How to get rid of pimples overnight

Everybody has some method to get rid of pimples overnight. Ask five friends and you'll get five different answers. Many of those are not actual methods, but ideas that have been passed along a chain of women - sometimes over the course of decades.

One that has been around awhile, and really carries some truth, is using aspirin. It involves making a paste of crushed aspirin tablets with water, and then applying that to the face.


This may have produced several decent results due to the fact that salicylic acid, an ingredient in aspirin, is also an ingredient found in popular anti-acne medications. Still, a trip to the drugstore is far easier than trying to puree up tablets and make a paste out of them, and probably equally effective, if not more so. But the aspirin method is handy to know.

Another solution is to put dabs of toothpaste on the blemishes before bedtime. Despite the messiness, a friend of mine swears by this. She believes that the toothpaste has a drying effect. Again, if it's between crest and the drugstore, I'll go the store bought route.

I haven't found that store bought brands like Stridex, Clean and Clear, and Oxy have done much, even after years of those companies trying to perfect their products. Nor have I found success with some of the newer brands that were born with the Biore generation. And although Proactive seems to be advertised all over the place, I haven't heard much about its effectiveness aside from the consensus that it must work because it costs so much.

The truth is that several causes of acne aren't anything the acne sufferer can control, like hormones, and bacteria that exists in the oil the skin produces. And the causes of acne your mother told you about, like eating chocolate, just plain aren't true.

So what do you do now?

First and foremost, gentle cleansing is extremely important. You don't have to pay as much as $20 for some special acne cleanser. And just because a cleanser is strong or harsh doesn't mean it works better than something more gentle. Some of the best cleansers are quite cheap and very effective. One example, and probably my favorite bar cleanser, is Pears Soap which has been around since the late 1700's. It's a gentle, simple, cheap transparent bar soap that's hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic (doesn't clog pores). You can find it at drug stores and often grocery stores for around $1.49. I've started seeing a liquid version as well for about twice the cost of the bar. I find it works just as well if not better than any of the more expensive cleansers I've ever tried. Cetaphil and Purpose are two other brands that are just as easy to find and gentle on the skin, and cost less than $10.

Moisturizing is also vital for every skin type. People with oiler skin tend to shy away from using moisturizers because they fear their oily skin will get worse. Oily skin is actually caused by a lack of moisture in the skin.

The skin isn't getting enough moisture, so it creates sebum (an oily substance produced in the sebaceous glands) to compensate. Because the skin is so deficient in moisture, too much sebum is produced causing oily skin and clogged pores, which create blemishes. You could say that people with oily skin need more moisture than other skin types to keep the body from over-producing sebum.

Moisturizers should follow a gentle cleansing regimen. For people with oiler skin, there are light, effective moisturizers that add moisture back into the skin without clogging pores or making the skin oily. Climate also plays a role in the type of moisturizer you need. People in dry climates need more moisture than a coastal or more humid state. The seasons also factor into this, as winter tends to be the time when skin gets dryer. Aveeno is an all-around great brand that I use quite a bit. Their moisturizer is light and effective, and very gentle to the skin. Again, Cetaphil and Purpose also have good moisturizers.

The one other thing I swear by when it comes to blemishes, and this certainly does make an amazing difference overnight, is Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick with Tea Tree Oil. This is undoubtedly my favorite product for eradicating blemishes in record time. It has a lot of great ingredients in it, the foremost being tea tree oil which dries the blemish. The key is to keep from touching the blemish afterward. Every time you touch your face, oil from your fingers gets transferred back to the blemish. So apply it, and leave it alone. And no picking!

There are a few other things you can do to fight blemishes. Bacteria is a major culprit in the creation of acne. Using a fresh towel each time you dry your face, and changing your pillowcase frequently will help excess bacteria back into the skin. Omega 3 fatty acids, as found in fish like salmon, are important nutrients for the skin as well as the hair. And your mom will thank me for this, but water, good sleep, vitamins and a good diet are paramount to keeping skin healthy.