The Best Spot-Treating Tips
When you’re faced with a burgeoning acne lesion, there’s actually a lot you can do rather than just touch it, stare at it and admit defeat. At Clear Clinic, we think even a little spot treating goes a long way. But it’s very important to know the dos and don’ts of spot-treating pimples. If you over-treat you take the chance of being left with a red, irritated spot that might actually be worse than the original pimple. When you spot-treat the correct way, you will be lessening the severity and duration of the zit. Here, our top tips for spot treating your acne pimples:
- As soon as you start to feel an acne bump underneath your skin is when it’s time to take action. You should already be following an acne-fighting regimen that includes a cleanser that contains salicylic acid and a gentle, non-comedogenic moisturizer. Once you feel the pimple starting to grow under the skin, apply a tiny dot of benzoyl peroxide or sulfur-based spot treatment. You should only be applying the spot treatment maximum three times a day. Any more will dry out the skin and irritate it.
- Under no circumstances should you pick or pop your pimple. Trust us when we say it will heal a whole lot better if you spot treat without any of the picking or pulling at it. In fact, just touching it alone might make matter worse by spreading the bacteria and oil on your fingers to other parts of your face.
- If you’re in a time crunch and need your zit to disappear in 48 hours or if you don’t trust yourself not to pick, then pop into the office for a quick cortisone shot. An injection of cortisone will flatten out the pimple in 24-48 hours.
