I bet you can’t tell me a skin woe that’s worse than that moment you feel a zit brewing just under the surface of your skin? Didn’t think so. Because that awful moment when a pimple is on its way, making itself at home on your chin or cheek, is just too dreadful for words. It brings with it a feeling of doom and ends with a heartfelt plea of, ‘what the hell should I do now?!?’ resounding around your head. Of course, we all knew how to do deal with a random breakout as wisened teenagers but spots are supposed to go away when you hit adulthood. Aren’t they? And yet, research shows the reverse is happening. A recent survey showed that 50% of women suffer from acne at some point in their adult life.
 
But how on earth to tackle the damn thing? ‘By the time you have a spot, you’re at the end of the pimple pathway, so all you can do is attack it with anti-inflammatory agents,’ says Harley Street derm, Dr. Sam Bunting. She recommends looking out for spot-zapping ingredients like salicylic acid (1-2% strength) and benzoyl peroxide (2.5% strength), which tackle the blemish fast (see gallery above for a full range of recommended products). And on the subject of tackling a spot yourself, don’t. ‘Squeezing can lead to bad outcomes,’ says Sam. ‘It can drive the inflammation deeper into the skin, leading to a longer-lasting spot as well as hyperpigmentation and scarring.’ So next time you get up close in the mirror and think you can squeeze and prod the little blighter out of sight, think again. It’s not worth it.

"By the time you have a spot, you’re at the end of the pimple pathway, so all you can do is attack it with anti-inflammatory agents." - Dr. Sam Bunting

The fight against spots sits in your skincare alone. Yes, diet and lifestyle play a part but your routine of washes, creams and serums often hold the answer. Sam recommends finding a face wash which contains a 2% concentration of salicylic and for really terrible spots, to follow with a spot treatment containing that golden ingredient of benzoyl perioxde as well. ‘I call this the double whammy effect; it truly works.’ Add to that blemish pads (see the Cane+Austin ones in the gallery), non-clogging moisturisers and treatment masks which when done on a weekly basis, can make a significant difference to skin. Though a word of warning: if your skin isn’t used to said potent ingredients, it may become very dry, very quickly. Sam advises looking to La Roche Posay Effaclar or Cetaphil Moisturising Cream.
 
There’s a whole host of other spot winners too. Sam recommends looking out for niacinamide and azelaic acid, both of which help with post-spot skin marks and scarring. And with that in mind, it would be rude not mention the holy grail that is cover-up. No sane woman will leave a boil uncovered, so concealer and cover-up become even more essential. Ideally you’d find something that contains one of the aforementioned ingredients within it to target a spot whilst still covering the skin. ‘Choose something non-comedogenic so you can conceal spots, comfortable in the knowledge that they won’t aggravate further’, says Sam. ‘Avoid powder too where possible – it blocks pores.’

Luckily, there’s bucket loads of treatments out there and new formulations are getting bigger and better by the day. Dr. Spot, £8, a genius new topical treatment from Soap & Glory (available September 2013), contains the highest possible level of salicylic acid that’s available on shelf – anything higher and you’d have to get it over the counter. Malin+Goetz Acne Treatment, £16.50, contains salicylic too, but also 10% active sulphur which dries out any excess oil and sebum to prevent further blemishes developing. Jurlique Purely Bright Spot Treatment, £30, makes for an excellent post-zit treatment too, taking a slightly milder approach via brightening vitamin C and patent-pending VitaBrightKX which promotes essential cell renewal to make pock marked skin but a distant memory.  
 
You’ll find the best derm-approved spot treatments in the gallery above, so buy appropriately to keep Gisele-worthy skin in reach. And step away from the mirror.