Got a zit? Below are some tips for handling the sudden, huge zit that ruins your life! I personally had to deal with this recently while at the beach with my family so I hope you find these tips helpful!

1- DO NOT POP YOUR ZIT!! Manipulating pimples can cause infection and scarring and often times the pimple just refills and looks worse.

2- If you can, get yourself to your dermatologist for a quick cortisone injection. Often times these injections start shrinking the pimple in a few hours. This is really helpful if you have an event or photo shoot and need to look your best.

3- if you can’t get your dermatologist and you have access to some topical cortisone cream (or better yet, prescription strength cortisone) you can try putting a dollop of that on the inflamed pimple. Over the counter benzoyl peroxide gel, or prescription retinoid like tretinoin cream, can help dry out the pimple as well. Ordinarily we don’t recommend spot treatment, but strategic application can help dry out a pimple faster.

4- If bad cystic breakouts continue to occur and you find yourself making emergency dermatology appointments just for injections, it may be time to consider accutane or photodynamic therapy. More on those in another post!

It amazed me how I can still break out despite an optimal skin care routine and regular access to peels and dermalinfusion . Some skin just needs more investment than other types of skin, and I did start slacking and hadn’t had a silkpeel in months!