How long does it take a spot treatment to work?

If red, irritated zits are your current beauty bugbear, you're likely slathering on spot treatments in an effort to soothe them, ASAP.  These potent vials and tubes are targeted formulas made to work on the clogged, infected pore, clean it out and suppress the pimple from becoming bigger and more stubborn. However, people often assume that these active ingredients serve as a one-stop solution, apply it all over their skin and then suffer from redness and irritation. 

So, what exactly is a spot treatment and what's the right way to use it? “A spot treatment can be used for post-acne spots, for active acne when there are only a few random bumps on your skin and even for dark spots that old acne or an injury can leave behind,” explains Mumbai-based celebrity dermatologist, Dr Jaishree Sharad. For acne, you’ll find salicylic acid, tea tree oil and retinol to be the most common ingredients and if you’re looking to brighten a dark spot, Vitamin C, glycolic acid or lactic acid are the names to look out for on the label. Also, remember that a spot treatment contains active ingredients that are potent and meant to be used on just the zit or dark spot, as the name suggests. Applying it to surrounding areas can easily irritate your skin or cause a rash.

Dr Sharad sheds light on the don’ts to keep in mind when using a spot treatment.

Don’t skip your regular skincare routine

Just because it seems like you’ve found the perfect product to make blemishes of any kind disappear doesn’t mean you forget about the rest of your routine. “Spot treatments are usually used at bedtime, so after you cleanse, tone and apply moisturiser, then use the treatment on your spot and leave it overnight.” Even if you’re using an acne patch and choose to do so in the day, follow your regular morning routine and then use the patch over it. Doctors liken all your pores to pipes that are connecting your sebaceous glands to the outside of your skin. These can get clogged at any time and can cause acne, so it is best to use active ingredients (in the form of a toner, serum or cream) all over to ensure that you're not playing catch-up.

Apply it in the right order

It is best to apply spot treatments after cleansing and toning, but before applying serums and creams. The active ingredients are best applied on clean skin, and if you apply a spot treatment on top of a thicker cream or oil, it may not penetrate as well. However, if you're just trying a new product, like a new retinoid, you can use a thin layer of moisturiser before a spot treatment to help minimise irritation. 

Don’t consider moisturiser your enemy

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, having acne or oily skin doesn’t mean you skip moisturiser altogether. Choose a lightweight, non-comedogenic and gel-based formula that’ll hydrate without aggravating your breakouts. In fact, if you’re using a spot treatment, a moisturiser is a must. “If you’re using a spot treatment that’s exfoliating in nature or one that can possibly dry your skin (usually those meant for acne), you must use a moisturiser at least in that particular area. Don’t use any irritants or even a home remedy after because you can end up with burns or some sort of rash.”

Don’t expect miracles from spot treatments for dark spots

Whether you have post-acne scars or other dark spots you’re looking to lighten with a brightening spot treatment, it takes a while—along with consistent usage—for results to show. “If there’s pigmentation left behind after acne, you can apply a spot treatment with salicylic acid, glycolic acid, niacinamide, Vitamin C or arbutin on the dark spots—they can fade away in three-four months.”

Don’t overuse spot treatments

Yes, they’re effective, but that doesn’t mean you use them multiple times a day, every single day. “Don’t use harsh ingredients like retinol, AHAs or BHAs every single day on the spots because they can irritate the skin and make the spots darker instead of lighter—use it on alternate days. If you’re using an erythromycin gel or something for acne at night then that can also dry your skin, so make sure you keep the skin moisturised during the day.”

Also read:

What needs to happen to make acne and blemishes a normal part of mainstream media

How do you know you’ve got stress acne?

10 simple and natural ways to deal with acne at home

Call it a millennial thing—or a Chloe thing, according to my grandma Barb—but I’m impatient as f—k when it comes to trying new skincare products (and when it comes to doing pretty much anything in life ever). Because if I don’t see my zits disappear by the time I wake up, or watch my fine lines and dark spots and itty-bitty bumps fade into oblivion after three hours, then I pretty much lose faith in that product ever working, which I realize is ridiculous.

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And though I know it’s almost impossible for skincare products to transform your skin right away, I still need some sort of timeline—some end goal for me to hold onto when my skin is freaking out or looking, well, blah. And based on the number of texts I get per week asking me these same questions, I’m not alone. So I went out and got answers, and, spoil alert, nothing is a magic bullet.

CLEANSERS

“You should notice a difference right away, as in whether it’s right or wrong for your skin,” says Mona Gohara, MD, associate clinical professor at Yale. “If your skin feels immediately dry, your cleanser is too harsh for you, whereas a good, suitable cleanser should leave your skin immediately softer and smoother, since it’s nourishing your barrier versus destroying it.”

As for acne face washes, like anything spiked with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, “you should see improvement in your current blemishes within a week or two, with full, final results after three months,” says Dr. Gohara, who notes that cleansers don’t actually sit on your skin long enough for them to really infiltrate your pores, so it can take a bit longer to see results.

(Image credit: Archives)

ACNE TREATMENTS

Annoyingly, this one is super gray and murky, because there are so many different types of acne and acne treatments. BUT, if we’re talking all-over acne treatments, like a toner or a moisturizer spiked with salicylic acid (which is lipophilic, meaning “it’s fat-loving, so it works to break down the oils in your pores”) or benzoyl peroxide (“it destroys acne-causing bacteria on the skin”), you should start seeing a decrease in blackheads and whiteheads during the first two weeks.

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“You might purge a bit at first after the first or second week, meaning your breakouts could get a bit worse before they level off, but you should notice a significant improvement overall by six weeks,” says Dr. Gohara, who uses this mark to assess whether or not the product is helping her patients. “And if I’m not seeing a total reduction on a patient’s skin after three months, I’ll likely move on to a different product and try something else,” she says, adding that “it takes about 28 days for your skin cells to turn over, so by that point, you’ve given your face three cycles to purge and adjust, meaning you should notice a difference.”

As for spot treatments, like a dollop of benzoyl peroxide on your zit at night, “you could see a huge reduction in size by the time you wake up,” says Dr. Gohara. “Spot treatments are highly concentrated and, if it’s benzoyl peroxide-based, works on both an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial level to destroy that zit.” Of course, you wouldn’t want to slather it over a large area, since “they’ll literally destroy your skin barrier,” says Dr. Gohara, but on just one spot, “they can be highly effective after just a few nights.”

DARK SPOT TREATMENTS

We’re talkin’ acne scars, sun spots, and weird hyperpigmentation dots that seem to never go away. And unfortunately, “this treatment is a marathon, not a sprint,” says Dr. Gohara, noting that because there are so many factors that can make marks and spots worse, like hormones, sun exposure, sensitive skin, etc, “treating discoloration on your face is a maintenance thing for life.”

So, you know, don’t expect overnight results. If you’re using hydroquinone, which decreases your melanin production, Dr. Gohara has her patients use for two months on, then two months off, since it can be so irritating, though you should start to see some subtle lightening after two weeks. But if it’s an antioxidant, like vitamin C, which eats up damage-causing free radicals, you’ll have a bit of a slower path, with your spots getting better “after two months,” she says. “But it’s one of my favorite spot faders, since it’s so effective and pretty well tolerated by most skin types.”

(Image credit: Archives)

RETINOLS

Alright, this is the big one that everyone wants to know about: When, exactly, will you look like your 16-year-old self again? (If, you know, that’s what you’re going for—we say age however the hell you want to age, whether that means slathering potions on your skin or lighting the pyre of anti-aging campaigns).

“You’ll notice an overall improvement in the way your skin looks within four-to-six weeks, especially if you’re using retinoids for acne” says Dr. Gohara. “There’s a ton of growing pains with retinols at first, because there may be a process of initial irritation and flaking, but after that, you’ll very quickly notice a slight reduction in fine lines, a more evened-out skin tone, faded discoloration, fewer breakouts, and smoother skin.”

As for wrinkles? “It’s going take much longer for the collagen production in your skin to increase, and you’ll never notice its biggest side effect, which is a decrease in collagen breakdown—AKA the actual anti-aging effects that happen under your skin,” says Dr. Gohara. “You’ll never get complete reversal of all wrinkles and aging, but you’ll see your fine lines fill out, and your deep wrinkles soften after just four-to-six months of consistent use.”

Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life). She brings nearly a decade of writing and editing expertise, and her work has appeared in Allure, Health, Fitness, Marie Claire, StyleCaster, and Parents. She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Thanks.

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