I remember my teenage acne days all too clearly. Hiding as much of my face as possible within the confines of my sleeveless polo neck, while I stared longingly at Gareth Shaw across the sixth form common room, with a metric ton of cover-up makeup plastered all over my chin. Any fool could have told you Gareth and I were not destined to go the distance, but even I couldn’t have predicted the fact I’d still be dealing with breakouts and blemishes well into my 30s.
Being an adult is hard enough these days, and being an adult woman is even more difficult. How are we supposed to excel at our careers; take care of our families; support our friends; eat gluten-free, dairy-free, nutritious carb-light meals; keep up with all the great TV that’s on right now, while also maintaining flawless complexions? I’m more likely to win the next series of Bake Off. Even if you have the best skincare regime on the planet, the odd blemish is bound to pop up once in a while, and for some of us it’s much worse full-on adult acne. Didn’t I leave this in my teenage years with Bacardi Breezers and Take That? No, apparently not.
Thankfully, I’m well past the days of sticking toothpaste on a spot and hoping for the best. Today, we have acne treatments that actually work, as well as some truly great cover-up options that are easy to apply and help to heal your skin while you’re camouflaging breakouts. What I wouldn’t have given to have been blessed with some of this information when I was 16 …
How to zap spots for good
- Do I have to tell you not to squeeze your spots? Fine, please don’t squeeze your spots! I know it’s tempting and I know those Dr Pimple Popper videos on YouTube are so oddly satisfying, but squeezing a spot can result in infections, the spreading of bacteria and even permanent scarring. Instead, dab on a clearing treatment that includes salicylic acid to unclog pores and help heal the blemish. Look for it in the ingredient list on spot treatments for a fast-acting answer to blemishes that have already popped up.
- In fact, try to avoid touching your face at all. Every time your fingertips touch your skin, you transfer bacteria from whatever you last had your mitts on, straight to your face. Try makeup that doesn’t need touch ups, such as Clinique’s Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer, which stays put for 24 hours, so you won’t make matters worse while you’re trying to make your skin look better.
- Remember to clean your phone with an antibacterial wipe regularly. Keep them by your bed, keep them in your bag, keep them in your desk – never be without one! Phones are a veritable Petri dish of spot-causing bacteria and pressing it against your cheek 10 times a day is doing you no favours. Make like Madonna and get yourself a hands-free headset if you’re making calls often.
- There are lots of reasons for breakouts, whether it’s the odd spot or full-on adult acne. Mostly it’s down to one of two things – your hormones or your diet. If it’s hormones, it’s time for a trip to the doctor, but if it’s your diet try cutting down or eliminating the most common troublemakers – namely dairy, alcohol and sugar. I know, I’m sorry, please don’t hate me.
- If your diet isn’t the culprit and your hormones aren’t causing your problems, you might want to check your products. As counterintuitive as it might sound, there are so many ingredients used in makeup that can irritate your complexion. Anything that’s going on my face has to be allergy tested and preferably fragrance free. Clinique’s foundations and concealers tick both these boxes. Their foundations also match 98.5% of all skin tones– which is pretty impressive, given that I can’t even find two matching coffee mugs in my cupboard.
- When covering a blemish, start from the very centre of the spot and blend outwards. Using a clean fingertip or a dense but soft-bristled brush, using a patting motion to diffuse the product outwards and blend it with the rest of your makeup. Start with one thin layer, give it a moment to set and, if possible, check your work in natural light.
- The only thing more obvious than a great big blemish is a great big blemish that’s been caked in the wrong shade of concealer. I can show you any photograph of myself between 1994 and 1999 if you need proof. Thanks to the high level of pigment in Clinique’s Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer, I can cover my blemishes with a really light layer, leaving me with a natural finish that doesn’t announce itself from fifteen paces. It also comes in 18 different shades (including the corrector shade).
Lindsey Kelk is co-host of the Full Coverage beauty podcast
