How to Get Rid of Acne Overnight

We’ve all been there: you’ve got a date, prom, interview, photo shoot, sleepover… and our skin decides to explode with a giant red angry pimple. Here is how to get rid of that acne pimple fast.

Now lets be real, you can’t actually clear acne overnight, that takes about 3 months. But you can improve your skin for a hot date pretty quickly with the following tips.

To speed the healing of a blemish, we recommend Ice, Ice, Baby… Actual ice, not the song. (I’m dating myself, aren’t I? LOL)

Get Rid of Acne Overnight with these steps

Step 1: DO NOT PICK: This will only make that blemish hang around for a lot longer than necessary, plus picking it (aka “bathroom surgery”) will encourage dark spots and scarring.

Step 2: CLEANSE and ICE: After cleansing your skin GENTLY, (no scrubbing) you can apply ice directly to the inflamed area for 1-2 minutes MAX. The goal here is to reduce some of the inflammation that is making that pimple all red and spicy. Be sure to move the ice constantly; holding it in one spot can actually damage your skin and make things a lot worse. Clearly, we do NOT recommend a “hot pack to draw out the blemish”. That’s just asking for a mess.

Step 3: SPOT TREAT: Apply your spot treatment of choice. Here we can get a little creative, but I need to warn you that it’s very easy to burn your skin when its already inflamed with a pimple.
Using a product with BPO (benzoyl peroxide) can be very helpful, unless your skin is already dry and sensitive. Products with sulfur are effective but can also be very drying.

There are lots of acne spot treatments on the market. Most are junk, some are worthwhile. Ideally you are looking for something that will reduce the inflammation and allow your skin to heal up on its own.

If you have the luxury of time, you can apply a targeted acne mask as a spot treatment and leave it on overnight. The Charcoal Clarity Mask from Roccoco Botanicals is EPIC and was formulated to be an alternative to cortisone shots. Their Sulfur Mask is a close second in my book.

Our clients love the Viriditas Herbal Acne Spot Treatment; it can be applied multiple times a day without drying the skin, plus its clear, so no one needs to know its on.

BONUS TIP: after cleansing and icing, mix a dab of your chosen spot treatment half and half with a dab of hydrocortisone gel, and apply. This can really take down the redness fast, but I cannot stress enough DO NOT RELY ON THIS FOR EVERYDAY USE!

Hydrocolloid patches are fine, they can help hold actives right in place to speed healing, but they’re not really necessary, and can be a bit spendy too

I don’t care what you read on TikTok or Instagram, don’t you dare put toothpaste or baking soda on that pimple! Toothpaste can make acne worse in the long run, and baking soda is just the wrong pH for healing skin. No. Just stop.

A few other remedies to avoid:

• lemon juice
• vinegar
• any undiluted essential oil, including tea tree and lavender
• dandruff shampoo
• windex/ glass cleaner (for real though)
• picking

So, to review, the full process of controlling acne takes about 3 months. You can spot treat a rogue acne blemish overnight here and there with these steps:

• Cleanse gently
• ICE
• Apply spot treatment

Remember that spot treating alone will not stop acne, you really need to treat the whole face/ person. If you would like some help getting your skin clear, make an appointment with one of our Acne Specialists! We even do virtual consultations just in case you don’t live in the Providence RI area.