One simple trick to reduce inflamed acne
Acne is a real pain in the you know what. Just about everyone on this planet has experienced a pimple and no matter what your age is, they can sneak up on you. I have seen a few of my clients over the age of 70 still have breakouts. In the spa we teach our clients the first line of defense against acne and that is to use a proper cleanser. We recommend our Alpha/Beta cleanser because it starts the exfoliation process on the surface of the skin, but also it starts cleaning out the pores where the p. acnes bacteria hides. Unfortunately, this is only the start in helping acne. We have an entire coaching program that helps you get your skin clear because it’s complicated.
What I wanted to help you today with is what can you do RIGHT NOW, at home, to help with your breakouts.
Skin Icing
2 minutes a day, 2x a day helps reduce cystic acne breakouts.
Skin Icing
What is skin icing? Well, it’s a pretty simple technique that helps reduce your breakouts. there are four ways to break it down into how it actually helps you.
Inflammation – When we have a mild injury to our body, we put ice on it to reduce the inflammation. With cystic acne, rubbing ice over the area will reduce the swelling and the size of the pimple. In my experience, icing the face at the onset of the breakout is more effective than after it’s reached its full size.
Lifespan – The life of breakout varies from person to person and breakout to breakout. When you are icing your face, reducing inflammation, the breakout will not last as long.
Scaring – The skin will be red at the sight of inflamed acne. After the breakout erupts, you are left with what we call PIHP or Post Inflammatory Hyper Pigmentation. We consider this a form of scaring because you are left with a red mark on your face after the inflammation is gone. When icing your face, chances of having this pigment scaring is reduced.
Discomfort – Cystic acne is uncomfortable to experience. Your face becomes tender not only at the spot of the breakout, but all around it. Reducing the swelling will relieve some of the pain in that area.
When we are coaching our clients, we have them follow this protocol. This can help a lot, but acne will often need a lot more than these simple steps to get clear. We offer an entire coaching program that helps clear acne. Our certified acne specialists can help and you can read more about it here.
Cleanse your face.
Place an ice cube in a plastic baggie.
Gently massage the ice cube on the area of where the breakout is for about 1 minute.
If you are prone to multiple breakouts, I recommend massaging that ice cube all over the face for 2 minutes. This will help prevent future breakouts.
Follow up with proper home care products.
By Elizabeth Steffen, Master Esthetician
Chief Beauty Officer @ Vanilla Sugar Face & Body