How I Deal With The Occassional Pimple

Yes, even at 53, I get the occasional zit. I guess in some ways it makes me feel young again and connects me with times gone by ... ah, the good old days! While it will usually pop (no pun intended) up at an inopportune time (like before a big meeting), is there ever a good time to get one??? While not the end of the world, I've found that the best way to deal with them is to not get them in the first place ...  but if I do, I find that the following simple routine works for me...

1) I try and keep my face as clean and oil-free as possible. I use Matte For Men Complete Cleansing Cloths at least once, sometimes twice, a day to remove anything that can clog my pores leading to a breakout.

2) For me personally, I avoid eating too much chocolate. I know, I know, its supposed to be an old wives' tale that chocolate causes pimples, but for me ... its true. If I eat too much of that dark gold, my face inevitably breaks out so I limit my intake. This may happen to you with other foods so know which ones are your "kryptonite."

3) If a zit breaks through my line of defenses, I'll use a spot treatment to attack it asap. My weapon of choice is Neutrogena's "Acne Eliminating Spot Gel". Its a salicylic-based acne treatment that really dries out an existing (or oncoming) pimple quickly and is invisible when applied so you can leave the house with it on. Half the time, it clears up the pimple before it is even noticeable, but if the zit is too far along, it will get it to the "ready to be squeezed" stage much quicker.

4) Finally ... if the eruption does get to the point where it has a whitehead (like the one pictured), I feel its time for "hand to hand combat" ... so its squeezin' time (Now let me make this really clear... I AM NOT A DOCTOR/DERMATOLOGIST... just a guy that hates having a pimple on my face, so this IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE! Its just the way I deal with this problem). When it's "go time," I take a hot shower, wait for my skin to soften a bit, and then gently squeeze the offender, until I see just the tiniest amount of blood which signals to me that all of the "puss"/gunk is gone. Afterwards, I gently wash the area again, and let the healing begin. After doing this, I usually have a small red area where the pimple used to be but is gone in a day or two AND I'd rather have that then what you see in the picture any day!

Again...I hope you find my method of dealing with the occasional annoyance helpful but please note it is not medical advice but what I find works for me.