• Plain toothpaste is a common home remedy to treat pimples.tube toothpaste image by Leonid Nyshko from Fotolia.com
  
  Pimples can be both painful and embarrassing, but there are a number of easy things you can do to help reduce swelling using things you already have around your house. Of all things you can try, popping your pimple is not a good option. This will further irritate the pimple and may cause an infection or fresh breakouts. Popping a pimple also can lead to scarring.
  
  

Cold And Heat

• Use ice or a cold compress on the pimple. Without putting pressure on the pimple, place the ice on it for several minutes. If that doesn't immediately reduce the swelling, try it again within an hour. As with any injury, the ice will help reduce swelling.
  
  The MedicineNet website also recommends using warm compresses to help open pores to promote the healing of acne.
  
  

Toothpaste

• Try a small dab of plain white toothpaste on your pimple overnight. This may help dry your pimple up, while reducing size and redness. While there is no medical basis behind this method, it is a popular home remedy for acne, according to MedicineNet.
  
  

Kitchen Items

• If you have any eggs sitting in your fridge, one folk medicine remedy calls for dabbing some of the egg whites on the area. Let this dry for about 20 minutes before washing it off with warm water. Also try a tissue with a bit of lemon juice on your pimple. Hold it on the area for about five minutes to help minimize redness and swelling. Search your kitchen for apple cider vinegar. The vinegar acts as an astringent to help tighten pores and take down swelling, according to the Acne Team website. Vinegar is another item that has no medical backing, according to MedicineNet, but is a popular home remedy. The Mayo Clinic states that zinc is one supplement known to help treat acne.
  
  

Tree Extracts

• Use tea tree oil to help clear up your skin, according to the Mayo Clinic. Alternately try neem oil. Both work to kill bacteria on the skin and heal pimples, thus reducing swelling. However, they may take longer to clear skin than over-the-counter treatments. The Acne Squad website claims that bayberry bark, an herb, is also known to help soothe skin and reduce inflammation.
  
  

Pain Relievers

• Create a mixture of crushed aspirin and water, then place in on the pimple. You can also take an ibuprofen, which lessens swelling. It will take a little while to kick in, but it reduces the size of the pimple and also helps with pain.