Tips/products to make skin clearer.

Dec 31, 2014

Samantha evelyn C.

I used to go to a doctor for my skin but I never saw great improvement. I started taking birth control in the summer for health reasons and my skin did clear up, however I stopped taking it. I have acne that is little bumps all over and they don't go away. My skin is also oily but it can have some dry spots. What tips and products do you recommend to help get rid of my acne? It makes me really insecure and I just want to start a new skin care routine. I usually wash my face with cetaphil face wash and use a face cream by Netrogena.

Dec 31, 2014

Kaylee D.

Indie lee squalane oil, I know you are probably looking for a acne treatment or something but trust me this really cleared my skin and is super hydrating!

Dec 31, 2014

Shiro M.

I really like The Body Shop tea tree line, it really helped with my oily skin and acne. The Ionic seaweed clay mask is also great for drawing all the oils and gunk out of my skin.

Dec 31, 2014

Shiro M.

I would recommend getting your dermatologist/doctor to prescribe Tazorac. It's a topical medication that pretty much got rid of all the little bumps on my forehead

Dec 31, 2014

Samantha evelyn C.

@kaylee , where can I get that oil?

@shiro, that's great! Where I can I find the clay masks?

Dec 31, 2014

Samantha evelyn C.

I have gone to a dermatologist but everything he gave me did not work and he was rude so I never went back.

Dec 31, 2014

Shiro M.

The clay mask is available at The Body Shop or its website. They've been having loads of sales recently so it might be a good time to look around.

Dec 31, 2014

Maggie F.

I would see if you can get some peels at a medspa. I've never felt any topical rx stuff worked for me either, but my face looked good with glycolic peels. This was after Accutane though and for minor breakouts. I also like the VI Derm line and Proactiv. I've tried everything too and have had 3 courses of Accutane, so unfortunately I know what works. Accutane is a miracle drug. It changed my life. I've only needed a little maintenance here and there and the results last for years.

Dec 31, 2014

Samantha evelyn C.

I'm looking for another dermatologist but money is tight and the closest one is about an hour away:(
@maggie, what is a medspa?
@jacqlyn, thank you, you have been a big help (: I'll surely keep everyone update with new products and other info

Dec 31, 2014

Alice N.

Lex from madeyewlook on YouTube made a video about acne and skin care. She's an aesthetician, has oily skin and had battled some bad acne.

Dec 31, 2014

Rebecca W.

Drink lots of water!! That helped me:) I used to not drink that much water now that's like all I drink and my skin cleared up skin complexion and acne! I totally recommend this be your first step to clear skin:) hope this helps:)

Dec 31, 2014

Dilara K.

I got a chemical peel treatment and it cleared up my skin right away.Even if this is not an option for you, you might want to look into it.(Sry my moms an artificial beauty fanatic) ;)

Dec 31, 2014

Allison W.

I agree with water and body shop tea tree oil!

Dec 31, 2014

Nailstar B.

I have the same problem! I went to a dermatologist 3 years ago and they put me on meds that REALLY didn't help. BUT, I have learned some great tips/tricks. 1st) Lay off on the makeup. If you wear cover up or foundation, limit your use of it. It will clog up your pore and lead to more acne. 2) DRINK WATER! This really does help. Drink it all the time. It flushes out your body and the toxins that cause acne. It is also good for your body and helps you lose weight! (Not that you need to lose weight of course lol) Or even green tea or herbal tea will help! 3) limit your food intake. Not necessarily stop eating a lot...but stop eating junk food like chips, chocolate, an soda. So basically cut down on all the yummy stuff! Salt and sugar are major benefactors in acne. If you eat a lot of these foods then at Lear balance it with that amazing water I told you about! (: 4) wash your face! I know this sounds like a no brainer, but we don't really realize how important it is to wash our face properly. You need to rinse with warm/hot water and then wash with antibacterial soap. When ready to rinse, rinse with COLD water. The hot water opens up your pours to allow them to be washed, the cold water closes your pores so no more dirt comes in. Then PAT DRY!! Do not rub!! Rubbing will extract the necessary natural oils that we NEED! I hope this helped you! (:

Dec 31, 2014

Alaina C.

First of all drink 8 glasses of water a day if you don't already you will be AMAZED the difference it makes :)
Second, SeaRx makes an AMAZING (albeit expensive) microdermabrasion scrub that always clears up my skin.
Also look for benzoyl peroxide as an active ingredient instead of salycilyc acid it does a number on acne (do not use if you have sensitive skin) I like Oxy face washes for this.

Dec 31, 2014

Maggie F.

A med spa is a facility where they offer medical grade skin and beauty treatments (I.e. chemical peels, microdermabrasion, etc. and also more intense treatments that are for anti-aging, etc). There are aestheticians, nurses and even doctors on staff. I know some dermatologists offer peels too, so that's an option too. It's kinda a pricey option (a few hundred), but might be worth a shot if your acne isn't improving.

I agree that benzoyl peroxide is far better than salicylic acid. I've seen better results with benzoyl peroxide products like Proactiv versus salicylic acid based lines like Murad. It's more drying though. Make sure you are using make up that is oil-free and non-comedogenic. Same with any moisturizers you use or anything else that goes on your face.

Dec 31, 2014

Traci L.

Just to be clear benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid do two completely different things and for acne both are generally used together salicylic acid is the only ingredient that can actually penatrate and deep clean your pore walls out that's why it should be used to prevent future breakouts benzoyl peroxide kills bacteria on the skin and acne is a combination of inflammation and bacteria , you really have to walk a thin line with treating the skin for acne and not over drying it out which just causes more imflamation and a over production of oil making more bacteria hence more breakouts ,You can try la roche posay effaclar, it has both salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide and it doesn't completely dry your skin out

Dec 31, 2014

Samantha evelyn C.

Thank you! Everyone, you have been a big help and I learned a lot of things! I'll surely keep everyone updated on this.