Pimples are a slightly inflamed form of acne called papules, or pustules. Pimples appear as red areas of inflammation on the skin centered around a small white head. This white head is made up of a mixture of sebum oil, dead skin cells and pus. When pimples occur, there are a few different treatment options available to gain relief.
Step 1
Refrain from touching your face. Touching the pimple can further irritate the lesion, and can also introduce more sebum oil and harmful bacteria onto the skin. This can aggravate the pimple, and possibly cause it to progress into a more serious case of infected acne, such as a nodule or cyst.
Step 2
Leave the pimple alone. Many pimple sufferers make the mistake of trying to extract pimples on their own. This can increase your chances of the pimple becoming infected, and may also increase the chances of acne scarring.
Step 3
Apply salicylic acid to the pimple. Salicylic acid is one of the most common active ingredients in over-the-counter acne treatment products. Salicylic acid works on pimples by breaking down a protein called keratin in the follicle plug. It also helps prevent future pimples by slowing down the rate in which skin cell's shed inside the follicles. This reduces the material available to combine with sebum oil from the skin to form plugs.
Step 4
Apply benzoyl peroxide to the pimple. Benzoyl peroxide is also a common active ingredient in over-the-counter acne treatment products. Benzyol peroxide is an antimicrobial agent that kills an acne-causing bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes). This bacteria is unable to live in environments with high levels of oxygen. Benzoyl peroxide works by introducing oxygen into the pimple-affected pore, killing the P. acnes bacteria.
Step 5
Talk to your doctor about topical prescription products. If your pimple is not responding to over-the-counter products, stronger topical treatments may be required. Common topical prescriptions for acne include the antibiotic erythromycin, topical retinoids (such as adapalene or tazarotene) or the antimicrobial azelaic acid.
Things You'll Need
- Gentle face cleanser
- Salicylic acid
- Benzoyl peroxide
