'm pulling out of coffees and dinners every which way, and if I keep walking around with my face to the ground like this I'm eventually going to walk into something and do myself some *real* damage. Or someone else will when I look funny at them with the squinchy, pursey look I'm affecting in an attempt to hide it.

Is there anything I can do to make this thing heal quick? And/or anything I can cover it up with while it does? (I know bugger-all about makeup and have a concealer stick but that just dries it out and makes it look worse.) I'm going to be embarrassed just going to a chemist; I want to whisk something away off the shelf without having to ask for their help or even raise my head to a point where they're guessing what I'm buying it for.

I'm in Australia, if that helps with product suggestions.

Pimple in sensitive area?

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:12:03 -0800

I have what seems like a flesh-colored pimple in a sensitive area. It's in my groin area (I'm a 25-year-old man) underneath some pubic hair, and it's probably half the size of a dime. It feels like a small lump that extends a little beneath the surface of the skin. I can't feel anything if I just touch it, but if I push it harder, then it hurts a bit (just as pushing a pimple might). It does not look as if it's pus-filled. I'm not sexually active right now and have not been for quite a while.

What worries me slightly is that it's been there for several weeks now without going away.

Anyhow, what is this likely? A pimple? A boil? Ingrown hair? Is it a problem or will it go away by itself?

Can pinpricks kill ya?

Sock Muppet Acct! — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:12:59 -0800

I accidentally popped my pimple with a rusty pin. Ugh. How worried should I be? I thought I picked up a shiny new safety pin, but, much to my horror, discovered the rust on the tip of the pin AFTER I'd poked it into my pimple.

Yes, I'm an idiot. Not only did I pop my pimple (it was getting painful, ok?!?), but I did it with a rusty pin.

So my question: How worried should I be about possible complications? I know that you all can't provide me with medical advice over the internet, but my student health center is closed tomorrow, and my only other option until it reopens on Monday is to go to the ER (which I really don't want to do, obviously).

Possibly relevant details: I recall having gotten a tetanus booster (I think?) about 9 years ago, though I'm not sure. The pimple keeps oozing (yes, gross, I know) so hopefully that's good that whatever may have gotten in there is kind of getting out?

And no, I won't ever do this again. Thank you in advance

Do you cancel a massage if your back is zitty?

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:08:39 -0800

Massages and pimples. I have an appointment this weekend for a massage at a fancy spa (yay), but I have recently had a very very nasty break out on my back. And some of those pimples have been popped and are still sort of scabby. Should I cancel the appointment? Or has the masseur seen worse and I'm worrying for nothing? Help!

Tell me my face will heal fine?

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:09:16 -0800

HELP! I HAVE A HOLE IN MY FACE A nasty pimple had developed on my cheek. In squeezing it, I ended up messing up my skin so that it scarred over the pimple. Ignoring what I knew I shouldn't do, I kept picking at it. Now I have a HOLE and I'm scared that it will turn into a crater or something worse. I've never had a crater- all my past pimples have healed fine. Please tell me - is this one going to leave a permanent indent in my face?? What can I do??

Gross picture here.

Why does this one zit keep coming back?

Bravely Anonymous — Tue, 01 May 2007 05:50:14 -0800

I get a zit in the same exact pore over and over. Why? Why that one pore? How can I get it to stop? It's gross. I have this one specific pore on my nose that periodically produces a gross pus-zit. Most unattractive. It's that kind that's all head and no body, just a gross whitish bubble. Give it three or four weeks and it's back. (I'm trying to figure out whether it coincides with anything, such as high stress).

Why is this one mutant pore always going zombie on me? Other zits seem to appear in random locations at random times, and not all that frequently now that I'm older, but I'm telling you, this is the exact same pore every time. Can I do anything about it? I want to cauterize the son of a bitch or something. What can I do?

Heal my acne cyst fast, please!

bonheur — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 22:16:26 -0800

I poked at a painful blemish on my forehead and now I have a big lump. What's the best way to fix this? I occasionally break-out, but I've never had cystic acne before. A few days ago a developed a small bump on my forehead. Of course, I idly poked and squeezed it, and now I have a rather large, dime-sized, warm, painful lump in the middle of my face. Delightful! Unlike standard-issue blemishes, there is no visible "head" to this beast, and when I did press on it, nothing came out. I won't squeeze it anymore, I've learned my lesson there. But how can I get this thing to heal as quickly as possible? Ice? Warm compresses? Acne creams? It hurts and I feel like Quasimodo. Please help!

What do I have growing out of my legs?

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 10:42:19 -0800

What are these giant pimple things? For a few years now I've been getting (sometimes huge, about half an inch in diameter and raised at least a quarter of an inch) reddish bumps on my bikini line and inner thighs. They show up about once a month, more often in hot weather (I don't know if that's because I shave more often or because of the heat), surprising amounts of pus, blood, and clear liquid come out when they are squeezed, and (I apologize for how repulsive this sounds) the stuff that comes out tends to shoot a long way for some reason. I've learned to use a tissue, but before I've found the results on the wall five feet away. These things are completely unlike any pimple I've ever had on my face or any other part of my body. I don't think they are ingrown hairs because they often show up a few inches down from my bikini like, where I hardly have any hair at all. It's sometimes difficult and extremely painful to squeeze them, but because I am a picker, I do it anyway. If I've tried to squeeze one too early, it sometimes becomes dark and bruised-looking and the blood that comes out when I eventually do squeeze it successfully seems darker, as well.
Now that I have completely repulsed everyone, I want to know, does anyone else get these? Are they a symptom of some terrible disease?

Pimple on penis, is it normal?

Devileyezz — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 09:42:03 -0800

I got a pimple on my penis. Is it normal? I have a pic of it. (Not sexual.)

It comes once in a while, and it swells a little, then breaks, and then the dried up cover comes off exposing the redness just like in a pimple on the face.

Is it possible to get a pimple actually IN your lip?

rileyray3000 — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 12:25:43 -0800

I'm just saying this right now, this is a little disgusting. Stop reading now if that's an issue. I just got one one those maginfying shaving mirrors. For the first time I notice something: a white spot (like pinhead sized) in approximately the middle of my lip and kinda far down. I have no idea how long it's been there. Coulda been there for years. I left it alone for a week or two. It didn't get bigger but it didn't get smaller either. So I squeezed it. This being my lip and not a rough patch of skin...well it hurt like hell. I was going to stop. But then, it came to the top, so I figured I'd give it one more pinch. Boom. It pops. Like a pimple. Loose white fluid comes out. The thing closes up an hour later and then it's like it didn't happen. What the heck just happened here?

Why does squeezing pimples make me sneeze?

bunglin jones — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 17:36:59 -0800

Why do I sneeze when I squeeze my pimples? They don't have to be near my nose, just anywhere on my face, really. Everytime I squeeze a zit - sometimes even just applying pressure to the area does it - I sneeze three, maybe four times. Why does it happen and does it happen to anyone else?

How to camoflauge a pimple for a portrait

hollygoheavy — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 09:06:43 -0800

My friend is supposed to have her engagement portraits done tonight and of course she has a nasty huge pimple on the side of her nose. She's already popped it (twice) says it's red and the size and shape of a pea. Her makeup artist said he can camo the color but not the texture and she can't get ahold of the photographer to see if she can airbrush it out.

What can she do right now to help or should she reschedule her portraits?