Spot Treatments

So you’ve been eating all that Easter chocolate, which is great fun and I reckon most people, like me, have since upped their daily sugar intake by a good 75% so your skin might be suffering from lack of real nutrition. You can see the spots forming, bubbling under the surface, ready to turn into a version of the Himalayas on your forehead.  I know, I feel your pain. As someone who has oily skin it has been a near on daily battle my entire life, but over the years I have discovered a few tricks and miracle workers that really help to get rid of them.

I recently did a post of La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo, a quick fix for getting rid of imperfections, but then I thought, really you should tackle the root cause of imperfections too, to make them few and far between.

First, you must have a good skin care routine. Cleanse, tone and moisturise thoroughly day and night and exfoliate once or twice a week. Last year I became a convert to cream hot cloth cleansers and I will never look back to liquid or foaming cleansers. The hot cloth provides a soft exfoliation every day and it really does get rid of all dirt and makeup. My skin feels really clean after. I love Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, £14.75. It is for all skin types and all natural.

Face cleanser

Exfoliating can cause spots because it gets rid of trapped oils and dirt in your skin, but in the long term it stops imperfections because of the thorough cleansing. I like Clinique’s exfoliators, £17.50; they do versions for sensitive and normal skin and they’re cheaper than many other brands out there. They also use microbeads which are less harsh on the skin than natural exfoliators, which use grains of sand.

Using an oil at night can help regulate oil levels and therefore stops spots from forming. I like Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, £36. With a hint of lavender it smells gorgeous and you only need to use 2-3 drops a night for skin to appear bright and refreshed in the morning. It might seem a lot of money but 8 months down the line I’m only half way through my 30ml bottle. If you have a bit more cash to burn, Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair, £58, is a godsend. A little miracle worker, it does all sorts for your skin including brightening, anti-aging and protecting from harsh environments. Rub a little extra over the bumps in your skin and by morning feel them fade away.

Body cleanser, $26 / Beauty product, $20 / Advanced Night Repair | Estee Lauder Official Site

For get-rid-of-them-quick schemes, I've already told you about La Roche-Posay, but another favourite of mine is Clinique's Anti-Blemish Solution Spot Treatment Gel, £13.50. This small tube will last you a long time so don't be put off by the price. It dries out the affected area quickly so an imperfection usually never gets time to form properly.

So, now the skin is sorted, back to eating all that left-over chocolate.