Comments on: How to Zap an Acne Breakout

on 11/22/2005 Try Proactiv. It really does work wonders for certain types of acne. If you don't want to sign up for their subscription service, pick up a bottle of the soap on eBay.

on 11/22/2005 After the pimple is squeezed (to the point of starting the blood to show) I don't let go of the skin but apply the Spot Treatment Gel (from Oriflame) on the "hole" and then let go of the skin. When the squeeze from the hand is released the treatment gel is sucked into the hole of the pimple and fixes the problem from the inside. The stuff that remains on the surface can be wiped off when it dries. Next morning there is no color, hole or any other trace left.

For drastic results you need drastic measures.

on 11/22/2005 First you will need honey, oatmeal, baking soda, orange peel or lemon juice and a little bit of milk. Combine all the ingredients in a blender so that it becomes a pasty substance. Apply over your face and leave on for about 20 minutes. Make sure your face is clean before you apply. Afterward, wipe clean and rinse your face. Then use witch hazel or benzoyl peroxide and dab it all over your face. Spot treat with a dab of toothpaste and leave overnight. In the morning your face will feel clean, refreshed and smooth and blemish free. Pimples will reduce after a few days of repetition.

on 11/22/2005 You don't want to use wart remover on your pimples. Salicylic acid is an acid, just as the name implies. You can literally dissolve a hole in your face if you do this. Salicylic acid is also used as a callous remover (that's right, the thick dead skin on your feet.) Trust me, I have used callous removers before and you can quite easily get down to the point where your skin bleeds in a matter of minutes. Leaving it on all night is definitely not recommended. Also, this process dries out the skin terribly, which can potentially make matters worse. Dry skin does not equal clear skin. When you get a pimple it's because the pore is blocked with something, trapping bacteria, which cause the skin to become infected. Generally the blockage is a combination of dead skin cells and hardened sebum. What do you think you are doing by over-drying your face? Creating more dead skin cells by drying out the surface of your skin (they need moisture,) and making the pore less elastic (meaning you will have a harder time extricating the blockage.) Sometimes drying is good, because it's much easier to squeeze out a small hard whitehead than a tiny bit of soft sebum (usually trapped under an even smaller hard blockage). If you think of your skin as a sponge, it's easier to visualize why you can't just squeeze everything out.

Here are my tips for removing pimples: 1) Buy the proper tools. Go to a beauty shop and buy a proper pimple extractor. It looks like a little metal stick with wire loops on the end. Different brands make different shapes of loop so you should try out several.
2) Try to keep your face's moisture level balanced. Not too dry, and not too oily. Buy a mild face soap like Cetaphil if you find your skin is tight after washing.
3) Take vitamins like E and C, which boost the immune system and help rebuild cells before you sleep (your skin repairs itself at night.) Drink lots of water.
4) Don't use masks, they only block your pores further. When you have something trapped under the skin, your body will either flush it away gradually or you can manually push it out. Masks work by blocking the pore completely making the skin sweat in an attempt to breathe. Sometimes the fluid coming out of the pore will help the blockage come out, but most times it just makes the problem worse.
5) Proper wound care is essential. Make sure you keep your pimple clean before and especially after it's been popped. You can use first aid creams on it like Neosporin. If swelling is present you can use hemorrhoid creams or other creams. You want to look up the ingredients first if you aren't familiar with what's in them. Some things can be damaging to the skin (cortisone is one).

on 11/22/2005 I wash and dry my face, wrap an ice cube in Saran Wrap and gently apply it to the pimple. Only apply for 2-3 minutes or you may break capillaries. Then I use a gentle toner, like Keihl's blue herbal toner or Proactive glycolic toner, to clean the area and apply medication directly on the zit. I use Darcy Drying lotion, it contain salcylic acid (2%) and sulfur to treat and dry the pimple. Do this 3 times a day and it reduces the pimple quickly. It only works if the pimple is just emerging.

on 11/22/2005 For blackheads, I bought a pack of patches that you leave on for 5 minutes, then peel off. As you peel them off, the blackhead comes off with it. It is truly amazing. The next time I got a blackhead, I used tape instead. This also worked, the oily dirt stuck to the tape and when I peeled the tape off, it comes off too.

on 11/22/2005 I have very mild acne with pimples only around my t-zone, so I don't know if it will work for everyone with more severe acne but this is what I did:
1) I drink about 4-5 bottles of water a day!
2) I eat very healthy foods high in protein, zinc and iron.
3) Most importantly, I used this treatment:
DAY 1: I applied Off-Ezy Wart Remover to my pimples (only a small dab of the ointment). It stings a little, but if you put Calamine lotion around the area it will be fine after a few minutes. The wart remover contains 17% salicylic acid, a known acne fighter! I left it on for the day and re-applied it once or twice (and before bed) because I wasn't going anywhere.
DAY 2: I rubbed the treatment off and my pimple had shrunk by half and the small ones were completely gone! And it took away the redness! I washed my face and re-applied the wart remover again.
DAY 3: All my pimples that I had applied the wart remover to were gone! Even those big nasty ones. I was amazed at how well the treatment worked and now I have amazingly beautiful skin. I use it whenever a pimple pops up.

on 11/22/2005 I have the skin type that doesn't tan, it burns. After starting a careful tanning regimen, my face and body tanned (after years of doing the toothpaste tip for acne breakouts). Cold sore medicines work well, too! I was so desperate once that I used it and it has worked better for me ever since - fast results and no irritating toothpaste! Toothpaste burns after you apply it - cold sore medications don't!

on 11/22/2005 Take in a little steam before applying the toothpaste, the steam softens the skin. After the steam (2-5 minutes) wash the face immediately with cold water and then apply white toothpaste(not gel), it works more efficiently. This helps reduce the pimples. Believe me, I was pimple free in just 3 days.

on 11/22/2005 If you feel a hard layer over your face after the cream or lotion dries, you know it is working. This will dry up the pimple (after you wash your face), and will not let anything else in or out. Some of these are Clearasil 3 Day Treatment and Neutrogena treatment.

on 11/22/2005 Crush a regular aspirin into a powder and mix it with a little water to form a paste. Cover the pimple with the paste before bed. In three nights the pimple will scab and fall off. Even taking two baby aspirin a day can help. Pimples are an inflammation, and aspirin reduces it.

on 11/22/2005 It really does work! Some of the stuff in it really does help. "Skin specialists" just say that because they want you to use THEIR product and get money, don't be fulled.

on 11/22/2005 Toothpaste may dry a zit out, but medicated acne creams like OxyClean and OxyClear contains antibiotics that actually attack the bacteria. Don't pinch, try pulling the skin apart on either side of the pimple (after a warm shower or face wash is a good time). Don't over wash, or over exfoliate. Drink water, at least 8 cups a day. You will notice the difference after just a couple of days.

on 11/22/2005 Just for the record, tanning is damaging to skin as well. Toothpaste may work, but using a 2% benzoyl peroxide is a much wiser choice!

on 11/22/2005 Colgate Total works so well against acne because it contains antibacterial ingredients, which most other toothpastes don't have. It's OK for a quick fix (if you have nothing else to use), but definitely don't use it often.