Out of Control Acne

Aug 26, 2011

Forrest G.

I haven't had any problems with acne until the last little over a year. But I have tried everything to get it mellowed out. From going to full organic to trying proactive, st. jives, clean & clear, and clinique. Nothing seems to work.
Is there anything that would be worth trying?

Aug 27, 2011

Drea L.

This will probably be long buuuuuuuuut...

Instead of buying products because of their claims, it's best to actually know what you're putting on your face. (When you go to a drugstore, find out the %, look at the back of the label and look under "Active ingredients")

Benzoyl peroxide is the ultimate acne fighting ingredient - it goes deep into the skin & kills infections & bacteria in the skin.
1%-2% = Mild Acne.
2%-3% = Mild/Moderate Acne
3%-3.5% = Moderate
4%-4.5% = Moderate/severe
5%-6.5% = Very Severe.
Anything over 6.5 is for VERY severe acne.

Salicylic Acid is a natural exfoliater. It sheds away old, worn & torn skin & dries it up a bit. It also brings up dirt from deep into the skin onto the surface. For the first few days, you might get white heads. But don't worry, this means that it's WORKING. It's extracting all the dirt and grime and is getting your skin used to the product. I recommend this if you have VERY oily skin. I personally don't use it alone - only with Benzoyl Peroxide.
You usually don't need much of a %% for SA.

Sulfer is good for drying out, reducing redness of active pimples. It works best in Masks, soap bars, etc - the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque mask is loved by many & works well for all acne-prone skin types.

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Your acne could also be hormonal. If nothing has worked - it's best to go to a dermatologist. They will probably prescribe you Minocycline (100%) A gentle bacterial killing medication - Even when using medication, it's best to have a good skin care routines w/ it for the best results.

Aug 27, 2011

Jane A.

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

Basically her journey is exactly what I went through until earlier this year, when she recommended CeraVe. At the end of my rope, I tried it, and my skin change dramatically!

[[In addition to changing my skin care line (I use the face wash and their AM lotion and PM lotion), I changed my makeup routine. I used to pack on the liquid foundation and concealer to conceal my acne and scars, but it didn't make it any better. I would break out with 3 new pimple/cystic pimple in one location -- at multiple locations at once. So I would break out with 3 new pimples on my chin, in addition to the 3 more on my cheeks, and my temples. Ugh!! My forhead was so gross I wanted to cry -- when I ran my fingers over it, it was so bumpy versus smooth and what not. So instead of packing on the make up, I decided to let my face breathe... so I switched to Meow Cosmetics mineral foundation. The foundation is great because it basically covers the same way a liquid foundation and concealer would, but now my skin can basically breathe underneath all the make up. Something I also added into my lifestyle is I now do scrub/mask about 2x a week to just get rid of that top layer of dead skin.

I also saw a dermatologist (prior to making all these changes). He gave me prescription to Differen and Duac (a benzoyl peroxide topical). He prescribed me Minocycline (but I think I am very sensitive to that. He prescribed me different pills prior to it, and I had a bad case of Vertigo (where the room would spin right before my eyes). So I didn't take the Minocycline cause I felt light headed, and I knew if I continued it... the vertigo would probably come back. But everyone is different, so if it works for you, the results would be very drastic. Cause you're basically cleaning your acne from the inside, versus just applying topicals and combating it from the outside.

So with my gentle cleanser, acne topicals, and light make up... my face drastically cleared up. No more horrible break outs -- my skin is now smoother, etc. etc.

So the moral of the story is, go see a dermatologist. Then try out a very gentle cleanser (just give CeraVe a try!), and apply some topicals and see what the results are. Your face might get a little bit dry from the topicals, so use a really good moisturizer, and just use a pea size of the topicals for your whole face.

Aug 27, 2011

Nikki B.

ok so the first part part of this is folk remedy but it works for me. Use a very thin layer of Philips Milk of Magnesia on you face where your oily or breaking out during the day. It can be worn under makeup or without. This helps to draw the oil from the pores and helps reduce shine. The magnesium in it also acts as an antiseptic.

At nigh use a benzyol peroxide crean on the areas where your breaking out. 

Aug 27, 2011

Kaitlyn G.

I use to have AWFULL severe acne. Any type of pimple i've had it.
I went to a dermatologist cause i broke out so bad and she put me on Accutane and it cleared up for a year and it slowly creeps back.
If you're not on B/C it helps with acne and also has much more perks to it (: haha.
Facial Washes NEVER ever work out for me. But Clean and Clear is probably the closest thing that has helped me.
Also when popping pimples, use a damp warm wash cloth to do so and after popping immediately put hydrogen peroxide on it and it'll go away over night.
OR you can pop it and even put a LITTLE toothpaste on it. It'll sting but its cleaning it out and let it dry on your pimple and wash it off in the morning.
Always take off your makeup at night and it's good to run hot water in your sink and lean your face over it to let your face absorb the steam it opens up your pores and then you wash your face.
Hope i helped (:

Aug 27, 2011

Forrest G.

Thank you guys. I am going to try the Benzoyl peroxide theory first and work my way from there. 

Aug 28, 2011

Courtney C.

i'm another who says: dermatologist. I have been under the care of a derm for the last 10 years and have never looked back. people tell me all the time my skin looks beautiful and I tell them it's thanks to my derm! Here's the deal: I was in your shoes too. My second year of college, I started breaking out awful and I couldn't control it no matter what I did. I tried everything and probably spend 100's of dollars on products that didn't work. I would worry that I would wake up the next morning and look awful. So stressful!

Well, after trying all the OTC stuff I could try, I went to a derm. He started me on minocycline, differin, and clindagel. My skin cleared up within a week and stayed clear!!! I went of the minocycline after a year or so and stayed on topicals. I currently use one topical product - clindalotion, a topical antibiotic. My skin is clear, and stays clear. No more worries about my skin - it's awesome. I continue to see my derm for maintenance and in a few years, he's mentioned that he can help me prevent wrinkles by going on a low dose of retin a. (i'm totally on board with that)

I can't tell you how right the decision was for me to go to the derm. And, no, you don't have to have skin like the people in the proactiv commercials to see a derm. If you have a recurrent skin problems that is causing you stress, scarring, or anything else, then go. I worried about the cost of the Rx's at first but honestly, i spend less on my generic rx skin treatment than I would on all the creams at the drugstore.

My skin regimen is so simple now: I use a face wash like neutrogena oil free acne wash (my derm recommended it), my clindalotion, and occasionally a spot treatment like salicylic acid for the random, rare, blackhead.

Good luck. hope things get better for you!

Aug 30, 2011

Lindsay K.

i have TERRIBLE acne on my jawline & neck and no creams, topical things seem to work because it is the cystic underskin nasty stuff. I won't even leave the house without makeup because it is that bad, but a few weeks ago i ordered some type of acne medicine online called "AcnePril" and it has been working so far, it's pretty much like a vitamin if you read the label & I just ran out of my first bottle so my second one is on the way. It only costs $30 plus shipping and whatever else they tack on but its about $40 after all the costs and there is 120 pills but it's worth a try because I know how bad my acne makes me feel :[

Aug 31, 2011

Nadia B.

An amazing trick that I read about years ago is to not allow your skin to get used to a particular product. For instance, have a different skin care routine in the morning and a different one at night. I used to get horrible breakouts on my forehead and chin. Ever since I started switching my products up my skin has stayed clearer. During the day I like to use a mild cleanser, Neutrogena Visibly Even foaming cleanser is my favorite. I also use their moisturizer with SPF 30. At night I swear by the Acne Free system. It's the drug store version of Proactive. It actually worked better for me than Proactive did. 

Aug 31, 2011

heather a.

Go see your dermatologist! I have acne problems too and after going to my dermatologist she gave me a few products and got my acne under control! I finally leave the house wearing no foundation anymore which is something I never would have done.

Aug 31, 2011

Andrea H.

you can try egg yolk mask on your face, they say that egg yolk helps with acne. I'd also look into retinoids which are good for aging, acne, hyperpigmentation, etc. it depends on your age though. as adult acne is different from teen acne because estrogen levels and oil productions decrease as you age so youll lose you protective oil barrier. in teen acne products that have salicylic acid and sodium benzoyl peroxide they will work for teens but may dry out adult skin making breakouts only worse. cetaphil and cerave are good products for acne. then apply a antibiotic cream like clindamycin or erythromycin. if the skin isn't better in a month retinoid creams like tretinoin (retin-a or renova), adapalene (differin), or tazarotene (avage).

Sep 2, 2011

Vivian L.

I agree with the dermatologist advice! Especially when you feel your acne is out of control, and not just the usual one or two zits. A derm would be able to fix the root of your problem, whether it's by prescribing topical creams or oral medicine. So go see one!

I waited too long to see a derm for my really bad acne, thinking over the counter treatments and natural products can save it. Now I have pitted scars to remind me of my foolishness.