Acne Help?

Sep 20, 2011

Andrea B.

I had my daughter 8 months ago and since having her, I've had breakouts and normally my skin is pretty clear besides around that time of the month.
I figure it's caused by hormones and stress?

Anyone else go through the same problem and found ways to deal with it or any ideas?

Anything is helpful.

Right now I've been using Biore's Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser? and Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream Moisturizer.

I also just got breakouts on my left cheek/chin and I'm not sure if it's the cleanser, or that I tried Revlon Photoready for a few days or maybe ELF's Zit Zapper?

lol this is a lot of stuff..
anyways help me:] please

Sep 20, 2011

Brianna G.

I like using Clean & Clear's Persa Gel 10 on blemishes, because it gets rid of them pretty quickly. That product is 10% benzoyl peroxide, and I know a lot of people here on Beautylish are anti-benzoyl peroxide but I find that it is the only thing that works for me. I would suggest just trying it out and see how your skin reacts to it, and it isn't too expensive (I think it is $5 max). Also just make sure to wash and moisturize your face twice a day and drink a lot of water and stay away from fried foods! 

Sep 20, 2011

Andrea B.

Damn I'm Puerto Rican that's hard lol
I have the target brand of that so I'll try it again I guess:)
Thanks for the tips :)

Sep 20, 2011

Angela W.

Hmm.. if you're only breaking out on one side maybe you're touching that side of your face more than the other? Do you tend to sleep on the left? Just making sure you're not subconciously reaching up and touching that side more than usual can work wonders to clear the area up.

I'm not sure about the products you're using but I've struggled with acne for.. well forever! LOL... and what I've found is that less is more. And by less I mean the fewer "fancy" ingredients, the better. Sometimes lots of chemicals, perfumes, etc just make the acne worse.

Some good drugstore finds include moisturizers like Aveeno Clear Complexion, CeraVe or Cetaphil (they all carry cleansers too). I also like using something with a salicylic acid for exfoliation (Aveeno- which I love- has this in it already!). I'm not anti-benzoyl but I never really had great results using the tube of 5% I got in the Kaiser pharmacy.... PS. you don't have to be a Kaiser patient to pick one up there if you want to try it.

My dermatologist used to tell me that washing twice a day could actually aggravate my already sensitive skin and that I should cut back to just once a day. When I was over-washing my skin I was actually stripping away my good natural oils and causing dryness.. which led to dead skin in my pores.. which led to more breakouts.

It can be so frustrating trying to figure out what's going to work but the key is sticking with a routine long enough for it to work (so like probably at least a month of keeping your cleanser and lotions the same).  

Sep 20, 2011

Brianna G.

Haha Andrea I'm Puerto Rican too! It is very hard but very worth it :)
And in regards to what Angela said, I think it depends on the kind of skin you have. I have combination-oily skin, so washing my face twice a day is practically essential and has definitely improved my skin. Perhaps if you have dry-normal skin, once a day is enough. 

Sep 20, 2011

Maria L.

Andrea, congratulations on your baby girl. :-) My skin changed a bit after I had my daughter (20 years ago) and it had a lot to do with the change in hormones after you've given birth. You've already been given some great advice here regarding the acne. Clean & Clear is a good product, for me, benzoyl perixode never worked well on my skin (however; it works wonders on my daughter's skin). When I have a break out I use Clean & Clear's gel that has 2% salicylic acid in it. Try and keep your hands off of your face and wash your pillow cases (or change them) frequently. Angela is right with the "less is more" attitude. Since I scaled down my skin care routine my skin has never been better.

Hope you find something that works...and many blessings for your new bundle of joy. 

Sep 22, 2011

Simi M.

Birth Control Pills may help in case of hormone induced acne, the doc suggested it for me ! and also retin a and benzoyl peroxide works a lot !

xoxo

www.typefashion.wordpress.com

Sep 22, 2011

Jane A.

You know, I've had the same problem. I used to have really clear skin through out my younger days, until the ending of my Freshmen year in HS. Then it went downhill, even after my two sons.

Early this year, I came here and asked the same thing... and I got this response from Soma S. She mentioned to try to tone down my harsh cleanser for something more gentle... she recommended CeraVe. And since I was tired of spending big $$$ on skin care stuff that just made my skin worse, I said why not (CeraVe is a drugstore brand).

I will say this, my skin changed forever. The ugly bumps on my forehead, the multiple breakouts, the cystic acne... they are gone! HALLELUJAH!!!!

Check out Soma's blog about the line: http://www.kabukivoodoo.com/2011/07/skin-care-cerave-must-have-staple-in-my.html

I went through the same stuff she went through, and now both our lives has changed because of CeraVe.

However, CeraVe does not have any acne fighting properties, for that I use the Differin and Duac (Benzo Peroxide) that my dermotalogist recommended. But this combination is very deadly to acne!

Sep 24, 2011

Cameron R.

I swear by Cetaphil's gentle skin cleanser and moistuizer, both of which have store brands everywhere that you go. It really helps in calming your skin down, while cleaning it and not irritating it. Just make sure you aren't overwashing or using anything too strong in treating them or that will make them worse. Try Queen Helene's Mint Julep mask which I think is around $4.00, it helps draw out oil/bacteria and dirt from my skin when I'm breaking out as well.

Congrats on the baby chica, and I know how much of a pain breakouts can be! = )

Sep 24, 2011

Andrea B.

Thanks everyone:) I'm Definitely gonna try some of these products. @Simi, i have an IUD so idk how that affects my skin. Although hadn't had problems til a few weeks ago. Well see though I'll look into it

Sep 25, 2011

Jane A.

Andrea, for the past two years I've been on Mirena. And I really really really hated it at first. My cycle got all messed up; I was on a normal cycle before that. I lost so much hair (could also be because I did give birth). And my hormone levels went hay-wired.

But I swear by my previous post! It has helped me so much!! I also agree with Cameron on the Queen Helene's Mint Julep, caue I do use that 2x a week.

Sep 25, 2011

Andrea B.

Alright:) thank you. I'll check it out definitely and I think I've seen the mint julep mask at grocery outlet

Sep 26, 2011

Andrea B.

I just tried the baking soda and water mask and put it on problem areas. I washed it off in the morning after leaving it on overnight, skin was smooth and those area dry and not so bumpy. I'm going to try this everyday for a week and see what happens and if it helps, HALLELUJAH and I'll continue it.

Sep 26, 2011

Alice C.

I suffered with acne for about 5 or 6 years, i finally found a cure that worked for me.
After trying literally everything, this what i did :)
It may not work for you, but when you;ve tried everything, whats the harm trying some more!! :)

www.youtube.com/aliceallure

Hope this helps xxxxxx

Sep 26, 2011

Jasmin A.

I have the same problem! I used to have excessive acne, but I started using birth control pills and that problem went away. I do however, still occasionally get acne especially during that time of the month. I still need to wash my face with acne wash to still prevent acne. Of course that doesn't always do the trick, but lately I've been using DDF's Acne Control Treatment. It's one of those on-the-spot treatments and it works wonderfully!

Both my acne wash and DDF treatment contain salicylic acid. Trying different acne washes, I noticed salicylic works best for me. You should probably find the active ingredient that works best for you. Another active ingredient used to fight acne is benzoyl peroxide. You might want to try a wash/product that has both or just one of each. I don't use benzoyl peroxide because it actually just makes me break out more, or doesn't help at all. My brother actually uses a benoyzl peroxide wash and it works for him. So it really depends on what your skin will take.

Sometimes you might not even need an acne wash because you might not even be acne prone so you might just need a regular face wash, something organic, or something from the dead sea.

Don't forget to check your moisturizer and/or foundation because that could be breaking you out as well.

Sep 27, 2011

Andrea B.

Yea true. I plan on hitting the gym again. I think they only have a sauna there though

Sep 27, 2011

Andrea B.

Ya I feel stressed too. I thought of getting the stress acne control by neutrogena I think it is. That cleanser? But didn't. Idk but I'll definitely see if I can do that and if not just a bowl of hot water and a towel over my head should do the trick

Sep 27, 2011

Drea L.

Congrats on being a mother! From what it sounds like, it sounds like you have hormonal acne - & the most you can do for that is treat it while it's already on the surface of the skin & by the looks of it, you've already gotten a lot of responses helping you with that. :)

I know this is the most hated response to acne help, but it HONESTLY works. Going to your local clinic/doctor will help TREMENDOUSLY. They will most likely prescribe you a gentle medication for hormonal acne. If anything, they'll probably give you Minocyline which is a gentle but strong fighting hormonal acne medication.
Because it's just (I'm assuming) hormonal & you don't really have a life-long battle with acne, going to an expensive dermatologist isn't necessary. Your normal doctor/clinic will help. :D

Sep 27, 2011

Andrea B.

Thanks:) never really thought about getting a prescription

Sep 27, 2011

Drea L.

Yeah, it helps a lot. I've been taking different medications for YEARS now for my severe acne. If I only had light hormonal acne, it would have been taken care of yeeaaarrs ago. It's a very simple fix. :D

Sep 28, 2011

Angela W.

Good advice, Andrea G... what's managed to work the best for my hormonal acne is Yaz birth control. Nothing over the counter was helping because it was cystic acne that comes from within.

For girls who are looking for a prescription for antibiotics (like Andrea said, usually something in the cycline or mycin families) it's important to know that your body's bacteria will build up a tolerance to them and that might make you less able to fight off bacterial infections (other than acne) in the future.

I went that route in high school because my acne was so severe and I was desperate, but eventually my doctor advised me to stop taking them because over a long period of time it isn't good for you.  

Sep 30, 2011

Kayla M.

I use a drop of 100% pure melaluka oil mixed with about 2 drops of olive oil at night and it makes my skin sooooo much better! i love it. you have to mix it with olive oil though because it is really strong... I use a brand called DoTerra.