2019-09-01 Cosmopolitan South Africa

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Whiteheads

Cysts

TheBody

S h o p

Blackhead

Re m ov e r

(R95)

BenzacAC 5

G e l( R 9 9,95

atClicks)

Mario Badescu

Drying Lotion

(R475)

BEAUTY

27

COSMOPOLITAN.CO.ZA | SEPTEMBER 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY

GETTY IMAGES AND SHUTTERSTOCK

ILLUSTRATIONS

LUCIE CARON

STOCKISTS ON PAGE 121

Whattheyare

A mixof deadskincellsandoilthat

accumulatesin a closedpore.Without

exposureto air,themixturedoesn’t

oxidiselikea blackheadbutinstead

formsintoa littlewhitebump.

Whentopick

If there’sa visiblewhitetip

ontheblemish,it’sready.

(If not,waita dayor two.)

Howtodeal

1

WARMITUP

Aftera hotshower,applya layerof the

thickestmoisturiseryouhaveto thetop

of thewhitehead.It willtraptheheat,

whichyouneedto softenthingsupfor

a cleanextraction.If thespotis extra

stubborn,topthemoisturiserwith

plasticwrapanda hotclothfor

a fewminutes.

2

GRABATOOL

A metalextractor(welikethisone

fromTheBodyShop– aboveright)will

giveyouprecision– justdisinfectit first

witha littlerubbingalcohol.Place

thesmallerwireloopside(nottheflat

end)aroundthewhiteheadandpush

downgently.‘Beingtooaggressive

willleavea mark,’warnsMattioli.

3

KEEP IT CLEAN

Once the whitehead has been

extracted, ice it for a few minutes to

soothe inflammation, then dab on

a benzoyl-peroxide spot treatment (try

Benzac’s) to kill any bacteria. If a scab

forms, let it fall off naturally – picking

it is the fastest route to an acne scar.

What they are

These angry red bumps are an

inflammatory response to pores

that have been overloaded with

oil, ruptured into surrounding

tissue, and formed an infection.

They often pop up around the

chin and jawline (a result of

hormones) and can linger for

weeks or even months.

When to pick

Cysts don’t come to a head, so

‘picking’ should be left to the

pros (seriously) to avoid major

scarring and a way bigger,

angrier bump – trust us.

Howtodeal

1

TREAT THE SURFACE

While there’s not much you

can do about the infection below

the skin, it’s important to keep

the surface area clean and also

to apply a gentle anti-inflammatory

spot treatment (try Mario

Badescu’s). Anything harsh

will just create flakes.

2

CALM REDNESS

Use ice packs a few times a day

to constrict blood vessels, reduce

tenderness and swelling, as well

as tighten pores.

3

SEEK A PRO

If the cyst is painful, visiting

a derm may be the only solution.

They’ll be able to assist with

its removal, and necessary

precautions will be taken to help

prevent further infection.