So here’s my current face care routine:
Wash face with either face cleaner in my shower
Use benzoyl peroxide cream stuff
Apply curel lotion very sparingly.
This happens about twice a day.
However, it doesn’t work. I’ve heard good things about AcneFree, so today i bought some. With a $20 price tag, though, I want to make sure it works before I open the box. Have any of you guys used this before?
Mmm…Well, it really depends. How old are you? What kind of skin do you have? Sensitive? Do you use sunblock? Makeup? Is the water in your shower hard? (you shouldn’t wash your face in the shower, btw, and use cool or lukewarm water)
I know it’s a lot of questions, sorry. I generally get all my stuff here . The OTC stuff isn’t all that great, tends to make your skin greasy or dry it out. The professional skin care products are a bit more expensive, but well worth it 
Oops… sorry. I’m 17, chronically oily skin, although that may be a byproduct of too much cleaning or something… sunblock/makeup, no.
Get a gentle cleanser (your skin is oily because you’re drying it out), something for combination skin. A good moisturizer, and use it every night before you go to bed. Up to you if you want to use sunblock…I do, but I have very fair skin.
IIRC, that site will do a free analysis for you, and let you know what you should be using to even out your complexion. If you have a little extra cash, you can always hit a day spa and get an opinion about product from them.
I did go there for the analysis last night before you even said anything… great minds thinking, etc., I suppose.
I guess though, with the high price of the other things on there, I might as well just use this thing I have here. It consists of the cleanser (check!) a toner (that… closes my pores? I feel stupid that I’m about to use some unknown liquid on my face…), and some repairing lotion (which I assume moisturizes)
It seems paradoxical that the lotion has benzoyl peroxide in it… so it moisturizes and drys at the same time?
No moisturizer, unless you have dry patches. Despite the myths (largely perpetrated by skin care companies), moisturizer does not inhibit the skin’s oil production. Moisturizer on oily skin just means really oily skin. Use a gentle, non-irritating cleanser; Cetaphil for oily skin is supposed to be excellent although I seem to have a mild allergy to it, so I can’t vouch for it. (It’s a cheap drug-store brand, though!)
Be careful with benzoyl peroxide. It can help a lot, but most preparations at the drug store are 10% concentration, and that’s high enough that it can be irritating to the skin. It may help in the short term while worsening your acne in the long term - any irritant on your skin is liable to make the zits worse.
I use a cleanser I order from http://www.cosmeticscop.com/ (her books are a useful resource if you’re obsessed) and she sells several very reasonably priced skin care products - including lower-concentration benzoyl peroxide preparations.
If normal skin care doesn’t work, go to the doctor before the department store. I tried Differin for a while (it’s related to Retin-A but it wasn’t irritating to my skin in the slightest) with excellent results. A lot of prescriptions are probably actually cheaper than the expensive beauty-counter stuff and they’re sure to be more effective. You can try Retin-A, Differin, topical antibiotics, azelaic acid - there’s several topical treatments for acne that are extremely effective.
Well, a young friend of mine [straight male of all things…] uses a line of products thay he sent my name in to but I don’t have the money to buy…
BUT -
The regimen is fairly simple. An olive oil based liquid that you gently rub all over your face, followed by a very basic glycerine soap with no additives, perfumes or colors. This is followed by a toner of some sort [they dont say much other than it has olive leaf extract in it and i think it might be witch hazel based] and then pure olive oil as a finishing moisturizing lotion.
The catalog came with a tiny sample of each item, plus it had other products for different types of skin types. But in each case the hallmark seemed to be very basic, pure and natural ingredients.
I did give it a try, and it was very nice [though i admit i never moisturize though I did use the olive oil=)] and it seemed to be very comfortable and seemed to help with my [tmi] female monthly slight acne problem.
On the whole, using it has helped Mike, his face is worlds better. I think that just massaging in pure olive oil to get into the pores to lift out dirt, and washing your face with pure glycerine soap [i have a friend who makes soap for a hobby and she gets pure unadulterated glycerine soap wholesale so you might be able to get away with getting it…i can get the web address for you if you like, username @ earthlink dot net] and follow up with basic drugstore witch hazel and if you need a moisturizer pure extra virgin olive iol=)
FWIW, I always wash my face morning and evening when I am not working, and if i am working i add in a wash when I get home from work…I dont wear makeup, and I just use pure glycerine soap that I get off my friend=) I dont add the olive oil washing or toner, but I tend to be lazy=) and my monthly minor acne isnt that bad=)
I just started using Proactiv in November and it has really made a difference with my skin. I wish I would’ve taken some “before” pictures so I could show what a difference it’s made.
I signed up at Proactiv to automatically receive a new supply of face care supplies every two months. It costs me about $45 for each shipment (every 2 months) but I’m still using the stuff that came in my first shipment back in December. I have two unopened shipments but I’m just going to keep stockpiling them and when I feel have enough I’ll cancel my proactiv membership.
Anyway… I never had bad acne or anything… just an occasional breakout. I feel like I’ve used every kind of cleanser, toner, moisturizer that’s out there but I swear by this stuff. I’ve only had one breakout since using Proactiv and that’s it!
I follow the regimen at www.acne.org. It has worked wonders.
I’ll second the cosmeticscop recommendation. I had bad skin (not bad enough for medical treatment) until I started following the simple, and relatively cheap, routine. I don’t use toner, and I rarely use moisturizer. I get compliments on my skin quite frequently now. Someday I’ll post before & afters on one of these acne threads.
Paula’s Choice cleanser for oily skin
Paula’s Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Lotion (this does add an element of moisture, too)
That’s ALL. Morning & Night. I occasionally use her low-concentration Benzoyl Peroxide lotion (2.5%, I believe) in the eve. instead of the beta hydroxy when I feel I might break out.
I’ve also used Cetaphil as cleanser with some success, but I like Paula’s gel cleanser better.