ONE. Don’t panic. Whilst it’s tricky to write an exact list of what will help your situation, here’s one thing that definitely won’t speed up the process – stress. Stress and hormones are the main triggers for my skin acting up (it’s my chin that primarily suffers with them, which classically points to those two), so although it’s hard to do sometimes I just try my best to pretend that they aren’t there. Minimal fussing, minimal worrying and maximum chance of them healing quickly.
TWO. No picking. This one can be SO HARD to avoid, especially the satisfaction of popping that chin invader. It’s tempting but popping or squeezing a pimple won’t necessarily get rid of the problem. Squeezing can push bacteria and pus deeper into the skin, which might cause more swelling and redness. Squeezingalso can lead to scabs and might leave you with permanent pits or scars.
THREE. No cake concealer or heavy makeup! What I’ve learnt over the years about our skin is that it doesn’t much like being layered on with pigment and product when it’s angry and red or having a moment, it hates it even more. The temptation is to stick on a concealer and a heavy foundation, then layer it with a powder to stop it going anywhere. However, try and think of the motto “less is more” in this situation and stick to mineral products that are light and kind to the skin that won’t contribute to the breakout but will help curb the redness associated. Simply avoid overloading it with product.
FOUR. Keep your routine. When we are having a skin episode we freak out and stop applying our usual product routine or we go the opposite and start piling on every spot treatment and exfoliant known to man. You feel like everything is breaking you out, but through halting or overcompensating your skincare, you will realise that your spots won’t get any better and the rest of your skin will lacklustre. So instead it’s best to just keep calm and carry on using all your usual products; trying your best to make as few changes as possible.
FIVE. Shift your stress. Of course all the usual tips apply here too (and annoyingly always seem to help things along); drinking a lot of water, eating plenty of greens and vitamin and mineral laden fruit and veg, taking a moment to press pause and be mindful, movement and exercise – all that good stuff.
