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I thought this might be an interesting topic for an open thread — what to do when you wake up the day of an important meeting and find you've got a blemish on your face? In addition to being a serious confidence killer, it can make you look younger and lead you to being taken less seriously. (And, as an outward indicator of stress, it is definitely noticed! Does anyone else remember that blemish George Bush had on his face during the “who won the race” time period? If you can find a picture, please forward along.) So — what's a working woman to do? (Pictured: Face Powder with Applicator Brush, originally uploaded to Flickr by incurable hippie.) For my $.02 — and I normally have pretty clear skin, except for a few annoyances here and there — here's my line of attack: a) assess what can be done before the meeting — and how important the meeting is. I'm curious — would anyone visit a dermatologist, or has anyone had any success with those tiny devices for zapping zits, like the Zeno? What other methods have you guys found work best? (I have my own methods, but, well, it seems a bit too TMI to get into — maybe I'll post as an anon commenter!) b) if the meeting is later that day, I've found all you can really do is apply cover-up and Visine (dab some on a cottonball and apply to the blemish — it gets the red out). c) finally, I've found that a darker lipstick helps “detract” attention — you don't want the blemish to be the reddest thing on your face. So, readers, what are your tried-and-true strategies for dealing with the occasional breakout? Does anyone keep a dermatologist on call, or use one of those devices?Comments
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Jessi
Reading everyone’s comments have made me feel better…I was almost near tears. I live in a small town and I have never known ANYONE that struggles with cystic acne the way I do. It’s so easy to start thinking you are the only one with this problem.
YAZ regulates my hormonal imbalance…which is great, but who wants to be on birth control for the rest of their life? I got off of it last summer and we started TTC. I went 9 months without any cysts. I thought maybe I had finally “grown out of it” at 27 and my hormones had balanced out. Not the case. At the end of month 9 I got full blown, severe cystic acne that made my life hell for 3 months. I get the cysts around my mouth and on my chin and they are huge. (Cortizone shots are the only thing that works and I live an hour and a half away from a dermatologist.) I couldn’t take it anymore so I got back on YAZ. The derm. wanted to put me on Spirolactone but I thought…since YAZ works…what’s the use? I would have to be on birth control anyway if I was on Spirolactone (sp?). I have since wondered if I should have gotten on Spiro. It is month 3 on my YAZ and it hasn’t kicked in yet. I still have cysts. I am normally a very happy person but these cysts throw me into depression like I have never experienced. They affect my life and my desire to be in social situations.
Now I am wondering if I might have PCOS. I wasn’t able to conceive during the year we tried and I did everything right. The only reason I think I might NOT have it is because my periods are always regular. But all the other symptoms I have. I so badly want to get off of birth control and TTC again. But I have to work and I just can’t take the cysts.
Anyone have advice?
Nikki
I get terrible cystic acne so I was switched from Yasmin to Yaz, which definitely helped a great deal. I was still going to see my dermatologist for cortisone injections regularly until I was prescribed 50 mg per day of Spironolactone. Saved my sanity. I went off it for three weeks of vacation and am still paying for it even though I’ve resumed.
HS
For a quick, natural, and effective spot treatment I mix some French Green Clay (carried at some Whole Foods; I buy mine online from Mountain Rose Herbs http://bit.ly/9v2rn7) with pure tea tree oil and water. Leave it on overnight or as long as you can. It reduces the size and redness of the blemish and makes it heal faster by killing the bacteria and absorbing the sebum.
X
This is a problem I’m unfortunately ultimately familar with as I’m 33 and still break out like a 13 year old. Mind you, I have OILY skin. I have tried high-end spa to over-the-counter drug store items and just about anything in between. I’m a big fan of the new Clinique lines: the 3-step cleaning system and their acne-foundation line has been life-changing for me. I also find anything with tea tree oil to work well especially in colder months when over-drying may be an issue.
Elbe
Zeno works. It is expensive and likes to turn off by itself but if you only have a zit or two, it works remarkably well.
Jen
I’ve used the Aveda line and really liked it. For the past six months I’ve been using Bert’s Bees foaming face wash. It’s cheaper than Aveda and they work exactly the same for me.
AJH
I use proactive and I love it. It even keeps away those terrible stress zits. I can’t imagine going back to any other skincare line.
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