Blind pimples are painful little spots that sit right underneath the skin and don’t have a “head”. They sit close to the nerves, leading to an uncomfortable ‘pulsing’ feeling. They can be caused by a change in hormones in the body, and sometimes even by a buildup of toxins from the air or makeup that has not been removed properly.

Here’s how to get rid of them without demolishing your beautiful face;

Cold and Warm Compresses

For the love of clear skin, do not squeeze your pimple. Drawing this sucker out is going to be tough, but we’ve got you covered. Start with a cold compress first. Take an ice cube or ice pack and hold it to the spot in intervals – 5 minutes on, 10 minutes off. This will help dull any pain, and reduce swelling, because boy do these babies cause some swelling. Do this three times, and then move onto a warm compress. I recommend taking a hot shower, or holding your face over a sink of some steaming hot water. Alternatively, grab a face cloth and douse it in hot water, as hot as you can physically handle it. Heat compresses will help draw out the whitehead, which tells you that your pimple is ready to go!

Apply Spot Solution

Step two is to apply a cream or product specifically designed to knock pimples out. I recommend the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, the Payot Pate Grise , or the Origins Super Spot Remover Acne Treatment Gel . Pimple drying creams are made of salicylic acids, sulfur and alcohol to help dry up whiteheads for easy removal the next day. Salicylic acid also reduces oil and grime around your pimples. Apply these creams before you go to bed, and wait for the magic to happen. If you don’t have a drying cream, you can just as easily use toothpaste. All those old wives tales about putting toothpaste on your pimples, they’re actually true. Toothpaste has a small amount of alcohol that will dry out your pimples without damaging the skin.

Safe Pimple Popping

Squeezing pimples spreads bacteria around the skin. It will just move all that bacteria to a different place on your skin and cause another pimple in a different spot. In short – don’t do it. In saying that, if you really desperately want to get rid of the whitehead straight away, there’s a way to do it. Go back to your heat compress. Get a clean face cloth or an unscented baby wipe and wet it with hot water, and make sure the water does not cause you any pain. Hold the cloth to your pimple for a minute or so and gently start to wipe. Re-soak your cloth or wipe if you need, and repeat the process.

Once the top of the pimple comes off, you can start to press down on the spot to remove the rest of the pimple. This is different to squeezing – instead of pressing your fingers towards each other with the spot in the middle, you should be gently pressing your fingers down towards the skin. And no nails! Digging your nails into the skin will only give you scarring and more pain in the long run. It’s super important that the core of the spot comes out – if you’re pressing and it’s not coming out that means it’s not ready yet. Put the cloth down and walk away, it’s not meant to be! Apply some toner over the pimple to get rid of any germs and try again tomorrow. Pimples aren’t permanent, but some are a little tougher than others.

The key is to be super patient. Blind pimples are painful and irritating and difficult to get rid of. But squeezing them and trying to force them out will do you no good. Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to your skin.

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