To squeeze or not to squeeze..?

Look at my face. This is entirely my fault.

As I said in my last post about Maskne, I’ve been doing as much as I can to prevent spots and while my efforts haven’t been entirely in vain I am still getting the odd spot after lots of mask wearing. This picture is the result of me squeezing two (actually quite small) spots that were next to each other. Goodness me. I’m pretty sure the spots looked much better than this does!!

Obviously this is a fairly dramatic reaction and your face won’t necessarily explode and scab like mine has here but why the take the risk?! Popping spots is sooooo bad for your skin! I shouldn’t even be allowed to type that as I know I’m terrible for it but I like to think I’ll be able to resist after this incident. Plus, it is MUCH harder to colour correct and conceal a scab than it is a couple of spots!

Why is it so bad to squeeze spots though? (Surely this picture is enough to answer that question but let’s delve a little deeper anyway…)

Think of your spots as little bags sitting just underneath the surface of your skin. These (disgusting) little bags are filled with bacteria, oil and pus that becomes inflamed. When you squeeze a spot your aim is of course to rid your skin of all that but sadly it doesn’t necessarily just get squeezed out. More often than not, some of the gunk (sorry) is left behind and is actually pushed deeper into the surrounding skin. At best, this will cause a little more redness and swelling, at worst it’ll cause scabs which may lead to permanent pits or scars. There’s also the risk of causing skin discolouration and infection. 

Basically, it’s just not worth it. Just ride it out guys. Spots aren’t permanent but scars are. Plus, spots are never there for long. If you leave them alone they should resolve within a week or so and generally the white head will have disappeared (or spontaneously popped on its own) even quicker. 

So, what to do instead of squeezing when these bad boys erupt:

Firstly, back to basics - I said it in my last post and I’ll say it again. Wash your face twice a day every day with lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser. Hot or cold water is too harsh for your skin, as is over exfoliating or washing your skin more than twice a day. TLC is great, but too much is just irritating. Who knew skin was so like a relationship...

Secondly, read your labels and go for oil-free non-comedogenic (non pore blocking) products. Even consider what you’re putting on your hair! If your hair falls on to your face a lot and you’re packing it with oil then that oil is going straight onto your skin. 

If you can avoid makeup then do but if you can’t (I CAN’T) then again look for makeup that’s not going to block your pores. I switched to SeneGence Original foundation a couple of years ago which is non-comedogenic and it’s perfect for me - I can build up to a full coverage if I want to without worrying about clogging my pores and causing more breakouts. 

Finally -

TAKE YOUR MAKEUP OFF AT NIGHT. 

EVERY NIGHT. 

DO. NOT. SKIP. THIS. 

Pete has been telling me for years not to squeeze my spots and - urgh - he's right.*

Lots of love, 

Clare x

*Yes, it almost killed me to write that.