My skin has been freaking out lately [1]. Maybe it's from the stress of a global pandemic, or that I'm wearing a mask every time I go outside, or all of the junk I've been eating while social distancing, or the fact that because I'm wearing less makeup, I can't stop touching my face. The culprit really could be a number of things, but it doesn't help that even under normal conditions, I get hormonal acne on my chin.
I depend on a whole arsenal of acne-fighting products [2] to keep my skin in check, but the occasional pimple still pops up now and again, either in the form of tiny whiteheads or deep and painful cystic pimples. That's when I reach for a spot treatment [3] and pray that the situation improves by morning.
Now, let me preface this by saying I've tried a lot of acne treatments [4] during my time as a beauty editor and beyond that. While some have mildly helped the issue, I'm usually left with a sense of discouragement because they take so long to "work" that I feel as if they really didn't do much at all. Before trying the Perricone MD Acne Relief Maximum Strength Spot Gel [5], I was under the impression that treating a pimple with anything less than a cortisone shot was a myth and that breakouts would simple pass when it was time and not a second before.
The Perricone MD Acne Relief Maximum Strength Spot Gel [6] ($19) comes in a small tube and has a clear, invisible gel formula, which makes it ideal for applying not just at night but during your morning skin-care routine [7], too. The active ingredient in the treatment is two percent salicylic acid, but it also contains tea tree oil to calm skin and lactic and succinic acids to fight acne-causing bacteria.
The first time I tried this acne treatment was back in March at the start of social distancing and I was experiencing a sudden onset of pimples around my mouth — probably from wearing a mask. I found this tube in my drawer of skin-care products that I'm waiting to test and decided to give it a shot. I dabbed a tiny bit of the clear gel on each of the pimples and went to sleep without too high of expectations. When I woke up the next morning, I really couldn't believe that it worked — the little whiteheads were gone.
Of course, I had to check that this magical clear gel actually did work and it wasn't just a one-time fluke, so I used it the next night, and the one after that, and the one after that — long story short, it has become a staple in my daily morning and night skin-care regimen. What I really love about it — aside from just how well it works — is that it doesn't dry out your skin. And I would know, because boy, do I pile it on when I see a new zit forming. It doesn't work as quickly on deep, cystic acne (as to be expected), but I still dot some on to help speed up the recovery of those pimples, too. As for whiteheads, those are pretty much zapped overnight.
Perricone MD Acne Relief Maximum Strength Spot Gel [8] ($19)