If you have a zit that has gotten larger and more painful and hasn’t healed in about a week, it’s a possibility that you now have an infected pimple.
They are horribly painful, embarrassing, and may turn out to leave long-term scars. They form when bacteria present on the skin gets trapped within a pore. While most common on the face, infected pimples are also found elsewhere on the body, most commonly on the back.
Infected pimples can also occur as the result of popping an uninfected whitehead. When you squeeze a pimple, you often force the harmless bacteria that live on your skin down into the open wound, causing something much more dangerous, painful, and unsightly.
If you believe that you have an infected pimple, keep the area clean with an oil-free cleanser. Follow up with a small dab of antibiotic ointment.
If the pimple isn’t better in a day or so, seek out a consultation with your dermatologist. He or she will likely put you on an oral antibiotic. If it’s very bad, you might also get a shot of cortisone, a steroid that will bring down the swelling very quickly.
In the future, to avoid infected pimples, cleanse your skin regularly with an oil-free cleanser (no soap!). If acne or pimples are common afflictions for you, you should consider a regular acne treatment regimen.
An oral acne treatment option is Acnezine. The Acnezine system also comes with a wonderful non-comedogenic moisturizing cream. When you do notice a zit forming, you should treat it immediately with a spot treatment cream or gel, like Revitol.
This is especially important if you are prone to infectious pimples and may prevent them from ever getting to that stage.
If you do end up with a larger pimple, it’s especially important that you leave it alone! Do not pop it. Popping only risks spreading bacteria or pushing it deeper into the skin, and that’s when you get your infected pimple.
Allow your pimples to heal on their own – an embarrassing whitehead is nothing compared to the pain that comes with the infectious pimples!
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