7 Skin and Beauty Problems, Solved

With expert damage-control tips, you can put even big beauty blunders behind you. 

Problem: You Cut Your Own Bangs and Botched the Job

Solution: Get the most out of the length you have left by applying a tiny bit of a styling cream that contains oil. This will weigh hair down slightly so it looks longer (the cream also adds shine and smoothness). Try John Frieda Frizz-Ease Straight Fixation Smoothing Crème ($6 at drugstores). Then blow-dry with a small brush, “pulling the hair straight down on your forehead,” suggests Riccardo Maggiore, the owner of the Riccardo Maggiore Salon, in New York City. Other options: Camouflage the unfortunate chop by brushing your bangs to the side and, if necessary, securing them with a bobby pin. Or wear a flapper-style headband (they’re trendy again, really!) over your bangs to hide them. Finally, you can slink back to your stylist for a trim to even things out.

Problem: You Gave Yourself a Facial and Now Blemishes Are More Apparent

Solution: Start by cleansing the area with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol, which has antiseptic properties. (This might sting, depending on how much damage you’ve done to the blemish.) If the spot is bleeding, apply ice wrapped in a towel for a few minutes. Then dab on a 5 percent benzoyl peroxide gel twice a day to kill the bacteria inside the blemish. This will reduce the swelling and eventually heal the pimple, says Leslie Baumann, a dermatologist in Miami Beach. Try DDF Benzoyl Peroxide Gel 5% Acne Treatment ($28, dermadoctor.com). Top it with an oil-free moisturizer if the surrounding skin gets dry. And for future reference? “Picking or squeezing blemishes can push the bacteria and pus deeper into the skin, rupturing the pore and causing scarring or a painful cyst,” says Baumann. A compelling reason to—for the millionth time—keep your hands off.