If you have acne, you should NOT be doing these things to your face. However, you have probably made these pimple mistakes.
We try a lot of strange things in the name of glowing, flawless skin. We use masks that make us look like serial killers, and we often raid our kitchen cupboards for beauty products. Some treatment methods are good, but some don’t help your skin condition at all. Treating acne is especially tricky. When you wake up and find you have a pimple on your chin, your first reaction is to pop it and slather on the zit cream. However, doing those two things isn’t helping your breakout.
These are the mistakes you have probably made when you have a pimple, but you need to stop doing them:
1. Skipping moisturizer
You’ve probably thought that you don’t need moisturizer because you have oily skin or that your moisturizer is what is making you break out. Do not give up your moisturizer at the first sign of a pimple. Every skin type needs moisturizer, and it is especially important when you are using acne creams that are drying. If you don’t think your moisturizer is suitable for acne-prone skin, switch to a formula that is.
2. Popping pimples
Do. Not. Pop. That. Pimple. It’s very tempting, but it could just make things worse. It can spread the acne bacteria causing you to breakout more, or it could lead to permanent scarring. As the Mario Badescu website states, the only person who should ever be extracting pimples is a dermatologist. Tie your hands behind your back to avoid touching your face if you have to.
3. Slathering on the zit cream
The common reaction to spotting a pimple on your face is to load up on the zit cream to stop that thing in its tracks. More cream doesn’t equal faster treatment. A dab is sufficient, and you only need to apply it twice a day at most. Using too much cream can irritate or dry out your face.
4. Layering on the foundation and concealer to hide your breakout
Just like it is tempting to pile on the zit cream, it is tempting to disguise your blemish with lots of concealers, foundation, and powder. Layering on more and more concealer can actually draw more attention to your spot, especially when your face turns cakey. You only need a bit of product to effectively cover that blemish. Check out a tutorial on how to cover zits properly here.
5. Really scrubbing your face to get it “squeaky clean.”
Be gentle. Your pimples aren’t the result of a lack of hygiene. Aggressively scrubbing your face doesn’t get all the dirt out of your pores. It can inflame your face and send your complexion’s oil production into overdrive. Furthermore, if you’re exfoliating too hard, you can actually end up spreading acne bacteria if you burst pimples.
6. Constantly touching your face
When you have a pimple, you probably keep pulling out your hand mirror or inspecting your complexion on every shiny surface to see how it is, and you probably have your hands all over your face. You can look but do not touch. Unnecessarily touching your face can lead to more bacteria being spread and more pimples.
7. Over washing your face
Just like you shouldn’t scrub your face too hard, you shouldn’t over wash it. Acne isn’t the result of a dirty face, so washing your face five times a day will not stop it. In fact, it could only make your skin problems worse. Overwashing your face can dry out your complexion and increase the production of oil.
8. Constantly switching treatment methods
It will take awhile to notice a change in your skin. It won’t happen in days. There is no miracle product that works like that. Don’t give up on a product after two weeks. Stick with it. It could be six weeks before you start to notice anything. Plus, if you keep alternating formulas, the likelihood of your skin getting irritated increases.