I Fuc*ed Up & Picked at My Skin, Now What?
We all know the golden rule, DON’T PICK AT YOUR SKIN. But I know sometimes it is tempting to try and pick at a pimple, bump, or ingrown hair to help it go away. The problem is, that it never helps, it only makes things worse. So as an esthetician while I beg you not to pick at your face I know sometimes people fuck up and it happens, so here is what to do when it does.
Stop squeezing or picking ASAP
I already know you’ve done quite a bit of picking or squeezing at your pimple, ingrown hair, or mystery bump and while this isn’t ideal, I forgive you 😉 So wherever your skin is at the moment it’s important just to stop picking and trust the process and now, moving on to step two.
scrub me secret: This also means no physical exfoliation (scrubbing) or rubbing at the area with a cloth. Any more agitation of the area will cause more redness and will make the pigment worse.
Disinfect/clean the area
We want to make sure the area is clean before moving on to healing and brightening. You can use a hypochlorous liquid like the popular Tower 28 SOS mist or use a toner with BHAs in it. Put some of the liquid on a cotton pad and gently swipe it over the area you picked, if it’s super sensitive or raw you can just press the saturated cotton pad onto the spot. You can also choose to cleanse your skin if it’s time for your AM or PM skincare routine.
Use niacinamide and vitamin C
Niacinamide:
Niacinamide is an ingredient that brightens the skin by reducing red/brown/pink pigment in the skin. This is great for treating pigment left behind by picking at your skin. I like niacinamide for treating this type of pigment because it doesn’t cause the cells to turn over like a retinoid or AHA. Instead, niacinamide strengthens the skin. We don’t want to exfoliate or create cell turnover on this damaged area, we want to strengthen and brighten. The niacinamide products I like the most are Good Molecules niacinamide toner (use once daily) and the MAELOVE NIA10 calming serum. Niacinamide can be used AM or PM.
scrub me secret: You can learn more about niacinamide in my blog post “Understanding Vitamins A,B3, and C”
Vitamin C:
Vitamin C serum is important to use daily, but especially important when you have a pimple or something you picked that you want to heal fast. Vitamin C will keep the area from getting darker or lingering longer than it should. Vitamin C should be used daily underneath your moisturizer. I like the Josh Rosebrook Vitamin C, SkinCeuticals Vitamin C, and MAELOVE Vitamin C.
You can use your niacinamide toner on your skin before the vitamin C serum or apply your niacinamide serum on top of the vitamin C. Using these 2 products together will help heal reduce pigment and fade away the spot you picked at quickly.
Heal the skin
Giving the skin moisture will help it heal. We want to use the right kind of moisturizer to ensure we don’t further agitate the skin. Make sure your moisturizer is fragrance and perfume-free (essential oils are okay) and also free of mineral oil, lanolin, coconut oil, and sulfates. These items I just listed are known to irritate the skin or cause breakouts. Using a moisturizer with healing plant oils or calendula or calming ingredients like oats and chamomile is a plus but not a necessity. Facial oils are also very healing, like the scrub me nourishing serum. You could use that as the last step of your PM skincare routine.
The moisturizers I like right now are the Josh Rosebrook Vital Balm, Hale & Hush Vital Lipid Lotion, Ology Essentials CBD lotion, and KinShip SuperMellow Cream. Moisturizer will go after your niacinamide and vitamin C items.
scrub me secret: If you have questions or are confused about the order in which you should apply your skincare items, take a look at THIS BLOG POST.
Protect the skin
Protecting our skin using SPF will defend it against sun damage and HEV light damage. Without SPF our skin is left with no layer of defense from rays that come from the sun (UV rays) and rays from our tech devices (HEV light). Damage from these rays ages our skin and makes pigment worse. Any SPF 30 or above is great. We need to reapply every 2 hours that we are out in direct sunlight. You’ll find great SPF and defense mist options in THIS BLOG POST.
scrub me secret: There are certain products called blue light defense mists. These mists have ingredients that help defend your skin from damage that comes from smartphones, computers, or tablets. I am a big fan of the PCA daily defense mist.
See an esthetician to treat long-lasting marks/scarring
If your pigment or post-picking markings linger for more than a week it would be helpful to see your esthetician for a facial treatment or a local trusted esthetician. An esthetician can use professional products and devices to heal your skin and brighten stubborn pigment. I see clients often who have pigment caused by popping a pimple or picking at an ingrown hair. After a facial their skin already looks better!
