Not that I’m complaining, but I’d like to figure out what I did right so I can do more of it.
Basically, I recently changed many of my hygiene habits in quick succession, while I had some houseguests who distracted me from my normal routine. Now, my face is much clearer. It still breaks out occasionally, but the zits are smaller, less frequent, and they heal faster. I’d like to know which of these worked, so I can do more of it. So, I recently stopped
[ul]
[li]wearing any makeup but powder very infrequently[/li][li]washing my face twice a day (now I wash once a day)[/li][li]exfoliating with harsh abrasives or scrubby face sponges[/li][li]touching my face so much (I think this was after my face had already cleared up though, because if it’s clearer I have no reason to pick at it)[/li][li]putting any moisturizer or toner or acne medication on it except for the occasional benzoyl peroxide cream or salicylic acid/retinol spot treatment[/li][/ul]
So, which of these do you think are the reason(s) my face has cleared up? The makeup and not touching my face make sense (sorta- the makeup I use is always Neutrogena or Physician’s Formula made for sensitive & break-out prone skin like mine) but the washing my face less frequently doesn’t (there were a couple days when I didn’t wash my face at all). Do you think I can start washing my face again and using acne fighters on it? My mom just found one of those Pro-Activ type systems (face wash, toner, moisturizer with benzoyl peroxide, AHAs and retinol in it) on sale and bought it for me, so I’d like to try it out just so she didn’t waste her money. Do you have any personal experience where your face suddenly cleared up for seemingly no good reason?
I’d guess it’s a combination of “all of the above”. It sounds like you were being too abrasive with your skin before, and over-using cleansers in general. That always makes me break out.
I don’t think it would hurt to try the stuff your mom got for you. Just don’t go overboard & definitely stay away from the abrasive scrubs/sponges.
By any chance, is it called Acne Free for severe acne? The bottles are all orange? I just got that last Sunday, and have been using it all week. So far so good - my skin has cleared up a bit, and no new pimples. Plus, amazingly, it’s also not a flaky mess, which sometimes happens with these things.
Actually, each thing you have described sounds exactly like what I have always heard would help clear up acne. Even down to the less frequent face washings. I have hormonal acne, and really, as long as my face isn’t slicked with oil or just dirty, I have found it’s best to leave it alone. I never wear makeup except a little powder for the shine. I only use a rough exfoliant scrub occasionally when I notice flakiness or dullness. I rinse with cool water and pat dry frequently, but only wash with cleanser about once every day and a half.
My sister, on the other hand, has rather severe acne. I think the problem gets exacerbated the more you mess with it, and she’s all about trying new products and scrubbing. She also wears heavy makeup.
Sure, it’s worth a try to see how that product your mom got works for you, but in my experience, they’re all essentially the same. I think that exactly what you’ve done is find a more natural way to clear up your skin, for all the reasons you described. It’s about exactly what worked for me, save for the cystic pimples that have taken up permanent residence on my jawline.
Yeah, it could be any of those things…I would say especially laying off the makeup and scrubbies. Also, if your acne is like mine, sometimes it just likes to fuck with you by being unpredictable. You’ll probably wake up tomorrow with your face exploding and then you can use the stuff your mom bought!
ETA: I also meant to mention that I like the Neutrogena salicylic acid facial wash, but I thin it down with water and put it in a little spray bottle. That helps me to use a lot less of it per wash and it works as well as ever.
Laying off moisturizing probably helped most because the lotions can block the pores, did you exfoliate then moisturize?
Because then by exfoliating first you’ve opened up the pores then by the applying moisturizing cream you’ve clogged them back up which then can trap bacteria especially if you fiddle with your face a lot…which sounds weird.
To clear up spots my dermatologist told me not to apply moisturizer or creams because they’ll only clog.
Powders light on the face so carrying on with that I imagine shouldn’t make things worse.
I’ve never had acne by the way but have had bad spots.
Time Like Tears I honestly can say that when I did a supplement course of omega 3 6 and 9 my skin cleared up really well, probably helped along by other things but I’ll always recommend an omega supplement if anybody wants better skin.
I think that’s your culprit. I’ve had break out problems after using certain exfoliants (St. Ives was the worst). I think it pushes all the bad stuff further into your skin. Just my opinion.
I’ve been looking for something that works on my skin since Eucerin discontinued their Alpha Hydroxy moisturizing lotion, which worked wonders on my acne prone skin. I got the Definity cream free at work (Disclaimer: I work for the company that makes Olay) and decided to try it because it’s supposed to moisturize and reduce discolorations due to acne scarring, age, etc. After two months, I’m proud to say that it’s lived up to both of its claim AND didn’t make me break out, unlike all of the other Olay products that I’ve tried. (FTR, don’t try the Definity corrective lotion with SPF15 and the Regenerist lotion if you’re acne prone. Been there; done that.)
A few weeks back, I had to ship a sample of the Regenerist cleanser package overseas so I emptied it out in order to get it through Customs without a bunch of paperwork. Instead of throwing the product out, I decided to give it a try. I love it. I’m not sure it’s helped clear up my skin but I just love the texture and feeling that my skin is really clean before I put on the Intense Hydrating Cream.
My face is as clear as it’s been since I went off the Pill about 12 years ago. I’ve even gone out without wearing makeup at all recently, which is a real blessing. Unfortunately my free sample is about exhausted now and I priced it at Walgreens the other day. :eek: Holy crap! I didn’t want to buy the company!
Of course, since you started this thread, I’m beginning to think that maybe there’s some freakish global occurence that has caused all of our skin to improve…
Can you recommend a specific product? I don’t know much about the omega acids other than that they’re in fish and that I could probably use some more. I will do some research. If you know of a supplement that’s easy to take (ie no horse choker pills) I would love to know about it.
Coupled with my hormonal acne, my face also suffers because I am a smoker and probably don’t drink enough water. Aside from the cystic ickies, my issues spring mainly from clogged pores.
Do you have Holland and Barrett stores in the US? They sell a huge range of supplements and then you can find the one right for you, if not to H and B then any other health food stores around will probably stock these. I’m not too sure what the names of stores are though because I’m in UK.
Also all the omegas you can find are in flaxseed aswell as fish, but you would have to buy ground flaxseed because otherwise the seeds will just go straight through your body and you’ll absorb little nutrient, this is what I’m currently eating with yoghurt or cereal, it tastes like crumbled cookies to me, like the base of a cheesecake.
The capsules for fish oil are big but to be honest I chew them whilst drinking juice, thats unpleasent for some I imagine but it was the only way I could get it down me! There are combined capsules of Flax, Fish and Starflower Oil out there. Starflower (Borage) is rich in omega but a bit difficult to find. Omega 3-6-9 (uk site) that is the supplement I took which helped my skin. I’m sure theres the same thing in America.
The most widely available thing, I’m also imagining, would be Cod Liver Oil.
But if you can’t be arsed with any of that then eating oily fish like mackarel, trout and salmon will do you favours.
I used to try all kinds of different things to try to fight my acne, but it stubbornly persisted. When I gave up fighting it, it went away.
Stupid acne.
Seriously, though, for some months now I’ve been using nothing but a mild soap to wash and aloe vera gel mixed with a dot of vegetable glycerin and a drop of jojoba oil to moisturize. For the occasional odd zit I dab on straight tea tree oil and cover it with a glob of aloe gel before bed. My skin is now clear enough to go without makeup if I wanted to (which I don’t, because without makeup I look like Death’s tired aunt).
It sounds like you’ve discovered the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid) of zit control. Took me 20 years to figure it out. Often acne medicines and exfoliaters are so harsh, they make the problem worse.
This sounds kinda like me. I kinda cleared up all at once a few years back. In school, it was the heavy water that dried the hell out of my skin that did it.
I wash my face with face cleanser one before bed. That’s pretty much it.
Since it’s been mentioned here, what’s the deal with cystic acne and how does it differ from regular acne? I’ve never been able to go to a dermatologist so all I know about my face is that the majority of my acne occurs along the jawline and my cheeks near my nose. I’ll occasionally get one near the corners of my mouth, on my chin, or even less frequently, on my forehead.
A lot of it is the big, painful, swollen red acne as opposed to the smaller ones that come to a head quickly. Sometimes it never comes to a head, sometimes one will come to 2 or 3 heads, which is extremely gross.
And what about sunblock? I’m very pale, so I try to wear sunblock every day. I have a moisturizer with sunblock (and AHAs), then one facial sunblock with a higher SPF for beach outings and what-not. I haven’t been wearing those either, but really should start again.
i go to a dermatologist regularly for my rosacea. he cautioned against using scrub-type cleansers, saying that they could actually cause acne to flair up more.
he did give me a sample of a sunblock he recommended as non-clogging. it’s commercially available, but i can’t find my sample or remember the name off the top of my head. it’s at least an SPF-15, goes on like a cream but dries to a power-type finish. (like a number of foundations nowadays, which i love… but i digress.)
white plastic tube with blue cap, if that helps any. i’ll look harder for my sample, or ask for the name again during my next appointment.
My cystic acne would never come to a head. They got red and swollen till they hurt even when nothing was touching them. There was nothing to squeeze out, though. They usually took about three weeks to run their course.
I’m unhappy because I’m on Differin, which has eradicated the cystic acne, but made the small pimples flourish. Dunno what to do. Except go back to the dermatologist.
