Lsura, do you just put undiluted tea tree oil right on the zit, or do you mix it with something, and if so, what? I have a bottle of tea tree oil, mostly full, and would definitely try it if it works as well as you say it does.
I find that benzoyl peroxide dries my skin out very badly. I get this peeling, flaking thing that literally requires me to moisturize every hour on the hour or I look like my face is flaking off. Very unattractive. Anyone else have this happen? What do you do about it?
Retin-A has helped me; I still get cysts, but they are fewer and more quickly resolved. I was very sad when I ran out for a while and got more as soon as I could. I am finding the zits that I do get are more surface ones that resolve after one popping. Also, I’ve been using it on and off for the last 7 years and I have almost no wrinkles whatsoever on my face, which is a great side effect for a thirtysomething.
I go with dabbing it straight on the zit - it can be a little drying, but not too bad (the stuff from the Body Shop was worse about drying, probably because of the alcohol that’s in it).
I can’t handle benzoyl peroxide for that reason - I will react the first day I use it, so I just avoid it. I’ve always had skin problems - if it’s not zits, it’s eczema on my arms (but it’s gotten much less severe than it was when I was younger. Now I can just use a general moisturizer on my arms during the coldest/driest times of the year and I’m ok).
I’m 30 and have had cystic acne for years and years. Probably half my life now. Took two courses of Accutane as a teen. The best thing that’s come along for me in years is Minocycline - which is an antibiotic, but it also acts as an anti-inflammatory. It got rid of the nasty giant-painful-things-in-tender-places like nothing else I’ve seen.
If you are female, you might want to look into spironolactone. It has worked beautifully for me. It’s a prescription drug for high blood pressure that also blocks aldosterone, which has the effect of blocking androgens, which reduces oil production and therefore acne.
The best thing I found for clearing up existing breakouts was lemon juice.
(by the way–I think the person from whom I found out about spironolactone, who posted as “tigerlily” on an acne board, also posts here. If so–thank you so much.)
I actually recommend changing pillow cases very regularly. I think bacteria and dirt sticks to them easily and your face is lying on it all night, which cant be good. I’m gonna buy lots of new pillow cases today so I can change em every day or 2 now.
I found out that the best way to put a damper on acne is to join the service, specifically, a branch of service in a job, like infantry.
I know this sounds silly, but it’s the best solution to nipping adult acne n the bud for men, as it is an environment where you are guaranteed to sweat a lot and get a lot of sun during boot camp, particularly the Marines or the Army.
I did Army basic and infantry school when I was 20 and it forever more cleared me my face. Before that, I had typical oily skin and recurring acne.
But after three months of basic and infantry school at Ft. Benning, Georgia in the summertime (think 90 degrees in the
shade with 75% humidity), and my acne problem disappeared.
Of course, that was followed immeidately by eight years in the service, where we trained a lot in untold numbers of inhospitable locations, like the desert, etc., so I think lifestyle has something to do with it too.
Nevertheless, one think that helped make my acne and oily skin problems disappear rather quickly during basic and infantry school were a couple of things:
Drinking lots and lots of water all day, every day;
Vigorous physical activity and running in the sun;
Decontamination practice (we used alcohol pads to simulate decon wipes, which you have to use in case of chemical attack to decon your face) several times a day;
Shaving with a blade and razor every morning (gets the crud out of your pores);
I’m 30 and have had acne since I was about 9. I won’t do Accutane, but here’s what has worked best for me. My dermotologist had me do a course of oral antibiotics, which worked on my skin very quickly. Obviously, you can’t stay on antibiotics forever, but then you start with the topicals.
Right now I’m using three prescription topical acne meds: Retin-A Micro (a stronger version of Retin-A); clindamycin (a topical antibiotic, brand name version is Cleocin); and Brevoxyl-4 Gel (a strong benzoyl peroxide).
Works pretty well. I still get zits, but nothing like before.
My apologies for bumping this thread, but I wanted to add that I just ordered the Oxzit (link in OP) and am eagerly awaiting its arrival! Once I start using it I’ll give an update on that as well, just as a testimony in case anyone else has a desire to try it. It’s not terribly expensive - about $14 for 2 small bottles - especially if it works.
I’m a senior in High School and I use a perscription medicine called Benzamycin - it works really good for me. I never get zits unless I forget to put it on at night. But my friend uses the same medicine and she says it doesn’t work very good for her. But it could be worth a shot if you haven’t tried it!
I have cystic acne. Sadly, I have never found anything that really worked for me over-the-counter.
The one thing that works for me (and I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread) is to go for regular visits to the dermatologist and have steroid injections directly into the cyst. It sounds horrible, and I admit that it isn’t a walk in the park, but boy oh boy does it work.
Weekly injections, along with nightly use of Benzamycin, pretty much cured me. Not a pimple to be seen! The injections take care of the cysts and the Benzamycin controls the whiteheads and the little pimples.
Good luck.
PS- Once I stopped going for the injections the cysts returned. I’m currently pregnant, so my treatment options are limited and my hormomes are going crazy. Hooray.
The only solution I have ever found was Ivory soap.
I went through tons of OTC products, washes, and creams. I’ve found tea tree oil and benzoyl peroxide way to harsh and ends up damaging the skin before its provides any solutions.
I wash with Ivory soap every morning when I wake up, every night right before I go to bed, and one more time during the day when I feel my face getting oily (usually after work).
I have had acne all my adult life. Because of doctor fear, I don’t know if it’s cystic or what. It’s never covered my face, but is usually 2-3 at a time, huge big inflamations. My problem is I’m a compulsive picker. Even though I know it’ll be worse, I can’t seem to help it. A while back I read on the board about using Mircle-Whip as a facial. It recommended doing it twice a day at first, then going down to once a day. I never really had time to do the twice a day, but I noticed a huge difference in the once a day, then twice a week regimen, to the point were relatives and co-workers were asking what i was doing to make my skin so great. I’ve fallen off the wagon in doing the facials, and I can see the difference in my skin. 'm 42 and my skin is finally better than it ever has been.
Since this is the IMHO board, I’d like to offer a very strange proof that topical creams are crap. While I can’t say ALL of them are crap, be assured that I have tried dozens:
My proof is that I keep getting a very large zit in the same place on my forehead. I know days in advance when I’m going to get one, and imediately begin applying cream. I’ll continue applying cream until the zit eventually goes away about a week later, but then I’ll get a second, right beside the first. I’m now on my third in the same area. But logically, that cream should have treated what ever was in that area. If the cream does what is claims to do, I should never ever get a zit in that area until I stop using a cream.
Can anyone offer any other reason why I would get a series of zits in the same place dispite using a cream?
I’d like to know, too. For about ten years, I’ve had a recurring zit underneath my left eye, next to my nose. Every few weeks, it makes yet another return.
I also tend to get symmetrical zits, where a zit will have a doppleganger in the exact mirror location on the other side of my face.
Lately, though, my zits have been much fewer and farther between.
RS**, are you allergic to aspirin? Most benzoyl peroxide products use salicylic acid (aspirin). I knew I was allergic to aspirin as a child, but couldn’t figure out why the acne products didn’t work on me as a teen until I scrutinized the ingredients. One thing that has always worked for me is Noxema.
BTW, I know some ladies have mentioned that their skin gets worse during that time of month. My problem is really strange, though. I do not have acne (save from the occasional white/blackhead), except about a week before “that time” I get a painful cyst on my chin (always the chin). I have tried to pop it, but all that comes out is clear fluid. Afterwards, it is worse and almost seems to “spread.” Eventually (about a week after it appears) the cyst goes down on its own, but does sometimes leave me with a pink spot that takes about another week to fade. WTF?
Use a fresh washcloth EVERY day. This has helped me a lot. I’ve heard of some people using one washcloth to wash, and another to rinse, but I don’t go that far.
IANAD, but perhaps you have a pore that is particularly prone to being blocked? I can tweeze out blackheads in some of my pores, and I’ve noticed that I don’t get zits in those places nearly as often. The blackhead to be tweezed out has to actually protrude a bit out of the skin, and I have to use splinter tweezers. I usually DO NOT actually squeeze the blackheads out, I just grab the tops and gently tug them out of the pore. This is followed by an astringent. I have very good close-range vision, though, much better than most people’s. This is because I’m quite nearsighted/myopic.
Isn’t that interesting? I’d love to know what ingredient in the Miracle Whip helps to clear up acne. (The vinegar, perhaps???) Anyway, I suppose that’s a helluva lot better than wiping your first pee o’ the morn on your face, which is another “remedy” I’ve heard about.
And ya know, if I got the occasional pimple here and there, I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad. But I get little pimples, big pimples, here, there, and everywhere. And I’m sick of them. :mad:
I just joined the acne.org site too, to read about and share in the acne woes of others.
