If I had a nickel for every time an unsightly blemish showed up before an important occasionwell, let’s just say I could pay to have my own private esthetician and makeup artist run over to my house at whim to fix and hide the damage.

The big date. The prom. A friend’s wedding. MY wedding. Ugh. And I’m not even one of those people who break out all the time. Only, it seems, when I need to look my best, does the ugly zit monster make an appearance in my mirror.

Lucky for me, I was blessed with pretty clear skin (thanks, Mom!). So much so that my OB/GYN laughed when I asked about taking birth control pills that are reported to reduce acne. “With your skin,” he said, “that’s not something you need to worry about.” Thanks, I guess.

Truth is, I’ve always been a bit obsessed with the whole pimple thing. In high school, a few of my friends and I even took to wearing that tinted, over-the-counter acne medication as makeup for a while. Sick, I know, but we also did things in the 80s like fry our hair with heat-activated peroxide products. Ah, but I digress

Getting back to the pimple thing: I can remember numerous occasions when I really wanted to put my best face forward, only to wake up that morning, look in the mirror and find IT staring right back at me. IT, of course, is the ZIT. And it would never be only a tiny little whitehead. No, it had to be the big, bulging horrible red kind that could defy any attempts at covering up. No amount of my makeup skills could compensate for the enormous mountain of puss taking up residence on my face (not a pretty picture, I know). My girlfriends and I would try to joke about these “eruptions,” but we also knew that soon they’d be assigned their own zip code for the amount of real estate they consumed.

OK, so that was high school. There’s no reason why I should be worrying about the breakout thing now that I’m in my (gulp) thirties, right? Wrong! The truth is, more twentysomethings and thirtysomethings experience breakouts than you might imagineand some people way past the Gidget years have more breakouts now than they did as teen-agers. Sure, we don’t convene our group of buddies in front of the mirror to assess the damage anymorewe’re way too grown up for that.

Just because our little pimple problem is in the proverbial closet doesn’t mean we don’t need help now and again.

Here’s some good news: You don’t have to go to that job interview with the red volcano on the tip of your nose. You don’t have to go to your kid’s parent-teacher conference with a huge pimple perched on your chin. Bottom line: You don’t have to worry that everyone will be focused on your pimple rather than your presentation at work.

Curb the Urge

At the first sign of any skin eruption, my husband’s solution is to offer to “pop” it for me. Yes, he stands there, an imposing figure in front of the mirror, tweezers in hand, ready to rescue me from the evils lurking below the surface of my skin.

Sure, you’re laughing, but you know exactly what I mean. I’m way to squeamish to do the dirty work myself, so hubby knows that if I get desperate, I’ll let him have his way with my face. All joking aside, squeezing out the yuck from a pimple isn’t the best way to hide it (unless you ask your esthetician or dermatologist for some professional help).

While you’re first inclination may be to eradicate the beast, keep in mind that in doing do you’re likely to spread the bacteria that caused the zit in the first place. The result: Even more pimples to deal with. Resist the urge. Don’t purge. There is a better way.

The Quick Fix

We all know the virtues of concealer. It helps hide dark circles and all sorts of other skin imperfections. When it comes to pimples, though, more is definitely less. Makeup artists caution that overdoing the concealer to help hide a blemish actually makes it more visible. It makes sense when you think about it: Here you have a big, red ugly bump on your face. Then you take some concealer and use it like spackle. All you’ve done is created a big, BEIGE ugly bump on your face.

Here’s a better way to handle it: First, you need to dry out that nasty bugger. Dermatologists recommend dabbing on some product with acne-fighting benzoyl peroxide. A good one to try: DERMAdoctor Ain’t Misbehavin’ Medicated Emergency Acne Spot Treatment. It contains a strong concentration of benzoyl peroxide and some sulfur, too, and should help dry out that zit like nobody’s business.

If benzoyl peroxide isn’t your thing, dermatologists also recommend salicylic acid-containing products. This ingredient also works to dry out the pimple. DERMAdoctor Ain’t Misbehavin’ Medicated Acne Control Serum (which targets all five points of the birth of a blemish) or DERMAdoctor Ain’t Misbehavin’ Intensive Medicated Blackhead Treatment are our bestselling combination AHA & BHA treatments.

For those who like to carry around their emergency zit fix in their purse, Cellex-C Skin Perfecting Pen is a great way to dab your way to an invisible blemish, especially when you start out early. The natural botanicals have a drying effect and create an environment hostile to the bacteria.

These techniques are especially beneficial for the isolated breakout. For all-over acne, you’ll need a more concentrated regimen to clear up your face. And certain cosmetics also can be beneficial in helping problem skin.

Getting back to the isolated pimple, once you’ve dried it out, it’s time to cover it up. Makeup artists who doll up the stars have a battery of techniques and products at their disposal. That might explain why your favorite actress looks as if she never gets visits from the zit monster. One of their trade secrets: Visine. Yes, you read that correctly. I said Visine. The same stuff that “gets the red out” of your eyes can help get the red out of your face. After you’ve done your best to dry out the pimple, soak a cotton swab in Visine. Then hold the swab to the affected area for about 10 seconds. Presto! Redness is gone.

Next: Get out that concealer (we like T. LeClerc Correcting Fluid – 01 clair). Now you can pull out your favorite cover-up agent and go to work. But tread lightly. Don’t overdo it or you’ll make the blemish more obvious that it was before you tried to get rid of it. Use a small amount, and tap lightly. Don’t use the concealer’s brush to blend the product. Instead, apply a small (repeat: small) amount to the blemish, then, using your ring finger (it exerts the least amount of pressure of your fingers); lightly tap the concealer into the blemish.

If the idea of putting Visine on your face seems a bit more than you’re willing to do, there are other options to rid your face of the BIG RED PIMPLE. Green-tinted concealers are great for camouflaging redness. One to try: T.LeClerc Corrector Palette. The green works to neutralize the redness. Keep in mind, though, that you still may need to be a bit creative with your makeup to really hide the pimple.

Apply your regular makeup, being careful not to smear the covering work, and always set your makeup with loose powder. This will reduce the chance of removing the concealer and revealing the pimple yet again. You want to make your face look as uniform as possible, so the pimple doesn’t stick out and announce its presence to the world.

After your big night out, remember to remove all of that makeup and to clean your face thoroughly. You don’t want to clog your pores and wake up with a visit from yet another zit monster.