Acne Tips for the Prom

Ice it down

Many times when you have a severe breakout, there is a lot of swelling around the pimples and your skin will be very red. To help reduce the swelling, make an ice pack. Put some ice in a small plastic bag that you can seal. Wrap the ice pack in a lightweight washcloth and place on your face.

You will want to do this several times a day before the prom in order to reduce the swelling and redness of your complexion.

Exfoliate

Several days before the prom, exfoliate your facial skin with a mild exfoliate. You can do this by using homemade mixtures of brown sugar or oatmeal, or you can buy a mild exfoliating cleanser at your local drug store. Exfoliates you purchase can also have medication in them to eliminate the spreading of bacteria while you cleanse.

By exfoliating several days before prom, you will get rid of the unsightly pimples and give them time to heal.

Water, water, water

Drink at least eight glasses of water every day. This is good for your health in general, but is great for your skin. Drinking water flushes out toxins from your body and can make your skin look much clearer.

Garlic?

Hmmm...many people don't know that garlic is a natural antibiotic. Taking garlic internally can heal you of bacterial infections and it will have the same result on the outside of your body.

Make a paste of garlic. The easiest way to do this is to buy a jar of minced garlic from your grocery store. Put the garlic in a food processor and process until it is a paste. Take some of the paste and put on your pimples. This is a natural way to heal your skin and get rid of your breakout.

Go ahead and pop

If you're down to the wire and your skin still hasn't cleared up, go ahead and pop. Popping pimples isn't usually recommended because it spreads bacteria on your face potentially causing more breakouts. You also don't want to pop right before you walk out the door.

The morning of the prom, if you still have some pimples lingering around, pop them. Pop them gently to prevent scarring and dab them with a cotton swab -- don't smear the pus on your face. Keep dabbing with a swab until no more pus or liquid is coming from the pimple.

After you're finished popping, gently cleanse your face with an acne cleanser and an astringent to close your pores making them less noticeable. Next, apply an ice pack to reduce redness and any swelling you may have. Finally, after the pimples appear to have closed up, apply makeup and a cover stick to hide where the pimples were.

Try these tips several days ahead of time for best results and only resort to popping on the morning of the day of the prom. By having a plan and using these acne tips, your skin can look as great as you on the night of the prom.