spots: why?

why do we develop boils on our faces? well...after a few years of being plagued by 'fangs' of spots I can tell you, there's no one reason. Diet, hormones, exercise, stress, skin care products, hygiene and water intake: these all play a part.

A spot is caused by a pore that gets plugged by sebum (oil secretions of the sebaceous glands).

The pore gets blocked by sebum which in turn becomes infected. This blockage can become a black head (trapped sebum and bacteria partially open to the surface which turns black due to melanin) or a whitehead (trapped sebum and bacteria stay below the skin surface). There are further 'flavours' of spots - papules (small, red, tender bumps with no head), pustules (inflamed whiteheads with a yellow/white centre), nodules (large hard bastards that lurk under your skin for ages) and cysts (even larger, longer-lasting nodules filled with pus - evil).

By over-cleansing we stimulate these sebaceous glands to produce more and more oil: a defeatist cycle of scrub n' squeeze. Leave them is the best advice...but no-one likes walking round with a custard drop on their face. In a quest to get rid of spots I have burnt my chin with lavender oil - why would I look better with a burnt scab than a harmless self-contained plook?


treating them

There is only a worst-thing to do - and that is pick, pick, pick. Sure squeeze out the plug - if the spot has one. If there is no visible plug - leave it. Either way, apply a blob of clay-based face mask: this will draw out some of the infection. Keep on re-applying this til you have to go to bed or go out.

Try to leave the spot free of makeup - in my experience a seething spot puts out a lot of heat energy: this bakes one's carefully applied concealer resulting in flesh-coloured crusts, a hideous look which will draw unsuspecting eyes to stare at your spots - the exact opposite effect we intend with our concealer tricks.


preventing them

drink water, get lots of fresh air, exercise and don't eat shit, or indeed, crap food.
In the realm of skincare, keep your skin clean - wear makeup by all means, but be good to your face. Use a good cleanser - not wipes. I use a balm which I massage over my face, removing with a hot flannel.


exfoliation

this is the key to prevention - for my skin anyway. There are two methods - chemical and manual. The latter is the traditional way - a cream or gel containing small beads, which when massaged over skin 'grate' off older layers and flakes of skin. This though can be rather harsh, which is why chemical exfoliators are so good. No - it's not a matter of dooking your face in a barrel of hydrochloric acid! A chemical exfoliator is one which removes dead skin by enzyme or mild acid action. Fruit acids, AHAs or BHAs are what you're looking for. Salicylic acid (that found in aspirin) is a BHA and is wonderful for brightening skin as it reveals a newer layer. Indeed you can make a mask of aspirin tablets, grinding 4 or 5 with a drop or so of water. Apply this & leave for 5 or so minutes then rinse.

moisturiser - should I use antiseptic bum cream to combat spots?

Until recently, I advocated the use of Sudocrem alongside a moisturiser for healing sore, red or spot-prone skin. It is commonly used for babies' bums - a nappy rash remedy, it contains zinc: an excellent mineral aiding healing of the cells. I used it thus - scooped out blob, splooped it on spot, went to bed looking hot & sexy.

After discovering the beneficial effects of regular use of a mild chemical exfoliator (Origins Never a Dull Moment) I find Sudocrem too heavy, too thick. It seems to suffocate rather than treat. Still, some friends report great effects with it, so like all things, its individual. Cheap, it doesn't represent a huge investment, which many of my recommendations do, alas. Ebay is great for cut-price skincare.

My current moisturiser is a Decleor one - Hydra Floral. It's very expensive - around £30 a 50ml pot, but Ebay gave me it for £10 - I won't be buying it again unless I get another bargain. However, it is wonderful: light yet very moisturising. I have oily-ish skin that gets very dry-feeling round the cheeks. I've been trying our another Decleor thing - blends of oil intended to be rubbed into the face: I'd imagine I'd have a great big chip-pan face, but it sinks in brilliantly, leaving soft skin that glows.

See new update!