Acne prone skin care tips?

[anchor31]

I was plagued by acne on my face, chest, shoulders and back throughout my teenage years, thankfully now it''s mostly under control. However, I still get a few zits on my face and back from time to time and have a lot of blackheads on my face. The thing is, my skin isn''t extremely oily, it''s even very dry in the winter, but I still get the zits, and the anti-acne stuff dries it up even more. I don''t know how to solve the dry skin problem without making the acne one worse! I can''t seem to get rid of those blackheads either, and I''d really like to eventually get rid on the zits altogether!!

Any tips on acne prone skin care?

Thanks!

 

[monarch64]

I have super dry skin in the winter as well, and due to having large pores, I get blackheads which seem impossible to unclog. Your best bet is to try to exfoliate every day (I do it in the shower with one of those scrubs, I think it''s St. Ives from any drugstore, for sensitive skin), that will keep the dead, dry skin from clogging up your pores and hopefully help your skin to stop breaking out. Have you tried getting a facial? I''ve heard it can help, but I''m too low-maintenance to go get one, since my skin routine is currently working for me. I also find that in the winter if I get some indoor tanning rays on my face (I know, it''s so bad, but in moderation I feel ok about it), it seems to help with breakouts. I''m not saying you should go fake bake until you''re tan, just a couple times a month for a few minutes helps me, though.

Find a really good moisturizer, as well. You don''t have to spend a ton of money...I''ve used a product available at drugstores called Moisturel in the past which has worked well for my skin. It has no synthetic additives or fragrance, so it''s great for sensitive skin, and just a tiny bit goes a long way. Shea butter is great also, very moisturizing without being greasy. Although my skin gets so dry sometimes I don''t mind a little greasiness!

One of the best things you can do for dry skin is to drink more water. People with dry skin may need more than the recommended 8-10 glasses a day...if you don''t like plain water, try the flavored stuff. Water is your friend! Hope this helps.

 

[moremoremore]

I'm very lucky with my skin (at least my face...don't get me started about my alligator skin..ouch...esp in winter) ..
For the face: Biologique recherche lotion p-50.
it does it all.
check out makeupalley for reviews...

 

[anchor31]

Monarch - I''m thinking about getting a facial, but I wouldn''t want to have to do it often. They aren''t exactly cheap, I''m a student and funds are low.

I do drink a lot of water already, so I guess it helps. Thanks for the tips.

moremoremore - I will definitely check that out. Thanks!

 

[Caribou]

Anchor, I had really bad acne when I was a teenager. I still get zits especially on my chin and occasionally on my back but no where near what I used to get. I was using Clinique 3-step for years and really liked it. However, my skin became ammune to it and started to break out again so I switched to Pro-active...it really does work....I don't use it anymore because it is expensive but I have found that ever since I used Pro-active my skin has been better. Neutogena also has some good products out there. Now I use Oil Olay but I'm older so it's more to keep me young looking.

Anywho, those are my suggestions. Good luck, zits suck!

 

[bstraszheim]

Hi Anchor,

I too, had many, many pimples on face and back as a teenager, starting pretty much the second I hit puberty at 13, cleared up a little when I hit my twenties, but I was complaining to a friend a few months ago about "how can I be 28 and *still* have these huge pimples?!?!" I started using the Johnsons Clean and Clear 10% Benzoyl Peroxide face wash and did notice a big difference. I have oily skin and did find that it dried up my skin too much which did not thrill me. Fast forward a few months, I decided to try the Philosophy Oxygen Peel and liked it a lot, it is supposed to decongest your pores. I enjoyed this and the lady sent me home with samples and I decided to try their "acne" kit. My face is now fabulous, I had one pimple last week which disappeared in two days (I kid you not). If you buy the kit it is $47, if you buy all the things seperately, it is $83. I purchased it from Nordstroms and the lady said, "we stand behind our products, if you don''t like it, bring it back" It comes with 4 products. The best being the On a Clear Day H2O2 cream. I would go to their site and have a read up about it. It has really helped me out. I have been using it for 3 weeks now. Perhaps it will be one of these (numerous) products that stops working after a while, or it will be great and I will finally have found my holy grail!

I hope this helps,

Bridget

 

[anchor31]

Thank you Caribou and Bridget!

47$ seems very reasonable for such an effective kit, I will definitely look that up and try to find it.

 

[eks6426]

If the kits don''t work, you should try the dermatologist. There are a lot of options to deal with adult acne. I actually found that the scrubbing with the apricot scrubs made things worse. I use Cetaphil cleanser and lotion and that seems to be working along with a couple of topicals.

What kind of make up are you wearing?

 

[Caribou]

Date: 2/7/2006 3:03:19 PM
Author: Bridget S.
Hi Anchor,

but I was complaining to a friend a few months ago about 'how can I be 28 and *still* have these huge pimples?!?!'
Bridget

OMG! My best friend and I always complain about this... well he more than I becuase he really never got zits as a teenagar. But he's like 'I'm 35, I should not be getting zits anymore!'

Another thing, if you over wash your face, or use products that are irritable to the face, you could be irritating it to point of it breaking out.

What Bridget suggested sounds great though. How long do the bottles last? The thing I liked least about Proactive was that the bottles are not big at all and you always run out of the cleanser before anything else in the kit. They keep sending you knew kits, it gets to the point where you have 20 of one bottle and non of another bottle.

 

[bstraszheim]

I am so sorry to type her response to me "I''m 60 and I still get pimples!!" Not much hope, but her skin is clear, small pores and the *occasional* pimple, but I am optimistic about my skin.

Caribou, I am not sure (yet) how long the bottles last, It''s been three weeks and I haven''t made a very big dent in the H2O2 cream, or any of the products really, it''s hard to judge. To admit a little quirk that I have, I write down the date that I purchase a product, on the product itself, in Sharpie pen so I know exactly how long it lasts. (Helps me justify the expensive stuff if I can say, well, the last one lasted me 6 months or a year, or whatnot) If I remember this thread, I will post back when the products finish.

I wish you well,

Bridget

 

[anchor31]

IslandDreams - I don''t use makeup, except on special occasions. Even then, it''s a bit of concealer, blush, mascara and lip gloss.

I''ll definitely be looking out for that kit! I''ll make sure not to use products that can irritate my skin too.

 

[princessv]

I did a quick scan of this thread...so forgive me if someone else recommended this.

Anchor I used to have terrible acne when I was younger even up till 2-3 years ago. My skin really cleared up with the help of Proactiv. Now however, I can''t use it in the winter as my skin gets really really dry, but it helps so much in the summer.

 

[sunkist]

Hey Anchor, go to this website acne.org. Read all his stuff, but try doing his skin regimen. I think it''s really worked for me! I don''t get zits as often as I used to and I even think my skin doesn''t get as oily. Yes, it still gets oily, but I think its less, and then I just blot it with tissue during the day. I''ll confess that I don''t follow his regimen EXACTLY, but I do use the benzoile peroxide, the gentle soap, and lots of lotion and I apply it like he says, letting it dry inbetween (cause you don''t want it to stain your clothes). I just also have to buff my skin gently with a towel to get off dead skin. I notice that I get build up a lot and that cause my pores to clog up. So I just slough it off with a towel when I dry my face. Anyways, hope it helps!

 

[selflove]

Anchor--when you get the facial, make sure you tell the esthetician when you make your appointment, about which products you currently use on your face. I had my first facial 2 months ago and it felt like my face was on fire. The esthetician had no explanation, she acted all perplexed. But my girlfriends told me it''s probably b/c I use retinol on my face almost every night. The esthetician never asked what I use on my face and I didn''t offer the info b/c it was my first time--I didn''t know that I should mention it. So just make sure if you start using any anti-acne products that you tell the esthetician so they can take care with your sensitive skin.

BTW, I do recommend retinol for acne. I started using it for wrinkles but it cleared up small pimples and pretty much keeps them away.

I also support IslandDreams'' recommendation to see a dermatologist. You''ll probably get the best products recommended and I''m sure you can get samples too.

 

[IndiBlue]

Anchor,

As a teenager I had a tough time with acne. I went to the dermatologist, used prescription drugs and creams- nothing was that affective.....UNTIL, my mom got me a subscription to ProActive....

It worked beautifully! To this day I still use it! I occasionally breakout due to stress and just put a little dab of ProActive masque on the area or zit before I go to bed, and when I wake up , it''s much better!

I know ProActive isn''t as cheap as going to the drug store, but I don''t think it''s outrageous either.

Good luck!