Basically, blemishes are clogged pores consisting of dead skin cells, oil secreted by tiny sebaceous glands in the skin and bacteria that feast on oil the way cats gobble up fish. Blackheads and whiteheads, which develop close to the surface of the skin, are two versions of the same type of blemish. With a blackhead, the oil and accumulated debris has forced the pore open and the oil has oxidized to black. A whitehead is the same as a blackhead, but closed, so that the oil and debris remain beneath the skin surface. A papule is a red bump that occurs because of an inflammation under the skin at a hair follicle.
Cysts occur deeper within the pores in the form of swollen red or white pustules.
You can shave some time off that unwanted stay. You can also treat the interloper well so that your skin doesn't look abused. And you can conceal it. Wrap an ice cube in a washcloth or dish towel and hold it to the pimple for about five minutes. Pop an aspirin, not a pimple.