It's 2022. Surely we've solved pimples by now?

February 14, 2022 2:24 PM

What is the one product I should put on my freshly popped pimple to make it shrink and go away, quickly?

Once in awhile I get a painful pimple on my face. It grows into a whitehead and I pop it (properly, with a clean needle, after sanitizing the area). I squeeze the gross stuff out, clean it again, and then...what? What is the magic potion I should put on the freshly popped pimple to make it go away? I've tried antibiotic ointment, benzoyl peroxide, toothpaste, those 3M pimple patches...and probably other things I don't remember, but I just can't seem to get a consistent result. It seems like such a simple problem to solve! Is there a right answer here? Help.

posted by yawper to Health & Fitness (26 answers total)

Don't pop it, use the pimple patch.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:30 PM on February 14, 2022 [19 favorites]

Benzoyl peroxide (kills acne bacteria). 2%. You can also put a thin layer on every few days before bed as preventative.
posted by amaire at 2:32 PM on February 14, 2022

Can you get zink cream? It works like a dream.
posted by mumimor at 2:35 PM on February 14, 2022

The popping is gonna slow down the healing/disappearing process every time tbh. If I were you (getting regular whitehead acne instead of the pimples I normally get, which are cystic) I would try to use the patches without popping the zit first.

A little bit of hydrocortisone cream will take down the redness somewhat but it doesn't do any proper healing.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:35 PM on February 14, 2022 [3 favorites]

I wouldn’t put it on broken skin or a popped pimple, but tea tree oil works for me when nothing else will.
posted by Maeve at 2:39 PM on February 14, 2022 [4 favorites]

Tea tree oil!
posted by cranberrymonger at 2:41 PM on February 14, 2022 [2 favorites]

I mean yeah we've pretty much solved pimples, or at least the big painful variety that you describe, as long as you have the cash for the occasional copay at the dermatologist depending on your health insurance (in my experience, 50-100 bucks a pop). They'll pop your pimple professionally, which is to say they'll stick you with a cortisone shot in the face which will basically make it disappear/go down immediately, or at least over the course of a couple hours, save for some minor redness. It takes about 10 seconds and you're on your way.

I'll do this once or twice a year when I get the type of occasional monster zit that you describe where I don't have time for 2-3 weeks of vigorous face-washing and cream and tea tree oil and patience; I just want it gone. It's one of the few things I will spend money on that is just insanely worth it to me. Pretty sure it's what celebrities do when they get a giant pimple before a photoshoot or whatever.
posted by windbox at 2:41 PM on February 14, 2022 [6 favorites]

there are medicated pimple patches now too. A patch on an unbroken pimple (so that your body doesn't need to actually repair the broken skin) can work surprisingly fast. I like the Hero invisible ones (which are so thin that they're a bit hard to work with, but actually pretty invisible) but there are SO MANY brands available now. Even fun ones like stars and smiley faces!
posted by mosst at 2:42 PM on February 14, 2022 [5 favorites]

Don't pop it, for real do not. The fastest way to get zits cleared up fast is to 1. have a healthy (i.e. not fucking toothpaste please omg this isn't 1983) skincare regimen with chemical exfoliation in place to begin with, and 2. sterile lance the whitehead and place a pimple patch over it WITH.OUT.SQUEEZING.IT. and changing the patch until it's gone.
posted by phunniemee at 2:44 PM on February 14, 2022 [5 favorites]

It's worth noting that any leave-on benzoyl peroxide treatment will bleach any fabric it touches - pillows, towels, shirts, etc. (A benzoyl peroxide wash that you put on for a minute in the shower and then thoroughly wash won't do so. It seems to help.)

As someone who hasn't had pimples in 20 years and very recently does again, in a frustrating way, a benzoyl peroxide shower wash and a leave-on salicylic acid gel works for me. I buy the Clean & Clear brand, 'cause that's what I recognize from childhood and it seems to work. Best wishes!
posted by eotvos at 2:51 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

I like this sulfur ointment, or neem oil.
posted by music for skeletons at 3:06 PM on February 14, 2022

Consider going to the dermatologist and seeing if they will do a small injection of a steroid solution into a cystic zit to make it disappear remarkably rapidly, and if that is something your insurance will cover as a medical vs cosmetic concern.
posted by slateyness at 3:26 PM on February 14, 2022

Don't pop it. This will shrink it within 24 hours and make it disappear within 48.
posted by Toddles at 3:45 PM on February 14, 2022 [2 favorites]

A benzoyl peroxide wash that you put on for a minute in the shower and then thoroughly wash won't do so

nb: this has not been my experience. I have a 10-year stretch of t-shirts and pillowcases bearing the scars of Clean & Clear face wash. Not to mention drying the heck out of my skin, when I should have been using Cetaphil gentle cleanser and a light moisturizer.

Pimple patches are absolutely key for me. They might (probably) do something to shrink the zit, but mostly they function to keep my hands off of it and keep from doing more damage.
posted by supercres at 4:01 PM on February 14, 2022 [2 favorites]

Take an aspirin, mash it with a little water to make a paste, glob the paste onto the zit.
posted by champers at 4:07 PM on February 14, 2022

Don't pop it. Put Mario Badescu drying lotion on it the first moment you have an inkling you're about to get a pimple. It's magic.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:41 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

Take an aspirin, mash it with a little water to make a paste, glob the paste onto the zit.

Or spend 3 bucks and buy a thing of salicylic acid at the drugstore that's been properly formulated for topical use and don't risk burning a hole in your face. Y'all have GOT to be nicer to your skin god damn.
posted by phunniemee at 5:12 PM on February 14, 2022 [20 favorites]

Pimple patch and one that has little teeth on the inner surface. You can put them on overnight before the pimple is ready to pop and it'll start sucking the goo out and shorten the healing time.
posted by quince at 5:30 PM on February 14, 2022 [2 favorites]

I get these often enough that it's worth it to me to use an OTC retinol serum (the one I use is from Cosmedix). This doesn't eliminate cystic acne for me but it does drastically decrease the life of pimples, from weeks to usually 48 hours or less. Sometimes I feel the hot tingle of one forming but it never even makes it into cyst form and just fades away.

It's not cheap - next time I go to the dermatologist I'll probably ask about getting a retinol prescribed so I can use my insurance for it - but I'm pretty into it.
posted by potrzebie at 6:39 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

It’s a bit different but when I was having bad issues with cystic acne - big painful lumps under the skin - I used a Lumie clear lamp, pressed tightly to the area, regularly until it subsided. It isn’t instant but applied as soon as I felt it coming up it really helped. It’s like it takes all of the ‘anger’ out of the thing.

I would say regular application of the light helped my skin generally, it looked clearer and brighter. However, it worked best when held against the skin, but as it covers only a small segment of the face to do whole thing was long and tedious.
posted by ElasticParrot at 1:41 AM on February 15, 2022

Lol at all these people saying don't pop it. Literally the only silver lining to having zits is the satisfaction of occasionally getting to explode one.

My go-too for this is a cotton ball with Kiehl's Blue Astringent, followed by some kind of extremely mild lotion.
posted by saladin at 6:17 AM on February 15, 2022 [7 favorites]

I really like sulphur spot treatments if you've tried everything else. Eradikate and Mario Badescu both make good ones. It doesn't smell good, and it's definitely visible while it's on, but it works really well for a lot of people.
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 7:57 AM on February 15, 2022

Snail serum and sulfur ointment (you can also make your own with sulfur powder). I’d also say pimple patches everytime, but you say they don’t work for you.
posted by asimplemouse at 8:14 AM on February 15, 2022

I'm on team tea tree oil. But be stingy with it, it will also do things like salicylic acid and sorta over do things. It's also great for athlete's foot. It's antibacterial and antifungal. Diluted well with alcohol it makes a pretty decent after shave. Reminds me a lot of teenage bottles of astringents and tubs of scrubbing pads. You have a tiny bottle, you take the lid off and put your finger over the top and shake, then drag your finger off sideways to leave all but the tiniest bit on your finger, put the lid back on, rub it on the zit, go wash your hands and still smell like tea tree oil for a good while.

(worked at a big health food chain store in the pills and potions department that encouraged moderate theft to try things out to give honest opinions if anyone asked. there's some woo stuff that sorta does what it says on the tin. not saying other more doctory progress things aren't better.)
posted by zengargoyle at 8:21 AM on February 15, 2022

25 comments and no one has mentioned Differin? This retinoid based gel is a lifesaver for me and it's over the counter and not super expensive.
posted by mcgsa at 8:25 AM on February 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Some folks are offering cystic acne remedies but you're not describing cystic acne--that does not come to a head. Nonetheless, your best bet is to reduce your breakouts overall and have fewer monster zits to heal/make disappear. What has worked best for me, and I mean, hands-down, so much better than anything else:

-spironolactone prescription
-retinol cream applied nightly (not a particularly strong concentration for me, but your dermatologist will know what your skin needs)
-a good toner applied morning and night
-snail serum (adds a lot of moisture to prevent the retinol flakies)
-differin moisturizer w/sunscreen

Again, not a solution for an existing zit (although the retinol cream really does seem to shorten their lifespans, too, and definitely helps fade the redness and scarring after). But it's one way to "solve" the pimple situation long-term.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:55 AM on February 15, 2022