Beauty Tip of the Week: Treat & Fade a Blemish

*image: http://www.sophisticatededge.com/scars.html

I get the a few blemishes here and there, and it is not fun. If you don’t have major acne, it can be really annoying when your whole face is clear but you have one pesky mark that stands out. They seem to take forever to heal and fade away. Nothing works magic, but I know a few tricks that will help speed up the process. This apply for all skin types, and no matter if you have severe acne, or the occasional blemish.

They say not to pop them, to let them heal on their own to prevent scarring. The best thing to do is just avoid extracting them all together. But this can be very difficult to do because they go away so much faster when they gunk is out that made the pore clog up in the first place. I think it just kind of depends on the type of blemish. If it is deep under your skin, and has no ‘head’, then I would leave it alone, and let it heal. But if it is showing, like a whitehead, then you could gently remove it using a tissue around each finger and pulling the skin apart. But do know that this is breaking the skin, which can cause those annoying marks that take forever to fade.

After washing your face, use a toner on a cotton pad to remove any oil or residue leftover, and close up your pores.

Then use an acne spot treatment. Most of the contain salicylic acid, which works, but I think takes a little longer to work and is not as strong. The best one I have tried is the Clean & Clear Advantage Mark Treatment. I like using one that contains benzoyl peroxide, because it is stronger and dries it up quicker. I use the Mary Kay Acne Spot Treatment, but I’m sure there are some at the drugstore that have benzoyl peroxide too.

If you want it to dry up fast, dab a lot on, but don’t rub it in. Then go to bed with it so it can sit for a long time.

Sometimes when you just apply the spot treatment, the skin around it can get dry and flaky, especially if you have dryer skin. So what you can do to prevent that is:

Put a small amount of the spot treatment right on the blemish and tap it into your skin. Try not to rub it around the entire thing, because the skin around it will get dry. Then apply a thin layer of moisturizer all over your face. (I like the Olay Original Active Hydrating Cream for nighttime). Then apply a second layer of the spot treatment over it again. Buy applying the moisturizer too, and in those steps, it treats the spot without drying it out. Continue doing this twice a day until it is dried up.

After the blemish has dried out, to wear it is flatter and does not hurt to touch it, you are probably left with a dark mark, or even a scab. At night (don’t do this before applying makeup), use an antibacterial ointment like Neosporin (I use the generic) and blob it up over the spot and let it sit all night. This is also used to treat cuts and wounds, so it will heal up a acne mark or scab too. It has the consistency like Vaseline, so it will keep the area moist so it can heal. And it is antibacterial, so it kills any leftover bacterial. I usually have to use this about 2 or 3 nights in a row, depending on how dark the spot is. And it fades away! I even use this nightly on old acne scars, and they fade away!

Just a recap:
-Apply your spot treatment in layers with your moisturizer to prevent flakiness
-Use an antibacterial ointment to fade leftover marks

I hope this helped! Let me know if you try these! Also, what are your tricks to fade marks?

Leave any other beauty tips in the comments below to be featured in next weeks post!

Would you all like to see a post on how to cover a blemish/acne scar?

Last week’s:
–Get Healthier, Stronger Nails
–Secrets to Whiter Teeth

May Beauty Tips & Tricks Video is coming next week 🙂

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Gena