I know first hand how frustrating it can be to wake up to new breakouts every morning.
But before reaching for aggressive spot treatments (that do more damage than good in the long run), I would like to give you 5 powerful ways to quickly heal a bad breakout safely, but effectively.
Let's dive in.
1. SWEATY EXERCISE
We all know that exercise is great for us. But did you know it can also make a bad breakout go away faster?
Especially an exercise that gets you sweating!
Sweat is anti-bacterial, and the heat and sweating from exercise soften up the top layer of your skin, which releases trapped sebum and dead skin cells. When you sweat during exercise, you’re quite literally cleansing your body from the inside out.
Sweaty exercise also improves the blood flow and increases nutrient delivery to your skin, stimulates your lymphatic system (huge for clear skin!), supports good digestion, detoxifies your body, and stimulates waste elimination – all of which is helping you clear up the breakouts faster.
Every time my skin is looking a bit dull, exercise is the key to making it glowing again!
Depending on your fitness level, a sweaty exercise can mean a light jog, or 15-30 minutes high-intensity exercise (HIIT), so make sure to pick something suited for you.
Keep in mind that intense exercise also naturally introduces oxidative stress to the body. The benefits of the exercise outweigh by far the negative effects of the oxidative stress, but you need to allow yourself a proper rest between the exercise sessions, too. When you do, such exercise will be an incredible tool for healing your skin and a bad breakout.
2. APPLY GENTLE, YET EFFECTIVE SPOT TREATMENTS
When it comes to the spot treatments, there is so much confusion around. Unfortunately, so much of the common advice found online (Pinterest, I am looking at you) can actually make your skin worse!
The key to using spot treatments successfully is to pick a gentle, yet effective one. The one that will not damage your skin barrier or dry out your skin.
Remember, the inflammation of your breakout starts deep within your skin, and drying out the top layer of your skin will just irritate it, and do nothing to heal it faster.
What I find works amazing are high-linoleic acid oils, including hemp seed oil or grape seed oil.
Linoleic acid, an omega-6 essential fatty acid, is actually very anti-inflammatory and healing to the acne-prone skin. It is also a vital component of sebum – oil your skin produces that coats your skin.
You see, if you have acne-prone skin, chances are that the oil (sebum) your skin produces is deficient in linoleic acid (source).
Providing a small boost of linoleic acid to the skin acts anti-inflammatory, especially where you have a breakout. This is because linoleic acid brings down the levels of pro-inflammatory molecules such as IL-1 alpha cytokine.
How to use it: In the morning and evening, apply a small amount of linoleic oil on your breakout at the end of your skincare routine.
If you are already using high-linoleic acid oils, you can try applying just ONE small drop of tea tree oil or lavender oil on your breakout in addition (at the end of your skincare routine).
Related: How To Prevent Acne And Breakouts With Linoleic Acid
Remember, the skin has a great ability to heal itself, just trust the process and nourish it from the inside!
Inside my Skin Rebalancing Protocol, I explain in detail what kind of skincare routine to follow to reduce inflammatory acne.
3. APPLY MY SOOTHING OAT-HONEY MASK
Oats are amazing for the skin: very gentle, nourishing and so versatile. When mixed with water for 5-10 minutes, they release anti-inflammatory substances called avenanthramides, which are very soothing to the skin.
In addition, oats contain the antioxidants ferulic acid, caffeic acid, and coumaric acid, all of which are fabulous for calming down irritated and inflamed skin.
Raw honey, the second star ingredient of this DIY mask has incredible antibacterial and antioxidant properties that can protect your skin and reduce the skin irritation and inflammation.
DIY oat-honey mask for soothing a painful breakout
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp oat flour
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 1/2 tsp raw honey (more if the mix is too dry)
You can buy out flour, or make it yourself by grinding organic oats in a coffee grinder (I use mine for eeeverything!) or a food processor.
DIRECTIONS
Mix the oat flour with the hot water and leave for 10 minutes. This is very important because that's when the anti-inflammatory substances are being released.
Then mix the honey and apply onto your face. Leave on for 15 minutes, then remove the mask with a wet washcloth (to avoid oats going down the drain too much) then rinse with lukewarm water.
4. GET ENOUGH SLEEP
There is no better healer for your skin than a long, restful sleep. It just works better than any topical remedy! But how many of us actually get enough quality sleep?
I know, scrolling down Instagram 1 minute before going to bed and staying up too late watching TV shows (so guilty of this!) is fun, but it isn't doing your skin any favors.
Scientists have shown that too much stimulation from the screens (a source of the blue wavelength) arouses your brain and its ability to fall deeply asleep because it tricks our brains into thinking that it's daytime (source).
When we are exposed to it late in the evening, it disrupts the brain's natural sleep-wake cycles, which are crucial for the optimal function of the body.
For the sake of your skin, try your best to go to the bed at least 15min earlier, and avoid the stimulating blue lights 1 hour before bedtime. And if you have any tips yourself on how to do this, help me out, too!
In radiant skin health,
Sara
Questions! Do you have a go-to product or ritual that helps you get rid of a bad breakout fast?
P.S. Some of the above links are affiliate links. Thank you for your support!
Are you in your 20s or 30s, and tired of still struggling with acne and breakouts? There is so much misinformation about the right skincare for getting clear skin, and caring for sensitive acne-prone skin. This is why I made a FREE online course where you will find little-known skin healing secrets you won't usually hear from the skincare industry or dermatologists. And yet, they WORK.
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Hi Sara!
Would these be okay to use on a really, really horrible cystic acne breakout that’s red, bumpy, angry, irritated and extreeeemely inflamed, and won’t stop getting worse? I can’t find a single thing that won’t irritate my cheeks 🙁 I think my skin’s moisture barrier is totally damaged in some areas of my face. The only thing I use all day is the CeraVe hydrating cleanser. But the CeraVe moisturizers (along with 50 others) STING. Please help 🙁
I took an aloe vera leaf and used its gel, it was the only thing that didn’t sting immediately…. Until it dried. That’s when the itching came back :/