My Post-Pimple-Popping (Scar-Preventing) Skin-Care Routine

The mental state of the author, post-extraction. Photograph: WIN-Initiative/Getty Images/WIN-Initiative RM

No matter how many times people tell you lot not to, picking at facial imperfections can exist painfully hard to resist. Final calendar week, I succumbed to the urge myself: I attempted to extract a small bump on my cheek so aggressively that information technology, in a thing of minutes, essentially became a gaping wound. This isn't the first fourth dimension I've done this, either — I'1000 decumbent to performing unnecessary surgery on annihilation that looks remotely like a blotch, then wanting to cry when I run into how inflamed and angry I've made my skin. I've gone through the miserable bike of picking and healing many, many times — and now, I not only know how to deal with it on a mental level (sort of) but have discovered what products best assistance in speeding up the healing process.

What I share with you beneath is my actual a.g. and p.k. routine when my peel is in recovery from major, horribly executed extractions — the combination of all of these products has helped my self-inflicted wounds and the worst of my hyperpigmentation resolve in well-nigh a week and a half. Disclaimer: I realize that this is a lot of products. If you lot're looking for an constructive but slightly less expensive combination of things to heal the mess you've created on your face, get the pimple patches for getting rid of the scab and the vitamin C serum to care for the nighttime spots after.

Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patches, 24 Count

In situations where extracting has gone amiss, these Cosrx Pimple Patches are your very all-time friend. If I were but allowed to select one production to utilise in these emergency situations, pimple patches would no doubt exist my girl. However, there are certain circumstances in which the pimple patches work better than others. At the hazard of in one case once again giving TMI, the production works best on "open up wounds" then that it can go in and suck all the oil and leaner out of the blotch.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: If you pick your skin — especially if the extraction didn't go as planned — put this on immediately later on. Don't launder your face, don't exfoliate, don't put a tea-tree serum on it. Put this on. My friend swears that you lot tin can wash your face with this on, only I just try my all-time to launder around the surface area if I've picked at my skin prior to washing. The patches aren't just for immediate assistance: Vesture them as much every bit yous perhaps can and definitely every night. The patches help to keep the area moisturized while also protecting information technology from bacteria — precisely what you need.

COSRX Advanced Snail Mucin Power Essence

And so you picked your pare last night and put on a pimple patch. Now it's the forenoon and you lot but don't think yous tin dauntless wearing a patch to work. If you lot're wondering what y'all can do to assistance heal your spot during the solar day (when you obviously don't want to wear the pimple patch), endeavor patting snail mucin into your pare — paying extra attending to the affected area — right later on washing your face. While I'm admittedly a major SK-II girl, I've actually plant that snail mucin is a better product when it comes to actively healing damaged skin. Exfoliating the blemish in the early days of its healing can actually be super dissentious — it ends up stripping layers of the scab off and preventing it from fully healing. What damaged, scabbing skin needs most is hydration — skip the normal exfoliation step (merely on the blotch, you lot can all the same exfoliate the rest of your face) and go in extra on the essence.

Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil

Essences essentially prep your skin for any kind of concentrated treatment (serums and oils), then right after the snail mucin, pat in a few drops of this marula oil from Drunkard Elephant onto the blemish (and your entire face up). When it comes to finding a production that's both hydrating and reparative, this production from Drunk Elephant is a full dream. Self-described as "rehab in a bottle," this production is packed with antioxidants that help fight against environmental stresses — lessening the redness of the trouble area while simultaneously providing healing vitamins. This product is a true Holy Grail of mine, and I'm already panicking thinking well-nigh running out. This helps so much with any kind of blotch issue, but it peculiarly thrives when combating scabs and flaky skin.

The Ordinary Organic Cold-Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil

The Drunk Elephant product is amazing but admittedly pricey. Here's the cheaper alternative from my honey the Ordinary.

Tatcha Indigo Soothing Triple Recovery Cream

After the marula oil, you want to lock in all of the piece of work you just did past adding another concluding layer of hydration. This is where your moisturizer comes in. Every bit mentioned above, it's all about finding products that provide hydrating and reparative properties — and you guys know how much I beloved my overpriced cream from Tatcha. This is deeply hydrating and does great things for redness and irritation.

Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream

A Tatcha dupe I am just so excited about is this Klairs Blue Cream, which I bought for the first time during the Soko Glam Blackness Friday sale. If you've been wanting to try the Tatcha Recovery Cream but can't bring yourself to carve out the cash for it, go ahead and effort this amazing potion from Klairs. This is incredible for calming, and it makes a noticeable departure. I will say it's not every bit rich equally the Tatcha Recovery Cream, which leaves me looking ultradewy, merely it does have a similar outcome in it'southward combating of redness and angry skin.

Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum

Sadly, even when the affected expanse scabs and falls off, it can still get out behind a really nasty night mark that can sometimes last for what feels like forever. I do non employ this serum until afterwards the scab has already fallen off. This serum is super strong and tin can actually terminate upwards exfoliating or further irritating the damaged skin. All the same, this is one of the about intense vitamin C serums on the market and volition sure as hell kicking the night marking that blemish has left you with to the curb. Mail-scab-flaking-off, I apply this right after the snail mucin and right before the marula oil. I personally do all of my brightening treatments in the a.m., and spot treatments in the p.k., only you can incorporate this into both a.thou. and p.m. routines. This vitamin C serum too from Drunk Elephant is definitely pricey, but it'southward one of my all-time favorites that I just simply cannot permit go of. These won't provide overnight results, merely they will help low-cal the spot significantly faster.

Cosrx Triple C Lightning Liquid

A love dupe for Drunk Elephant is this vitamin C serum from Cosrx.

Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant

While the in a higher place kind of creates a pretty solid a.thou. and p.k. routine, a mask is something yous can throw in if you lot feel similar doing a petty extra. This mask, as I've mentioned before, is truly disgusting, but I did come across it make a major difference on speeding up the healing process of damaged skin. This mask is intense, and I do think it has some exfoliating backdrop, so I waited until the scab had been living for about four days before I got dorsum into using information technology. This was also a good way of slowly introducing exfoliating properties back into my routine mail service-disaster. This mask is besides great for helping hyperpigmentation, then you should use it when the worst of the scab is over.

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My Mail-Pimple-Popping (Scar-Preventing) Pare-Intendance Routine