If you've ever panic googled "how to get rid of a spot" having woken up to the mother of all breakouts on the morning of an important meeting or big event, then you'll be well aware of just how much conflicting advice there is out there on the topic. To squeeze or not to squeeze? To attempt to conceal or to leave au naturel? Honestly, it can be really hard to know what the right steps to take to cover up your unwanted visitor without making your skin situation worse.
Luckily, when I caught up with Daniel Martin, Meghan Markle's wedding makeup artist, at the Net-a-Porter 2019 Beauty Trends Presentation, he revealed the best way for combatting a spot. And he wasn't alone in dishing out the tips—Meghan's pre-wedding facialist Sarah Chapman was also there to offer up her expert advice.
From how to tackle the spot at the root to the best way to cover it up, keep scrolling for the best advice from Meghan's personal beauty SWAT team.
1. Use a warm compress.
The first step is to get some antibacterial action straight onto that spot to keep it as calm as possible. The last thing you want is a rapidly expanding spot that's going to undo all of your hard cover-up work.
"The best thing to do is to use a warm compress—just warm water with a little bit of witch hazel or tea tree for their anti-bacterial properties—and literally just press it onto the spot," said Chapman.
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2. Be careful with extractions.
"I never really recommend for people to do their own extractions at home, but, at the same time, we’re all human and sometimes we want to squeeze and pick," explained Chapman. "So, for me, it’s about making sure it's done in the right, sterile way and with clean hands."
"Rather than squeezing or picking, wiggle the tissue around [the spot], and if it’s ready to pop, then it will. After that, you can clean and sterilise the area. The important thing at this point is not to touch it anymore—that’s the worst thing you can do. I usually recommend people use my spot stickers, which help prevent bacteria getting in and to help take down any inflammation."
If you're going to attempt at-home extractions, then try it after you've just cleansed your face or had a warm shower so your pores are more soft and open.
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3. Create a barrier.
"To cover a spot, I take cortisone gel and apply a really thin film of that first," explained Martin. "That helps protect the area—I let it sit for a minute or two before going over with eye shadow primer."
"The cortisone gel protects the open spot, then the primer seals it. After that, go over the top with concealer and foundation. You want to treat the spot so that it doesn’t touch the makeup."
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