I’ve suffered from breakouts for years and have tried the majority of products out there; both over the counter as well as prescription. Now I attribute most flare-ups to stress whether it be mental or physical (PMS is a bastard culprit) and have had tremendous results by finding the time for ritualistic baths, at LEAST twice a week before bed. I drop a bit of tea tree oil in a fairly hot bath and soak away. I’m no dermatologist but I’ve speculated that the relaxation as well as a good sweat session acts as a sort of detox process. I’ve also found a superb line of herbal antiseptic bath products by Kiss My Face (www.kissmyface.com) that I highly recommend. Not only do they clear up my skin but cost pennies compared to what I was shelling out for Retin-A and oral antibiotics.
P.S. They say caffeine is a major acne catalyst as well so watch your intake. I saw some improvement after cutting back from ten pots a day to one or two. 
Drink lots of water. Drinking 2-3 liters of water a day (which is about what is recommended for hydration purposes) does it for me. Also, I only wash with water; no soap, cleansers or anything like that.
Everytime I start to break out, I use some of it. I wont lie, it gets worse before it gets better.
But the results, at least for me, are great. The next day the zits are worse but the day after they’re not even visible.
None of the OTC stuff worked, neither did this greasy gel that I had prescribed (can’t remember what it was, though). I had really bad acne as a teenager, though, so that may have something to do with it.
These days, I have found that toothpaste can help with the occasional pimple - I put a tiny dab on the pimple and let it dry, go to sleep, and in the morning the skin on top will be dry and flaky, and if the pimple was one of those well under the skin (I HATE those kinds) there is a strong chance that it will be easily poppable.
Me too. Many years back when I had very bad acne, a doctor suggested that I use nothing on my face but a warm wet washer. So morning and night I would lightly rub my face and neck. In a few weeks the improvement was noticable.
You may want to go to http://www.nih.gov/niams/healthinfo/acne/acne.htm#acne_c to counter some of the less informed advice.
I may not be one to say anything on this subject because I very seldom ‘break out’, but I was told that any cleanser that foams will dry out your skin. I’ve been using Philosophy’s Real Purity Cleanser for a few years. It’s the consistency of a regular face soap, but doesn’t foam and doesn’t dry out my skin. I follow up with “Hope in a Jar”.
I was also told that if you keep switching cleansers & moisturizers, you can cause MORE breakouts. If you try a new cleanser, keep up with it for a few weeks and let your skin get used to it. All that switching may just ‘confuse’ your skin!
… and DON’T POP ZITS! It’ll leave a scar!
I also never had acne until I reached 19 or so. Now I get these horrible cystic things on occasion. I tried everything (including perscription stuff) and nothing worked really well. I found this stuff called Nature’s Cure in my local Walgreen’s (have also seen it at Target and other stores of that nature) and it’s working really well for me. Combo of pills to balance things out a bit and a cream to put on zits. Super drying, so don’t use it all over your face, but works like a charm. I haven’t had a breakout since about two weeks after I started using it.
Another aside, I get those cleavage pimples as well. While the pills seem to have no effect on body acne, the cream still takes care of them. Nature’s Cure also makes a formula specifically for body acne, but I don’t want to use both. It also comes in men’s and women’s formulas.
I’ve battled with facial and body cystic acne since I was about ten. My family and I tried everything. I went to various dermatologists and tried all sorts of over the counter and perscription products. Nothing worked to any degree worth mentioning until I tried Accutane. It actually worked well when I used it with Cetaphil Daily Cleanser. I had to take it for seven months instead of the usual five. And it was quite expensive, so not an option for everyone. But I’ve been off of it for about three months now and none of the cystic or body acne has returned. After the mess I used to deal with, I tickled to death to see only three or four small pimples on my face.
But then again, I started taking Orthocylen only a week after getting off Accutane. Perhaps that has helped the results.
[sub]Another plus for Accutane is that you can get drunk for very, very little money.[/sub]
Witch Hazel and Tea Tree Oil are good herbal remedies for external application. An internal one is Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus). Simmer it in water for about 10 minutes to make herbal tea and drink a couple cups a day. It’s a blood purifier.
I woundn’t recommend “clean with nothing but water,” unless your skin condition is really bad then it’s time to see doctors. Keep your skin clean is the key for getting beautiful skin. Actually lots of skin products work for acne, you just have to find the one suit for your skin.
I had very oily skin easily getting break outs. I tried Proactiv Solution(including cleanser, toner and lotion) for only 3 weeks. It worked just like it showed on TV, most of my acne were gone, no more new break outs. I didn’t keep using it because I think most acne curing products will dry your skin out. I went back with the skin care I always used the “CLINIQUE 3 Steps.” Another 3 weeks my ance were completely gone. My skin are better than ever. I used Estee Lauder, Chritian Dior… now I have the perfect skin that I don’t have to worry about switching brands chould harm my skin.
The product I used wouldn’t be the best for you, but it works the best for my skin. Remember, “clean” is the key. Here are some good tips on young looking skin (from my mom, she looks younger than most women in their thirties. She is over 50. Oops, should that be her secret?)
If you wear makeups, before washing your face using makeup remover.
Using natural facial sponge or facial cleanser brush to help deep clean your face. Warm water prefered.
Toner is neccessary for a firm looking skin.
Eye lotion! Start using it as early as possible. My mom said girls should take special care of their eye eara after they pass 24. I still have couple years to go, but I started already.
Night cream: besides applying on your face,don’t forget your neck. Day Cream: choose SPF 10 or 15, using it year around.
Brands: using products from the same manufacture, in another words, same brand for all your skin care products(not makeups). Want to change for something else, change them all, from cleanser to lotion to mask,etc. Another thing, want to look young, forget about saving money.
For mature skin: products involving placenta is the best for dry or wrikling skin. The best product I know is Shiseido’s Revitalizing Cream. The price might be high for some people, but hey, you get what you pay for.
Mask: do it at least once a week.
Toss a Oil-Absorbing Sheets pack in your bag, it removes excess facial oil instantly, help your skin breath better.
Food and beverages: drink lots of water instead of soda or alcohol. Drinking and smoking cause skin aging faster. Eat less grease food.
There are lots of secrete acient Chinese receipies good for skin, maybe I will get some from my mom next time.
Listerine (applied topically (on the pimple))
I wash once in the morning and once at night with Dr. Bronner’s magic soap, then at night before bed I pat on some witch hazel, let it soak in, then annoint myself with tea tree oil. Tea tree oil works wonders, but some people are sensitive to it. I guess my skin is tough enough that I can slather myself up with it, but if you haven’t used it before I’d recommend dabbing a little bit on each pimple, and see how that goes.
Well, I’m going to work tomorrow and I’m printing this thread out in text so I can try some of the various products.
My skin is looking like HELL for me-all red and blotchy with a few big zits-mild acne, but I really hate it, as it fucking HURTS. It’s the humidity.
I tried toothpaste-but it burned so much I had to wipe it off. Now my skin is even WORSE.
WAAAH.
Question, though. I KNOW they say that food doesn’t cause acne, but what is the truth on that? My mother INSISTS it does, and I’m starting to wonder if maybe the food you eat could factor in to healthy skin and what not.
:mad: =big red zit.
OT: You really have to hand it to Chinese women, most of them stay good-looking much later in life than European women. In Malaysia the contrast was especially obivious. Most of the British, Australian, and German women there have stopped attempting to maintain their looks in the tropical climate and just, I’m sorry to put it like this, frumped out. The Asian women, especially the Chinese, do a great job of staying youthful for many more years. I can attest that the beauty secrets China Girl refers to really have something going for them.
Since Monday, I’ve been washing my face three times a day with St. Ives Clear Pore Facial Cleanser with tea tree extract. My skin FEELS better, although the zits are still here-well, they were there from my period, so it’s not like they’re gonna go away yet.
sigh
My doctor recommended this as kind of a last resort treatment. So when not much else worked, I went on this and a few months later my skin was almost completley clear. It’s been about two years since and unfortunatley some of my acne has returned, but it is still not as bad as it was before, and I am thinking about going back on it in a little while.
Just for those of you who might be taking this, a few pointers:
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Accutane works by basically shutting down the oil producing your body does, so your skin will be EXTREMLEY dry (I’m talking you’re entire face is burning and peeling and hurting like hell and sometimes the skin will crack and ooze) unless you take precautions, I found a lotion called Lac-Hydran 5 that worked well.
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Due to the dry skin, you are very vunerable to sunburn, I put on SPF-45 every morning and still got burned when I wasn’t careful.
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Deoderant soap will dry your skin even more, so don’t use it. Even regular soaps seemed to harsh, and I found that Purpose soap was the best that I could find.
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The eyes will also be very dry and night vision can be very limited. (A friend of mine even went night-blind a few times). So use a natural tears product.
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Accutane will cause some very drastic birth defects, even if it is a guy using it and he gets a girl pregnant. And while you may get drunk really easy, I think I remember reading something about how dangerous that can be.
So if anyone is going to use Accutane, don’t wait until you feel the effects to use the special lotions, soaps, and eye drops.
Some of you may also wonder why anyone would want to go through that, it is because most people use Accutane for five months and then their acne is gone for quite some time, if not forever.
I’m lucky and don’t get pimples too often, however, when I do, I dab Polysporin on it - it’s and antibacterial ointment.
It seems to get rid of the pimple pretty quickly.
Al.
For example, check out Connie Chung. She looks practically the same as she did 30 years ago!