Blemishes: Everything you’ve never been told (and how to really treat them).

In the course of our lives, nearly 80% of us have experienced (or are experiencing) at least one episode of pimples... Far from being an affliction reserved for our adolescence, adults, especially women - thank you hormones :) - are easily affected by facial imperfections. We tell you more about it.

Blemishes are a type of inflammation and need to be treated gently 

The redness of a pimple indicates an inflammatory state. Sanitize with an anti-blemish cream obviously helps to speed up its disappearance, but forgetting to soothe slows down the tissue regeneration process. Not only is the skin uncomfortable, but the pimple is more visible and the risk of keeping a trace is much higher.

The product we need Oh My Cream Skincare SOS Mask

 

To treat blemish prone skin you need to start by rebalancing the cutaneous flora  

Propionibecterium acnes : it is THE bacterium at the origin of the imperfectionsIt is the one that, among the colony of bacteria that make up our skin flora, feasts on our excess sebum and proliferates. However, just like a destabilized digestive flora, it takes a long time for the skin to recreate a "healthy" ground. When we look at the problem in this way, we understand better why one of the wisest solutions is to give our skin a helping hand by providing it with good bacteria.

The product we need : Probiotic Concentrate Aurelia

 

Embrace using oil to treat imperfections  

We can be forgiven for thinking the opposite but oil plays an essential role in helping our skin to function correctly. Rather than using astringent products that reduce excess sebum and encourage the glands to produce more to protect the skin, apply a plant-based oil that is close to the texture of the skin’s natural oil, i.e. sebum. The sebaceous glands will then diminish their sebum production little by little. NB - all plant oils are not suitable in this situation as some are more comedogenic than others. Jojoba oil is the closest to the skin’s own sebum. 

The product we need Facial Balancing Elixir Jojoba Merme

 

A simple foundation can make blemishes worse 

Bad silicones, petrochemical derived ingredients (mineral oil, paraffin etc) and even animal fats such as lanolin, are the most commonly found ingredients in foundations, blushers and concealers. They are highly comedogenic and wearing them all day every day can have a damaging effect on your complexion, especially if it is already somewhat spotty. 

The product we need : Purepressed Base Jane Iredale

Using an astringent make-up remover every day is not a solution to your blemish problems. 

As we mentioned earlier, by trying to get rid of oil at all costs you run the risk of destabilising the skin that, in trying to defend itself (the number one job of sebum), will produce even more. Instead, try to double cleanse the skin really thoroughly to eliminate all of the impurities without pushing sebum production into overdrive. A first cleanse with an oil-based cleanser will attract the impurities in the skin like a magnet whilst the second, ideally a gel, will perfect the cleanse and help to gently treat blemishes. 

 

Beauty products have their limits 

As you may know, at Oh My Cream, we don’t go in for ‘bullshit beauty’. There is no point in making you think that spots can be completely eliminated with one miracle product. Beauty products are a wonderful ally to help diminish the size and frequency of breakouts but they can’t always stop new spots from appearing. So if the problem refuses to go away or gets worse, despite trying the right routine, you should make an appointment with a dermatologist who can prescribe a medical treatment if necessary.  

 

And my diet in all this? 

In 2015 a study was carried out that showed that western diets, and in particular our high consumption of dairy products, saturated fats and foods with high glycaemic levels, played a role in causing blemishes. These foodstuffs can upset our hormone levels and increase our levels of male hormones which in turn can lead to blemishes. This doesn’t mean you need to go cold turkey, but you could try reducing your consumption of certain food types and see if it makes a difference. 

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