The beauty editors and writers on staff at the Strategist have so much to say about the products they try that they recently launched a newsletter, The Strategist Beauty Brief, to share what they are liking and testing at any given moment. We sat in on a meeting to see where the team currently stands on the pimple (and how to get rid of one).
You notice a pimple. What is the first thing you do?
Crystal Martin, senior editor: I use red light. It works for everything. I’m just like, “Give me the red-light bed.” I have a CurrentBody mask, but the LightStim handheld is what I use when I need a heavy hitter. When I feel the soreness of a hard lump under the skin, I use the red light immediately. Sometimes I can stop a pimple from forming if I feel it early enough.
Tembe Denton-Hurst, writer: I get these very cystic pimples. In the beginning, I drink hella water and take ibuprofen, and that helps to calm down some of the inflammation.
Rachael Griffiths, writer: I’ve been taking ginger shots for the past three months, and that’s helped a lot. When I feel a spot coming, I’ll absolutely chug one and just hope that does something.
Have any other lifestyle changes helped?
Dominique Pariso, writer: My aesthetician told me to stop using fabric softener because it puts a film on your textiles; especially when it’s on your bedding or clothing, that film can clog your skin. She also told me to change my pillowcase frequently — use a pillowcase once, flip it over on the second night, then switch it by night three.
C.M.: No dryer sheets, either. They’re terrible.
D.P.: I’m on a fish-oil supplement also recommended by my aesthetician, and that has helped me a lot in terms of the whiteheads I have on my chin.
The ones from VitaMedica have no fishy aftertaste.
Arielle Avila, writer: I’m a big picker, and I touch my face a lot too, so the pimple patches have helped a ton because I literally can’t touch the pimple if I have those on.
Is everyone into pimple patches?
T.D.H.: I’m a big pimple-patch person. Do you guys use Starface Hydro-Stars?
D.P.: Yeah, they sent me a box. I use them sometimes, but I wouldn’t necessarily buy them.
T.D.H.: I don’t think it’s a great pimple patch for an active pimple.
If I have a whitehead, I’m not putting a Starface patch over it unless I’m going out and I’m like, Okay, it’s cute to have a little star on your face. I use the Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patches on a real pimple, though. I feel like those are head and shoulders above in effectiveness.
D.P.: Yeah, those are way better at pulling stuff out.
R.G.: I’ve tried pretty much all of the big ones since I wrote our “Best in Class” on pimple patches. What really helps my deep hormonal spots are the ZitSticka microdart patches. When you have a pimple that’s really sore and you know you’re not going to be able to squeeze it — though I’m not condoning squeezing — you stick one of those on, and within 12 hours it will bring to the surface what would ordinarily be festering under your skin for days.
Do any of you ever … pop?
D.P.: Anyone who works in beauty who admits to popping zits is like a doctor who smokes cigarettes: You’re not supposed to do it, but you do it anyway. If you are going to do it, it’s about waiting for the right time and not picking preemptively.
T.D.H.: Sometimes I’ll put a pimple patch on a whitehead that’s not totally mature to extract it to the point where it’s time for it to come out. Then I’ll just pop it. I’ll put on another patch after that to extract whatever’s left so the bacteria is not continuing to fester and creating more of an issue underneath the skin.
D.P.: Also, if I pop, I make sure to follow up with a salicylic-acid toner, which keeps the breakout from spreading across my face. I use the Face Reality Sal-C Toner.
Okay, what else works?
D.P.: I am obsessed with Sofie Pavitt’s Mandelic Clearing Serum. I’ve been using it for months. It’s a gentle exfoliant and has helped so much with my acne and skin texture. Everyone calls Pavitt “the acne whisperer.” She’s the best aesthetician in New York for acne-prone skin, and it’s reflected in that product in particular.
Kitty Guo, writer: I get regular facials at the Sofie Pavitt studio in Chinatown, but her mandelic acid wasn’t working for me, so they bumped me up to a stronger serum. I’m on Face Reality’s 5% Glycolic Serum, but you can only buy it directly from an aesthetician.
T.D.H.: I have started using retinol because it’s good for acne. It increases cell turnover and helps skin shed a little faster so you’re not getting that buildup. I use Skinbetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream. It’s designed for sensitive skin, and it has a bunch of other active ingredients alongside the retinol like lactic acid and ceramides.
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