The Zit Remedy!

Eleventh Commandment: Thou shall develop a massive pimple approximately 24 hours before a special event. The pimple shall be at its peak at the precise moment thou needs it to disappear.

Yes, this is an unpleasant topic - so let's get it over with!

I'm in my early thirties and am one of the millions of women who, despite being beyond the teens, gets the occasional pimple. A pimple so big it could qualify for a postcode.

And, as if by a bizarre karmic payback, it always appears the day before a party or a special event. Never when I'm planning a weekend of vegetating on the sofa in pyjamas watching HBO boxsets.

What's with that?

A surprising number of women in their 20s and 30s have asked what is an effective way to treat 'adult pimples' - the ones which seem to come out of nowhere and get instantly, irritatingly huge (sort of like the Australian Idol winner).

Over the years I've tried a number of products and have whittled them down to these two miracle workers:

HASTA LA VISTA BABY:

PROACTIV SOLUTION REPAIRING SOLUTION ($39.95 - ORDER ONLINE)
Let's try to block out the ultra-annoying infomercials for a second. This is the heavy artillery of pimple solutions, originally developed for those who experience mild to severe acne. Unlike many mail-order products, this stuff does what it promises, and then some. If you have sensitive skin this may not be your best match: it literally blasts all blackheads and pimples from the skin by depriving them of all moisture in a super-drying action. Leave it on overnight, and within 2-3 days the offending pimple will be gone.

ELLA BACHE CREME INTEX NO. 2 ($49AUD)
I cannot recommend this highly enough - it is the holy grail of all pimple products and delivers overnight results. Okay, so the word 'lesions' is undeniably gross - but in this case, I can say it loud and proud. This was especially developed to heal and calm acne lesions (there, I said it) and severe oily-skin breakouts. It's a brilliant antibacterial, oil-absorbing treatment which calms inflammation and redness, and has cod liver oil to promote speedy healing while thyme oil and zinc oxide purify skin. Works small miracles overnight and rapidly heals even the most angry of offenders.

TIPS:

~ Apply concealer extremely sparingly and dab it on very lightly. Blot with a sheer powder. Excellent and inexpensive acne-fighting concealers are: Revlon's Colourstay Blemish Concealer or the Rimmel Hide the Blemish range.

~ Its obvious, but resist the urge to put your hands near your face... unless it's 2am and you're doing an inebriated vogue-ing impression to a Madonna megamix. About half of adult blemishes are directly caused by touching your face, or by the transferal of bacteria when doing what all women secretly do but won't admit to doing: squeezing pores.

~ Scrub. One of the best ways to prevent build-up which causes blocked pores. I'll be reviewing the best and cheapest, and the ones to avoid - soon.

~ If you absolutely must get a bit of squeeze-action happening (there's a time and a place for emergency measures), cleanse your face first, use a tissue (never bare fingers), and immediately add a repairing cream or a dab of tea tree oil.

~ Rosie x

Thanks to the legendary Degrassi Junior High for my blog title inspiration. For those rare souls who know the show, you'll hopefully appreciate it...