I’ve read a lot about aspirin masks in acne forums but I’ve never tried it …until now. I’ve developed a really annoying red patch on my nose that I think is the making of a pimple that can’t decide whether to form into a huge zit or just go away. I thought I’d try and gently help to move it along, because as we all know nose pimples are the worst!!
Why aspirin?
The idea is that aspirin is an anti-inflammatory so applying crushed aspirin to your face helps reduce inflammation and the annoying redness that comes along with acne. These masks are supposed to be GREAT at helping reduce the redness and inflammation of pimples, as well as removing some of the blackheads and whiteheads in your pores.
There are many different variations to the aspirin mask on the web. Some people use crushed aspirin with a little bit of water alone, and others add ingredients to boost its healing power. The best combination I found (and the one where I happened to have all the ingredients) was aspirin mixed with manuka honey and aloe vera.
The aspirin is anti-inflammatory, the manuka honey is anti bacterial and helps to keep you skin moisturized because aspirin is very drying, and the aloe vera is soothing and helps reduce the redness.
How to use it
- I crushed 4 aspirins into a bowl, and added about a teaspoon of manuka honey and a dob of aloe vera gel. If you have the aloe vera plant then it’s definitely heaps better.
- I then applied the mask to my face and left it on for about half an hour. I’ve got to say, the application of the mask was really messy. I only made a really small amount so I was trying to get it all on my face, but a lot of it dripped off my fingers and into my bathroom basin. Once it was on though it felt great. I love the feel of honey on my skin, and it smells really nice too.
- When removing the mask, it’s best to gently massage the mask off your face with a little water. This works as an exfoliant and is the bit that helps remove the blackheads and whiteheads. Make sure that you don’t exfoliate active pimples though because it can spread the bacteria.
Did it work?
It definitely helped remove some of the redness from my skin, and any pimples that I have look less angry. It didn’t do anything for my whiteheads or blackheads though, they still look the same.
I’m not that impressed with the aspirin mask as a treatment for healthy skin, and won’t be adding it to my skin care regime. It’s just too drying and the results appear to be only temporary. I have my doubts as to whether or not the mask is even doing anything beneficial to my skin, and I have to remind myself that even though aspirin is safe to ingest - it’s still a chemical so putting it on your face is not as good as a 100% natural product.
I think it’s great as a spot treatment though. if you have to go out and have a really red and angry spot that you want to calm down for a few hours, you can crush a couple of aspirin with a little bit of aloe vera and leave it on the spot for half an hour or so. The redness should have calmed down once you remove the mix off your face. Keep in mind however that the redness is very likely to come back after a few hours. (You might get a fright when you’re out and look in the mirror when you go to the bathroom …arghh! it’s back!). The aspirin mask doesn’t seem to be healing the pimple, just reducing the redness and inflammation temporarily. Hey, it is a pain killer not a miracle solution.
Please also don’t use the mask if you know you have an allergy to aspirin. It can also dry out your skin a lot so make sure you moisturize after using the mask and if you can stop yourself, don’t use it every day.
Fran
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
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http://www.skinmed.co.uk
Many people feel that their acne is overly embarrassing and unmanageable. I have read story after story of heartache, especially from teens that endure heartless bullying from schoolmates. There are so many different remedies and medications. What most people fail to realise is that each individual has a different biological makeup and what works for one person may not work for everyone. In some cases certain acne treatment can adversely affect already irritated skin. This further causes unnecessary embarrassment and frustration to an already uncomfortable situation. Propaganda fuels misconceptions about different so-called remedies and even causes. The idea that chocolate and oily food causes acne is unfounded. When in truth, makeup, unhealthy skin and even perspiration can cause acne. All of these factors affect the skin. But even your skin makeup can affect your skin and create back acne, scalp acne, large assesses or ingrown hair. There is an acne treatment questionnaire (just navigate to it on the right hand side) done by a company called SkinMed that will help to diagnose acne problems through a series of questions, and then it recommends the best acne treatment for each individual. Teen acne is typically the most difficult to diagnose because of hormonal considerations, but there is a special area meant just for teen acne that has a completely different set of rules when running the formula that determines the best medications or treatments. In some cases simple changes in hygiene and daily washing is all that it takes. The site also has a free offer on an acne facial cleanser that is made up of a three step process. The primary reason most teens, especially boys tend to have more problems with chronic acne is because of a lack of simply washing their face regularly. So this treatment is free and is a way to create a healthy daily routine, while gently healing the skin to prevent acne scarring brought on as a result of squeezing the sores. Once daily cleaning is practiced, and hormonal issues are taken into consideration, a proper treatment regiment can be highly effective. At the end of the day most acne, even teen acne , can be eliminated quickly and permanently with the right motivation. After all, we all want to be beautiful don’t we?
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