how to fight the pizza face

Whether you have a case of Meat Lover's pizza face or just the occasional slice of pepperoni, I'm here to tell you that there's hope.  By figuring out what exactly is on your face and following a few simple guidelines, you can have that unsightly spot gone in time for your long-awaited date with Mr. Hot Pants down the street.

First let's talk about something boring, but essential to treatment.  What exactly is that thing on your face?  Different lesions require different treatment, so why don't I go over a few of our most popular facial pests.

• The most common problem in which we face are closed comedone, aka your typical run of the mill pimple.  Pimples can come in papule or pustule variety and in case you can't figure out that a pustule is puss-filled, here's a photo.
• Open comedones, aka black heads, can be an issue too but usually aren't such an emergency.
•  Then we have cysts and nodules.  These are closed sacs containing fluid, infection, and all kinds of other icky things.  Typically these can be felt as a lump, often times painful, deep under the skin.

So now you might have an idea of what's bothering that pretty face of yours, but what you really want to know is how to get rid of the darn thing! 

First and foremost: never pop any of these things with your bare, disgusting, disease- spreading fingers.  I don't really care if you just washed your hands, you've still got gunk under your nails and in the crevices of your skin!  Simple solution?  Tissue or toilet paper.  Extracting this way may take some practice but once you've got it down you're certain to see less spreading of bumps.

Closed Comedones (pimples):

Okay, have your tissue ready?  Now for my favorite part... pop it!  Oh yeah!  The correct way to pop a pimple is to push down and in around the side of the lesion, pushing any puss and junk up and out instead of down into your skin.   Extract until a nice watery fluid comes out and then never touch it again!  Once this is done we can begin treatment.  The absolute best option?  Zap it.  Head into your spa and ask them to electrocute you.  Yes I'm serious, it's a wondrous thing!  High frequency creates ozone and kills bacteria and after a little zap your pimple will be gone within a day or two.  For spot treatment options look for products containing sulfur, salicylic acid, or benzoyl peroxide.  A tee tree and salicylic combination is my favorite way to go, but I'm not beyond plastering my face in stinky sulfur either. Only Yourx Acne Spot Treatment Pen.  Last but not least, if it's swollen, ice it. 

Open Comedones (black heads):

The first thing you need to know about your black heads is that you'll never change the actual size of them.  You were born with those large pores, honey.  I know that probably disappoints people who dream of tiny little pores and painful dry skin, but there's still good news.  You can make your pores appear smaller by cleaning them out.  I recommend Murad T-Zone Pore Refining Gel which contains glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and pomegranate extract for deep cleaning and a light exfoliation. 

Cysts:

These things are a bummer and if you're a hormonal mess like me, one of these bad boys pops up in your "hey it's that time of the month" zone more often than necessary. You cannot, should not ever attempt to extract these or you'll end up with a hot mess.   Cysts swell up really ugly and are full of bacteria, so you want to high frequency the bacteria out and use ice to calm the swelling.




pimple < electricity

And that's pretty much it!  A lot of fixing your break-out issues simply comes down to not overly picking and using the right products for your skin type and needs.  Happy popping, zapping, and all things pimple!


beauty "secret" number one

First and foremost I'd like to share the easiest and most important beauty tip I can give anyone.  Sunscreen.  Summer to winter,  protecting your skin from the sun is the best thing you can do to stay young and beautiful. 

Wearing a sunscreen that protects from UVA and UVB (aka broad spectrum) is key.  UVA rays are the aging rays, they go deep into your skin and hang out there, aging you over time.   UVB rays are the burning rays, and the more you burn the more you age and raise the risk of skin cancer.  From http://www.skincancer.org/ "One blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person's chances of developing melanoma later in life. A person's risk for melanoma also doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns at any age." 

So what are some sunscreen guidelines?  First off, always wear it.   Even if it's cloudy outside or winter, those yucky rays can break through and hurt your delicate skin.  Most recommend an SPF or 15 or more but I say why risk it on such low numbers?  25+ is the way to go if you're serious about protecting your skin.  Also, don't just put it on your face.  The neck, décolletage, and hands age just as quickly as your face so make sure you slather some protection on them too. 

My recommendations?  Oxygen Botanicals Sunscreen.  This product comes in a regular or lightweight formula for those with oily skin.  It has a heavenly apple scent that won't leave you smelling like you've been at the tanning beds all day, outstanding hydrating properties, and an SPF of 30.  It's not a cheap option, but is excellent for those looking for products that perform double duty.  For those of you on a budget I recommend Oil of Olay Regenerist SPF 50 Lotion. This product has an extremely high SPF of 50 and hydrates as it's protecting your skin.  It does have that tacky sunscreen scent and isn't quite as thick as the Oxygen line, but does the job of protecting regardless.

If you're a sun worshipper, seriously consider what you're doing to your skin and if being tan now will be worth your heavy aging later in life.  Look into Vitamin D pills if you take in sun for happiness, and consider spray tanning as an alternative to traditional tanning beds.  More on spray tanning later.  Happy sun protection!