Blemishes

Blemishes

Clear Up Clogged Pores

Margaret was way past adolescence. But she wasn't past pimples. They still popped up sometimes--on her chin or her neck, where most adult blemishes make their mark.

"It's not true that people over 20 are no longer prone to blemishes," says Mary P. Sheehan, M.D., chief of pediatric dermatology at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh.

In fact, at least half of all adult women suffer occasional breakouts triggered by stress and other things, says Diana Bihova, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City and author of Beauty from the Inside Out.

Basically, blemishes are clogged pores consisting of dead skin cells, oil secreted by tiny sebaceous glands in the skin and bacteria that feast on oil the way cats gobble up fish.

"There are three kinds of blemishes: blackheads/whiteheads, papules and cysts," says Esta Kronberg, M.D., a dermatologist in private practice in Houston. Blackheads and whiteheads, which develop close to the surface of the skin, are two versions of the same type of blemish. With a blackhead, the oil and accumulated debris has forced the pore open and the oil has oxidized to black. A whitehead is the same as a blackhead, but closed, so that the oil and debris remain beneath the skin surface. A papule is a red bump that occurs because of an inflammation under the skin at a hair follicle. Cysts occur deeper within the pores in the form of swollen red or white pustules. All three--blackheads/whiteheads, papules or cysts--can last three to four weeks or longer, says Dr. Kronberg.

RESCUES AND REMEDIES

You can shave some time off that unwanted stay. You can also treat the interloper well so that your skin doesn't look abused. And you can conceal it. Here's how.

Cool it. "A good emergency pimple treatment for emerging pimples is to apply ice as soon as you feel it," says Mary Lupo, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.

Wrap an ice cube in a washcloth or dish towel and hold it to the pimple for about five minutes. "Cooling it will decrease some of the inflammation," she says.

Pop an aspirin, not a pimple. "You get a great degree of inflammation and pain with a blemish, so some women benefit by taking an anti-inflammatory like aspirin," says Susan C. Taylor, M.D., assistant clinical professor of medicine in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Popping a pimple, while tempting, only spreads the inflammation, making matters worse.

Take the standard dose of aspirin--one to two 325 milligram tablets four times a day--until the swelling goes down. If you're sensitive to aspirin, use ibuprofen instead, says Dr. Taylor. But discontinue either drug after two days if you see no improvement.

Say benzoyl peroxide. Products with benzoyl peroxide can help get rid of blemishes and prevent new ones from forming, says Mary Ruth Buchness, M.D., chief of dermatology at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center in New York City. Applied in cream, wash or ointment form to your skin, the oxygen in benzoyl peroxide kills the bacteria snacking on your skin's oil.

Benzoyl peroxide is the chief ingredient in anti-acne preparations like Clearasil and Oxy brand products. Make sure that you get a product that contains the mildest percentage of the benzoyl peroxide--2.5 percent. "The biggest mistake that women make is to buy too strong a product; it can burn their skin," says Dr. Kronberg.

"Apply a very tiny amount--the size of a pea--to your entire face once a day, every day, preferably at night," says Dr. Kronberg. If you find the creams too drying, use a benzoyl peroxide cleanser once a day; it kills the bacteria without drying your face too much.

Paint over it. "Virtually every cosmetics company makes a green blemish cover-up that, applied under makeup, neutralizes the red of a blemish and normalizes skin color," says Dr. Buchness. Cover-up cosmetics are available at drug and department stores.

Blemish cover cream is designed to be used with regular cover creams. To apply, says Dee Anna Glaser, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at St. Louis University School of Medicine, "Cover the red blemish with the green makeup, then let it set for a couple of minutes. Apply a regular flesh-colored cover-up and let that set. After that, apply your foundation. That usually gets you deep coverage," she says.