ELLE posted "Here's Exactly How To Get Rid of A Pimple Overnight" featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel and Visha Skincare . T
he article includes Dr. Patel's expert commentary on key ways on how to get rid of unwanted pimples.
So you've got a pimple? Chances are the arrival coincides with a major life event. Pimples have a cruel way of popping up just before first dates, important job interviews, school dances, and weddings. Curse you, zit monsters!
While you can't fix a pimple in one hour (we wish), you can take steps to clear up a blemish overnight with a diligent regime. "Pimples are small micro-infections of hair follicles," explains Dr. Purvisha Patel, board certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare. "You may not be able to get 'rid' of a pimple overnight, but you can make it look a lot better, so it appears to be gone."
Dr. Patel broke down the ten key steps to getting rid of a pimple fast, or at least making the appearance of a bad zit less noticeable. Read on and good luck. You've got this. Your pimple doesn't stand a chance!
Find the right ingredients
Dr. Patel explains that pimples are commonly caused by four things: follicular occlusion, microbe growth, sebum production or adding oil to your skin, and inflammation.
All these issues can be addressed and helped when a pimple is early in the game. "The most common way to address these issues is to use benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, tree oil or salicylic acid products before you go to bed," says Dr. Patel.
Benzoyl peroxide is a bleaching agent that kills microbes and dries up oil in the follicle. Tea tree oil and sulfur also do similar things to benzoyl peroxide by drying up the pimple. "Using these products can make the pimple look smaller in the morning, " explains Dr. Patel.
The final ingredient Dr. Patel recommends is salicylic acid. "Salicylic acid products not only dry up the pimple and kill any microbes, but also exfoliate the skin on top to let any accumulated puss out of the follicle," says Dr. Patel. (Gross, but effective.)