Does saltwater help acne?

Salt water can be used to heal acne. Using salt water as a compress pressed can gently drain a whitehead or blackhead, explains About.com. Salt water can be used as an alternative to popping a pimple, but it does not work on pimples that do not have a head yet.

About.com recommends that an acne sufferer add a dash of salt to 1/4 cup of warm water before soaking a cotton ball in the mixture. The person should then place the cotton ball on the pimple until the water cools, and then repeat the process. Soaking a pimple in warm salt water helps an acne sufferer remove the pimple through drainage to avoid any damage caused by popping a pimple.