Understanding Blood-Filled Pimples: Causes, Treatment, And Prevention

Acne breakouts are a common occurrence on everyone’s face from time to time. While they are frustrating for cosmetic reasons, they are not concerning in most cases. However, it can become highly alarming when you notice blood-filled pimples on your skin. This article highlights important details about the causes, treatment, and prevention of blood-filled pimples to bring down your concern to some extent.

Shop Overnight Acne Spot Corrector

What causes blood-filled pimples?

Your pimples will fill with blood when it undergoes any major trauma or injury. This injury is often a result of you being unable to resist the temptation of picking, popping, or squeezing your pimples. Harsh cleansers and exfoliators can also make your pimples fill up with blood. In fact, washing your skin too frequently can also lead to the formation of blood-filled pimples.

Types of blood-filled pimples

A few types of blood-filled bumps include:

• Papules: They occur due to the breakdown of pore walls from inflammation.
• Pustules: They come with white or yellow heads and often contain pus.
• Nodules: They are a result of blocked and irritated pores getting larger. These pimples usually occur deep inside the skin.
• Cysts: They occur even deeper than nodules and might be painful. They often appear as white or red lumps and can cause scarring.

Treatment options for blood-filled pimples

A blood-filled pimple won't go away without treatment. You can rely on the following types of topical and oral medications for treating pimples:

Topical treatments

Some topical ingredients that can help cure a blood-filled zit include:

• Zinc PCA: Skincare products with zinc PCA can kill acne-causing bacteria to speed up the process of wound healing. The Clearing & Calming Acne Face Wash contains this potent ingredient to purify your face and keep acne breakouts at bay.
• Tea tree extracts: Tea tree extracts possess antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-microbial properties to treat acne and soothe redness and swelling. The Acne Care & Healing Gel Moisturiser with Tea Tree & Cica will adequately nourish your skin and speed up the process of acne healing.
• Salicylic acid: Salicylic acid is a potent ingredient for providing fast relief from acne. The Overnight Acne Spot Corrector is a fast acne treatment for all types of acne. It is highly efficient at clearing up acne by shrinking its size.

Oral medications

Some oral medications that can help treat blood-filled pustules and papules include:

• Antibiotics: They are prescribed for blood-filled pimples triggered by bacteria.
• Isotretinoin: This oral medication can often help cure acne permanently. Usually, individuals need to be taking this medication for up to 4 to 5 months.

Prevention tips for blood-filled pimples

If you want to keep blood-filled pimples at bay, try to keep these in mind:

• Don't squeeze, pop or pick your pimple because it will push the infection deeper.
• Wash your face once in the morning and once after coming back home or going to bed. You should also wash your face after you perform any activity that causes sweating.
• Refrain from using harsh scrubs and cleansers that will irritate and inflame your skin.
• Use clean towels, pillow covers, and other things that come in contact with your face every day.
• Find makeup and skincare products that are fragrance-free and won't make your pores clog.

Also read: Different Types of Pimples & Treatments for it

When to see a dermatologist

If you have a large blood-filled pimple with signs of infection, you shouldn't hesitate to contact a dermatologist. Some signs of infection include:

• Pus oozing out of your pimples
• Pain or tenderness becoming worse
• Increased redness around the pimple
• Fever

Myths and misconceptions about blood-filled pimples

Some myths and misconceptions surrounding red bumps filled with blood on your skin include:

The sun and tanning beds will clear up acne.

A major myth about pimples is that sun exposure or artificial tanning can help clear it up. Tanning beds or sun radiation can cause your skin to dry. While it might seem beneficial for healing acne, it triggers inflammation and can make your acne worse.

Toothpaste is useful for clearing up acne.

A lot of individuals apply toothpaste to clear up their acne, even blood-filled pimples. But in reality, fluorides in toothpaste might worsen your acne breakouts.

Washing your skin can help remove blood-filled pimples.

A lot of individuals believe that blood-filled pimples occur due to uncleanliness. So, they wash their face multiple times a day to clear up acne. However, overwashing can increase the dryness and worsen your acne.

You shouldn't exfoliate your skin if you have acne-prone skin.

Using harsh exfoliators and abrasive cleansers on blood-filled pimples can worsen them. However, it is never mandatory to completely avoid exfoliation if you have acne-prone skin. Using a gentle exfoliator is crucial for keeping dead cells away from accumulating on your skin. You might benefit from using the Overnight Exfoliating AHA BHA Radiance Mask to remove dead cells without getting rid of moisture.

Conclusion

Blood-filled pimples might make you feel scared and helpless. But, avoiding picking or popping your pimples and using gentle products on your skin will prevent pimples from getting filled with blood. In case your blood-filled pimples get worse, and you begin to suffer from other issues like fever, don't hesitate to contact your dermatologist.