How to Stop Accidentally Giving Yourself Hyperpigmentation

Turns out we should actually be reading product directions.

There’s an overwhelming — and outdated! — belief in American beauty culture that “beauty is pain” and that if it hurts that means it’s working. I am here to remind you that a) that’s not the case and b) your skin would like it if you stopped doing that ASAP.

It’s totally possible that you have never accidentally given yourself a minor chemical burn, in which case you can stop reading, pat yourself on the back, and go back to having flawless skin. I’ll be over here writing about how to use acid-based products correctly and how to fix hyperpigmentation. Because some people — myself included — need a primer on this (no pun intended).

So let’s start with story time: when I was in high school, right before prom I had a massive cystic whitehead pop up and try to ruin my life. And it’s not like it was on the side of my face. It was in peak photo zone: right on my cheek but close enough to my nose that the only way it was staying out of photos was if I took every picture in profile (no thank you).

I took matters into my own hands, because I didn’t know about things like dermatologists giving you shots to get rid of major acne spots quickly. Or I couldn’t afford it. Whatever.

Let me tell you how NOT to solve this problem:

1. Do not try to pop it with your finger nails and get frustrated when all you get is a lil pus.
2. Do not, after using your finger nails to inflame the spot and making it all around worse, boil a kettle and put near-boiling water on a cotton ball on your face.
3. Do not, after burning the shit out of your face with a cotton ball, try squeezing it again.
4. Do not, after squeezing, burning, and squeezing your face, apply 2% SALICYLIC ACID DIRECTLY TO YOUR POOR ABUSED FACE.

You practically can’t even see the giant spot that is entirely covered by mirrored aviators!

Needless to say, this didn’t work well. I ended up with a dime sized acid/burn scab on my face that was WAY harder to cover up than the original acne ever would have been. I literally bought my entire prom group aviators that were big enough to cover it so that we’d all look like we were just being extra cool in photos. Not joking.

To make things worse, the hyperpigmented damaged spot stuck with me all summer and into my first semester at college because I was a lifeguard who didn’t wear sunscreen (I now wear this sunscreen every day. Year round. Even when I get to work when it’s dark and leave when it’s dark. SUNSCREEN.)

I thought I’d learned my lesson – don’t mix all of the above, it’s a shitty cocktail – but recently I realized I was still making this same mistake.

How? I’d use my aggressive looking surgical esthetician extraction tools (that I’m in no way certified or encouraged to use) to clear out a clogged pore or blackhead, then wash my face with my usual salicylic ACID wash and follow with my favorite The Ordinary lactic ACID and this friggin amazing facial oil (that one’s okay). All the acids have the same direction: DO NOT USE ON BROKEN SKIN.

I kept getting hyperpigmentation and thinking “damn, I must just be really prone to hyperpigmentation, better use more acids to clear this shit up!” WRONG.

I wish I could share some kind of eureka moment. To tell you the truth, there wasn’t one. I got a facial from Heyday (I’m obsessed – give them my name, Kristina King, if you join and we both get $10!!!) and wanted to be gentle on my skin after extractions, so used a Kiehl’s calming wash instead of my usual face wash.

Turns out that when I did that and cleansed with my FOREO (I use the LUNA 2 for sensitive skin) the spots that were extracted healed way more quickly and with no hyperpigmentation – you know, because I wasn’t putting A FREAKING ACID ON OPEN SKIN. Duh.

This isn’t to say that acids aren’t useful in a skincare routine – I’m obsessed with acids and still use them all the time – but you have to wait until your skin has calmed down from an extraction (or from picking at your skin, if we’re being honest). It makes the biggest difference.

If you want to speed up your skin healing, use gentle facial oils, do facial massage / facial rolling and just baby it until the initial wound has healed. Once that’s done, exfoliate and use your acids and facial oils to your heart’s content. Adding a vitamin C serum – I like the CosRX Triple C lightening liquid – will speed up cell turnover and help brighten your skin, evening out hyperpigmentation.

So there you have it. It’s not some glamorous or fancy answer. Just read product directions and baby your skin if it’s hurting. I promise you’ll be better for it.

What’s your worst skin mistake? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram!