Some tips for acne (from a past sufferer)

[Stevie79]

Hi,

My name is Steve I am 28 and from England.

I just wanted to share some tips with any acne sufferers out there. This is a system that I tweaked and improved for years. I works too because from 18 to 24 I had an acne problem, of course it gets better as you get older but I am a firm believer in my system. I went through hell to work all this out but hopefully it will help someone!

Tip 1 Wash just once a day. Always use a clean flannel or towel though.

Tip 2 If you shave just use an electronic shaver or better yet a beard trimmer. The problem with razors is that they pick up a lot of germs. If you do use a razor whatever you do, do not wash them in bleach or any other form of cleaning agent as this will cause minor irritation. Electric razors work much better when you have acne and are very easy to clean with a flannel or kitchen towel (use hot water when you clean the blades).

Tip 3 Keep your hair short. You might not think this matters but short hair is much easier to keep clean and if you have clean and healthy hair you will produce less natural oils from your scalp and hair which brings me to my next point.

Tip 4 If you have been active and worked up a sweat simply have a nice cool wash. Nothing major but just enough to cleanse the outer skin. The problem with not washing after being active is your pores will clog up with sweat and oil (not good!).

Tip 5 Sleep on your back. You might not think this is important but when you sleep on the side of your face I believe that you get ingrown hairs on the face from time to time which can cause huge pimples. Sleep on your back looking up at the ceiling and I promise you will get used to it.

Tip 6 Don't use soap. Soap is known to give you dry skin and dry skin when you have acne or anxiety about getting more acne is not good in my experience. Use Aqueous cream instead, it's much more natural and doesn't have any perfume which brings me to my next point. Eventually move onto something like Neutragena Deep Cleanse Gel, you only need 2 small squirts on your fingers so it will last a long long time.

Tip 6 Perfume or aftershave. Don't even think about wearing any of these on your face no matter what anyone says. Believe me I have been there and done it all. If you want to use perfume or aftershave just put a bit on your wrist (yes fellas you too!) this way you will smell good without the irritation to your skin which again will lead to more spots.

Tip 7 Only wash your face with cleaning products. Why do I say that? Well I found that overwashing the skin can give you problems because you wash away your natural oils. It won't hurt from time to time but believe me you will see a big improvement on spots on the arm, legs or chest from doing this.

Tip 8 Shower don't bath. The problem with having a bath is that it's literally recycled water you are washing with - NOT GOOD. Use a shower once every other day (if possible) don't go in everyday but just once every other day. If you clean yourself correctly then you won't need to have a shower once a day. Never have a shower twice a day if you can help it, I used to find that it drys out the skin.

Tip 9 Use a clean towel each and every time you shave. Wash or go in the shower. Simply because it's much more hygenic. Yes it's more washing but hey who cares if you get better skin right?

Tip 10 Medication. Try and get off the medication such as Trithroprim (sp) the reason is that those kind of pills can cause spots sometimes. I found that once I found the system I have shared with you all that your skin will improve within weeks.

Those are the main tips for you all. Hope it helps someone! Best of luck!

Ste

 

[jamietee]

hi there,

i am only 19 y/o, but have had REALLY bad spots, not all the time, but more often than not, i will have at least 1 spot on my face. started out in puberty as it normally does, but i had alot of doozies. i also make a bad habit of popping spots...i know i know, i shouldnt really touch, scratch, pop or poke spots, but i also suffer (it hasnt been confirmed, but i have alot of the symptoms) from sociaphobia and anxiety, and leaving a white head on my face makes the "what do people think of me when they see me" thing much much more worse, hightening my anxiety and sociaphobia. i barely leave my house, and when i do, i keep my eyes down so i cant see anyone lookin at me (i cant stand not knowing what people think of me), im also a very shy, quiet and nervous guy, with no self confidence at all. but, i think your guide really can help me. i seem to be doing the opposite of alot of your "cures".

i never thought it was my razor that was giving me spots, but have noticed after shaving, i will get a few more spots, especially on my chin and jawline, so i will definately be cleaning my razor with alot more elbow grease. and with the aftershave, if i go out i use aftershave (i smoke, which could also be contributing towarRAB spots. i know i shouldnt smoke, but if i didnt, i think i'd actually go insane). spots also appear where i shave and use aftershave (jawline, chin, around my throat)

also, about the hair. i have fairly long hair (fringe almost touches the tip of my nose) but my hair is never covering my face, and i also sleep on my side (i've never been able to sleep on my back, ever). my sheet do get washed every week, but, i also wear gel in my hair if i leave the house, which stays in my hair over night as i shower pretty much as soon as i wake up everyday, but i do use a fresh towel each time (1 guy 3 girls in a house seems wrong to share towels between genders). i also use soap if i have a wash on a evening/night, but no flanel or anything, as i read somewhere they can actually make skin ailments worse, as they can be full of germs, so i havent used them in a long time. also, after every shower i moisturise my face (not in a girly way haha) but i feel it helps even the textures of my face, and makes spots look a little worse. i also use (dont laugh 8| ) mud mask stuff on my nose, as i have very large pores and where a majority of my spots have been and left alot of terrible scarring, but i also have a tip or two too share aswell at the bottom.

i dont take any sorts of medication, altho i was prescribed anti depressants in deceraber just gone, although there werent any problems with my skin.

i actually really like your little guide, i've looked plenty of times on the net for "help from home" tips for reducing acne, but all i got were self help books etc.

i have 2 tips i try and they seem to work (they wont stop acne, but can help reduce it slightly, im my personal experience).

Firstly, when washing your face, try to use cleansers that have "micro beaRAB" or w.e society has managed to invent, or as a cheaper option, get something that has quite large grains, i myself tried salt and sugar (not mixed). place a small pile in the palm of a cupped hand, and then put a small amount of shampoo, showering gel, face wash gel, just anything that is used for CLEANING, and mix them together in both your hanRAB and apply as a normal face wash, really scrubbing around where spots appear most, and rinse VERY thoroughly.

this is where the second tip comes in. after washing your face (im guessin its with warm water), run the cold tap until the water if quite chilled. then simply splash it over your face. sure, it'll give you a little shock, but this does help. warm water relaxes the skin muscles and opens up your pores. cold water does the opposite. tightening clean pores is better than open clean pores.

a little tip for people like me who have to pop spots...this could be something that might be in a medical cabinet or somethign as it is anti bacterial solution. it's ( im pretty positive, although it has been a good 4-5 years since i have seen it) hydrochloric solution (mine was 5%). once you pop a spot, apply a bit to a cotton bud, toilet paper (finger tip works best, when its clean of course) and simply rub it over the open spot. it may sting a little, and most likely, the open wound will most likely turn white and look as though you've had napalm dropped on you, but dont worry, it will subside after 5-15minutes. im not exactly sure what this does scientifically, and i cant get what it does in order, but the anti bacterial solution (spots are caused by bacteria dont forget) starts a chemical reaction with the water in the open wound (not sure what its called, like, the white bloodcell stuff or what ever that helps in healing processes) and this destroys bacteria. with this, i found spots recovered a hell of alot quicker, although it may be safe to make sure your not allergic, i took a risk, saw "anti bacterial" "hydrochloric" and "5%" and thought i'd give it a go, and luckily it worked, although the whiteness that first appears made me almost lock myself in my room and throw away the key, but thanked the heavens when it subsided.

terribly sorry for such a long post, happens with every forum i go to really...

hope i have helped people in some way

 

[jamietee]

sorry, its 3:30am (im english too haha). guess i should have proof read my post...

corrections;

about the moisturiser, i meant it makes spots look a little less worse.

about my face wash tip,i meant anything that you use to clean yourself with, even washin up liquid can do the trick...

lol think thats everything..

jamie

 

[Stevie79]

Hi Jamie,

Hehe don't worry about it mate.

I am glad you like my small guide, there are a few things I may need to explain and discuss.

When I say use a flannel I mean to dry yourself with not wash. All I ever did when washing after a shave was splash cold - cool water on my face in every area so literally splash the water 4 or 5 times on the nose, the cheeks, around the mouth and very importantly the neck too (under your chin) I found this to be a BIG help. I used to have a shave in the shower, don't do that! Simply shave in the sink and use cold-cool water to rinse. The tips about cleaning your razor really work also, the same goes for beard trimmers which I tend to use on the lowest setting rather than using blades.

Also if you are going to pop spots never wash until around 3-4 hours later. If you need to shower or wash within the hour simply use the 'japanese flag' trick you do with shaving. So if you have a large pimple that's weeping just simply put some tissue on it and apply a little pressure (not too much) but just enough. Then simply leave the tissue to dry slightly. What I noticed is that if you wash with a weeping spot or pimple on your face (or more than 1) within 2-3 days you will develop more spots and sometimes really bad pimples. I believe you simply spread the germs and bacteria around your face so try and avoid that.

Sleeping on your back is actually the best position anyway for your back and spine. It also helps with spots and believe me I slept on my side all my life but I have never slept better with on my back using just 1 pillow under my head. You should try it mate!

Another thing you mentioned about your hair. Sometimes long hair can give you something to hide behind, sometimes when I was younger and had spots I felt very confident with a shaven head for some reason. Just something about not caring about how your hair looked made me feel good about myself you know, if it's short it's tidy and clean that's the way I look at it.

Also when I say use the Neutrogena deep cleansing gel and use only 2 small squirts, what you do is massage it into your hanRAB and then once it's lathered spread it around your face. Now what you want to do is create a system (believe me this works) you need to clean your cheeks in a circular motion 3 or 4 times. Then rub your hanRAB together a little more and begin to do the same with your chin, don't over do it though with the chin just 5 circular motions on each side (at the same time) should do it. Then do under your bottom lip by scrubbing side to side with your hanRAB. Then rub your hanRAB together again to lather some more, use the scrubbing side to side motion above your lip. Now you want to scrub your nose with your fingers (this is important too). Then rub up and down the bridge of your nose 4 or 5 times. Lather up again and do circular motions with your 2 fingers down the side of your nose, lather and do the cheeks again (in a circular motion) finish off with a few more circular motions. wash off with hand fulls of water several times.

Then what you need to do once your face is clean is run cold water on your face. Believe me this takes some getting used too but I always found (even now in my late 20's) that your face doesn't feel too warm. See part of the reason I got spots was because I sweated a lot, whether that was with me having anxiety when I was younger or just the heat I always find cold water helps the skin. It also ensures that all the soap or cleaning gel is off the face.

Last tip for now is to pat your face dry with a towel before doing anything else. Use a different area of the towel each time for each part and trying to make sure you don't use the same part twice.

All these tips might sound a bit regimental but believe me I have been through the shaving your face with 6-8 pimples. I have been through the monster pimple on the centre of your head or chin and people staring. I have been through the getting home and noticing 4 or 5 white heaRAB but I haven't been through any of that for at least 6 years and since using my system.

The pills really don't help in the long run believe me and the alchoholic wipes and cleansing solutions are just not natural. Part of the problem is washing away your natural oils, I won't kid you your face might get worse before it gets better but you will feel good soon enough because it really works within a few months you will wonder what all the fuss was about.

You seem to be doing a lot of things right. I am glad you got something from my experiences because that's what I wanted to do. It's not a miracle cure by any means but it's just common sense and experience that I have learned over the years.

Speak to you soon mate. Best of luck with beating the acne problem although yours doesn't sound too bad really at the moment. Remeraber always be confident and be yourself don't hide.