Blindies, blindboys, peaky blinders - whatever you’ve decided to name them we all know they have one thing in common….they’re a fricken nightmare! And when treated poorly, they can have some serious negative implications on your skin.
Blind pimples or cystic acne is an infection below the skin that causes inflammation and rarely comes to a head on the skin’s surface. An excess of oil or bacteria causes the pores to clog, resulting in a painful blind pimple that can stick around for a couple of weeks or even months. The most common areas they show up are the face, back and shoulders.
When not handled appropriately they can cause more irritation, infection and even scarring. I have mishandled my blind pimples in the past and have the scars to show for it. I’ve since made it my mission to develop a full-proof blind pimple prevention and care routine. Get a pen and paper team!
Overall Diet
Firstly, before I get into the action plan we need to chat diet. My blind pimples always pop up around my cycle. It’s important to understand what happens to your body at each stage of your 28 day infradian rhythm.
What I eat to reduce blind pimples:
- Cut out soy - for me, this was the most important food to remove. I used to drink soy milk and found a week before my cycle my estrogen levels would naturally rise. This coupled with the soy I was consuming resulted in my skin breaking into blind pimples like clockwork. They would stay for weeks and be painfully stubborn.
- Reduce the amount of sugar in your diet - I’ve mentioned before sugar and skin are not friends and it’s important to track how much sugar you’re having in your diet if your skin is flaring. It usually goes hand in hand. Substitute sugar for sugar-free snacks or fruits (dates, sultanas) to fight the cravings.
- Eat cruciferous veggies - this includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, brussel sprouts, and radishes as it is rich in B12 which will help counter the sugar cravings.
- Cut out the dairy - studies have shown eating dairy can make symptoms of acne worse. Dairy has a high level of insulin which can be known to trigger breakouts. Lactose is a natural sugar in milk which as you get older, it can be more difficult for the body to break down and digest it, also resulting in breakouts.
- Eat leafy greens - rich in vitamin A which helps combat acne while strengthening the skin’s protective tissue and vitamin E which helps heal the skin.
- Drink plenty of water - that’s just a given people! Need that H20 to flush out toxins in the body.
Treatment Plan for a blind-boy
- Do NOT squeeze it! You’ll make it more irritated and result in scarring (I’ve learned the hard way).
- First sign of blindy - ice ice baby. Wrap a tissue or cloth and ice the area until it’s melted. Do this a couple of times a day.
- Leave to rest with spot cream on it.
- Warm shower and moisturise with our favourite Coco Blossom Moisturiser. Warm compress and then our Hydrating Gel Sleep mask to protect and heal the skin and watch that sucker fade.
We’d love to know your results! Good luck!