beauty

"It's by far the best spot treatment": 7 beauty experts on pimple products that *actually* work.

Approximately no one asked for pimples to be a thing (?) but the beauty gods just went ahead and blessed us with them for some reason (??) sooo... here we are.

Breakouts suck, but what sucks more is when you drop 40 bucks on a spot treatment to find out it either does absolutely nothing, or just burns the s**t out of your skin, leaving you with a side of redness and irritation. 

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Watch: Here are seven ways to improve your skin while sleeping. Post continues below.


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Because the last thing we want to do is to spend money on beauty products that don't work, we decided to ask a bunch of beauty experts for the spot treatments that *actually* work IRL.

So, next time you get yourself a great big shiner, hit 'em with one of these guys:

Iain Jeffery:

KILLA by ZitSticka Patches, $39.

This is by far the most effective treatment for when you can feel a massive pimple coming. These may look like a standard pimple patch, but they’re actually quite different!

Image: ZitStika  

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They have tiny micro darts that penetrate into the skin and slowly release salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to reduce inflammation, kill bacteria and help speed up the healing process of a pimple. Life savers. 

Paula’s Choice BHA 9 Treatment, $54.

Image: Nordstorm  

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This is my go-to for when a pimple is a little more developed and I want to zap it away quickly. This is a time-released concentration of nine percent salicylic acid. 

It works quickly to unclog pores, reduce inflammation and ensure that the pimple that’s popped up today is gone by tomorrow. It's by far the best liquid spot treatment I’ve ever used.

Mandy Hyunh:

Zitsticka HyperFade, $49.

I don't get a lot of pimples luckily due to my skin type, but when I do I always end up with a dark spot that stays on my skin for weeks after my pimple has gone.

Image: ZitSticka  

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I recently started to use ZitSticka's HyperFade patches which really help with fading the dark spots faster. It's a little pimple patch with micro darts containing ingredients like niacinamide and vitamin C, that dissolve overnight and help fast track the fading process.

Hannah Rabbitt:

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, $24.

Image: Mecca  

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My go-to spot treatment is no hidden gem. We’ve all been schooled on the wizardry that is the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion.  A small dab of this little legend works wonders overnight, helping to kiss pesky spots goodbye! Plus, I love pink and she looks very cute in the bathroom.

Ruchi Page:

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Toner, $38 and Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9, $54.

Image: Paula's Choice  

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My favourites are from Paula's Choice! I love using a cotton pad and the Paula's Choice 2% BHA Toner and leave it on a pimple for a few mins. I also love the Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9 - because it targets a pimple without drying it out.

Morgan Rohan:

ALPHA-H Clear Skin Blemish Control Mask, $44.95 and ALPHA-H Clear Skin Blemish Control Gel, $29.95.

My favourite spot treatment is a one-two punch from ALPHA-H. If it’s still blind and coming through, I like to apply the ALPHA-H Clear Skin Blemish Control Mask just where the spot is, and once it comes to a head, I use the Clear Skin Blemish Control Gel.

Image: Adore Beauty  

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Image: Adore Beauty 

It's a super effective combo and of all the spot treatments I’ve tried, this one doesn’t dry out my skin too much - a huge plus because dry skin around a spot usually results in an eczema patch.

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Hannah English:

Dr Dennis Gross SpotLite, $74.

My holy grail spot treatment is the Dr Dennis Gross Spotlite LED device. It uses blue LED (to kill bacteria) and red LED, which heals and encourages collagen remodelling (no scars left behind thank you very much). It will shorten the life of a smaller spot from a week to a couple days, and bigger ones to a week instead of a month. I loooooove it.

Image: Mecca If I get a spot, it’s this, then a pimple patch, then bed. Nothing more. Always healing, never attacking. It’s battery operated, though, so stock up on AAA batteries if you have a lot of spots at once. It’s life changing.

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Erin Docherty:

Peace Out Pimple Patches, $33.

Image: Sephora 

These pimple patches are good! Really. I've gone through an entire box and I bloody miss them. They use hydrocolloid technology (the stuff they use on dressings and bandages) to seal the pimple and suck out and absorb all the nastiness inside, reducing inflammation in the process. All about it.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Light Therapy Spot Treatment, $27.99.

Image: Neutrogena 

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I've had one of these kicking around my skincare kit for a while now, and I seriously rate it. Whenever I feel an extra head pulsating on my chin, I stick this light treatment on for two minutes (it switches off when the time is up) and I find it helps calm down redness and inflammation. It's a thousand times better than squeezing and ripping up your skin!

What's your favourite spot treatment? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Mamamia