Emergency Blemish Treatments. Top Three DIY Acne Remedies You May Already Have at Home

You walk by a mirror and take a quick glance. Wait! What's that enormous spot doing on your face? And if that's not bad enough, it's almost midnight and you're in your pajamas, so running to the drug store is out of the question. But don't worry.



Most likely you already have a solution in your medicine chest, and besides being convenient it's cheap, effective, and time-tested. Here are three spot treatments you can try: aspirin, milk of magnesia, and toothpaste.

1. Aspirin 

How it works: Aspirin contains salicylic acid, an ingredient in many acne fighting products that deeply cleans pores and gently removes dead, clogging skin flakes. Salicylic acid also has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

How to use it: Crush an aspirin (uncoated is best) with the back side of a spoon, and add just enough water to form a creamy paste. After washing and drying your face, apply the aspirin paste only on the blemish, and allow the treatment to dry and then remain on the area for 15 to 30 minutes. You may leave the treatment on longer if you have experience with this method and know that it won't irritate your skin. Rinse the aspirin paste off with lukewarm water, and allow your skin to air dry.

Precautions to take: Avoid the eye and nostril areas. Remove the treatment at the first twinge of discomfort. Don't use this treatment too often, or your skin may become irritated. Once or twice a day is enough. Don't use aspirin on your skin if you experience allergies when you swallow it.

2. Milk of Magnesia 

How it works: Milk of magnesia is anti-inflammatory, oil-absorbing, and mildly disinfectant. It contains the mineral magnesium, an enzymatic cofactor for many necessary processes in the body.

How to use it: On clean, dry skin, apply enough milk of magnesia right out of the bottle (full strength) to form a thin coating on the blemish as a spot treatment. Allow the milk of magnesia to dry. As it dries, the skin will tighten, and this is normal. After 15 minutes you can remove the solution with lukewarm water and allow your face to air dry. If you've previously used milk of magnesia on your skin with no adverse reactions, you can try leaving it on overnight.

Precautions to take: Rinse off if discomfort occurs. If milk of magnesia spot treatments heal your breakouts but dry out your face too much, use them less often or dilute the product with water.

3. Toothpaste

How it works: Many toothpastes contain baking soda, a calming and absorbent ingredient. Antiseptics are another common ingredient. Toothpaste is also thought to act like a clay mask, soaking up excess oil. Because of its drying action, toothpaste is said to be most effective on pimples that have already come to a head.

How to use it: Dab (do not rub) on blemishes only, avoiding the surrounding healthy skin. Leave on for about 15 minutes, and then rinse off gently with lukewarm water and allow the skin to air dry. Do not leave this treatment on overnight unless you have already used it successfully for extended periods of time. Do not use mint flavors; they cause a burning sensation and soreness. Also avoid whitening toothpastes because the hydrogen peroxide in them can irritate the skin.

Precautions to take: Spot-treating blemishes with toothpaste has the potential to be very irritating, especially to people with sensitive skin. Do a 15-minute test on the inside of your forearm before applying toothpaste to your face.

Do aspirin, milk of magnesia, and toothpaste really work to reduce blemishes? For many people, they're even better than commercial preparations. Of course, as with any skin treatment, results will vary. There are different types of acne, different reasons for breakouts, and different types of skin. But if you're in a pinch, or just economizing, the answer to a sudden breakout may already be in your medicine chest.

Reference:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4025519/

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