How to remove pimples quick and over-night

So you got a pimple—that's cool and fine and totally normal. All zits eventually erode away with the sands of time. But let's say yours is especially sensitive in light of whatever VIP function, wedding, job interview , third date kicks off in 24 hours. Dermatologists have a solution for this: It involves injecting the hormone cortisone into the pimple and destroying it on sight. Celebrities are wont to get cortisone shots before movie premieres or charity galas. Most people can't afford that kind of flippant cortisone use.

If you’re a regular person, the good news is that there's another way. All you need is the right product outfit to get rid of a pimple quick. (If you’re a celebrity, thank you for reading, and please follow me on Twitter!) Do this the night before. If you’ve got time, repeat it once daily until that sucker is reduced to nothing but pure, un-inflamed flesh. Here's how to get rid of pimples overnight:

1. Do not put toothpaste anywhere near your face.

This is something of a rule 0 in that it’s not an actionable step, but it is so important: That high school myth about how your Crest will dry out pimples is a load of garbage. In fact, despite the fact that many quick-fix acne treatments are billed as drying, sucking the moisture out of a pimple is more liable to make it worse than make it better. The best defense is good and regular skincare, which includes moisture. Since we’re working on a condensed timeline, though, we’re hauling out the bigger guns.

2. Extract it.

(That's dermatologist jargon for popping.) Reach for an extraction tool like the Tweezerman No Slip Tool—a sleek metal noose that evacuates your pores with the slightest application of pressure. I’m not going to say that your fingers won’t do the trick, but press too hard, and you run the risk of making the whole thing worse. Tweezerman’s tool is gentle and foolproof, and you can use it for blackheads, too.

3. Wash it.

Use what ever face wash tickles your fancy, but make sure to follow with a decent exfoliant like Paula's Choice 2% BHA Perfecting Liquid, formulated with salicylic acid. Salicylic is a beta hydroxy acid, some clinical nomenclature that refers to a deeply exfoliating compound that gets at the root of your pores. It'll penetrate down to the core of the zit, while nipping any other budding bad stuff, too. Shake some out on a cotton pad and press it into dry skin, or just pat into the afflicted region with your fingers.

4. Blast it.

This is where the spot treatment comes in. My favorite is Nelson's Acne Gel, which you can buy on Amazon and at Whole Foods. It's a homeopathic gel treatment with sulfur that makeup artists use backstage at Fashion Week, when the pimple treatment window is a maximum of 60 minutes, and I'm always amazed how well it works. It also smells like a dumpster fire, but the unpleasant odor is a small price to pay for looking fresh when wake up the next morning. Adjust your priorities accordingly