Skincare help

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · July 2012

Good morning all

I have never had wonderful skin. Acne kind of runs in the family, especially my dads side. I had it when I was a teenager, but NO WHERE close to the severity that I have now at 21! It is so weird. I used to see a dermatologist but I felt like the results were mediocre for one, and for two, my mom was paying for it so frankly I didn't care the costs.

SO.....Fast forward about 3 years and now my skin is horrible. It might sound stupid but it is causing me severe confidence and self esteem issues. I currently use oil free moisturizers, regular foaming and exfoliating cleansers twice a day, oil free makeup (bare minerals). I just invested in some black head removal strips and used them last night, which was awesome. Definitely gonna be a new part of my routine. Still almost every morning I wake up with a new, huge, red painful zit. Plus a nose and chin riddled with blackhead bumps. WTF?!?!

Does any one else suffer from acne? I am wondering what works for you, especially if you have combination skin like I do. What are your favorite go to products? microdermabraison anyone? Skin care Routines? Please help however you can. I have been working SO hard on my body which has made my confidence and overall happiness soar, but then my skin just knocks me down.

edit: I am a student, so suggestions that are on the relatively inexpensive side would be really great.

Thanks in advance

nothing1994 · July 2012

Do you have a routine?

As in washing your face before you sleep etc?

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · July 2012

I shower in the morning. I wash my face every morning then, go to work, and then gym after that. Then I wash my face every night without fail, I refuse to sleep in makeup. I use a few different clarifying masks too.

nothing1994 · July 2012

Hmmm... your face wash is irritating your skin more. Or one of your products. This is going to seem annoying but list the products you use and in the order you use them?

Its the only way i can help lol

LaLouve_RK · July 2012

I hear ya on that! Has a teen I had the face covered and the majority was cystic zits. My dermato gave me all the creams available, and soaps such as Cetaphil.
No results.
I finally got on Accutane, a acne pill. My skin cleared up. Is not perfect but I dont have what I had back in the days.
Now it's just now and then, but I actually have success with Proactiv (cleaner, cream etc..) I am just bad at using it everyday. But it still works for me.

messyinthekitchen · July 2012

Yeah use the acne.org system. He has options that you can get yourself. I use Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser. Your face wash doesn't need to foam. That's irritating to your skin. After my skin dried I use, Clean & Claer persa gel 5 wait until that dries and then apply cetaphil moisturizer. I promise you your skin will clear up. I have pcos and have suffered from hormonal cystic ance since I was a teenage nothing worked. I have tried it all. My skin is clear, I have no acne scars anymore. But it is a routine you have to stick with. As time passes you can use less peroxide. I highly recommend going on the acne.org website and checking his program and instructions out. It's the best thing I have done for my skin. Everything together cost be about $25 and it lasted 2+ months. The only thing you have to buy often is the persa gel and it's $3. I hope you try this out.

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · July 2012

Megan- Yeah I will have to look in to that system. I dont use the foaming everyday, I dont feel like it does much. Scars are another big problem I forgot to mention, its so unattractive.

kellie- I took a similar pill but I believe it was called doxycycline (sp?) and I didnt really feel like it made a large difference, but that was about 4 years ago.

And Motivated, I use the go 360 clean exfoliating cleanser morning and night. I use neutrogena oil free moisturizer. And the foaming cleanser I use sometimes is clean and clear. I use mario badescu whitening mask to help with discoloration and a few other masks but I dont remember who makes them. But yeah thats about it.

nothing1994 · July 2012

We use the same moisturizer! :flowerforyou:

Ok so My skin was sooooo bad, but i think it looks much better now in my pic lol.

So first off, be gentle with your skin. I used to rub the *kitten* outta it when washing thinking im "getting it into my pores" LOL anyways, so use 2 fingers and go gentle. (That ending sounds dirty... :devil: )

Another thing i tried was not looking for products for "acne" because it might be that your skin dosent like the chemicals. Your skin can be getting irritated from all the chemicals they use to "help" acne. I tried Cetaphil and it works wonders! Its also good for you because its a huge bottle and it lasts very long (even though its like $13). Ive had my bottle for over 2 months now.

How many times per day/week/month do you use masks? Dont use them more than 2x a week because they deep cleanse your skin so you dont need it more than twice a week.

Do you use an exfoliate that has beads or something? If so, also not more than 2x a week so you dont kill your skin.

Did i miss anything?

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · July 2012

I only use the masks once a week

The go 360 clean is an exfoliator with beads. I use it twice a day, and I had no idea that wasn't good...But it makes sense that it might be irritating.

nothing1994 · July 2012

Yeah because you refresh your skin and remove the dead skin. So when you use it again your rubbing against new skin, which is a nono!

Also, try not to have your hair in your face lots (the oils in your hair can clog your pores), switch pillow cases often, and dont touch your face too much!

I hope i helped in any way

snoopytwins · July 2012

Megan- Yeah I will have to look in to that system. I dont use the foaming everyday, I dont feel like it does much. Scars are another big problem I forgot to mention, its so unattractive.

kellie- I took a similar pill but I believe it was called doxycycline (sp?) and I didnt really feel like it made a large difference, but that was about 4 years ago.

And Motivated, I use the go 360 clean exfoliating cleanser morning and night. I use neutrogena oil free moisturizer. And the foaming cleanser I use sometimes is clean and clear. I use mario badescu whitening mask to help with discoloration and a few other masks but I dont remember who makes them. But yeah thats about it.

Doxycline is an antibiotic that is often used to help with bacterial acne. Accutane is a serious drug to help with cystic/persistent acne. I'd tried doxycline as a teenager without much success but then my skin kind of evened out. Then I hit 20 and my skin went all crazy again. Accutane did the trick but it is a serious drug with serious side effects.

From what you've said, it sounds like you may be doing too much to your skin. Purpose or cetaphil are good, nonfoaming, gentle cleansers and moisturizers. Don't use any exfoliators or anything else like mask. Just use your fingers to cleans with a good gentle cleanser. Something like the persagel may be good too. Then moisturize. Even with combination skin you need to moisturize. Also be cognizant of the make up you wear. I like using witch hazel after washing my face in the evening because it helps get rid of any make up left by the gentle cleanser but doesn't dry out my skin. And water...drink lots of it.

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · July 2012

yeah you did. I am gladly accepting any help I can get....I seriously whine about it every day. Its so depressing.

nothing1994 · July 2012

I know how you feel. My skin is very sensitive and i not only have acne but also redness. SO ANNOYING. just follow those tips and update me on what happens!

Jennloella · July 2012

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.

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · July 2012

I will definitely try to ease up on the exfoliator...but ill be sad because for some reason I really feel like its doing a good job.

I'm good about the water thing, and I really am trying. I guess I just might be trying too hard.

morgansmom02 · July 2012

have you tried Proactiv? Or anything by Philosophy? They might be more expensive, but they also might work better. Accutane scares me.

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · July 2012

I was recommended the accutane stuff by my dermatologist when I was younger but I didnt wanna risk of the side effects, like wanting to kill myself.

Secondly, I love Philosphy products. The microdelivery exfoliator i love but the smallest one they have is 25 dollars a bottle. ouch.. And the purity made simple cleanser is nice too.

Proactiv I have heard more negative reviews than anything, unfortunately.

Creiche · July 2012

This may be a silly question, but how soft is your bedding? You mentioned that you often wake up with acne, and I've had this happen before when sleeping away from home on sheets that were washed with something harsh or have a "rough" feel (I have super sensitive skin). In addition to skin care routines, I'd suggest looking into your bedding and what detergent you use to make sure it's not irritating your face while you sleep.

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · July 2012

That makes sense, but we use free and clear detergent with no dye or perfumes that is supposed to be good for your skin. But seriously without fail I wake up with new f-ing zits

78brownie_wechanged · July 2012

I wouldn't waste my money on any big name (MAC, etc) or catalog (Avon, etc) products. You should always keep a healthy skin routine. I was my face once in the day followed by a gentle toner, and oil free moisturizer. Then I repeat these steps at night. ALWAYS use a light moisturizer over a clean face.

One a week or more I'll use a natural exfoliator like baking soda. After my face and hands are wet, I would use >a teaspoon on baking soda and rub my face and neck area. Rinse, pat dry, and moisturize.

AcneFree is awesome but unlike Proactive, they don't have a sensitive formula. I started with the original formula and noticed a change within the week. Then it became too harsh so I started using baby soap (yes baby soap). Then I found the sensitive formula and worked like a charm!

I don't use it anymore but when I have a TOM...situation I go back to AcneFree.

vick9180 · July 2012

I sell Mary Kay products, and one of the things I noticed about your skin care routine is that you're not using all of the same product line! Every line is formulated to work together to give you the best results, so when you use several lines at once, they can be working against each other, which will give you less than satisfying results. Try to stick to one product line for your cleanser, exfoliant, toner, moisturizer and foundation.

Since I'm biased towards MK products, the Velocity skin care line is great. It's formulated for skin with acne. The cleanser is a 3 in 1, so it cleanses, gently exfoliates, and freshens in the the first step and then has a lightweight moisturizer that contains salicylic acid, which is a known acne fighter. Those products run $22 for a 4-6 month supply. In addition to that, I wouldn't use any microdermabrasion products. Those products are super exfoliants and will irritate acne and make it worse. It's best to use products like those on clear skin.

Also, you can get a targeted acne product (MK's is called acne treatment gel, $7) with benzoyl peroxide in it to put directly on a breakout. Just be sure that you introduce it slowly into your skin care routine as it can be very drying.

I know there are several great product brands out there designed to treat acne. Besides MK, there's Proactiv, and I believe Neutrogena has a line specificially designed for it. I'm not familiar with others out there, but whichever line you use, just be sure that you use everything from that product line in your skin care routine. Give your skin at least 2-3 weeks when switching lines to fully acclimate to the products before determining if you like them or not (unless you experience redness or burning, in which case, discontinue the use....some breakouts are totally normal).

Good luck in finding some products that work well for you!

Skincare help

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