Today I realised that my skin was making a joke at my expense! It’s this colder weather where most people’s skin begins to dry out, but mine decides that greasy is this season’s look. I have a constant shine on my face that drives me crazy, and no matter what I do, I can’t seem to shake it.
The results of the oil slick on the surface of my face? Well spots. And plenty of determined ones amongst them. It’s frustrating. I know there are many people with bigger and worse problems, but I honestly thought at thirty years old I might get a reprieve from these little monsters! Unfortunately this is not the case and so instead they find interesting and new places to develop.
The Nose
I have had two separate incidents where blemishes have developed in places, where you actually wonder how it’s possible! Firstly inside my left nostril. It was irritating to feel under the skin and made my nose, in its entirety, sore to the touch. This was particularly difficult to treat because
A) it’s hard to get to
B) the skin itself is really sensitive.
I was plagued by that one for ten days, and it’s was not pleasant.
My second nose related pimple was smack bang on the tip of my nose, 15mm square and glowed red. Now I’m all about dressing for Christmas, but that is not exactly what I had in mind! For this one I used a double pronged attack to banish the evil critter from my schnozz. I used the two T’s… Toothpaste and tea tree oil.
The paste was applied before bed and allowed to dry and then in the morning it was smothered with tea tree oil (around a £ from superdrug) this has reduced the swelling and I am hoping will destroy the blighter in the next couple of days.
Collar Line
Shirt collars rubbing around my neck cause some truly aggressive spots that are very hard not to irritate further (afterall if you have to wear a shirt, then you have to wear a shirt). I cannot remember the last time that I didn’t have a neckline blemish! They are painful and not very pretty at all. But I have found a decent little product that minimises the effects and tackles them quickly and efficiently, it’s the L’oreal men expert pure power roll-on. This cold roller ball reduces the swelling and soothes the inflamed area. Easily the most effective of products along these lines, it isn’t going to break the bank too badly either!
Chest and Thighs.
I have much the same issues in both of these areas and there are two key factors to why… Hair growth & chafing. The combination of these two things cause ingrown hairs that are if nothing else a bit more technical to deal with. My over developed diaphragm and ample beer belly rub against the fabric or my t shirts and my thighs rub together a little (please tell me that I am not the only one, please) the ingrown hairs then build up and get inflamed. What’s required, well firstly some excellent exfoliation (something not too astringent but with larger exfoliating beads is good) and some precision Tweezer work to release the trapped hair! Exfoliators are down to personal preference, and your skin will probably decide for you, but when it comes to tweezers, there is only one choice, and that is Tweezerman. Trust me when I say there is no other brand on the market that creates such precise and well made tools. I have a standard pair from the G*E*A*R range, but there are specific designs for ingrown hairs so if that is a constant problem, then they are your best bet.
So what have I learnt?
Well, getting older does not always mean spots are a thing of the past.
The right tools are how you handle spots quickly and effectively.
Cheap toothpaste is sometimes as effective as a high end product.
And last but by no means least, you need a sense of humour to deal with your skin’s own warped sense of humour!!!
TIB
ThatIsBeyond 
You’re getting spots because your skin is dehydrated due to winter air; this in turn is causing your skin to hyper-produce oil to try and protect itself.
What you’re doing now is treating the symptoms by drying your skin even further which won’t do you well in the long run. Instead, balance the moisture barrier back up with lots of hydrating products that are more or less oil free (a little oil is OK).
Don’t use toothpaste and don’t use neat tea-tree oil on the skin; neat tea-tree oil will burn the skin and toothpaste is an old wives tale that only semi-works, again, it’s just trying and mildly astringent.
Look at things like the Bobbi Brown Gel Cream. The symptoms will resolve themselves in a few weeks and in the meantime, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo Plus as a serum both morning and night will resolve the symptoms.
LikeLike