SKIN SCHOOL: spots

My updated spot routine & a mini review

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Be it a special occasion, or you have something important coming up, there's always an uninvited guest that decides to attend too - an annoying spot!
So in my spots post a while ago, I talked about some different causes and types of spots. A lot of what I talk about in that post is pretty basic knowledge to anyone trained within the beauty & skincare industry.
What you basically need to know is: don't squeeze or pick a spot unless it has a noticeable 'white' head, this means your skin is offering the gunk up to you. If it is red, sore and has no head, leave it alone!

My latest spot fighting routine:
(links to products included)

1. First cleanse - to remove make up - using a cleansing oil (one of the following: Una Brennan vitamin C+ brightening cleansing oil (currently half price!), or Body Shop's Chamomile one, Elemis also have brought out a new one called Nourishing Omega Rich cleansing oil which is lovely, too.)

2. Second cleanse, to clean my skin - using a cleansing balm, like the Elemis pro collagen balm, or Emma Hardie's moringa one, or Body Shop's cleansing butter. Read my recommended cleansers post here for more.
3. Bravura's salicylic acid treatment, applied all over my skin and left on for a couple of minutes, concentrating on the spot. See full review here.
4. After removing the salicylic acid treatment, I'll tone using my Darphin Intral toner - this is great for calming any outbreaks of redness, it's amazing generally on any inflammation at all.
5. I'll then apply some of my Clarins Lotus face treatment oil, about 4 drops and press it into my skin (see my serums and oils post here) and massage my face using my Body Shop Twin Ball revitalising facial massager - it helps boost circulation and is great for any lumps and bumps around the jawline. Very draining too, think of it as removing all the '~~crap~~' from your face. See full review of this here.
6. When I've finished massaging my face, I apply the Elemis herbal lavender repair mask over the top and leave it on for about 10 minutes. I mentioned this in my PM routine post here.
7. Remove the mask, tone again using Darphin Intral.
8. I then apply some of the Aesop Control Gel directly on the spot, this product contains salicylic acid which is amazing on spots, as well as aloe vera which calms, hydrates and gets rid of redness. I love the consistency of this, it's quite a thick gel which stays in the area you apply it to. It annoys me when you apply a spot treatment and it's runny, it ends up spreading all over the place where you don't need it.
9. I press in a couple of drops of the Clarins Lotus oil again, and finish by applying some of the Aesop gel onto the spot again, and leave overnight.

This routine is foolproof for me, normally the spot will be gone by the morning, or within a day or so. To some, this routine might seem a bit long winded - but if you want to get rid of that spot, put the effort in.

A Mini Review:

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a while ago I've been testing out the Origins Super Spot Remover for a few weeks before reviewing it on here. With skincare you don't always see instant results so it's important to give things a while to see if they work for you.

This is one of those products that seems to have a bit of a cult following. I decided to try this out when my tube of Aesop gel ran out. It's £15.00 for 10ml, (pretty close to the Aesop one which is £15 for 9ml) and the bottle is so small and cute, I didn't realise how small it would be until it arrived in the post and it's tiny!

What initially drew me to this was the fact that it contains salicylic acid, which is one of the best things to use on spots and breakouts. Any regular readers will know, I'm a big fan of acids, they literally changed my skin (along with using good cleansers, etc).

It also contains red algae which is supposed to be very calming and help with redness.

When I first applied this, the first thing I noticed was the smell, it's a strong medicinal smell. It's not unpleasant, but it's quite noticeable.

The consistency is quite a runny gel, when I have it on my finger I feel like I'm rushing to screw the lid back on the bottle, before it runs off my finger and onto the floor! I'd prefer if this was a slightly thicker consistency, as I find it almost spreads too far rather than staying on the offending spot.

As for the results, to be honest, I found it a bit 'meh'....as in, it was okay, nothing mind blowing. It didn't clear up my spots anywhere near as quickly as the Aesop one, and it didn't seem to calm the redness down either.

When it's applied it felt drying and made my skin feel taut, I hate that feeling. I think the drying effect is due to the fact it contains alcohol denat, which is stripping on the skin leaving it feeling 'tight'. I also noticed that when I slept in it, my face got literally stuck to my pillow which hasn't happened before, ew.

All in all, this isn't a product I would repurchase or recommend. I'll stick with my trusty Aesop control gel!

What are some of your best spot fighting products? I'd love to know!

acne

Spots

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

There are different types of spots, and causes of them.

Today I thought I'd try and help those who suffer with spots, and how to keep them at bay.

I know how spots can make you feel, and how they affect your confidence and self esteem.

Causes

Spots can be caused by lots of different things. Having spots does not mean you are dirty or unhygienic. (Unless you never cleanse your face or have showers!).

Below are some of the main causes of spots:

Hormones (time of the month, pregnancy, stress, feeling emotional, etc) If you suffer from spots around your chin and jawline, they are hormonal.

Diet (not eating enough fruit & veg, too much processed food, too many carbohydrates). Spots on the cheeks are a sign that your diet hasn't been at its best.

Drinking (too much alcohol/caffeine, too much sugary drinks, not drinking enough water). These spots are found on the forehead. If I have a few drinks, I will always break out on my forehead or between my eyebrows.

Medication (some medication have a high amount of androgens, which are male hormones. This can lead to an over production of oil from the sebaceous glands, causing spots and acne. This is why acne is more common in men. Women who suffer from polycystic ovaries also have a higher amount of androgens in their system, and are more likely to suffer with acne and spots.)

Using the wrong products (face wipes, over exfoliating, using foaming cleaners, using astringent alcohol toners, using moisturisers containing mineral oil and silicones.)

Don't:

Don't pick and squeeze at spots if you don't know what type of spot it is.
Avoid drinking too much alcohol and eating too much sugar.
Smoke.
Use the wrong products!

Do:

Eat well - your skin is a reflection of what's going on inside your body.
Cleanse properly (using a milk, oil or balm and a warm facecloth. No foaming facewashes or daily scrubs!)
Use products containing acids; Salicylic, lactic, glycolic acid. All brilliant for spots.
Have a good skincare routine and be consistent with it (morning and night).

Types of spots

Whitehead - this is the easiest spot to deal with, they have a very noticeable white 'head'. This is the only type of spot I would squeeze, as your skin is offering the gunk/sebum up to you. These are commonly formed overnight, and can be from using a very heavy night cream, sweating in your sleep, or a heavy night of booze/greasy food. I always get these after drinking, on my forehead. These are normally not sore, so cleanse your face as normal, and your facecloth should take care of it. If not, hold the warm facecloth over the spot for a minute or so, then using clean hands and a clean tissue, squeeze gently, and it should easily come away. Tone and moisturise as normal.
Blackhead - Not really a spot, but can make you feel self conscious. These are generally genetic, so if your parents suffer from them, you more than likely will too. They are very common around the nose. There is no safe way of removing blackheads yourself, it can cause scarring if you try, so it's best to get them professionally removed. Some salons/spas/skin clinics do this. Do some research and specifically ask them when you call "do you do blackhead extractions?" - not a lot of places do this, so ensure they actually know what they're doing before you go, some places are terrible at extractions.
Pimple/pastule - small, red with no head. Leave it alone, cleanse, tone and moisturise as normal. It will normally go away on it's own, or decide to grow.
Large pimple/pustule - this one is sore, angry and red, with no head. Do not pick or squeeze it, it'll make it worse, and most probably bleed. Again, leave it alone, cleanse, tone and moisturise as normal, and it'll go away on its own. Yes, moisturise the spot too.
Cyst - large, red, deep, painful and angry, with no head. Really painful. These don't really look like a spot, just an angry, red lump. Picking, squeezing etc will not help and will cause scarring, and will really hurt. With cysts, you need to take a look at your diet, and may need to consider asking your GP to see a dermatologist.*

*In general, most GP's are not the best people to ask about skin issues. They tend to just give you antibiotics, without asking about your skincare routine and what you are actually using on your face. (I was given a roll on stick which smelt really strong - which just dried out my skin but didn't really do much for my spots. I suspect it was very high in alcohol - not good. Or they will prescribe you oral tablets like roaccutane, which completely dries out the skin and makes it very thin and flaky, and also has side effects such as depression). Go to a dermatologist, they specialise in skin. Ask to be referred to one. If you have a problem down below, you see a gynaecologist, and for hormones/diseases you see an endocrinologist. See a dermatologist, it's their job, it's what they do!

A sidenote/rant

Most of the time, people try to 'dry out' the spot. They don't need drying out, they need hydration. Lots of people seem to apply toothpaste to their spots, or sudocrem. Toothpaste will just dry out the skin around the spot, as well as the spot itself, this will almost make it look like it's on a pedestal and will take longer to heal. Sudocrem is best used for it's main purpose = on babies bums for nappy rash, to seal off outside particles. It will initially take down any redness, but it contains paraffin, so it will just coat/suffocate the spot without letting it 'breathe' and heal. See my serums/face oils post here for more information on paraffin/mineral oil.

Why are people so obsessed with using things like baby products, or products made for backsides, on their faces? If they worked so well, then there would be no such thing as facial skincare products, and spas and salons would use them in their facials. I've even heard of people using haemorrhoid cream under their eyes as an eye cream.

Have you ever seen a spa advertising a facial in which they use baby oil, sudocrem, toothpaste, haemorrhoid cream etc?? No, so please stop using them on your face! You are not a baby, and your face is not your backside.

My updated spot routine & a mini review

Spots

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