What is your favorite way to zap a pimple?

Apr 29, 2017

Taylor G.

Hey all,
So I rarely break out anymore and my skin is finally working it's way to wear I want it to be! At the most, I'll get a pesky bump or two near that time of the month. It's always the kind that don't actually come to a head? They're just...bumps that sit there and go away after a few days. But I'm curious, are there any special spot treatments that I can buy that will help speed up the process? Or anything you all whip up yourselves to get rid of them quickly?

Apr 29, 2017

Roz X.

I'm really happy that you have gotten your skin to a place where you rarely break out and where you'd like it to be. Congrats and that's wonderful to hear!

When you get those bumps that lay beneath the skin and never reach a head, those are often hormones (as yours seem to be), bacteria that naturally occurs within the body that brings them on, or follicle issues. Sometimes it's a combination of these things for people.
They all have differing treatments, but they do have a few things in common...what you can avoid their chances of appearing to begin with and using few ingredients that benefit skin prone to acne. Yours sounds hormonal as it is clearly linked to your cycle.

Mineral Oil, Coconut oil, Waxes...avoiding these on your complexion will help reduce breakouts during that time. I'd steer clear of them in skincare and in cosmetics when I'm most prone to the breakouts during that time of the month. You may want to switch to a birth control that targets those pesky monthly breakouts and pull back on both dairy and meat during that time because they are laden, naturally, with hormones; some animal products have *added* hormones which I'd avoid as a whole. Avoiding triggers is always a great way to cut back or eliminate having to deal with them.

But, sometimes our bodies just do their thing and you have to address it.
(For some people, they are very deep and incredibly painful.)

I love and recommend The Ordinary Niacinamide with Zinc; this is not only a treatment, but it's preventative care to reduce their appearance as a whole. It's inexpensive, which is a plus..and it's also anti-aging so that's a bonus that will off down the line. A lot of people love Mario Badescu's Buffering Lotion, and for good reason because it is effective; it's a lot of alcohol (which dries, of course) with some glycerin, zinc and then added Niacinamide. I think anyone loving and using that might want to give The Ordinary's version a try. It does work as promised. Kind of fantastic and much better than Mario's formulation in my opinion. You won't get that awful dryness that many treatments bring on.

Paula's Choice 2% BHA is a great option if you want to spot treat or use on the entire face around that time and her Skin Balancing Toner (which would also help reduce your chances of them arising as is address pores) and that would be a great addition to your skincare.
If you're interested, you can get the 2% BHA in a travel size and it should last you for ages since you are dealing with a very small amount needed.

I would say go for The Ordinary and pair it with Paula's Skin Balancing Toner.
That's such a winning combination with multiple benefits and high-quality formulations.
You can use it all month long so it's perfection. (Paula is available online or at Nordstrom).
There are reviews for The Ordinary Niacinamide here on Beautylish if you want to take a peek.

Your skin looks lovely, BTW.  :)

Apr 29, 2017

Leuca S.

Paula's Choice also has a 4% BHA foam and a 2% BHA body treatment that are both more intense than your traditional facial BHA and can help to speed up the healing process of zits.

Apr 29, 2017

Roz X.

Oh yes..those are lovely too, Leuca! I have so much Paula that I'm sure I put a wing on her house...haha The travel sizes have saved me a bundle!

Apr 30, 2017

Leuca S.

I have 3 BHA products from her that all have a different purpose; I'm an addict I swear.

Apr 30, 2017

Taylor G.

Thank you both! Always lovely to hear from both of you. Your kindness and skincare knowledge are both really appreciated!!:)
And thank you Rozberry! I still definitely have some lingering dark spots that need work, but as far as the breaking out I'm happy with my skin finally. I find myself able to go out in public without any makeup on more often and it's such a nice thing.
As for your suggestions, I will definitely be checking those out. I've been saying for the longest time I was going to try out some Paula's Choice products and have just kept putting it off because procrastinator 🙋🏼 I see you guys recommending her all the time so I'm definitely going to be purchasing soon. And the Ordinary product sounds very good! Are they a new brand? I haven't heard much about them so I'm going to be looking them up!
Thank you all again!

Apr 30, 2017

Tricia S.

I use a small drop of The Ordinary's Alpha Arbutin serum patted n the bump or tender spot. In a day or two it's gone.

Apr 30, 2017

Taylor G.

Thanks Tricia! The Ordinary sounds like a great brand.

May 1, 2017

yasmine g.

I use teatree oil as Soon as I feel one it helps wonderfully.

May 1, 2017

Taylor G.

Thank you Yasmine!:)

May 2, 2017

yasmine g.

your very welcome