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The artist SZA, who’s currently on a national concert tour with the rapper Kendrick Lamar, knows what it’s like to panic at the sight of an untimely pimple. “I used to attack my breakouts with [too many treatments], and it pissed my skin off,” she says. Now the singer — who recently launched the makeup brand Not Beauty — takes a gentler approach with what she calls her “holy grail products.” Here, SZA, the dermatologist David Kim and the aesthetician Tiara Willis share their go-to tools and techniques for safely dealing with a blemish in a pinch.
David Kim, 41, dermatologist
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You’ll always regret popping a pimple. One of the best things about hydrocolloid patches is that, after you put one on, you can forget about it. An economical option is to buy adhesive patches from any drugstore and cut them to the size you need.
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A 5 percent benzoyl peroxide cleanser such as Differin’s Daily Deep Cleanser is gentle on the skin. Use that as a full face mask for 30 seconds to a minute before you wash it off. Do that consistently for two to three days and your blemish will become less red and swollen.
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During an acne flare-up, I usually recommend skipping a thick moisturizer, which could potentially clog your pores, and [opting for] lightweight serums. Dr. Althea’s Gentle Vitamin C Serum will hydrate and help brighten your skin. But if you need extra moisture, use a gel formula — Aestura’s Atobarrier365 Hydro Soothing Cream is great.
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Visine eyedrops are a good beauty hack: They constrict the blood vessels, making any redness [around the blemish] less obvious and swollen. Apply one to two drops directly on the pimple after cleansing. This won’t treat the underlying cause of the pimple, but it’ll give you temporary relief.
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Use a hypochlorous acid spray before working out or in the middle of the day. It has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. I recommend Tower 28’s SOS Daily Rescue Spray.
SZA, 35, singer and songwriter
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Getting my skin together internally was the biggest thing. I’ve struggled with PCOS and I had a lot of hormonal acne on my lower face for so long. It was inflamed and painful. Watching my intake of sugar and [other] inflammatory foods dramatically improved things.
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The other important thing has been wiping off my makeup every night, even if I don’t actually wash my face. I use a really strong setting spray for the stage and if I leave that on, my skin just gets chaotic and awful.
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When I do wash my face, I’ll follow with either the AlphaRet Exfoliating Peel Pads or the Clearing Serum from SkinBetter Science and let it work gradually. I love SkinBetter’s Alto Advanced Defense and Repair serum too; it doesn’t irritate the skin, and you can tell that your skin has more bounce afterward. I’ll also use Barbara Sturm’s Hyaluronic Serum [to hydrate].
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I love CeraVe’s Salicylic Acid Lotion for my body. I like products that just work without a lot of frills.
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When I do get a pimple, sometimes I’ll [draw over it] to turn it into a mole or a heart shape. Whenever I do that, it seems to go away much quicker, probably because I’m fixating on it less.
Tiara Willis, 23, facialist
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If you wake up with an angry zit, ice your face or use a [chilled] steel face roller. Hold it on the pimple for about one minute in the morning and at night to bring the swelling down.
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When dealing with a blackhead, the goal is to unclog that pore. A retinoid like Youth to the People’s Retinal + Niacinamide Serum or SkinBetter Science’s AlphaRet Clearing Serum will help prevent or treat a pimple over time.
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I put most of my acne clients on benzoyl peroxide. Paula’s Choice’s Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment is my favorite formulation. Wash your face and then layer this on like a serum. It also has various barrier supportive ingredients like allantoin. Sulfur is a [great alternative], if you’re sensitive to benzoyl peroxide, to dry out and shrink the blemish. I recommend Face Reality’s Sulfur Spot Treatment.
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Topicals’ Clearly Acne Mist calms irritated, inflamed acne and clears out those clogged pores. Use this three times a day — and post-gym if you don’t have time to wash the sweat off your face.
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A tinted sunscreen is a good two-in-one: You should protect your skin while using [anti-acne] actives that increase sun sensitivity, and the tint can also [cover] any redness. I like the ones from NARS and the one from Super Goop, which is available in a lot of shades.
T Recommends
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Hero Mighty Patch Original Pimple Patch, $13.
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Fenty Beauty Blemish Defeat’r BHA Spot-Targeting Gel, $24.
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Dr. Barbara Sturm the Ultimate Stinky Pimple Treatment, $35.
These interviews have been edited and condensed.
Nia Decaille is an editor on The Times’s Audience team, who also writes about culture and lifestyle.
The post What to Do When You Have a Pimple Emergency appeared first on New York Times.
