The fight against blemishes is often an uphill battle, especially if you have stubborn to severe blemishes. But, thankfully, for most people, even severe blemishes can be improved with over-the-counter skincare products.
We’re proud to say our Paula’s Choice Skincare CLEAR line is an excellent place to start if you experience mild to severe blemishes. The CLEAR systems (both the regular and extra strength) are formulated around two superstar ingredients that research has shown are the best way to help diminish blemishes: Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide.
Both products—regular and extra strength—are also formulated to be extremely gentle: No irritating ingredients allowed, because that would only make skin worse! Rather, our CLEAR products nourish skin with soothing ingredients that have proven benefits when it comes to diminishing the look of redness and sensitivity. After all, blemishes are red, and anything that makes skin redder is not a good idea.
Must-Know Blemish Tips
Following are essential tips you must know if you want to improve any type of blemishes, including stubborn to severe blemishes:
• Keep your skincare routine as simple as possible and follow it religiously. (It takes patience and consistency to improve blemishes.)
• Use a gentle, but effective, water-soluble cleanser twice daily, with a soft washcloth for extra cleansing. (Drying, harsh cleansers, many cleansing brushes, and scrubs only make matters worse.)
• Avoid bar cleansers even if they claim to be soap-free. (The ingredients that keep bar soap in bar form can clog pores.)
• Once or twice a day, use a product with salicylic acid (BHA) to diminish the appearance of redness, to gently exfoliate skin’s surface and inside the pore to improve oil flow, and to improve skin texture. Paula’s Choice Skincare CLEAR Line has two options for you to consider.
• For stubborn to severe blemishes, use a BHA exfoliant twice per day, morning and evening.
• Apply a product containing benzoyl peroxide to disrupt the causes of blemishes, but be sure the benzoyl peroxide product you choose contains no irritants such as menthol or denatured alcohol, as both increase redness and inflammation, making everything worse.
• If you have stubborn to severe blemishes, be sure to use the benzoyl peroxide–based product twice per day, morning and evening, after applying the BHA exfoliant.
• Never use thick moisturisers (especially creams) in areas where any type of blemish occurs, as they can clog pores. Instead, stick with lightweight options with liquid, gel, or serum/lotion textures. If you have both blemishes and dry skin, we have solutions in this article.
Cystic Blemishes
The most severe type of blemishes are often referred to as cystic blemishes. Cystic blemishes can occur along with mild to moderate blemishes. Surprisingly, most research indicates that it is caused by the same factors as mild to moderate blemishes, but cystic blemishes are far more painful, larger, and more damaging to skin. If you are wondering if you have this type of blemishes, here are some of the signs:
• Lesions are usually felt beneath the skin before they become visible.
• It appears on the surface as raised, swollen, red blemishes that also extend deep under the skin.
• Lesions usually don’t have a “whitehead” showing, although sometimes they do. No one knows why this occurs only sometimes.
• It is almost always painful to the touch, or even when not touched—these bumps just plain hurt!
• It presents a high risk of scarring, especially if left untreated or if improperly treated.
Cystic blemishes require the attention of a dermatologist because over-the-counter anti-blemish products usually are not enough. Especially if you have regular and cystic blemishes, you can ask your physician if salicylic acid- and benzoyl peroxide–based products are a good place for you to start to then see what happens. After you’ve tried these options, you and your dermatologist can determine if prescription options are the next step to help you achieve the results you want for your cystic blemishes, when used with a great anti-blemish skincare routine.
References for this information:
Clinics in Dermatology, March–April 2017, pages 173–178
Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, June 2016, pages 426–429
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, December 2012, issue 6, pages 357–364