How To Stop A Zit From Growing

Ever suddenly felt a zit trying to sprout from under your skin? There’s nothing more annoying, especially when you have an important meeting or outing coming up.

Usually, two things come to mind; either you try to pry it out at that minute or simply wait for it to come out on its own. From experience, you know that the first option is neither productive nor satisfying. The second requires some level of discipline, but it gives slightly better results. 

Between ruining your nails, risking injury, and waiting for the inevitable, you may feel helpless. Here’s your cavalry; you can actually prevent a zit from rearing its ugly head.

Step 1: Get Rid of Dirt

If you’re trying to prevent the pimple or zit from showing up, keep your skin squeaky clean. Clean, but not dry. 

Remember, these blemishes depend on your carelessness. They’re always lurking, waiting for the right moment to jump at you. Render them powerless by wiping your face clean with a wet facial wipe; immediately, you feel a zit forming. Next, you want to grab your facial cleanser, preferably one containing glycolic acid or salicylic acid, and wash your face clean.

Popping your zit is not the best option | GettyImages

Step 2: Dispose of Your Face Mask

What’s the point of washing your face then putting on that same face mask again? Staying zit-free means changing your face mask every day, or at least washing it every day if you must use cloth masks. The cloth masks are generally the less preferred option because they don’t let your skin get as much air as it should, and also because they retain a lot more moisture and breed germs. 

If you use a disposable face mask, don’t make it a habit to wear it more than once. It’s called disposable for a reason.

Step 3: Hands off! Don’t touch your face!

Yes, I know you feel like a unicorn with that zit trying to grow out of the centre of your forehead. Do you know what’s not going to help matters? Petting that zit. Don’t try to force it out. By applying force around that area, you’ll simply kill a few more cells and inflame the zit. 

Apart from touching the zit area, keep your hands off your face entirely. Even if you sanitise your hands every hour on the hour, your hands probably still house a lot of dirt. Touching your face will spread germs and lead to infections. The result? Acne scars and blemishes.

Cropped shot of a young woman popping pimples while looking in the bathroom mirror

Step 4: Change the tide

There are a few things you can’t control, like the rising of the sun and its setting, but what you can control is the rising up of new pimples. Take control of the situation by stopping the inflammation in its tracks. You can do this the cold way or the hot way. Typically, you’ll want to press an ice bag to your face or a warm compress for pain relief. Whichever method you choose, ensure that your ice bag or compress is just as clean as your face. 

Step 5: Tackle the problem

There are many products specially formulated to get rid of zits, even before they show up. It’s easy to spot these treatments; they usually contain chemicals like alpadene, hyaluronic acid, hydrocortisone and benzoyl peroxide. As a matter of fact, any acne spot treatment should do the trick.

It’s never too early to start treating a zit—dab on a little acne treatment on the spot. Hydrocortisone is a steroid that combats inflammation, while benzoyl peroxide eliminates the bacteria responsible for the inflammation. Not only will they stop the zit from pushing forth, but they’ll also get rid of the uncomfortable feeling under your skin. 

In the end, if you only wait to feel a zit before you start to take your skincare seriously, the results will tell. Zit prevention is more effective with a steady skincare routine that caters to your skin’s specific needs.

It isn’t exactly a hard and fast rule; you may take the steps above and still have your zits pop up anyways. That happens, and it’s totally fine. Try not to pop them. Keep your face clean, and stay faithful to your routine. You’ll have your skin back in no time.