This week I had to endure a huge blind pimple in the centre of my forehead, nogal. (Thankfully, I have a nice, long fringe to hide behind). While battling the bump, it inspired this week’s piece, a write up on how to deal and conceal when you get a nasty spot.
Taming the beast
Woken up with a monster zit? Don’t be tempted to pop it. This will only break the skin and could leave you with a nasty mark that’ll take much longer to go away than the pimple would’ve itself. Instead, break out anything containing benzoyl peroxide which is still the most effective pimple treatment you can get without a prescription. (Oxy10 flies off the shelves because it really is a goodie). As the bacteria responsible for spots can’t live in an oxygen-rich environment, benzoyl peroxide (which is full of O2) helps to kill them. It’s also a good exfoliant and helps keeps your pores clear of excess dead skin cells, which can clog the pore and cause a big-ass zit.
If your spot doesn’t have a squeezable head, it’s actually a ‘blind pimple and shouldn’t be squeezed or poked at under any circumstances as you’ll only make it worse. Instead, use a spot treatment that will help draw it out. I’m a huge fan of Innoxa Young Solution Spot Drops. Due its astringent qualities, it helps draw out the big boys and dries up anything with a head.
Battling black heads? Look out for treatments containing beta hydroxyl acids (BHAs). The big difference between BHA and AHA’s (alpha hydroxyl acids) and that while AHA helps exfoliate the surface of your skin, BHA gets deep down into the pore to sizzle out any dirt. One of the most common BHA’s is salicylic acid. You’ll find it in loads of spot treatments because aside from deep cleaning, it’s also got antiseptic and antifungal properties.
Covering up
Even though I dish out the best advice, telling people not to pick at spots, I’m not good at following it myself and often succumb to an evil squeeze session. Afterwards, to try and minimise the redness I’ve caused, I apply a liberal dose of The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil Blemish Fade Night Lotion. It’s supposed to help clear up the marks left behind by blemishes, but I haven’t found it effective in that area. However, it’s a fantastic skin soother and helps normalise red, angry skin within hours.
To hide a spot, invest in a heavy weight concealer with antibacterial properties. This way, you’ll be able to hide and heal at the same time. A good example would be Yardley’s Oatmeal blemish stick, which is infused with tea tree oil.
Once your spot has up and gone (thank God!), you might find it’s left a little mark on your skin (eek!). To help make it go away faster, try using a chemical exfoliant to help speed up the cellular turnover of your skin. This is where AHA’s (see above) are useful. My favourite post-blemish mark removers are RegimA Rejuvoderm Night Repair (a veritable AHA fiesta) and Environ Alpha Hydroxy Gel. Both work like a bomb!
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Read about the causes of adult acne.
Love, love
Leigh van den Berg
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