How to Heal a Big Pimple That Won’t Go Away
It’s actually quite normal for those monstrously large blemishes to take a long time to disappear completely. Really deep or large pimples can take several months to heal and heal. So, if you’ve been battling a major fight for some time, you can rest easy knowing that it’s not uncommon.
Acne nodules (deep, hard, inflamed breakouts) and acne cysts are notoriously long-lasting blemishes. But even large papules can take several weeks to disappear.
Still, who wants to wait for those big zits to go away on their own? There are things you can do to speed up healing and shrink those “big guys” faster.
Resist the Urge to Pop It
First and foremost – never try to crack a deep pimple. Do not press it with the needle. Don’t squeeze it.
Squeezing, poking, prodding, or otherwise messing with the blemish prolongs the healing time. It can actually make that big pimple bigger and much worse.
Trying to remove this type of pimple can seriously damage your skin and cause scarring. These large pimples originate deep in the skin. Squeezing them puts pressure on an already swollen pilosebaceous unit, or what we commonly call a pore.
You may inadvertently push dermal debris deeper into your pore, possibly even rupturing the wall of the follicle and allowing infected material to spread beneath the surface of the skin. As much as you want, don’t try to remove this pimple yourself. Popping is rarely a good idea, and especially with large zits.
Use an Acne Treatment Medication
If you use topical acne treatments, continue to do so. You can also put a little more on the monster mage to help it heal more quickly. However, don’t confuse a dab with a large blob. And limit yourself to twice daily application. Using too much medicine often dries out the skin and irritates the skin instead of healing it.
Keep in mind that spot treatment works best for pustules (white-headed pimples). It won’t do much for deeper nodules or cysts.
If you break out regularly but don’t typically use acne treatments, now is a great time to start. Consistent use of an acne treatment medication will stop acne formation before it shows up as a major blemish on your skin.
What you should never do for these big blemishes is try spot-treating with items not meant for skin. For example, things like garlic, honey, cinnamon, lemon, or toothpaste will not treat large acne cysts, according to some online sources.
Home remedies Spot treatments may not penetrate deep enough into the skin to do any good. At best, they will do nothing to blame. In the worst case, you’ll end up with an irritating spot or case of contact dermatitis.
Apply a Warm Compress
You can use a warm compress to encourage the pimple to come to the head on its own. Make one by soaking a washcloth in really hot water. Apply on pimples for 20 minutes or more, twice a day. You may have to do this for several days.
With any luck, the warm compress will help to remove the pimple on its own. Remember, though, not to squeeze the pimple even when it comes to the head. Let it come out naturally.
Visit a Dermatologist for Acne Surgery
When at-home treatments aren’t helping, especially if you’ve had this blemish for more than a few weeks, it’s time to call in the professionals. Those deep cystic breakouts sometimes need to be lanced and drained by a medical professional.
Called acne surgery, the dermatologist will make a small incision in the skin and carefully remove the debris from the rash. It’s a little uncomfortable but not as bad as it sounds. And once that’s done, your skin can start to heal.
It is important that you only let a therapist do this. Your esthetician can’t (and legally, shouldn’t) place a deeper blemish. And it’s definitely not a DIY job.
Try a Cortisone Injection
Another professional treatment for large pimples is an intralesional cortisone injection. A small needle is used to inject a diluted steroid into the defect. Within a few days, the pimple shrinks and disappears. Again, this procedure should be done by a dermatologist, but it is a faster way to heal those monster zits.
Cortisone injection should be viewed as a last resort as it can cause side effects such as depression or macular indentation of the skin around the injection site. And not every person, or every blemish, is a good candidate for cortisone injections. Check with your dermatologist to see if it’s suitable for you.
Make sure it’s really a pimple
Are you sure it’s just a flaw? What you might think a simple acne pimple could actually be something completely different. There are many different skin problems that cause blemishes like acne are made. Your doctor will be able to determine whether it is acne or one of these conditions.
Boils
A boil is an infected hair follicle, and they look exactly like large pimples. They begin as a red, painful lump under the skin, and as they progress a whitehead develops. some boils heal themselves with at-home treatment, but others require medical intervention.
Ingrown hair
Ingrown hairs (pseudofolliculitis) can cause large, painful, red bumps, especially if the follicle becomes infected. They are more common in areas where you shave, and especially for people with curly hair.
Regular use of an exfoliating product can help prevent and treat ingrown hairs, but severe cases of ingrown hairs must be treated with medications.
Mouth sores
Sometimes pimples near the lips are mistaken for cold sores, and vice versa, but these are two completely different skin blemishes. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. While acne cannot spread from person to person, the virus that causes cold sores is contagious.
Cold sores usually heal without intervention, but if they are widespread or incredibly painful, talk to your doctor about what you can do.
Skin Cancer
Although not as common as the skin problems above, skin cancer can also cause a pimple-like bump on your skin. Any pimple, sore, or scaly patch that doesn’t heal within three weeks should be seen by your doctor.
When to See a Doctor
Contact your doctor if the bump is very large, swollen, or painful, or if the pimple appears in a place where you wouldn’t normally expect acne (your underarm, for example, or behind your knee).
Takeaway
While there are things you can do to help soothe and heal a large pimple, the best option is to prevent them from appearing in the first place. This means a trip to the dermatologist.
Severe or cystic acne just doesn’t respond well to over-the-counter acne products. Breakouts are too deep and too swollen to be treated with drugstore remedies.
There are prescription medications, however, that do a good job of getting major breakouts under control. Depending on your skin, your dermatologist may recommend a topical treatment, oral medication, or both.
No matter which treatment you have been prescribed, it will take about three to four months for the skin to have a really good improvement. So stick with it! Once your acne is under control, you won’t have to worry about those big pimples appearing.
If you have a large pimple that isn’t going away, and you don’t usually have acne, it’s a good idea to see your doctor as well. It may not be a grain at all. But once it is properly identified, you can start treating it effectively.
