There’s nothing worse than an acne spot that appears out of nowhere—just before an important event—or in today’s scenario, before a virtual wedding or important meeting. To stop you from frantically picking at it or layering too many actives, we we put together a cheat sheet to banishing the bumps—whether you have an hour, a day or a week on hand.
Understand your acne first
Unfortunately, acne has more causes than we can count on our fingers. From a mild hormonal imbalance to PCOS, pollution and humidity, excessively oily skin or mask-induced zits, there’s a surplus of reasons that contribute to acne. “Apart from the internal causes, certain external habits or reasons that could cause acne are breakouts due to excessive usage of makeup, acne being caused due to a particular product that doesn’t suit you, wearing a mask that irritates your skin, or even your diet,” says Dr Harshna Bijlani, skin expert and medical head of The AgeLess Clinic. When the cause of acne isn’t a long-standing concern, it’s easier to tackle in a short duration. Here’s your bookmark-worthy guide.
If you have an hour to tackle your pimple
First, make sure you don’t touch the spot(s) with your fingers at all. “I would definitely recommend that you do not prod, poke or try to squeeze the acne, you’re just going to make it worse and cause increased inflammation,” says Dr Bijlani. Icing the bump can help reduce inflammation and prevent it from getting any bigger. “Use an antibiotic cream or some tea tree oil on top of the acne, use an acne patch (the small round stickers to cover acne) and then conceal it with makeup. This way your makeup won’t irritate your acne as much.” Spot treatments with anti-inflammatory ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics like clindamycin or dapsone, azelaic acid and tea tree oil can all help reduce the size of the bump, making it easy to conceal when you need to. When concealing, make sure you start with a small amount of concealer and pat it on the bump instead of rubbing it in—the patting motion ensures a flawless finish without any product settling on the edges.
If you need a calm acne a day before a major event
You’ve got about 24 hours on hand, a brand-new bump on your face that’s just got to go—what do you do? “When you have a day before a big event and you desperately need to get rid of that odd pesky pimple from your face, you can visit your skin doctor and get it injected with cortisone, that should help settle the inflammation down within a day,” advises Dr Bijlani. If you’re going the at-home route, “You can spot treat with a benzoyl peroxide and adapalene combination at night and use some tea tree oil during the day, this should help settle it down quite a bit.” While these might be irritating to use together in the long term, they can serve as a quick fix when you need it most.
When you have a week to treat your zit
“When you have a week to go and you realise you’ve got a sudden breakout, you can start using a salicylic acid-based face wash and a benzoyl peroxide-based cream at night,” says Dr Bijlani. Incorporating an AHA- and BHA-based toner can also help reduce the excess oil on the surface of your skin. “AHAs like glycolic acid exfoliate your skin and help prevent acne production. Salicylic acid (BHA) controls oil production, which is the food of the acne bacteria. The lesser your oil production, the less likely the acne bacteria is to thrive on your skin. However, do not try any new products, especially acids or retinoid without consulting your doctor or doing a patch test first,” cautions Dr Bijlani. If the situation seems beyond your control, head over to your dermatologist’s clinic and let them take charge. “You could visit your skin doctor for a round of Alma Clearskin Laser, which is approved to work on acne, or you could opt for an anti-acne peel. This would help dry up the acne within 24 hours and definitely help subside the inflammation through the week,” she confirms.
Also read:
Skincare alphabet: A is for the all-important acid you need in your routine
Salicylic acid vs benzoyl peroxide: What should you use when treating acne?
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