How to Clear Your Skin Overnight

Do not pop blemishes. While you can occasionally reduce a blemish in quick time, one thing you cannot do is heal a wound on your face overnight. Popping or squeezing a pimple not only spreads around the bacteria inside, but it also creates an abrasion on your face, which takes much more time to heal than simply allowing the blemish to go away on its own.^[10]

Stay away from heavy cosmetics as far in advance as possible. If you know today that you would really like to have clearer skin tomorrow, then avoid the cosmetics. You may feel naked by avoiding the concealer you typically put on a blemish, but keeping the skin both clean and clear as far in advance as possible gives the area more chance to heal and clear.

• A general guideline to follow with regard to cosmetics is that creamy foundations and blushes usually clog pores whereas light and powdery mineral-based or water based products are less likely to do so.^[11] As with cleanser, you can look for cosmetics labeled “oil free,” “nonacnegenic,” or “noncomedogenic.”^[12] However, leaving out the cosmetics altogether is still the best option when looking for immediate results.
• If you absolutely cannot avoid using cosmetics the day before, thoroughly clean the skin to remove every trace as early into the evening as possible. No matter how tired you are, make sure you clean your face before sleeping because wearing makeup overnight is a good way to ensure you'll wake up with more blemishes instead of fewer.^[13]
• As with facial scrubbing pads, makeup applicators are usually very germy. Ditch the applicator and use cotton balls or swabs to apply makeup whenever possible.^[14] If you do need to use an applicator, keep it washed regularly and replace it often.

Avoid using other greasy products. Other greasy products, especially hair products, that can end up on your face can make a problem area worse or lead to new blemishes overnight.^[15] Avoid using any greasy hair products as far in advance as possible and shield your face when applying sprays or gels to your hair.

Keep your hair out of your face. Even clean hair without product in it has natural oils that can clog pores. While it might be tempting to hide behind your hair for the day—and even more so if you go sans makeup to try to clear the skin quickly—your best bet to have the blemish clear up overnight is to keep your hair away from your face as well.^[16]

Avoid touching your face. It’s always tempting to poke at blemishes throughout the day, but oily, dirty fingers are the last thing that will clear a blemish in quick time, so do your best to keep your hands away from your face. This tip applies to your phone as well. Many people don’t consider it, but we touch our phones with dirty fingers all day and store them in dirty pockets and purses that are also breeding grounds for germs. By holding your phone to your face, you transfer those germs over.^[17] If you want to clear a blemish quickly and avoid any others popping up, then stick to your speaker feature or texting for the day.

Do not try a tanning bed. It’s a myth that UV rays dry out blemishes and can be overnight miracle cures, so skip laying out in the sun or making an emergency trip to a tanning bed.^[18] If anything, the added sweat from being in the sun or the clogging effect of tanning oils can exacerbate the very problem you want to clear.

• If you already see a dermatologist for your skin and have been placed on medication—especially those including retinoids—then your skin will be even more sensitive to UV rays than normal, making this an even more ill-advised option.^[19]

Avoid the toothpaste. Many people have heard the myth that toothpaste is a great overnight miracle cure for a pimple, but the myth simply isn’t true. While toothpaste does contain ingredients such as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide that can help reduce a pimple, they’re not formulated in a way that will be more effective than standard cleansers and benzoyl peroxide specifically meant for the purpose.^[20] Additionally, the pH of toothpaste and the other ingredients are more likely to irritate skin, causing redness around the area you’re trying to treat and possibly making the blemish even more visible in the process.^[21]

Get a full eight hours of sleep. Sleep is a naturally restorative time for the body. Studies have shown that cell turnover is eight times faster while sleeping, so giving your skin a full eight hours of sleep is a great way to help clear it.