This Is the Easiest Way to Get Rid of a Pimple, According to a Dermatologist
Updated: Feb. 27, 2024
Hands off!
Oh, no—of course the new zit on your face would appear at the most inconvenient moment. But if you have the serious urge to pop that pesky pimple, stop right there! We might have a better method. (Check out Dr. Pimple Popper’s advice for getting rid of blackheads, too.)
According to recent online buzz—and a detailed tutorial on Reddit—hydrocolloid (HC) bandages might be the new-and-improved way to treat acne. Placing these clear adhesives over the offending area can help it heal and clear out much faster, apparently.
It might be tempting, but poking and prodding your breakout won’t do your skin any favors. “Popping pisses it off. It increases swelling and inflammation,” New York City dermatologist Doris Day, M.D., told Women’s Health. Squeezing that zit is especially dangerous if it’s in the danger triangle. So not only does applying an HC bandage “allow skin’s growth factors to cook behind the dressing to help it heal and clear,” but it also keeps you from picking at it, Day said.
The best time to apply the bandage is when the pimple has become a pustule, or developed a white head on the surface. “A pustule means you’ve already had the immune response and your skin is healing, so a dressing is not a bad idea,” Day said. But if the pimple is still underneath the surface, this method won’t be as effective. You might want to try these surprising home remedies for acne, instead. Day also recommends using HC bandages at times when you’re more likely to pick at your skin or overnight.
Granted, there’s one potential negative: “The bacteria that causes acne tends to like to grow under conditions of oxygen. When you use a hydrocolloid bandage, it allows for less oxygenation, and that can make it worse,” Day said. But she’s still in favor of using them.
Need that pimple gone ASAP? If worse comes to worse, this is the dermatologist-approved way to pop a pimple at home.
[Source: Women’s Health]
