It's the night before a big event and as you get ready for bed, you notice it: the giant, angry pimple---or pimples---on your face. Whether the result of added stress, extra oil production or dead skin cells on the skin, your pimple is an inflamed and embarrassing spot. If you have time to treat it overnight, there are several measures you can take to reduce redness by the next morning.
Step 1
Cleanse your skin using a gentle cleanser to remove residual makeup, dirt and oils that can gather on your skin, according to Health 911. While you should wash your face every night, it is a particularly good idea to wash it before treating the skin with other products. This helps to prevent introducing harmful bacteria into any acne lesions. Be sure to cleanse acne blemishes, but do so gently.
Step 2
Towel dry the face gently.
Step 3
Drop several anti-redness eye drops on a cotton swab. Gently swab any areas where acne has broken out and allow the drops to soak into the skin. These eye drops contain an active ingredient called tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride that helps to reduce redness and swelling, according to Acne Crusher.
Step 4
Apply a dab of toothpaste to any acne blemishes, according to My Beauty Recipes. Ensure the toothpaste is a true white paste---a gel may not have the same acne-fighting effects. Apply only to the blemish itself and the area slightly surrounding it---applying to the whole face can be irritating. Leave on overnight, which has been shown to reduce the overall incidence of acne breakouts.
Step 5
Sleep on a clean pillowcase. Accumulated oils and dead skin cells on a dirty pillowcase can contribute to acne breakouts.
Step 6
Cleanse the face the next morning in order to remove the toothpaste and any other oils that may have accumulated overnight.
Tips and Warnings
- Applying a cold compress to any areas where acne breaks out may help to temporarily constrict blood vessels, reducing redness to the area where the skin is broken out. Leave the cold compress on for 10 minutes then repeat as necessary throughout the day, according to Acne Crusher.
- While it can be tempting to pop or pick at the pimple, doing so can actually introduce bacteria into your pimple. The result can be a pimple that grows even larger in size or redder than before. For this reason, refrain from picking at your pimple at all costs.
Things You'll Need
- Gentle cleanser
- Anti-redness eye drop
- Cotton swab
- Toothpaste
- Ice cubes
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