Skin Care

Even though there are a lot of safe and effective over-the-counter and prescription medications for the treatment of acne, curing acne does take time and so, while the medicine does its work, many people are anxious to cover up their pimples as much as possible.

That said, it might be argued that since this is a condition which affects roughly 85% of the population between the ages of about 12 and 24 you really shouldn’t worry about covering it up at all because nearly all of us have to go through it. However, try telling that to a young person who is heading out on that critical first date.

Women tend to suffer more because, like it or not, women tend to be judged more on their looks. But, they also have a ready-made answer in the form of makeup.

Normal makeup can cause problems and, although it may well cover up your pimples, it could also aggravate the underlying condition. The answer here therefore is to buy makeup that is formulated for use with acne and this means makeup that is labeled as ‘non-comedogenic’. This term is derived from the word ‘comedone’ which is the medical name for the blackheads and whiteheads produced by most mild forms of acne.

Your first line of defense should be a concealer that can be dabbed onto pimples using a disposable sponge. You must be careful though in using a concealer and use just as much as you need and no more.

Next it is on to a foundation which is excellent for blending your skin tones and which again needs to be used sparingly but in sufficient quantity to achieve an even overall cover. You will find that foundation is not only excellent at covering your spots but, because it is less reflective than your skin itself, it also softens out the shadows and reduced the contrast produced by the bumps which occur with acne.

Finally, a light covering of powder will also assist in further blending color tones, lessening shadows and eliminating contrast.

But what about the men? There are two approaches here. The first is to follow the women and use makeup and you will discover that there is makeup available these days which is specifically formulated for use by men. If, however, you don not think that this is for you then a second approach is to buy one of the range of treatments which contain acne covering compounds to help cure the condition and at the same time to hide its appearance.

Of course it would be great if we had a proactive acne treatment which could cure acne fast but at present clearing acne tends to be a somewhat slow process and so, until we have some treatments and products that get rid of acne fast, finding effective ways to conceal the condition is going to be important to many sufferes for a while yet.