Pimple won't go away.

[acting101]

The week before school started I got this pimple on my nose... so that was the beginning of September. And it's still there. It's big and it's really red, and no matter what I do it won't got away. I feel like Roudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

I've gone to the doctor twice this year about acne- but I haven't told him about this one in specific. I've just gotten medicine for general acne (which hasn't helped this one on my nose). I feel really annoying, going to him about the same issue so many times, so I don't want to go again if I don't have to.

Basically what I'm asking is if anyone has some tips? Today after I took a shower, I even poked at it a bit with a surgical needle. But nothing is coming out of it... like there's no puss or anything.

[Cabron]

Hum. I'm not an expert, but sometimes after you pop a zit--particularly when it's in an oily area like your nose (t-zone)--it will take a bit longer for it to heal. What I'd do is go to your doctor and get him to prescribe you a spot treatment for it if it still hasn't gone away in a few days. In the meantime, you can make a paste out of crushed up aspirin and mix it with a bit of water and then apply that to the zit. It should help. A dab of toothpaste on the affected area right before you go to bed might be beneficial as well. Make sure it isn't gel toothpaste though--it doesn't work as well. Hope this helps.

[bitesize]

That's annoying ~ I've had one on the tip of my nose for a week now so I know the feeling!! I'd say mention it to your doctor the next time you're there, because four months is a long time for a pimple not to have healed. in the meantime, toothpaste really can help ~I've been using it on my spots since I was twelve!! Just dab on a little bit ~ not too much, before you go to bed and you might start noticing a difference.

[escape_thereal_world]

I agree that toothpaste is supposed to help. Also, bugging your doctor is fine if something isn't going way or working like it should. As Cheyenne said, your doctor could prescribe a spot treatment for that troublesome pimple.

Also, your nose is an oily area so if you have popped it before, it may just keep getting reinfected.

[Acerbated]

To me it sounds like a cyst. I've had them before, they're just like a big pimple and hurt a lot to pop because the discharge inside is deep and almost solidified. Yours could be that, since poking it doesn't seem to be draining puss or fluids. If it is a cyst, the toothpaste thing probably won't work because that is used to dry out pimples, the inside of a cyst is already pretty dry.

Go to the doctor, tell them you've had this since September and they should do something about it. They may drain it for you, although it will hurt if it does turn out to be a cyst.

[Fairy Poppins]

Originally Posted by Acerbated

To me it sounds like a cyst. I've had them before, they're just like a big pimple and hurt a lot to pop because the discharge inside is deep and almost solidified. Yours could be that, since poking it doesn't seem to be draining puss or fluids. If it is a cyst, the toothpaste thing probably won't work because that is used to dry out pimples, the inside of a cyst is already pretty dry.

Go to the doctor, tell them you've had this since September and they should do something about it. They may drain it for you, although it will hurt if it does turn out to be a cyst.

I agree with this.

Also, I've always found that with large pimples, you need to do more than simply poke them with a needle. You need to squeeze them to get the solidified "plug" of sebum out. If you don't get this out, the pimple will won't go away.

My advice is to soak a flannel in hot water (obviously not hot enough to burn you) and hold it onto the pimple. This will relax the skin and make it easier to get anything out from under the surface.

After about 5 minutes, make a hole using a sterile needle. Once the hole has been made, try squeezing the spot to see if anything comes out then. It may hurt, because the blockage is probably quite far down, but it shouldn't be unbearable. (If it is too painful or if, after a few attempts, nothing comes out, then stop and go and see your doctor as it could be a cyst.)

Once the entire contents are out (either a clear-ish orange liquid called lymph and/or blood will flow out and it will feel like the pressure has been released), apply cold water to the area to soothe it and then let it heal naturally.