Acne help

[casmir216]

I am so frustrated and desperate right now. I have been strugling with acne since as far as I can remeraber. I am now 27 years old and cant find the right solution so I thought I would come on here and ask for advice. I have tried proactive and other clensers and none seem to cut it for me right now i am just using a Dove facial clenser it helps a little but not enough I still keep getting new break outs very frequently. I am in the market for a new face wash that might help and some new cosmetics that will help as well right now I am using a Mary Kay foundation and I just dont think its helping the situation any. Please any advice would be so helpful!!! What steps have any of you taken to a clear complexion?:

 

[fatoom90]

clean, clean, clean

use DDF blemish cleanser (i posted this before), It's a great acne wash, even black heaRAB will be less. you can also use a tooth paste on every single pimple, or calamine lotion with little baking soda.

Dont ever ever even think to sleep with any kind of make up it worsens the situation.

 

[Rita]

Here is my advice. It has worked wonders for many people who have tried it.
Major rules: 1. Use as few products as you can
2. Don't overdo freuency of use
3. Do not use scrubs
4. USE SUNSCREEN every day, no matter what else you do.
Now, for the details.
Morning:
1.wash face with any gentle soap (unless your skin is super dry naturally, unlikely with acne prone skin).
If your skin is part oily but seems to flake and get red it's not due to natural oiliness but to use and overuse of wrong products.
You can wash your face with Cetaphil but it's not necessary. Mild soap will be fine. Many people don't realize that whatever product stays on your skin for such a short time as a face wash (or shampoo), it's not worth it to invest in "expensive" branRAB. Spend money (and time) on lotions and creams that will be put on your skin and stay there all day or overnight.
2. Swipe skin with cotton ball soaked in any astringent or toner which contains salicylic acid. This is what most dermatologist KNOW works. I like L'Oreal Pure Zone Pore Tightening Astringent. It's great!
3. Put on sunscreen. Use a physical one that's made from clear zinc oxide. It does not irritate the skin or cause it to break out as chemical sunscreens are prone to do. Try to find the least oily one. You may need to experiment to find what works for you.
4. DO NOT wear foundation. All of them do more harm than good. No matter what they say, they all clog the pores to some degree. Just think about it: they are basically spackle for your skin and they fill the pores. People who think they look better with foundation on because it "covers" the pimples just fool themselves. Make up actually seems to emphasize every imperfection on your skin. Don't do it.
What I suggest for covering up the problem areas is exactly that: cover ONLY the pimples and the spots with a very good concealer and blend well. Leave the rest of the skin alone. Here's another trick that works great: for red, inflamed pimples, soak a tiny bit of cotton (from a cotton ball) with Visine (use Visine LR, long lasting redness relief) and place that soaked bit over the pimple(s). Leave for a few minutes to let it work and it will "take the red out". What it does is constrict the blood vessels and make the pimple almost disappear by taking away all the redness. I think it also makes the pimple shrink faster because without a good blood supply the bacteria in the pimple cannot multiply (that's my theory, anyway). After you remove the pieces of cotton ball (don't let them dry out on your skin, remove while still moist) then see if and how much you still need to cover up.
Evening:
1.Follow the same cleansing/astringent routine as in the morning.
2.On cleansed face put a thin film of something called Bye Bye Blemish. Make sure you do not shake the bottle, the contents are supposed to separate. Dip a cotton swab into the bottom layer and spread whatever is on it all over your face. You can moisten your fingers with water to make it easier to spread the stuff. After you do your whole face, dip a new cotton swab into the contents and dab a thicker layer on pimples only (and those areas you feel are about to erupt). By morning many pimples will be either gone or greatly reduced. This product's active ingredient is also salicylic acid---great stuff. A word of warning: You may initially experience uite a bit of peeling of your skin. Do NOT get discouraged or discontinue use. Your skin will gradually adjust and the results will be worth it. If you wish, you may initially want to apply the Bye Bye Blemish lotion every other day, or even every two days. Then gradually start using daily, at night before bedtime.
(In the morning you will need to use a cotton ball soaked in L'Oreal Pure Zone astringent to wash off the Bye Bye lotion, soap will not do it alone.
Then wash with soap and the proceed with the rest of the routine.)
Need to buy:
1. L'Oreal Pure Zone astringent (found in any drugstore)
2. Bye Bye Blemish drying lotion (NOT serum)---found in Walgreens, Long's at many other drugstore (with acne products).
3. Visine L.R (to get rid of redness, if you wish)
That's it!

This routine is not complicated or expensive but it works. You do not need tens of products. Just two will do! Give it a good try, do not give up. Although there may be much initial improvement you must stay with it. Don't get tempted to buy another advertised miracle product for acne and add it to your routine. It's not only not needed but may set you back. Most of them don't work and are a waste of time and money. Many dermatologists say that they see so many women (and men) with red, peeling irritated skin and they attribute it to overuse of products. Some people just don't know when to quit and they torture their skin with one product after another and work it hard by scrubbing it to pieces. Try my way and see what happens. I don't think you will be disappointed. If after a good try (give it at least 2-3 monts) you still don't see enough improvement, go to a dermatologist. He may prescribe you a topical (or internal) antibiotic but these are very iffy. For some people they work well enough while for many they do nothing at all. I would try the easy way first (without having to put anything inside your body long term).

P.S

I just saw that another poster recommended using toothpaste over your pimples. DO NOT do it. It will cause even more trouble, I have seen it happen to many people.

 

[Barry876]

Here's what worked for me to clear my acne and redmarks.

First, if your acne is really bad.
You got to use an antibiotic.
The best one I'v tried for acne is Doxycycline.
Get the Doxycycline thats 100MG per capsule. Take one a day.

I also use besides the Doxycycline.
I like the Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Cleanser.
This cleanser uses Oxygenated Amino-peptide, plus oxygenated derma-beaRAB to gently removes dead skin surface cells to detoxify.
It regenerates skin's surface at the cellular level.
Its got nice ingredients.
Beta Hydroxy, vitamin C, E, B5, Amino Peptide.

I also like the Juice Organics Nourishing Cleanser
They sell this in CVS.

This soap-free cleanser is made with organic juices and antioxidant vitamins to nourish and revitalize skin cells.
It uses Grape Seed, Aloe, Chamomilla, Sunflower seed, Apple, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, B5, Citrus.
This is a really good cleanser and feels good on the face.
Leave it on for a minute then wash off.

I like the Earth Science toner.
They sell that in Whole FooRAB.
Its called the Aloe Vera Complexion Toner & Freshener - 9 oz

2 lotions I recommend for acne on the face and redmarks.
One is the Neutrogena Multi Vitamin acne treatment.
Unfortunately, Neutrogena stopped making this.
They were so stupid for doing this.
This was a great product.
It helped bring down the acne without creating marks or little scars.
It used nice incredients.
1.5% Salicylic Acid, Grape Seed, Kiwi, Honey extract, Oatmeal, Glycolic acid,
Vitamin A, E and B5
You can still get it.
Some stores still have it and you will see lots of them on e bay.

I also recommend this new product.
Its called Wet and Wild Spot Treatment.
Dont be fooled by the name.
This is a great lotion for getting rid of acne and redmarks.
It uses top of the line incredients.
It uses 2% Salicylic Acid, Green Tea, Aloe, Nobilis Flower, Tee Tree Leaf Oil,
Cucuraber, Algae Extract, Licorice Root and Witch hazel.
They sell this in Walgreens and Rite Aid.

Dont use these lotions at the same time.
Try each one and see which one works best for you

 

[lindam]

You don't have to use an antibiotic, and they aren't the slightest bit helpful for many people. I tried the antibiotic and prescription topical route for about 15 years with no results. I even tried 2 courses of accutane. And my acne was 'really bad.'

What worked for me was diet and supplements and I've been completely clear for over 6 months, and for the first time in about 30 years. I tried supplements first. Zinc and Saw Palmetto made my skin a lot less oily and my face was mostly clear. Then I cut way back on (but not out) sugar and simple carbs and my skin cleared completely. I tried some other supplements at the same time, but have since stopped them. I now take only supplements for general health and ant-aging. I only use skin products for anti aging, gentle cleansers, toner and moisturizer. No acne products.

Also, I discovered years ago that oranges caused the horrible cysts I used to get. I was recently tested and found to be mildly allergic to oranges. And too much of some other fruits or juices (not tested for) will cause me to break out with a small cyst or too. So you might try getting your allergies tested.