it's too late, now what ?

[kateh]

I already did the stupid thing and picked at a pimple that I should not have. It's now a very unattractive, slighty "ooozy" missing section of skin.
What is the best thing to put on it to heal it up the fastest and to prevent a scar ? I cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide and have it covered with bacatracin but, what else  would help ? Thanks for any advice on this and next time, I will leave it alone, I swear.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

First of all, please relax--picking at a pimple or similar inflammation does not by any means guarantee a scar.  By "scar" I mean a permanent change in the skin, which cannot be reversed.  What usually happens after picking a pimple is just a persistent red bump, which then gets picked again (in frustration), and so forth, so the redness seems to go on forever.  If you leave this (and subsequent!) spots alone, the bumpiness and redness may last weeks, or even months, before they fade.  But they will.  What to put on them in the meantime?  Something innocuous--perhaps bacitracin, neospsorin, or Vitamin E cream.  These, plus patientce, and you'll do fine.

You might want to consult a skin doctor about treatments to prevent pimples, too.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff