Dealing with a last-minute breakout? It's all small potatoes when you learn about this new beauty hack.
Celebrity esthetician Joanna Czech—who is prepping many A-listers for the 2023 Met Gala, including Lily Collins, Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse and Ashley Park (among others)—revealed the acne-fighting treatment that most people have right in their kitchens. And while we aren't walking the red carpet for fashion's biggest night on May 1, the skincare expert's tip will come in handy the next time you get a wave of blemishes before an important event.
"If there is a last-second breakout, slice a potato," the Joanna Czech Skincare founder exclusively told E! News. "There is an enzyme in potatoes called catechol, so if you have a flare-up or you're healing and have discoloration, pull out a tiny slice and rub it in."
She recommends keeping the vegetable on the skin for at least 10 minutes so it can draw out pimples, reduce inflammation and brighten up the skin (since potatoes also contain vitamin C).
"I know we talk about avocadoes," Joanna continued, "and potatoes are not a very elegant vegetable, but it's very powerful."
She also swears by another pantry staple when it comes to minimizing inflammation and rosacea-related skin issues.
"If you are red, mix flax seed with oatmeal," she revealed, "and you can create a mask that you can do at home."
When it comes to Joanna's beauty philosophy, she's all about the less is more approach. Plus, she highly suggests keeping your routine as simple and unchanged as possible ahead of getting ready for a major event.
"I love a lot of hydration as a prep, it smooths outs and creates softer skin," she shared. "A mild exfoliating toner, a double-cleanse, a hydrating clay mask. Taking a very gentle approach can do so much."
And let's just say you want to book a few cosmetics treatments before an important celebration. Well, you'll want to plan many far in advance, as Joanna noted it can cause more problems than solutions.
For facials, she said to schedule them two to three days ahead of the event, which will allow you to reap the rewards of its results. However, when it comes to laser treatments, Botox and fillers, she warned that it's not best to do it the week of.
"Don't do it last second so you have a chance to fix it if something goes wrong," Joanna, who partnered with Lyma Laser, explained. "You can do Botox four weeks before the treatment because it's going to last, and you will look more normal. But don't do it 10 days before."
While Joanna understands that figuring out a skincare routine can be challenging, she said it can be helpful to look at it through the lens of skin conditions versus skin types.
"Skin type, we can't change. We are born with it," she shared. "You could be dry, but you also could be dehydrated on top of it. You could be an oily skin type, but you could be dehydrated as well. But skin conditions, we generate throughout our life."
As she put it, "We don't need to feel discomfort in order to get a wanted effect."