Ice Mask

As many of you probably already know, I've been struggling with acne since I was in about 4th or 5th grade. Both my parents had acne, and my dad had very bad acne so it's in my genes unfortunately. The worst kind of acne is hormonal and genetic and unfortunately tends to be the most stubborn and hard to get rid of. 

Something that's really helped me over the years is ice. Not only does it decrease the swelling, it helps painful cysts and pimples feel better too. 

How does ice help acne?

• Reduces size: Ice reduces swelling and inflammation therefore reducing the size of the pimples
• Reduces longevity: By reducing the swelling and size of the zit, it helps to shorten the lifespan of the pimple
• Reduces redness: While the immediate effect of icing a pimple will cause your skin to become more red, it will in about 5-10 minutes reduce the redness and limit the attention to the unflattering blemish
• Reduces pain: Like I mentioned before it can immensely help with painful spot and especially if you have large painful cysts

How to apply: 

• Clean face
• Wrap an ice cube in a wash cloth or paper towel
• Apply ice to problem spot for about 1 minute then move to the next spot for 1 minute and keep repeating the process for as many spots as needed. You can repeat this process as long as skin has about a 5 minute relief to avoid aggravating surrounding skin
• Apply normal skin serums/treatments

*You want to apply all of your serums/moisturizers/treatments etc. before you apply the ice because the effects of icing will help the treatments penetrate the skin faster from reducing the swelling and inflammation.

Fun Fact: Heat opens pores and coolness closes them is a MYTH! Pores have no muscles and do not open and close. 

Hope this helps! 

XOXO,

Linds