Repeat Zit? Try a Drawing Salve.


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All opinions are honest + my own. All products are put through a 2 week test period conducted on myself.


About 2 years ago, I had a bunch of repeat zit sites that were really frustrating me. I would treat them, they would become a white head + go away, but also eventually return again! In the exact same spot.

To me, that hinted at bacteria that managed to get deep within my skin. It seemed like I was treating the surface stuff, but something was lingering. Why else would it repeat like this?

Then I stumbled across this article about drawing salves that blew my mind.

That Sweet Eureka Moment

Repeat zits in the same place suck, but you can get rid of them!

Drawing salves were popular in the 1800’s. They provided a way of getting your skin to regurgitate bacteria or even a splinter out of the depths of our skin. And, as the article noted, great for cystic acne.

If they’re useful for cystic acne, defined as bacteria deep within skin, then couldn’t they be used for acne reappearing in the same spot? What if a past pimple burst and left bacteria trapped deep under the skin and I was only treating the stuff on the surface? Thus, repeat pimple? Because I’m definitely bad about not popping a pimple. (I’m still working on that…!)

And, With A Heap of Patience, They Stopped

This took patience, but it actually did end the repeat cycle.

Smile’s PRID Drawing Salve* was the one that did it for me. At under $10, it’s a really cheap fix. But it requires time. (That will pay back in spades later!)

I applied PRID nightly to the repeat spots for about a month to a month and a half. It caused the repeat acne sites to create a pimple multiple times, but then, eventually, it subsided into smaller repeat pimples + then nothing. And then they didn’t return.

I used this both on active repeat zits and also locations that were inactive, but I knew for a fact were repeat zit sites.

As PRID brought the pimples to a head, sometimes I would also apply a pimple patch like Missha’s Speedy Solution Anti Trouble Patch to double team. I didn’t double team all the pimples as they appeared, just the ones that looked like they needed extra help and were sticking around too long. But you could probably use the Missha Trouble Patch more aggressively than I did. (Meaning: have PRID get the pimple to appear, then smack a patch on it, rinse, repeat.)

PRID is sticky, medicinal resin smelling, and not an appealing skincare product. But it works! For that, I’m deeply grateful. It’s saved me a lot of effort from there out.

With the cyclical, repeat zits squashed, I gained more clear skin stability + saved a lot of time and money I would have spent on acne treatments. Win all around, in my book!

* (Paid Link)

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