I stopped hiding my spots anymore. I am not beauty guru, by any stretch of the imagination, but I have learned a thing or two about skincare and I think I am finally get a handle on what works for my skin and what doesn’t. One of the things I don’t do anymore is cover up spots when they appear on my skin.
I don’t use soap on my skin anymore. I have found that not using soap means my skin doesn’t dry out as much. Drying your skin out actually makes your skin produce more oil and for me that makes my skin unbalanced and more spotty. I also suffer from cystic acne and have done since my late teens, and working out what my skin can and cope with has taken a lot of work. The cystic acne breakouts are less and less now but still happen. They are sore, red, angry and frustrating and they don’t behave like normal spots. Thankfully they are becoming rarer, but I still get the odd “normal” spot.
When I was a teenager, I used to obsessively cover my spots. Most of my pocket money went on makeup and my faithful Rimmel cover stick was my trusty friend.
I used a lot of treatments and potions and lotions and used to spend a lot of time trying to cover spots when they appeared. I have very fair skin so spots were fairly obvious and teenage hormones meant it was a bit of a struggle.
In my early twenties, I still covered them, and it used to bother me a lot and affected my confidence. I had a bad skin break out around my wedding and had several spots that needed a lot of coverage on my actual wedding day which was stressful. Fortunately, our wedding photos don’t show them.
Pregnancy “cured” my skin, rather bizarrely, despite all the extra hormones, and being as sick as a dog both times around and despite being forty-something I still get skin breakouts, usually hormonally linked to my cycle, or when I don’t eat well and look after myself.
But now, I don’t cover them up. Why?
Covering them up makes them worse. Slathering them in makeup just seems to inflame and irritate spot breakouts. Also, as I said, I have very pale skin, so if I cover up my spots this usually involves a full face of makeup and I am frankly too lazy to be bothered with that most days.
I don’t actually care too much anymore. I have reached a point in my life where other things worry me far more than a few spots on my face and if they bother other people, then it’s their issue, not mine. Spots don’t stop me from being a good wife, mum, employer, and employee. Also, I want my own daughter to know that it’s ok to not look perfect and that spots aren’t something that need to stop you. I don’t say this lightly because I have struggled with my confidence when my cystic acne was bad, and I have had professional skin treatments for acne and the scarring, but I think age (and I am not THAT old, yet) does make you realize what is worth bothering about and what isn’t.
Spot treatments and makeup costs money. I like good skincare and quality skincare, but I don’t want to spend money on spot care and spot cover up any more. I literally don’t do anything to spots if they appear in terms of treating or putting anything on them. I do squeeze and deal with them, but only with caution, and I dab a little tea tree oil solution on them to help them dry out but other than that, I leave them to it and they go away on their own. They go away on their own.
If I have to dress up for work or to go out, I do make an effort and put makeup on and cover them, but I don’t let them worry me anymore, or I try not to. I am working on helping my teenager deal with her skin, and look after and manage her spots when they appear, and I have shown her how to cover them if she wants to, but like me, she is finding they go away faster and less angrily if left alone to heal.
Spots? They don’t bother me anymore. There are far bigger things in life to worry about…
My tips for dealing with spots:
Don’t pick them, and try to keep from touching them. If you need to squeeze them, then use clean hands and a tissue and don’t try if they aren’t ready.
Don’t use harsh and drying skin cleansers and treatments. They dry your skin out and then it makes more oil. This can encourage spots.
DO cleanse though. Taking makeup and removing dirt and grime keeps pores cleaner and discourages spots.
If you do want to cover spots use a brush and a good cover-up that is the same or slightly lighter than your skin colour and make sure you wash the brush regularly. Use a translucent powder to set your spot cover-up.
If you are struggling with serious spots or they are really worrying you, then you can get medical input or see a dermatologist. I have had professional skin care treatments that helped a lot.
Feel free to share your own spot zapping tips…