I'm breaking out......HELP!!!

It could be the face washes that you are using.

I was never the sort of person who had bad acne. Even when I was a kid and never washed my face I never broke out. Last year I had horrible acne. Bad to the point where I felt the need to wear foundation on my face and makeup all the time and I hate foundation! I tried all types of acne medicine and my acne only got worse.

Then I was on vacation and there were a few days where I forgot to wash my face. Low and behold my acne started getting better so I did a test. I washed my face with the acne stuff. Next day break-out city. I am allergic to the syacillic acid in the washes and that was causing my breakouts.

I now use an anti-bacterial bar (by cetaphil although there are other brands you can get) to wash and I use rubbing alcohol as my astringent. It has been 7 months and I have not had any massive eruptions.

I'd try an antibacterial bar. The only reason I did that was because a friend of mine said that if went to a dermatologist they would probably do a culture to see if that's what it was so I decided to try it myself and literally within a week my acne was so much better.

I know that rubbing alcohol is probably NOT the best thing for my face but after my fiasco with the other "acne" stuff I wanted to steer away from the normal astringents.

IF it doesn't work then I would suggest going to a dermatologist.

I thought this was about a prison breakout. Never mind.

Could it be that your face is too dry? If you are washing too often, your skin will produce more oils and that may clog your pores as well. Use a really mild face wash and make sure you moisturize with a really light moisturizer that is non comedogenic (won't clog pores). Hope that helped.

It really depends on your skin. For me, almost any and all things make me break out. Even last year, my skin performed a chemical peel on itself because it didn't like what I was using in addition to the harsh winter air (very painful).

Anyways, what I have found that works for me is Cetaphil in the morning and before I go to bed. And in the shower I use the Biore steam activated cleanser like half way through. My skin is super soft now!

I'd try an antibacterial bar. The only reason I did that was because a friend of mine said that if went to a dermatologist they would probably do a culture to see if that's what it was so I decided to try it myself and literally within a week my acne was so much better.

I know that rubbing alcohol is probably NOT the best thing for my face but after my fiasco with the other "acne" stuff I wanted to steer away from the normal astringents.

IF it doesn't work then I would suggest going to a dermatologist.

I never had an acne problem before, but all of the other cleansers on the market didn't do much for my skin. I use Neutrogena antibacterial soap, and I haven't had a problem since. I have combination skin.

If you haven't gone to a doctor or dermatologist, then you probably should. They get paid for this! :]

I agree however it helps to try other methods before you go this route. They could do a culture and end up finding out that it's bacterial related and then they will push THEIR cleansers and tell you you need to take medicine for it etc. etc.

I did the antibacterial bar and it worked for me. Had it not and I still had horrible break outs then I would have gone to a dermatologist. That should be the last resort, especially since the OP pointed out she doesn't have the money for it.

Avalon Organtics Vitamin C face cream and get the toner as well. I swear by it. About $13 a bottle.

(Walmart)

Okay, true story about my skin: I have always had acne. I mean, I hit 12 and it showed up and has never left. I'm now 23. It runs in my family to have adult acne for life so needless to say, I've tried almost every product on the market. What I have recently started doing, which seems to help quite a bit, is washing my face with oil. It sounds pretty crazy, and when I first heard about it I was really skeptical. If you think about it though, you can't dissolve oil (from your face) with water. They don't mix. So it doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense to wash with all these fancy "oil-free" cleansers. All these cleansers do is strip your skin of its natural protection which makes your face freak out and go "Oh crap, we have no oil, must produce extra to fix it!" and then with dirt and dead skin cells getting lodged in your pores with all that oil, you get breakouts. So what I do now, is I use coconut oil and rub it into my face at night which dissolves my make-up and then I use a very warm (but not hot) damp washcloth to remove the oil and gently exfoliate. Whatever oil remains on your skin is fine to leave there as moisturizer. My skin still isn't perfect, but I've seen a huge improvement!

Your mousse in your hair could defo be causing problems too! People often break out because their hair-care products get onto their skin and cause it to become dry/irritated. Maybe you should think about working out in the morning before you apply product to your hair or washing your hair quickly before going to workout? It might be worth a shot! Especially if you find you break out a lot along your hair line!

Best of lucky buddy!

I NEVER had acne until I was adult. Seriously--at 29 I started breaking out. I use ProActiv, and it is GREAT!!! I love it. They have a sample for like $19.99 to try it. I suggest trying it.

Also, I bring facial wipes to wipe my face after exercise. I find that I cannot leave even the smallest bit of dirt on my face. I do it RIGHT after I finish. It helps a lot.