Major Acne issues

In microbiology we are currently learning about the bacteria that cause acne. Your mama could be right about the toxins, but I think it is because you are sweating more. The bacteria that cause acne like the oils on our face. Since you are working out and sweating more your face is going to have more oil secreted on it.

If I were you I would use an exfoliating face wash after your workout and see if that clears things up.

Let me know how it works. Good luck!

Your body should regulate soon. Here is a great acne soap to check out for only 5 bucks:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/116333-great-acne-soap-that-actually-works?hl=akne#posts-1588235

I will have to watch this thread because I have the same problem. I NEVER had issues with my skin and now I loose 80+lbs...but am a total zit face! And I really have to watch how often I wash my face and what products I use-because I have very sensative skin and my face will be raw.

I'm exactly the same and it happens every time I start a diet.. I started cutting out rubbish on Sunday and, low and behold, I am today the not so proud owner of a huge volcanic eruption on my chin and smaller ones located in other places around the face.
I'm pretty sure it is the impurites being discharged from your body, especially if you are drinking more water than usual too. All those excess fats that your body has been storing have to go somewhere and better out than in as they say :-)

I would recommend washing your face immediately after working out. Most likely your breakouts are due to sweating. I would try a face wash that has some sort of acne medicine in it, like salitic (sp?) acid or other anti-bacterial agent. I currently am using a face wash made by noxemia, and it is a triple antibiotic face wash that is not harsh on my very sensitive skin. You might try that

Oh man...there are so many factors here that could be causing it....

Yes working out could literally be pushing toxins out or causing your skin to break out..

I personally cut back on dairy and my skin cleared up so not sure if you have a lot of dairy in your diet or not but you could try that..

The one thing you don't want to do is go crazy cleaning and using astrigents or chemicals because if you irritate the skin, it prolongs the initial problem. If it doesn't clear up to what you are use to in teh next few weeks-month, maybe visit a dermatologist?

I used to have beautiful skin until I got in my 30's. The doctor put me on the pill and it went away.

could be true, I'm not a dermatologist (sp?), but I have had my fair share of acne issues.

Tips:

Check your cleanser, and make sure it's not over drying your skin.
Always use moisturizer after washing
Drink lots and lots of water.


Just like our body types, our skin-types are not all the same. Since you are changing up your life, your body and skin are reacting to those changes. What may have worked well for you in the past might not be quite as effective as it used to be.

Hi! Skincare professional here.....

First things first.... True acne is caused by a thicker than normal sebum and bacteria blocking pores. What you are describing is not acne. If you have never had acne in the past, it is not likely that you are going to have it. Your sebum production will most likely lessen with age. You are simply having a bad breakout. Yes it will clear up. And yes, your mom is partly correct. However, if your skin is pushing out toxins, you will most likely notice it on more than just your face. Check your back and butt, those are pretty common areas to. Also, your lifestyle changes are causing changes internally. In addition to pushing out toxins, you are probably having a hormonal reaction. This will all clear up if you stick to your healthy lifestyle without making too many sudden drastic changes... and follow my protocol below. :flowerforyou:

There are 5 steps to skincare. Adding a proper regimen to your healthy lifestyle will keep you looking young and vibrant and feeling amazing!

Before I explain the steps you need to know your skin type. When you wake up in the morning, before you cleanse, tear off a piece of brown paper bag. Press it to your forhead, then a clean spot to your chin, then a clean spot to your cheeks. If you see oil on the bag, you are oily in that area. ONLY if you are really oily all over should you use products for oily skin. Otherwise, you will want something for combonation skin- which is the most common type. If you have no oil anywhere, you have dry skin and should look for a product made for dry skin.

1. CLEANSING-- Do not go buy an acne regimen like Proactive! (Man do we in this feild hate that product, lol) Using products designed for acne can actually make it worse. Take the advice above with the brown aper bag and make sure you are using an appropriate cleanser. Cleanse every morning and every night no matter how tired you are, how drunk you are, how blah, blah, blah..... Just do it. Plus get some of those disposable cleansing cloths to wipe your face after you workout or are outside in the elements for a period of time. If you workout in the morning, then just save your morning cleanse for afterwards. Just make sure you do it RIGHT after. I would recommend double cleansing, especially at night and if you wear any makeup. All that means, is you cleanse once to remove the surface debris, then again to get deep down in the pores. You can use the same cleanser to do this, just double up. You may notice results withing just a few days doing this.
Dermalogica makes a seperate product for this purpose. It is called Pre-cleanse. It is formulated of mainly oils. Like attracts Like; therefore, pre-cleansing pulls up all the surface oils and then you use your regular cleanser that gets into the pores. Pretty awesome product. If you are rich, I highly recommend it. :laugh:

2. TONE-- Simple enough. I like the spray toners, but you can use the regular ones in the bottle and apply with cotton. Or put it in your own spray bottle. Just a few spritzes after you cleanse will restore your pH balance and they feel good too. Make sure you get a toner, not astringent. Astringent just continues the cleansiing process... but if you use a good cleanser and double cleanse as described, that is plenty. All you want to do is restore pH. That is it with this step.

3. MOISTURIZE-- Probably the most misunderstood step EVER! Do not skip this just because you are breaking out. Oil and moisture are NOT the same. Your skin NEEDS moisture to heal. Opt for an oil free kind without all the fragrances and stuff. Make sure during the day you are using a moisturizer with an SPF and reapply if you will be out in the sun. At night, if you want some extra benefits, use a cream. Night creams are formulated thicker because the body is healing itself while you sleep so the extra stuff really gets used well during that time.

4. EXFOLLIATE/MASQUE-- Just once per week is enough. Exfolliating removes the first layer of the epidermis which is just dead cells, leaving your skin glowing. Plus, when it comes to breakouts, all that dead stuff is mixing with the oils on the skin and clogging pores and creating a breeding ground for bacteria which cause those nasty painful red buggers! There are 2 tyoes of exfolliants. Chemical and mechanical. I like chemical because you don't have to scrub, they just eat the dead stuff and you rinse away. Mechanical are usually gritty- think that apricot scrub that everyone swears by- when you rub it around your face it kind of scratches the dead stuff away. (I mention the apricot stuff because it's not really any good. The grits are too large and too harsh to really get the job done. The extra cheap ingredients in the scrub kind of "fill" in the scratches and give the illusion of a smooth, soft face. In short, it's just not really exfolliating.)

After you exfolliate put on a masque. Have fun with this part. Go to a local public beauty supply and you will probably find a ton of different kinds. Anything with clay will be good for clearing oils. Anything with sea ingredients will be good for protecting and moisturizing. Seriously, go crazy. Try a new one every week till you find one you just can't live without. Then put it on, kick back and relax. Some are really thick and need to harden. Some need to be peeled off- ALWAYS PEEL UPWARDS!

5. SPOT TREAT-- There are two type of spot treatments. Salicylic acid based and benzoyl peroxide. During the day, for regular pimples, stick to salicylic acid. Netrogena makes a pretty good one. They are usually clear gels and can't be spotted while your going about your day. Save benzoyl peroxide treatments for those big, red pimples that hurt. (The bacteria that cause those don't like oxygen, thats why they hurt so bad and get so big.) Benzoyl peroxide delivers oxygen into the pimple and it kills them. These are best used over night because it's usually white. You don't want to mix it with your moisturizer or makeup because it weakens the strength. OXY makes a good one that is 10%. It's great on body acne. Make sure to ONLY use it on pimples. Do not let it touch the surrounding skin because it is VERY drying.

Neutrogena makes some pretty good stuff all around, but they test on animals. I like their stuff otherwise, but sometimes it can be a little too harsh IMHO. Plus, some of the chemicals in the products are just not really neccessary.
I am Dermalogica trained and I believe that it is the greatest product in the history of the world. BUT it's pricey. You can check it out if you like, I swear by the stuff. http://www.dermalogica.com/us/html/products.html
Some other good products I like to recommend are Pharmagel, Arbonne, Bioelements, GLO (http://www.gloskincare.com/products.asp?c=10) and skinceuticals

If you wear makeup, make sure to cleanse it off fully before you turn in for the night. And use makeup that is kind to your skin. Mineral makeup is great, Glo Minerals is the BEST and it lasts all year. So if you look into it and the price frightens you, remember it's a once per year deal

I hope that helps you. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions. I'm a skincare science nerd. This is my passion!

Thank you for the skincare advice!

Are you washing your face immediately after working out? When I didn't, I would break out like CRAZY. I have to share what I've been using on my face for the past 6 months and it has totally transformed my skin. ... Baking soda! I wash my face with soap (Usually I use Ivory) and follow with a baking soda paste, rubbing in light circles (do not scrub). I honestly haven't had a break out since the day I started doing that.

Timely post. I've just noticed the same thing. My skin has always been really clear & bright... but is looking a bit pimply lately. I generally use Neutrogena or Aveeno products (they're in my price range and readily available, plus easy on my sensitive skin). I almost always use a wash with salicylic acid... but I'm thinking I might need to switch up my moisturizer, too.