“Out Damn Spot!” DIY acne spot treatment trials and tribulations.

I know I’m not the only one who suffers from fairly persistent and seemingly resistant acne. Yet, during a bad breakout, it often feels like you’re completely alone. Mine loves to accumulate and build tiny little pimple towns on my chin, like a weird blemish version of Sim City (for those readers under…well OUR age.. it was the game BEFORE The Sims). *see below*

I’m still madly in love with Bio Oil (from a few posts back) and have seen unbelievable and steady rejuvenation in my skin tone over this last month or so. It’s even diminished a ton of my old pimple scars and helps reduce their redness while the pimples are in the process of healing.

However, acne is still very much a part of my everyday life and I’m determined to lessen it’s daily appearance on my face. I need my blemishes to be extras, not leading ladies. I understand that chin acne is often chocked up to hormones but, throwing in the clean skin towel and just accepting acne as a result of my hormones doesn’t leave a gal very hopeful. So I’m determined to find ANYTHING that might stop a pimple dead in its tracks. I don’t want to ALWAYS rely on Bio Oil to come along after I’ve weathered the storm and sweep up the place.

So I started researching DIY spot pimple treatments and have tried a few out!

1. Honey – Recommended for it’s Anti Bacterial and Anti Inflammatory Properties. All of the suggested applications I read were to wash your face and either apply the honey ALL over or directly to the problem area. Applying with a cotton ball or anything other than your fingers is recommended to avoid spreading around bacteria and such. Granted they suggest to use the unprocessed non-bearshaped bottled honey, but I’m on a budget and he’s was in my cupboard. Trader Joe’s can’t be THAT processed right? After 15 minutes, wash off the honey with cool water or gently wipe with a clean wet cloth.
   • Reaction and Results: Honey feels great albeit a little sticky to smother all over your face. I can’t say the honey was a miracle worker. I did notice a reduction in redness but not unbelievably impressed with the anti-inflammatory properties. Perhaps with a truly raw honey I would have seen more drastic results.
2. Ice or Ice Pack – The ice will cool down the area and reduce the inflammation. Just as you would use an icepack on any swelling or injury, the same idea applies to the inflammation you’re experiencing with your zit. Make sure your ice pack is nice and clean to avoid spreading more bacteria on your face. Apply the ice to your troubled area for about 10-15 minutes and you should see a reduction in inflammation. *** you can use just regular, direct from the freezer icecubes too!
   • Reaction and Results: Definitely a reduction in the inflammation. However, I only saw this on the pimples that were JUST forming. My little appalachian trail that had already begun didn’t see much improvement and the redness stayed about the same on all the spots. So if you’re JUST starting to get a pimple, ice that baby down and it may not come in with as much vengeance!
3. Baking Soda – An application of baking soda opens the skin pores and eliminates the top layer of the skin that contains oily secretions, dead skin cells and dust. This inhibits acne formation. Most recommended applications were either mixing about 2 tablespoons of baking soda with water and using it as an exfoliant OR taking a smaller amount of baking soda, around an 1/8th of a teaspoon and applying the baking soda directly to your problem area; ie spot treatment. You can leave it on overnight or rinse after 15-20 mins.
   • Reaction and Results: I chose to spot treat and leave this one on overnight. I was really happy with the baking soda, as far as a combination of reducing redness and inflammation. I felt they were fairly equal. THE ONLY downside to the baking soda is, as they warned, it really dried my zit AND the entire area around it. We’re talking flaking and peeling which make concealing and the application of makeup a BIT harder in the morning. But if you’ve got a gnarly, oily cystic acne mountain forming *bleh*…this may be your best DIY shot.
4. Tea Tree Oil – Tea Tree Oil is found in a lot of skin care products and is said to have antimicrobial properties as well as being able to help pull out the oil from your troubled spots. Recommended as a spot treatment or as I’ve also read, as an all over facial toner.
   • Reactions and Results: This one wasn’t my favorite. I’ve got pretty sensitive skin and anything really “drying” or astringent like isn’t normally my face’s friend. It didn’t really work that well on my redness, in fact I didn’t see a noticeable change at all. The reduction in size wasn’t anything to write home about either. But hey, who knows. Ive got dry sensitive, chin acne prone skin, perhaps with a different skin type you could see incredible results!
5. Antibiotic Ointment – Some may know this better as Neosporin, but the generic term is just an antibiotic ointment. You know, the kind you’d put on your cuts and scrapes under bandaids. This one is recommended really only as a spot treatment as they usually contain petroleum jelly which can close pores and wreak all kinds of havoc on your skin. Also, this is especially sited as being useful on freshly popped pimples, ones where the whiteheads have formed and you’ve broken the skin.
   • Reactions and Results: This was pretty incredible for the reduction of redness on my pimples. I feel like most people would LOVE to be able to stop picking at their acne but when you get stressed out or are just SO over having the blemishes on your skin, you might pick at it. I can’t help it. I’m just being real. So to know that I can clean it, apply the antibiotic ointment to the spot and it’s going to help undo my natural bad habits, I love it.

So these are just a few of the DIY spot treatments I tried!

Some other HIGHLY recommended tips I’ve found to fight away your acne from the inside out are:

Drink TONS of water,

Drink Green Tea It’s calming and antioxidant rich!

Take Ibuprofen: when you’ve got some REALLY gnarly inflamed acne happening. It helps with inflammation from inside your body!

Fruits and Veggies: get those vitamins working for you!

Cut WAY back on your dairy consumption: it can be SERIOUSLY detrimental for hormonal acne sufferers.

I’ll definitely be implementing a few of these DIY spot treatments when my breakouts get severe. I’m also making a HUGE effort to include ALL of these everyday recommendations for clearer skin. If you’re an acne suffer, I hope you found a few new tips! Lastly, please realize you’re NOT a lone in the struggle for beautiful clear skin! I believe in us, WE CAN DO IT!

 May your pimples be less pimply,

Katy.