When acne breakouts start to push their way through the surface of the skin, many of us enter spot treat attack mode. Forget letting it run its course. It’s all about acting fast and breaking out the heavy artillery. But when you’re relying on spot treatments as your only acne solution, you’re ignoring the root of the problem.
The reason? When you’re spot treating, you’re essentially only targeting a single clogged pore—and completely ignoring the rest of your pores, which could become clogged in the future.
Think of your face as having thousands of pipes connecting your oil glands to the surface of the skin. In people who are acne prone, all of those pipes are somewhat clogged, we have no way of predicting which ones will become clogged enough to lead to a full pimple. This is why you should be treating your face as a whole, not just the spots.
Therefore, spot treatment will not cure your acne but it is also a very common mistake that many acne sufferers make. They apply a spot treatment every night onto the active pimples. The problem with this is it’s not treating the pimples that they can’t see on the surface of their skin.
Unfortunately, some of the common methods people who suffer from acne employ to treat or manage their breakouts – actually do more harm than good. It’s best to treat the entire area well. When you apply acne treatment to the entire face, back or chest, you are treating the whole area so that you kill the acne-causing bacteria you can’t see.
So is there a “correct” way to spot treat?
Resist Picking and Popping your Acne when you Spot Treat
Popping a pimple may seem like the fastest way to clear it, but popping it will actually make things worse.
Every time you touch, pick, or pop, you run the risk of worsening your acne flair-up. Picking at your acne will cause trauma to your skin, which in turn leads to inflammation, infection, and potentially a scar.
Translation: Not only will it not get rid of spots fast, it will take them twice as long to disappear.
Solution! When you’re dealing with a red, inflamed pimple, head to your freezer instead of trying to pop it. Applying ice directly to the blemish will help decrease inflammation, reducing the size and visibility of the spot.
So if you’re wondering what the BEST way to approach a pimple is…
After cleansing, apply ice directly to the affected area and massage over the skin. Try to use ice for 3-4 minutes, until the face is quite numb. Repeat throughout the day to relieve pain and temporarily reduce swelling.
Treat Your Entire Face, Not Just Spot Treating Your Blemishes
We never recommend spot treating acne…and here’s why. When you spot treat, you are only treating the active acne. When you apply a medicated acne serum to the entire face, you are treating the active acne, AS WELL as treating the rest of the face so that new acne does not form.
We do however carry a magical spot treatment, though we generally only add it to a client’s routine when they are close to being completely clear. It is called Spot On. It contains benzoyl peroxide and sulfur, a powerful duo in zapping the gnarliest zit.
The biggest misconception is that spot treatments can effectively treat acne on their own. Spot treatments are just that… they treat the spot that you apply it on, and often don’t even treat the spot effectively.
Beach Beauty Bar’s Spot Treatment
We introduce a spot treatment about six to eight weeks into our program. We usually add Spot On 10/3 or Spot On 5/3 into a routine and it always follows a full application of wipe out first.
The way it’s done is you would apply Wipe Out 5 or Wipe Out 10 to the entire face, chest, or back, and then you would spot treat any active pimples with the spot treatment. The reason we don’t start clients on this potent serum is because we have found that most clients want to douse their entire face in it, and soon after are reaching out to us because their skin is dry and irritated.
It is truly only meant to be applied to individual active acne spots. If applied topically to the entire face, it WILL irritate and dry out your whole face. If you are close to being completely clear and just have a few pesky pimples left, ask us about incorporating Spot On into your treatment program.
The Spot Treatment Takeaway
Implementing a skincare routine is no different than working out or learning a new language—if you want to see results, consistency is key. With some consistent work & tweaking of your daily lifestyle, virtually every case of acne can be cleared.
The bottom line: spot treatments address the symptom, not the cause, of acne. A dab of benzoyl peroxide gel might clear up the occasional spot, but if you have recurring widespread breakouts, scheduling an appointment is your best course of action. We will tailor a treatment plan just for your skincare needs.
Are you ready to go all in for clear skin? Book your initial appointment today & let us help you get started on your clear skin journey.
Cheers to clear!
Rene