acne treatment

There are many reasons why blemishes crop up on skin (heredity, puberty and other hormonal changes are the biggest culprits), and there are even more ways to treat them—from over-the-counter topical creams to prescription oral antibiotics. First, look for any bad habits that may be contributing to breakouts—touching the face with hands, holding a less-than-clean phone to the face, or letting oily hair brush the face and deposit grime on skin. It’s also important to wash pillowcases regularly. Next, consider your diet. Eating chocolate will not cause blemishes, but iodized salt-laden foods, such as shellfish and seaweed, have been linked to pimples. Stress can cause breakouts, as can birth control pills (even though some forms of the contraceptive incidentally abolish them). The most important thing is to develop good habits.

Cheat Sheet

1. Select a gentle, non detergent cleanser. Your cleanser should be pH-balanced and oil-free. For very acne prone skin, one with the antibacterial ingredient triclosan. Do NOT over stimulate the skin. Wash once in the am, and once in the pm.
2. Sweep a nickel-size amount of cleanser onto your face. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water- splashing your face up to ten times.
3. In the morning, dot a vanishing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide treatment on blemishes. Wait 5 minutes, then smooth on an oil free moisturizer. Follow with SPF 15 if your foundation does not have a sunscreen.
4. At night, pat spot treatment on blemishes. Once absorbed (about 5 minutes), spread on an oil-free moisturizer with retinol or AHAs. Both make skin sun-sensitive and should be only used at night.
5. Reduce redness. Dotting on 1 percent cortisone cream, Preparation H or Visine helps reduce redness prior to applying makeup. Quick Fix: Apply a couple of drops above to a q-tip & place in the freezer for a few minutes.
6. Find a peach or yellow based concealer that matches skin, and, if you're prone to acne, contains salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or sulfur. With a small brush (fingers spread bacteria), dab concealer onto pimples and blend gently. If redness is still visible after concealer sets (about a minute), dot on a second coat. To avoid spreading bacteria, rinse the concealer brush in warm, soapy water after use. We Love: Urban Apothecary's
7. Lightly dust powder over concealed areas.
   

Prevention

• Try a gentle cleanser that's both oil-free and pH balanced.
• Using a cleansing cloth.
• A clay mask with the acne-fighting ingredient sulfur
• To help keep your skin blemish-free, use oil-free make up
  

Tricks of the Trade

Steer clear of scrubs and toners
Scrubs cause microabrasions, into which bacteria can easily spread, and toners dry the skin, causing it to produce more oil.

To reduce redness and inflammation
Hold ice wrapped in a napkin or washcloth to blemish for ten minutes. Dotting on 1 percent cortisone cream, Preparation H or Visine also helps in a pinch!

Taking an oral anti-inflammatory medication
Ibuprofen may also help decrease a pimple's puffiness.

Apply a few drops of salt water
to the pimple to help dry it up faster. A dab of toothpaste (the old-fashioned, no-frills white toothpaste) will also work.

Dermatologists discourage popping blemishes at home. If you can't resist, wait until the pimple forms a whitehead. Prep the spot by applying a wet, warm compress for five minutes. Use a comedone extractor (the device's circular rim pushes down evenly around the pimple and is less likely to scar than fingers). If you use your hands (shame on you) at least wrap each of your index fingers in a tissue and squeeze gently from opposite sides and underneath. If the spot doesn't burst right away, stop!

Treatment

Salicylic Acid
Acne is formed when skin cells inside hair follicles shed too fast and clump together, plugging up the follicle and causing a pimple. Salicylic acid helps slow down shedding of the cells inside the follicles, preventing clogging. Salicylic acid also helps break down blackheads and whiteheads. Tigi Spot Control contains salicylic acid, and is invisible under makeup. We suggest Repechage's oily skin care line, which is loaded with salicylic acid for fabulous preventative maintenance.

Sulfur tend to be cakey- and is better for night use.
We recommend Repechage Clear Complexion Drying Lotion. Just apply before bed and awaken to a less noticeable, pesky pimple.

Conceal & Heal
We suggest Urban Apothecary and the Supernatural Mineral Powder which incorporates state-of-the-art technology to give adjustable coverage in a lighter weight luminescent powder.