I sometimes get a small pimple here or there, but not since high school have they been much of an issue for me. And because my skin's now relatively low-drama, I can get away with occasional lapses in my beauty routine. Lately, that has meant breaking that cardinal rule of skin care: Wash your face before bed. I learned my lesson with the sudden appearance of a plus-size pimple near my hairline about a week ago—which then just sat there, refusing to shrink or pop or progress in any way whatsoever.
I'd been applying one of my usual emergency helpers, Murad Acne Spot Fast Fix, two or three times a day, but it was no match for this stubborn blemish. So when I had to head into the Glamour offices for a meeting yesterday, I applied concealer, which just turned the giant red lump into a giant flesh-color lump. So then I had a better idea: I pulled may hair back into a low, side-parted ponytail and carefully positioned my front hair swoop to cover the blemish. Sort of like the hairstyle the model above is wearing.
This worked great, but of course I still had to go and point out the pimple to Lindsey and Beth (in the same way that I can't just accept a compliment on a clothing item without bragging to the person about how little I paid for it). I complained about this particular pimple's refusal to do anything but sit there looking huge and being painful. Their response: Why didn't I just go to Clear Clinic, which is like an acne-treatment bar—you can just walk in and order yourself a cortisone shot. None of the usual making an appointment for a derm to do the injection.
Right. Off to the 35th Street location I went, calling en route to make sure they could squeeze me in. Fifteen minutes later, I'd been in and out, and my friend the blemish was on his way out too. Today it's about 1/4 the size, and it'll take 48 hours to see the full effects.
I've gotten cortisone shots for pimples a few times now, and it's so satisfying! Quick and painless, especially compared with squeezing pimples to try to hurry them along. My insurance fully covers them too.
How about you: What strategies do you employ for stubborn pimples? Do you ever style your hair to strategically hide one? Get a cortisone shot?