How often should I use spot treatment on acne?

When a breakout strikes, it’s natural to go into attack mode. But before you engage harsh acids and alcohols, it’s important to treat the blemish at its source. We’re covering how to safely use acne spot treatments to banish pimples, without making your skin suffer.

How Do Acne Spot Treatments Work?

The claim to fame for most acne treatments is to quickly zap skin with super strong actives. While that may seem like the most proven plan of attack, these treatments could actually be making matters worse. That’s why we love spot-treating acne – you’re targeting the pimple, while leaving the rest of your skin alone.

For the best blemish-banishing results, you’ll want to spot treat active blemishes with something antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Our Tea Tree Concentrated Spot Treatment features active ingredients witch hazel and tea tree, to make quick work of fast-growing pimples. Peppermint and eucalyptus oils help prevent future breakouts, while lactic acid reduces the risk of acne scars.

While you may be eager to immediately defeat your pimple, don’t bring in a convoy of additional spot treatments – and don’t use them on areas of clear skin. It’s also not necessary to layer other acne products on top of your spot treatment, as this can just overdry your skin and lead to peeling.

Acne Spot Treatment DO's

At the first sign of a pimple, we have to act fast but carefully to get rid of it – but how we do this could help or hinder the skin’s healing process. For the best blemish-banishing results, check out these tips to smoother, clearer skin.

Tip #1
You can apply an acne spot treatment 2-3 times a day, as long as it's a balanced formula. You can also do a treatment at night as the last step in your skin care routine, if you’re worried about other products interfering with its performance.

Tip #2
Apply the spot treatment before your moisturizer, or simply apply moisturizer around the treatment. Lightly pat a tiny amount of sunscreen back over the affected area as a key step to getting post-breakout hyperpigmentation to go away faster.

Tip #3
Apply a thin layer of spot treatment; using more won’t get you quicker results, and the less you use at a time the longer the product will last you.

Tip #4
Look for spot treatments with ingredients that help to lighten acne scars and hyperpigmentation like salicylic acid, vitamin C, and lactic acid. Our Deep Detox Mask combines 2 out of 3 of these ingredients, plus turmeric root powder to help your efforts.

Tip #5
Balance your spot treatment with regular hydration and moisture; moisturized skin is healthier, meaning it can turn over damaged cells more quickly. Fast absorbing formulas like our Tea Tree Balancing Moisturizer effectively hydrate oily or acnegenic skin with omega fatty acids.

Acne Spot Treatment DON'Ts

Over-treating a blemish could do more harm than good. Rather than defeating a super pimple, you could be increasing irritation and redness in your surrounding skin. For the best results, check out these spot treatment no-no’s for smoother, clearer skin.

Tip #1
You might think that slathering on a spot treatment will help banish the blemish faster. It will only waste good product, and may rub off onto unaffected skin. Less is more!

Tip #2
Don't apply a spot treatment around the blemish, or to unaffected skin. You’ll spare the rest of your skin the potential dryness and irritation.

Tip #3
If you have broken or bleeding skin – including popped or bleeding blemishes – don't apply a spot treatment to the area. It can cause irritation, painful burning, or may extend the healing time of the pimple and skin around it.

Tip #4
Acne spot treatments may all be used to treat breakouts, but they can work differently and at varying strengths. It’s best not to mix spot treatments in order to prevent potential irritation or redness.

Tip #5
Avoid drying lotions, which can extend the inflammation of your pimple. They can also trap blemishes under dry skin, preventing treatment and healing.

For more acne care and tips, check out our acne treatment guide and remember to choose the right acne products and natural formulas to avoid unnecessary breakouts!