6 Fixes for Holiday Skincare Issues

'Tis the season for holiday parties and social gatherings. And what's worse than waking up on the day before or day of an event with an unsightly skincare emergency? Have you ever cancelled an invitation because a cold sore erupted? How about cystic acne on your chin that appears New Year's Eve? While neither of these are "life threatening" conditions, it might feel that way in the moment. Fortunately, there are solutions. Denver Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Manish Shah offers these six insights to get you through the holidays looking your best.

Problem: Cold Sore

Solution: Dr. Shah offers cortisone injections to patients who want to look better faster. "Very diluted cortisone into the cold sore, this can bring the inflammation down quite rapidly," he says. If you are afraid of needles, call your doctor and ask him/her to call in a prescription for Valtrex, Famvir, or Acylovir, Dr. Shah says. You can pick up Abreva, an over-the-counter medication. If you can't make it to the pharmacy, you can try some old-fashioned remedies: Visine will help take the red out. You can also use a cold compress and Tylenol or ibuprofen.

Problem: Allergic Reaction

Solution: The first thing you need to do is stop eating or using whatever is causing the allergic reaction. If the reaction happens a few days before an occasion, Dr. Shah recommends using hydrocortisone cream twice a day and taking Allegra, Claritin or Zyrtec which are longer acting and less sedating than Benadryl. Try a whole-milk compress for 10 minutes twice a day. For allergic reactions, use the hydrocortisone cream and then cover up redness by canceling it out entirely. The opposite of red is green, so apply green tinted concealer on the red area. The combination will create a flesh-toned hue. A good quality tinted moisturizer naturally has green/yellow undertones and also provides moisture to dry skin. "If this type of reaction is something you have never experienced before, go immediately to your dermatologist," says Dr. Shah.

Problem: Cystic Acne Breakout

There are some people who use a lancet or small knife to cut into a cyst and fish out the clogged part of the pore. "Cutting open a cyst is extremely risky. You not only run the risk of getting an infection, but you also run the risk of scarring, as in a permanent skin indentation or protrusion," says Dr. Shah. And what if you cut open a cyst but can't squeeze out the root clog? You don't know where the root is or how deep it resides inside your skin.

Here's a secret that many a supermodel or actress use: Steroid shot. Dr. Shah explains that, "when we discuss treating acne with cortisone or 'steroid' shots, we are referring to the process of gently placing a very dilute quantity of a 'glucocorticoid' steroid into the cyst. Glucocorticoids are a class of steroid molecules that are naturally produced by our bodies and have numerous functions including the regulation of human metabolism, immunity, and inflammation. They have very potent anti-inflammatory effects, so they are often used to treat inflammatory diseases in medicine. They can be formulated as creams to treat skin rashes or as pills to treat systemic disease. They can also be injected directly into local areas of inflammation such as in arthritic joints and inflamed acne cysts. Within one or two days of injection into a cyst, the steroid will shrink the inflammation producing relief of pain and almost immediate cosmetic improvement."

Problem: Puffy Eyes

Solution: The key to reducing puffy eyes is having something cool applied to them. "A cool compress or cooled cucumber slices applied for five to ten minutes can constrict blood and lymph vessels," says Dr. Shah. You can also use cool tea bags, which contain tannins that will help reduce swelling. And since puffy eyes can be caused by a high salt diet or alcohol, try to cut out both before an important occasion.

Problem: Sunburn

Solution: Take a cool bath or shower. Set the water to a cool temperature that's just below lukewarm and relax for 10 to 20 minutes. The temperature will ease the pain, and the water will stop your skin from becoming as irritated. Repeat as often as you need to. Avoid using soap, bath oils, or other detergents as you bathe – they'll irritate your skin and possibly make it even worse. If you have blisters forming on your skin, take a bath instead of showering. The pressure from the shower might pop your blisters. When you get out, don't rub your skin dry with a towel. Instead, let yourself air dry, or pat the towel over your skin in small, gentle movements.

Apply cold compresses to your skin. If you're not in a situation where you can bathe, or you'd just prefer not to, you can instead apply cold, wet compresses to your skin. Dampen a washcloth or other piece of fabric with cold water and lay it over the affected area for 20 to 30 minutes. Re-wet it as often as you need to. Apply aloe vera to burned skin. Using the pads of your fingers, gently apply the aloe to your sunburn. Don't massage it like you might with a regular lotion. Leave it a bit goopy and moist on top of the burn, this helps prevent the skin from drying out and becoming more irritated. Reapply as often as necessary. Treat inflammation with cortisone cream (optional). Cortisone creams contain a small dose of steroids that can work to reduce inflammation to your sunburn.

Problem: Too Much Filler

The Solution: Dr. Shah suggests doing fillers no sooner than one month before a big event to allow time for healing and touch ups. One of the reasons Dr. Shah leans toward hyaluronic acid fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm and Perlane is because they are easily reversed with Hyaluronidase. This product dissolves and degrades the Restylane, Juvederm or Perlane so as to reverse the results of the initial injection. It's a great insurance policy when choosing a practitioner. Make sure yours has it at his/her disposal.

Most patients find the immediate results of soft tissue filler treatments very satisfying. If an undesirable result occurs, your treatment provider should be able to discuss and carry out all of the treatment options. Removing the effects of a "filler" treatment can be difficult. This is why any filler treatment needs to be done carefully, conservatively and only by very experienced and Board-certified specialists. Hyaluronic acid based dermal fillers have the additional benefit of being partially or completely reversed with time or with the injection of a commercially available enzyme known as Hyaluronidase.