There is very little you can do to hide Mount Vesuvius if it is sitting on your chin. Or your nose. Or anywhere on your face. Let’s face it – getting a pimple ( or a huge milky way of them) is easily one of the most embarrassing things in the world. So why do we get these rotten pride destroyers?
Part 2
Why?
The Mayo Clinic’s definition of acne is, “Acne is a skin condition that occurs when your hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells.”
So here is the drill. We all have hair on our face. And at the base of each hair are sebaceous glands. In some cases the pore in which this hair sits gets blocked, either with sebum (oil) or with dead skin. This area then becomes home to bacteria, for whom this is the ideal set up. They eat sebum. They hate oxygen. You may as well install a jacuzzi and hard wood floors!
But our own skin’s response is to blame a lot of the time. White pus and inflammation is our body over reacting to this invader, so it is ironically often our immune system that creates more trouble than the invader.
What to do?
Step 2
If in spite of all the methods we talked about last week in step 1, you still get the nasties who decide to set up residence on your face, your next response is an on the spot treatment. Oxy, Noxzema, Clearasil, Neutrogena all have on the spot killers. Keep the area clean, apply a thin layer, and wait two days to see the zit disappear. Make sure to start treatment the SECOND you feel tenderness in the area. Don’t wait till the pimple has broken the surface.
Still not dead yet? Then you need a topical antibiotic cream (ask a dermatologist to recommend one but beware … you might get talked in to a huge investment and end up buying an entire range of expensive products. Stand firm. Just ask for a prescription for a good antibiotic cream, preferably containing Benzorl Peroxide. That’s it.
Still not dead yet? Time for extreme measures then…
Step 3
So it’s happened. You have a white or (shudder) pale green pus-filled monster that people end up talking to more than you. It is the elephant in the room. No amount of strategic hairstyle adjustment or dim lighting is going to save this situation. It is time for the emergency solution.
The good news is that this stage of pimple is the easiest to fix. But you have to be patient and bear a little discomfort. Here goes:
a) First thoroughly wash your hands and face
b) Boil some water and pour it in to a clean bowl
c) Get to a mirror with a table top
d) Get some disposable cotton pads and dip one in to the boiling water. Hold this to your pimple. Don’t press, just hold it gently against the area. The hotter the better, but obviously don’t burn your skin! As the cotton cools, dip the next one and apply that in the first one’s place. Repeat again and again. I find this procedure a mixture of pain and pleasure, while the heat is painful it is also drawing the infected, white blood cell rich pus out of your angry pore which is quite soothing. Keep this up until you see that the white plug has disappeared completely and you are left with a pink, shiny, open pore
e) Now use cold water to shut the pore down
f) Apply a thin layer of antibiotic cream to encourage quick healing
Step 4
Gluten-free, refined carbohydrate-free diets are often recommended to improve your skin. Proper sleep and good water intake are also vital (not just to skin health, but to your overall health) Vitamin D helps to keep your immune system healthy.
I am extremely terrified of Accutane and can only understand its uses in extreme cases. I find it worrying that this foetus-deforming, bowel irritation-inducing, depression-triggering drug is handed out so very casually. Please do your research before undergoing any course of treatment; especially one that is so extreme.
Rather than giving you a list of products, I will recommend a list of ingredients to look out for.
And remember, DON’T STRESS! It’s just skin and worrying will only make you break out more. Good luck!
Key ingredients:
Salicylic Acid (Unclogs pores)
Benzoyl Peroxide (Kills bacteria)
Sulfur (helps shed skin and fights bacteria)
Tea tree (speeds up healing)
Glycolic Acid/ Lactic Acid (AHA’s) (renews skin)
Bina Khan is a make-up artist, photographer, skin technician and writer who owns a salon and photography studio in Karachi.
All content is the property of Bina Khan. Any unauthorised use of the same is illegal and liable for prosecution.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 21st, 2013.
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Heartfelt thanks, Bina. :)