We have all been there. You wake up and find a breakout on your face. And of course, you’ve got a big presentation today.
Or you can feel a spot developing and from experience, you know it’s going to be visible when date night arrives. Perfect.
I often hear frustration about skin eruptions from my clients (prevention suggestions down below). The super simple advice I offer? Do not touch it. It is human nature to try to remove the spot, however even a small bit of picking can do more harm than good. And it is very easy to start picking and suddenly not be able to stop.
Do not touch
To clarify, I’m talking about a spot or a pimple that appears red. Blackheads and whiteheads are dealt with differently (more later), although all three issues start in the same way: a pore is clogged with oil and dead skin cells. It becomes a spot when you also have bacteria trapped in the blockage. Bacteria, trapped in your pores. Lovely. Hopefully this reinforces why face washing twice a day is so important!
After I give the no touching advice (Yes, I know, I’ve now said it multiple times. Just trying to reinforce the message), I tell clients that for occasional breakouts, the best thing is to continue to follow their regular skincare routine: cleanse, moisturise, apply sunscreen. Yes, your fingers will come into contact with the spot while you are conducting your routine; this is ok. Please note, I did not suggest prodding the spot during the routine as a way to manage it.
If you like, treat the area with a drop of tea tree oil or the dab of an anti-blemish stick (I like this one and this one) after you moisturise and before your SPF. The tea tree will help to dry up the excess oil and neutralise the bacteria. Once it has a chance to seep into the skin and is no longer damp, concealer and powder will be your best friends to help you camouflage what you’re trying to hide.
Exfoliation and masking will help remove the dead skin cells, but if you're short on time in the morning trying to get out the door, save that for the evening.
Truth or consequences
If you find your hands have a mind of their own (you can be honest - it's between us) and won't stop picking at the crater that has appeared from nowhere, please consider what can happen when you pop a spot: bleeding, infection, redness, inflammation, scabbing, scarring and skin damage. None of these sound like something you want, do they?
When you pick at a spot, you will generally cause it to bleed. It's hard to feel you've "cleared things out" and stop the picking before blood is drawn. In addition, the downward pressure required for popping the invader, doesn't expel everything from the spot. Instead, it can send its contents to deeper layers of your skin, causing bacteria to spread to places you can’t reach through cleansing, which could lead to an infection and additional breakouts.
And of course all of this prodding increases the skin’s overall redness and inflammation, which ultimately draws more attention to the area than you were intending. You’re going to need a lot of concealer and powder to rectify this issue!
When you “successfully” pop a spot, your body immediately offers its normal healing response by starting to form a scab. Scabs are also notoriously tempting bits to pick at and picking at them can lead to scarring. Nobody wants a scar on their face. Oh and with all this damage being caused, collagen below the surface may be disrupted. This will ultimately lead to a lack of plumpness in the area. Doesn't sound very desirable, does it?
"Oh wait", you're saying. "It's ok if I press at my spot because it is still subterranean and my big date isn’t for three days. I can prevent what’s there from coming to the surface". Again, I say, do not pick at the spot.
Yes, you may be able to pop it without causing it to bleed on the surface of your skin. But what's happening underneath? You’ve ruptured the spot, sending the contents of the clogged area into a larger area. You've possibly added some internal bleeding from a burst capillary to this. And it's all happening deeper in your skin layers than where your cleanser can reach.
So, if you see or feel a spot, don’t pick at it. Keep your skin clean, moisturised and protected. Use a bit of tea tree to dry out the spot more quickly and besides this, just keep your hands off.
Whiteheads and blackheads
Now, what if it’s not a red pimple, but is a whitehead or blackhead. These don’t have bacteria in the bunged up area and you can do a bit more yourself to remove them, if you proceed with caution.
Whiteheads are the spots that have a white top (surprise) and are generally the result of over-indulgence. Think greasy food, alcohol or even a moisturiser that is too rich for your skin.
If you find one of these, start by cleansing your face and removing the cleanser with warm water and a flannel or washcloth. The combination of the warm water and cloth will likely remove the whitehead without you needing to do anything else.
When you’ve finished cleansing, if you find it is still there, hold the warm flannel on the area for about a minute. When your skin has been nicely warmed, take a bit of tissue to cover both of your index fingers and gently squeeze the whitehead inward. This should ease the tip off and expel the contents from the pore. Remove this with the tissue and apply a a bit of tea tree to keep the spot from returning.
However, if your gentle touch does not release the whitehead easily, then you need to walk away. The spot is already bigger than you realised and you don’t want to risk infection by releasing the bacteria. Apply a mask, tea tree and keep your concealer handy.
If you are experiencing blackheads, where your pore appears darkened due to the oil inside being oxidised, this is a sign that your skin is not getting clean enough with currently cleansing routine. Be sure to cleanse twice a day and mask your skin at least once a week. A good cleansing clay mask will provide the deeper clean your pores need. I love this mask and have heard good things about this one.
If you’ve masked multiple times, but are not getting enough relief, your next step it to get a facial. Be sure it includes extractions (not all facials do) as this will be the key to releasing what’s trapped in your pores. Poking at your own blackheads is only going to irritate your skin. When you’ve done as much masking as you can, it’s time to seek help from a professional.
Covering up spots
One point about your make-up application on a breakout. Be sure everything you are using is clean. What does this mean?
- Clean your skin morning and evening
- NEVER sleep in your make-up
- Don’t share make-up with a friend
- Wash your make-up brushes at least once a month
- Observe expiry dates on make-up packaging
If you are prone to breakouts, you might want to look at oil-free concealer and foundation or blotting sheets. You should also think about adding toner, exfoliation and masking to your skincare routine. For serious skin issues, supplements can also be helpful.
Preventing future outbreaks
Spots can have a single cause or multiple contributing factors. These include: hormones, stress, poor diet, lack of sleep and ineffective skincare. With attention, you can get your breakouts to disappear. Simply consider what may have caused the issue in the first place and seek to fix that problem so that you can live life blemish-free.
In the meantime, when you discover the occasional spot (which will be at the most inopportune time), you know what to do.
This post was requested by a client. If you have suggestions for a topic you’d like me to write on, please let me know through the comments below or email me. Thanks!