Dr Pimple Popper's ultimate guide to banishing spots
Treating acne is a minefield, but one person who knows more about spots than your average Joe is Dr Pimple Popper.
The Instagram-famous dermatologist, whose real name is Sandra Lee, MD, is known and loved for her enthralling/gross spot squeezing videos.
Dr Lee keeps her 2.2m Instagram followers informed of the latest spot-fighting tips, but we thought we'd round up her six best nuggets of acne treatment wisdom right here.
Spots, be gone!
1. Never squeeze a blackhead or whitehead. Instead, use retinol on it at night to help speed up the recovery.
2. For raised white or angry red pimples, you need to target the bacteria with topical antibiotics. She recommends using something containing benzoyl peroxide or an antibiotic like erythromycin or clindamycin. This, she says, will clear the bacteria from a pimple and help it heal quicker.
3. If you really need to itch a spot, put a small circle bandage over your finger to stop bacteria spreading.
4. Contrary to popular belief, lowering yourSPF rather than increasing it may help beat acne. Why? Because higher SPFs are super greasy and will clog pores. Dr Lee recommends SPF 15 as the ideal sun lotion.
5. Even though people think moisturiser makes greasy skin worse, even people with acne should include it in their skincare regime. Moisturisers are actually designed to decrease oil on the skin so you probably need more of the stuff. Be sure to avoid oil-based moisturisers and stick to water-based ones instead.
6. Your hair products might be triggering your acne so be sure to avoid heavy and greasy products and stick to mousses instead.
Check out our helpful guides on banishing acne on different parts of your body, hormonal acne, back acne and how to get rid of acne scars.
Here are some of our favourite spot-fighting products to get you started on your journey to clear skin...
Eradikate Mask, £46, Kate Somerville
We already love Kate Somerville for her problem-solving skincare solutions but this mask really saves the day with its 5% Sulphur content to eliminate breakouts and dry out acne without stripping the skin.
Detoxifying Clay Mask, £45, DCL
Anyone who experiences breakouts knows that clay is your best friend. But this clay isn't just any clay. It's volcanic clay, known for its superior mineral content to draw all impurities to the surface. adds to cart.
Instant Detox Mask, £22, Caudalie
This delightfully refreshing mask combines pink clay with grape marc, known for its antioxidant content and its ability to drain away toxins (great for city skin exposed to pollution).
Brilliant Skin Purifying Pink Clay Mask, £39.90, Sand & Sky
This pink clay mask didn't go viral on Instagram for no reason. Not only is it vegan and cruelty-free, but it contains nutrient-rich Australian pink clay and native botanicals to thoroughly detox skin.
GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment, £39, GlamGlow
GlamGlow is a blogger and A-list favourite, and if that's not enough to convince you of its goodness, this is one of the brand's award-winning formulas. The clearing treatment deeply cleanses skin - making it ideal for troubled complexion.
Eve Lom Rescue Mask, £35, Space NK
We all need a complexion-rescuer on our bathroom shelf, and this might be our favourite. The perfect mask for skin that is breaking out, looking dull or stressed out, it deeply cleanses congested pores, while restoring the complexion's balance for brighter, smoother skin. Pro tip: use it post-travel or in the airplane to avoid jet-lagged complexion.
Estée Lauder NightWear Plus 3-Minute Detox Mask, £32, Estée Lauder
All skin types could benefit from this one, since it's ideal to do a little skin detox from time to time. This overnight mask is the perfect choice for the girl on-the-go, just apply onto face and neck before bed and witness the results in the morning. Skin feels smooth and bright, without any oily residue (which is a major no-no for acne prone skin).
Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask, £15.75, Liz Earle
Liz Earle's botanical mask is a powerful one and yet ideal for sensitive skins. The all-natural ingredients, including honey, green clay and aloe vera, help banish dead cells, toxins and impurities, restore balance and control complexion's oiliness - just all-around greatness for acne-prone types.
Lush Cupcake Fresh Face Mask, £7.25, Lush
Be careful not to mistake this for a guilty-pleasure snack, as it looks and smells like a chocolate mousse - honestly, the temptation is real. Lush's super green masks are known to be handmade with love and sorted bio ingredients - organic beauty enthusiasts, do not look any further. Ideal for sensitive skin but deeply cleansing.
Sóley Organics Steiney Mineral Mask, £25, John Bell & Croyden
Mineral beauty has been around for quite some time now, and it's back on in full force with the hype around clay masks. Our favourite? Sóley's volcanic clay mask, which restores skin balance and moisture by removing dead skin cells and toxins.
Simple Kind to Skin Deep Cleansing Mask, £4.39, Boots
A budget hero that gets results. Simple's deep cleansing mask is a hell of a helping hand for everyday detox of acne-prone skin. The vitamins in the formula also help deliver a bright healthy-looking complexion.
