Acne is something lots of people especially ladies struggle with. ladies may use their concealer to deceive people or try to hide the blemishes during the day, but at night we are faced with the harsh reality. Some people cannot even leave home in the morning without applying one treatment or the other! There are all sorts of Acne medications available in the drug stores around. The big question however is ‘Are we using these medications as we should to get good results? The big answer will show up at the end of this post!
There’s always something about seeing a pimple that makes you just want to pop it. How soon should you pop a pimple? and how exactly should you pop a pimple? are questions a lot of people keep asking.
First of all, let me tell you what acne is.
Acne is a skin disease characterized by an Infection or inflammation of the oil glands of the skin. It is different from a blemish. The difference between acne and blemish is simple. Blemish is a discolouration of the skin not necessarily from an infection. Acne on the other hand are ‘face-bumps’ caused by infection or inflammation of the skin’s oil glands.
Acne can be present and also controlled in the following ways:
1. Whiteheads: – They are generally very small whitish bumps under the skin and they appear as a result of clogged pores and mostly remain under the skin. Using harsh acne treatment to manage whiteheads may not help much. You would need to exfoliate the skin regularly with a facial scrub and utilise a deep pore cleanser to prevent reoccurrence.
2. Blackheads: – They can be easily seen, as they appear on the surface of the skin. These are better managed with a facial scrub as well.
3. Papules: – These are painful pink or red small bumps that appear on the surface of the skin. To manage this, usually your doctor would prescribe an anti-inflammatory cream which you can apply as directed. Using ice compresses on the skin daily or using a soothing facial mask would give some relief too.
4. Cysts: – These are easily visible on the surface. They are quite painful and are usually filled with pus. To manage, you would need to avoid harsh treatments. Using drying out acne cream would only cause peeling of the skin, leaving ugly scars. To manage better, apply ice daily and an anti-cyst treatment; and be patient for your results as these could linger for a while.
5. Pustules: – These are red colored at the base and also have pus at the top. Hence the name PUStules. Pustules appears to be relatively more common in our environment, hence I would be focusing on them.
When some ladies see a pustule on their skin, they are quick to do all the wrong things to them. Here are some things you shouldn’t do to a pustule:
1. Don’t burst or drain it before it ripens. When there is pustule on the skin, the body switches on its natural healing process and tries to force the infection out of the skin. It is best to work alongside the natural healing process. Wait until the pus is very ripe before draining. You know it’s ripe when it forms a whitish or cream-coloured dome.
2. Don’t use an acne lotion on it before it ripens as this would slow down the natural healing process to bring out the infection by drying out the surface too quickly, thereby encouraging scarring and retention of the infection underneath the skin.
Here are some things you should do?
1. Wait till it ripens.
2. Apply a warm (actually a little hot) and clean face towel around the dome for about 2 minutes.
3. Use a sterilized needle (you could sterilize in open flame or by wiping with methylated spirit) to just prick the tip.
4. With washed hands press around the dome with your fingers (and not the tip) to avoid spread of pimple to other areas. A lot of women actually don’t know that the pus that exudes from the pimple contains a lot of germs that can actually re-infect the surrounding skin, if they find their way into the pores of the skin. So take note.
5. With clean hands again, press the pustule to drain. If it doesn’t completely drain after 1 or 2 presses then it wasn’t properly ripened and would very likely leave a scar or a blackhead. In that case add an antibacterial ointment to the already deflated pustule.
6. It’s only after draining the pustule, that you should apply your acne cream to prevent re-infection of the pore.
7. After this is fully healed, the slight discoloured mark that appears can be removed with a post break-out fade cream.
I guess that’s it.
So, what do you think?
