A spot is a pore that got blocked, filled up and became inflamed. Three things have to be dealt with, and almost every mistake comes from attacking one of them so hard that the others get worse.
What helps
Salicylic acid. Oil-soluble, so it works inside the pore. A cleanser or a toner with it, used consistently, does more than any occasional treatment.
Vitamin A. It changes how quickly the pore lining sheds, which is the blockage at its source. Slow to show, but it is the one that changes the pattern rather than the individual spot.
Moisturiser. Yes, even on oily skin. Skin that is stripped makes more oil, not less.
Sunscreen. The marks left behind after a spot heals darken in sunlight and stay for months longer than they need to.
What makes it worse
Washing more. Twice a day is the ceiling, not the floor.
Scrubs on active breakouts. Grinding inflamed skin spreads the inflammation and leaves marks.
Alcohol-heavy toners. They give the immediate matt feeling that sells them, and a rebound of oil a few hours later.
Changing everything at once. When six things change together and the skin gets angry, you have learned nothing about which one did it.
Squeezing. What comes out is a fraction of what gets pushed deeper.
Where a professional helps
Extraction done properly clears what is blocked without the marks that home squeezing leaves. A course of salicylic peels changes the conditions the pore lives in. IMAGE’s CLEAR CELL range is built for this skin, and our acne treatment pairs the two.
One more thing worth saying plainly: severe, painful, scarring acne is a medical matter, and a dermatologist has tools a cosmetologist does not. Good skincare supports that treatment; it does not replace it.