3 THINGS I WOULD *NEVER* DO AS A DERMATOLOGIST

❌ Expose my face to HEAT: hot water, steam (lukewarm is fine), or hot compresses on a pimple, cyst, or boil.  (BTW the same goes for a stye.) 

🌟 Heat increases redness and swelling. Dilates “broken” blood vessels. And aggravates hyperpigmentation
🌟 If you do go into a sauna or steam, at least apply a cold washcloth to your face. 
🌟 For a cyst, a cold spoon is better to bring down swelling. (Or a dilute cortisone shot.)
 
❌ Use NEOSPORIN.  Especially if you have multiple allergies, sensitive skin, or eczema (like I do).

🌟 Up to 35% of people are allergic to neomycin, an active ingredient in Neosporin.
🌟 I advise patients to use Bacitracin or Polysporin (“double antibiotic ointment”) on small wounds or after biopsies/surgeries.  Or Rx Mupirocin if I suspect they have Staph infections
 
❌ Get LASER when tan (or self-tanned)

🌟 You may blister, so it’s safer to wait until after your color fades.