Skincare help

lmarshel

google clarisonic. Completely banished my blackheads, and also see a difference in texture and fine lines, helped fade old purple scars from past breakouts. Life changing.

I would second this. I don't have a huge acne problem, but I did have some issues with hormonal acne after I hit 35. I use my Clarisonic brush every single day and rarely break out now.

You might also try going to an esthetician for a facial and some free advice on the side. It might be less expensive than a dermatologist. Obviously, they don't prescribe any medicines but could help with your overall skin care routine.

I second that you might be doing too much to your skin. Sounds like you're throwing a lot of product at it with few results. Sometimes less is more...

Hope you find a solution soon

iLoveMyPitbull1225

My mom bought a clarisonic brush, I used it a few times and its cool but idk about spending that much money on it.

The acnefree system sounds really good I have seen it in stores before.

trkilpatrick

I wish that someone would have told me when i was a teenager about how to take care of my face!!! I am a cheap *kitten* and so my face cleaning routine is not expensive at all!!
I only shower (and wash my face) in the morning because that is pretty much the only time i work out. plus, i wait until toward the end of the shower to start to wash my face so that my pores are wide open. 3X a week (Mon, wed and Fri), in the shower, i use an exfoliating cleanser w/ 2% salicylic acid, then i use a store brand foaming facial cleanser, again with 2% salicylic acid. On the days that i don't exfoliate, i use just the facial cleanser. When i get out of the shower, i use an apple cider vinegar mix (8 parts water to 1 part vinegar) as an astringent just on a cotton ball. Then i moisturize with my 5 dollar bottle of clean and clear moisturizer. i can't remember the exact name of it but it is in a white bottle with a purple lid. I do still deal with pimples but not near as much as it used to be and so when i do get them, i use a spot treatment with either salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.
My mother's side of the family had the acne and so for me it is genetic too
Hope this helps!! good luck!

auria17

Hi, I never had acne as a teen and my skin is still good now, but within the last few mths I may have developed a light case of Rosacea, this would be really really bad as there is no way to get rid of it. But I have managed to get it under control, here are the things that I have tried most are natural and have a added benefit for the skin.

1. Take omega-3 fatty acids, the best one for skin would be DMAE it is hard to find so order off of bodybuilder.com hopefully you are in the US if so it wont cost that much to ship to you.
2. As a topical treatment Rose oil and Tamanu oil have been pretty good. Also see if you are covered for Homeopathy if you are they might be able to put together a good remedy.
3. Light therapy is amazing for acne. LED lights in Red and Blue the light kills the bacteria that creates the acne and the red helps your skin to regenerate. I would say if you are really dedicated to getting rid of this skin issue do some research and either go to a professional or order the lights for home use. Do not go cheap on the lights, LED will last 10,000 hours but cost a lot. If you buy cheap lights they will not be as effective.

Hope this helps a bit, there is nothing wrong with wanting to have healthy beautiful skin, diet is also a factor, journal and see if there are trigger foods that are causing worse outbreaks.

iLoveMyPitbull1225

I have considered that diet may be a factor, but I have been eating so much better in the past 4 months than ever in my life so I really have a hard time thinking that my diet is the cause. However, I think seating at the gym might be a factor. I have been washing my face the last 2 days after working out so that the makeup, daily dirt and sweat get off my face and dont sink in, but its only been two days so idk if its helping or not.

Thanks for all the responses so far, I would love more opinions

iLoveMyPitbull1225

bump

sinclare

eat less (ie no) dairy. sounds weird but it is huge.

clairsonic really helps if you can afford it.

google the "aspirin mask" an exfoliant that works and is cheap.

google the "oil cleansing method" sounds crazy, yes, but I am old and I had terrible skin for years. and it is the best thing I ever did.

I agree with most posters who say you are doing too much. your skin is out off balance, and all the products just irritate it more. You dry it out, and it produces more oil to try to get in balance again. then you irritate it more. then it gets red/inflamed. then you use more products to counteract the redness. This is what I did forever.

ease up on the moisturizer. just put it around your eyes and let your pores breathe.

even if you don't do the oil cleansing method, read it and give yourself a steam facial a couple nights a week. then put nothing on your skin, let it breathe at night.

It may get worse for a couple weeks ( your body cleansing itself) but it will get better!

hope some of this helps

iLoveMyPitbull1225

actually I have heard of the oil cleansing method on another thread on MFP. It seems like fighting fire with fire in a sense? Like you said, making sure not to have adequate oils on the skin so that my body doesnt over produce. I also read about the dairy...That is something I will try also.

Thank you

LaLouve_RK

ahahahah @ killing yourself with accutane... The MAJOR side effect are dry nose, eyes, skin, lips and so on. And I add absolutely no side effects.. a lil dry lips that's about it... still...accutane is only for REAL problem skin.

Nutrition? Not a real factor. I did so many dermato... trust me. Of course if your diet consist only of pizza, McDo and chocolate, it wont help... otherwise food has no bad effect.

ironicusername

Using exfoliating products can cause way more problems than they fix. I'd say lay off them for a bit and see if it helps. Also, I'd recommend using products for sensitive skin. You might also want to try tea tree oil, jojoba oil or castor oil. They're all pretty cheap and they are all used to naturally treat acne because of their antibacterial/antifungal properties and they don't clog pores. Gentle just may be the road you need to take.

Also, when I used to have bad acne I did use 10% benzoyl peroxide cream. It dried the hell out of my skin (you def need a good moisturizer), but it helped tremendously. I still use it to spot treat.

iLoveMyPitbull1225

I did decide to go off the exfoliating wash and returned it to the store in exchange for some cetaphil...The dermatologist I used to see always reccomended it as well as a few other suggestions i have heard. Gonna get benzol peroxide too....Hoping it helps. And yay I have a visit from aunt flow scheduled for this week too so my skin is def gonna FREAK out.

Jennloella

My mom bought a clarisonic brush, I used it a few times and its cool but idk about spending that much money on it.

The acnefree system sounds really good I have seen it in stores before.

cleansing brushes you see in the stores "spin" not only is this pretty ineffective, but get too close to your hairline and your hair gets all tangled in the brush! The clarisonic "vibrates" hence the name, made by the same company that makes the sonicare tooth brush, it cleanses and sweeps out sebum/dirt/oil better than anything. Not too expensive for what it does you can get a basic one for 119. Plus you will go through your cleanser and other skincare slower because you will use less. I'm just a believer!! After tossing dollars and dollars out on crap creams and lotions, this is what gave me clear, even, soft skin! I'm a makeup artist, and I can always tell when a customer uses a clarisonic.....

iLoveMyPitbull1225

Update for anyone who gives a flying f***,

my skin is WAY WORSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




I use cetaphil as directed. Oil free moisturizer 2 times a day. acnefree terminator ( benzol peroxide 5%) Once a day. My skin is worse. the skin around my eyelids ( i dont even put it there?) and the perimiter of my nose are extremely itchy and flaky.




So depressed I'm gonna have to go see a dermatologist. In a month.

nothing1994

Its the benzol peroxide


Like i said before: u need to cool down on the chemicals

Huggybearz75

eat less (ie no) dairy. sounds weird but it is huge.

clairsonic really helps if you can afford it.

google the "aspirin mask" an exfoliant that works and is cheap.

google the "oil cleansing method" sounds crazy, yes, but I am old and I had terrible skin for years. and it is the best thing I ever did.

I agree with most posters who say you are doing too much. your skin is out off balance, and all the products just irritate it more. You dry it out, and it produces more oil to try to get in balance again. then you irritate it more. then it gets red/inflamed. then you use more products to counteract the redness. This is what I did forever.

ease up on the moisturizer. just put it around your eyes and let your pores breathe.

even if you don't do the oil cleansing method, read it and give yourself a steam facial a couple nights a week. then put nothing on your skin, let it breathe at night.

It may get worse for a couple weeks ( your body cleansing itself) but it will get better!

hope some of this helps

Agree wholeheartedly with the above post! Dairy, especially cow milk, can cause breakouts for a lot of people, including me. After I stopped drinking milk, my acne got tons better. Also, I agree with "less is more". Using too many products can make your acne worse.