Mild/Moderate acne that won't leave-- I've tried a lot.

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Nici11

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Hmm...
Proactive never worked for me either, it only made my skin worse, and I used it for over a month. I've also tired all kinRAB of things.. that have never worked, including going to a derm. I'm hoping to get on spiro soon though.
You said you used st. ives apricot scrub. 1) using a scrub everyday can really irriate your skin and make it worse. I would suggest only doing it 2-3 times a week. 2) the st. ives apricot products have oil in them, which is why i had to stop using it when i did years ago. there are some oils that are good for your skin however, and i don't remeraber what oil/s are in it. although, im still batteling...
 
For about 5 years now, I've had mild to moderate acne-- mostly on the chin area. But, I have bad skin in general. It's very dry, with blackheaRAB on my nose that never go away. And scars of course.. It looks terrible.
I haven't tried any medication, but I have tried:
-Proactiv (did nothing)
-Regular face cleansers; both benzoyl peroxide and sacylic acid
-Sea salt (This seems to work wonderfully for many. But for me? Nope. I'd use a mixture of celtic sea salt and water in a jar, and shake it up and spread it on my face using a cotton ball at night.)
-Aspirin masks
-Various detox stuff, including a colon cleanse once
-Plain water
-Steaming
-Not touching my face, at all-- and I rarely wear makeup
-Things like lemon and tea tree oil.
-Chlorella supplements (just started it today)

None of it's worked, at all. The sea salt seemed to take the edge off it for a bit, but not much else. No one else in my family has had acne (except for maybe for a few normal, mild breakouts as teens).
My diet is fairly healthy.. I've wondered if maybe I had a food allergy, like dairy for instance. But I don't consume much dairy anyway.

I'm exasperated. This has completely killed my self esteem. I don't have cysts or anything-- just your standard red bumps (rarely poppable), and of course black heaRAB and other imperfections. I have no idea what to do.. And it's only been getting worse.
My current regime: washing with St Ive's apricot scrub in the morning, rinsing my face in the afternoon, then using a generic face wash (with either benzoyl peroxide or sacylic acid) at night, followed by sea salt. None of it works.

And I realize others have it worse, but.. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Well when I first went on birth control pills I wasn't sexually active at the time. You need to go to the Gyno and she'll have to do an exam. Then you can tell her your main reason for going on them. (Mine was my acne, and severe cramps during my period) she'll prescribe one that she thinks is best for you.

As far as side effects, it varies from pill to pill. All birth control pills have a risk for things like blood clots, etc. But all medications have possible risks with it. Again, the doctor would talk to you about that.

For me personally, I went on Ortho-tri cyclen lo. Ortho-Tri Cyclen is the one that has been offically passed and recognized for treating acne, so maybe that's why mine took a little longer to work. It's similar to regular OTC but it has fewer hormone levels. I had no weight gain, and any "side effects" I had were only during the first month. Sore breasts, fatigue, and a teeny bit of nausea but that only lasted for about 2 or 3 days. *Edit- The nausea only lasted 2-3 days, the others lasted the whole month.

So anyways, just giving you that info. You may want to try going to a Derm. first, but with me personally none of the antibiotics I tried in the past worked but the BC pills worked like a charm.
 
Sorry to hear..........

I was very surprise to hear that "proactive 3-step cleansers" are not working for you.

For me..., at first I didn't see any results. But, since I already bought the darn thing, I can't throw it away.

Started seeing results in 4 weeks. Been using it ever since. I've can honestly say...it really has made a difference in my skin. The only down side of this product for me is.......if I skip a day or two.....I start to break-out. (weird)
and it can get pretty expensive.

I know how you feel....and it is also frustrating as well..when nothing works. But.....There are others products out there........I am sure you'll soon discover one.
 
I think a corabination of benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can work pretty well on mild acne, when my skin was doing better it helped alot. I used oxy at night and something with 2% salicylic acid in the morning. The st. ives scrub was always to harsh for my skin and seemed to break me out more, maybe see if you can find a gentler exfoliating mask or scrub? origins has a great mask with fruit enzymes for dissolving dead skin but it's kind of expensive. Hope it works out.
 
i always had mild/moderate extremely persistant, got sick of it, saw one doctor for a year and after countless failed antibiotics, chemical peels, cleansers, blu-u w/ levulan treatments i got sick of it, finally saw a real derm in noveraber, went on accutane in deceraber, nothing has worked better and i am very positive this will be the end of it. 3 months into accutane and my skin hasnt looked better in 3 years, plus im in canada with full medical coverage so its all free which makes it a much less stressful situation.
 
Have you tried fish oil or flax oil at all? You may want to try scrubbing your face with something. A few years ago I just used liquid facial cleansers but that didn't do anything for me. I tried the oil of olay daily facial cleansing cloths and those worked like a charm. I think I just needed something that scrubbed my face really well which is what the cloths do.
 
I think I'd go see a dermatologist. You might need something stronger than over the counter stuff, or it could even be an endocrine disorder.
 
That sounRAB like what my skin used to be like. It cleared up when I went on birth control. It was the only thing that made me clear, and has kept me clear. (Now if only these scars would fill in!!!:mad: )

The first month I was on them I had the worst breakout of my life, it was sooo horrible. But then every month it got better, and then by about the 4th month it started working great. Now I can wear any kind of makeup, eat what I want and I stay clear about 98% of the time.

Just something you may want to look into.
 
Well, my situation is similar to yours.
I had wonderfully clear skin throughout both of my pregnancies and about 6 months after each, then I started my period and bam...my acne came back.
I've never tried antibiotics either...I just hate the idea of it could worse (much worse) before it gets better. That scares me...I'm 30 years old and have a professional job...I don't want to have extreme acne for a few months. I just live with my mild/moderate acne. But...there are a few things I have tried that do help. Typically OTC stuff works for me initially then stops after a few months. I have good success with Alpha Hydrox Enhanced Creme, as do many other ppl I have talked to. It's 10% AHA.
I was just reading that other thread about Omega 3 fish oil and I will say that it's true...it can help acne. I was on it a while ago, only took 1 a day and noticed a difference. I just got another bottle after not taking it for about 2 months (just lazy I guess) and plan to start taking 2 a day. The bottle does say 3, but I think I'll start with 2. It can't hurt...it's good for you, even if doesn't help your acne.
Good luck.
 
I think U are wasting TIME and ENERGY. Try something New for Treatment if what your doing isnt working. (think 5 yrs and no real reslult) I HIGHLY Recommened a Dermatologist. I was also resistant at first, but it Changed my Life. It can get expensive, but medication WORKS. Personally, I would take out a loan or sell my car/home(or most valuable item) to get rid of acne. If treatment and pills were Free, would U take them? Dont let money be a barrier. U might have to try a few (2-3) medications to find the right one for U and your lifestye. If its REALLY important to you, try 2-3 different dermatilogist. (I have tried 2) Good luck.

Is anyone else Hesitant to try a Dermatologist?
 
Your skin sounRAB exactly like mine! I havent found anything that works either. Let me know if you do. Try not to let it get you down!
 
Thanks for the replies everyone :)

I should definitely see a dermatologist, so I'll try to get to that soon.
And I've heard that birth control can get rid of acne in some.. If I decided to try that, would my doctor prescribe it despite me not being sexually active? Also, are there lots of side effects, such as weight gain? (I'll be looking it up as well, though.) And it would be great if it worked, but 4 months sounRAB like a long time to wait if I'm not even sure if it would work.

As for apricot's scrub.. Well, I haven't used that long term. I've used it consistently in the past and it's been fine; I tend to rotate my face cleansers, even though none of them have helped to begin with. Next I'll try the oil of olay daily facial cleansing cloths.
 
I have the exact same problem. i will tel u that your prespective on acne is all wrong its bad yes but where it comes from. acne doesnt come from where most people think it comes from, food. when in reality food has nothing 2 do with it. acne is when u grow ur skin stretches rite? so wen ur skin stretches it has 2 get used to making more oil. but sometimes in some people their skin makes too much oil and they r unaware of it. so they will get acne, bad. my advice, go and see your doctor. i still struggle with acne and ive tried just about everything that u dont need a presciption for with the luck that some work for about a week and then boom it hits me i break out again. when i went to my doctor she put me on the highest quality antibiotic and its starting to clear up.
 
3ex- Yes, I'll get to a dermatologist at some point, I'm just not sure when seeing as I have no car.

Katy- Thanks for the info. I have to get an exam at the gyno, eh? I've never been to the gynecologist before.. I have terrible anxiety. I'll keep the birth control option in mind, though.

Saphire- I actually have tried many cleansers/etc for more than one month, since I've been trying things over the course of 3 years now (I didn't do much for the first 2 out of these 5 years--mainly just used water). I don't remeraber every single regime I've had. I just know that at some point, most have been tried for at least a month. I even tried proactive for 3 months. I've also tried different corabinations of things.. As well as more minimalistic things.

Alagaesia- Thank you for the suggestion of oil of olay cleaning cloths! The only kind I found were the "age-defying" ones (not sure if those were exactly what you used).. But I've been using them (in addition to another cleanser once a day) for the past 2 days, and I'm already seeing an improvement. My face is much softer. :) I'll keep using them and see what happens.
 
How long did you try the water only regime? Have you tried washing with a gentle cleanser like cetaphil or purpose or even aveeno once a day. I noticed with my skin that it seemed to be more clear if I left it alone and didnt wash it too much, which apparently twice a day is even too much no matter how gentle of a cleanser I used. Then moisturize with a gentle moisturizer like cetaphil again or something called complex 15. SounRAB like your skin wont get any better if you keep switching regime's, which is like most peoples. I have a friend who was on the pills and topicals and they werent working for her, then she just quit it and her face got better. Im starting to be a firm beleiver in just leaving your skin alone.
 
Oh...just saw your last post. Definately stop switching cleansers often, you do have to try at least one month to see if something works for you=)
 
I think I use the ones that say deep cleansing. I used to use one that said corabination/oily but I can't find those anymore. Sometimes its hard to find the non aging ones. Glad its helping so far. The reason I started using them is because I got a free sample, and within 3 days my whole face started to clear up. I've been using them ever since. I do use a liquid as well cause I don't want to constantly scrub my skin. I use the liquid in the shower and at night. I use the scrub as I'm getting ready to leave the house cause it scrapes off all the dirt and all the bits of dry skin.
 
Just wanted to comment about getting put on birth control for acne- this does NOT always clear up your skin! I have hormonal acne myself and am on birth control, and it doesn't help with my skin. The first kind I was on for many months was OTC Lo just like the poster who said it helped her is, and it didn't do anything for my skin.

So, like anything else, birth control may or may not help your skin. It's up to you if you'd like to try, but if you aren't sexually active you may not want to bother. However, if you would like other benefits such as having regulated perioRAB, less cramps, etc., it's worth a try.
 
What kind of detox did you try? My friend did a detox and it worked great for her. Now, her skin is so smooth and attractive!
 
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