Acne anyone???

materialsgirl

materialsgirl

Cathlete
Alright, I know we've had posts on this topic before - I did a search, and found lots of stuff from over a year ago. And lots of stuff on the virtues of Proactiv. I'm hoping for something more. Proactiv did not work for me - it made my acne worse (everyone on the Road Trip can probably attest to this - my face looked like crap thanks to Proactiv). I've tried Clinique. I've tried the L'Oreal Adult Acne kits (those worked the best of anything I've tried thus far, but I still have issues). I need more suggestions.

What I will NOT do: I will not go back on the pill. I will not take oral antibiotics (been there, done that). I will not take Accutane again (frankly, my acne isn't bad enough to warrant the use of Accutane again).

I have been looking at Paula's Choice stuff
http://paulaschoice.com/shop/product.asp?CODE=PC406&PAGETYPE=S
But man, it's expensive!

So, anyone have any suggestions? :)
 
Evily, you can order samples of Paula's Choice. That might help you make a decision whether it's worth the investment.

I read last month that beta-carotene is the "poor woman's accutane" so I've started that. Hasn't made a recognizable difference, but we'll see. It's something like 6,000 i.u. on that.

I'll check out the L'Oreal stuff. :p
 
I've been really liking Avon's Clearskin facial cleansing scrub. I only use it once a day because it can be harsh. But so far, it's been good. I bought it pretty cheap on amazon BTW.

Carolyn
 
I'm using proactive now and it's not doing a thing for me. I'm 31 and I've had problems with acne forever!

My cousin in trying Murad and says it works good for her. I think I'm going to give Proactive a month and if nothing changes I'm going to try murad. It's kind of expensive though.
 
I'm a huge fan of Proactive, myself. It has worked wonders for me! When you tried it, how long did you use it? Acne gets worse for the first 1-2 months then clears up as it pushes all the gunk out of your system. If you only tried it briefly you may have just been experiencing that initial "clean out" phase.
 
Hey there Emily!

I am also a pretty faithful Proactiv user. I have to agree that the first couple of months were the worst and it definitely got worse before better. The only reason I hung in there is because I had read over and over to give it three months. So, 4 years later I still use it and love it.

Now, my teenage boys just started using something from the dermotologist called Ziana. It seems to have worked pretty quickly. I will tell you that they are also on Solodyn which is an oral antibiotic. So, I don't know if it's that or the combination of the two, but the Ziana is doing wonders for them.

Ugh, didn't you think we'd be done with this crap by now???

Oh, BTW, all I remember from the RT was how beautiful and natural you looked. Never even noticed the acne!!!

Good luck!
 
What I've learned:

1. There are basically two OTC acne products(not including 'natural' products) Salicylic Acid and Benzoyal Peroxide.

2. Anything with Salicylic Acid does NOT work for me: Proactive, Murad, a whole host of others just don't do it--they only make it worse.

3. I am a benzoyal peroxide person. I use Neutrogena Acne treatment cream and see great results. I use LUSH cleansers, which are made with all natural products and they clean my face like nothing else.

4. I've tried department store and 'expensive' brands hoping they would be better and work but, like I said, if they have salicylic acid as their active ingredient it's just a waste of money for me.

5. That being said, nothing has ever cleared my face up like the Pill. I saw a dermatologist once when I was on the Pill and he actually said that I had a perfect complexion.:) But I hear ya on not wanting to take it.
 
I use Specto Gel and it works great and is so gentle. When I run out I will use baby soap.

With problem skin I used to try to cover it up with a pound of coverup, foundation, and powder. When I gave up the foundation I noticed a huge difference. I will use concealer for spot coverage then I will use a bit of powder for shiney areas. It was hell in the beginning but I definetly notice a difference within a few weeks. My skin said THANK YOU!
 
Thanks for the input everyone...

I think Proactiv does not agree with my skin because it contains fragrance. I just can't use anything with fragrance on my skin. I tried Proactiv for a full month before giving up on it. Perhaps I should have given it more time, but I didn't want to miss the chance to get my $60 back (QVC has a 30 day return policy). I had much better results from 1 month of using the L'Oreal kit (which is fragrance-free) than I had with Proactiv.

Also, do any of you Proactiv users have problems with it leaving bleach spots on your towels and clothes? That damn stuff ruined my towels and some of my shirts! I was NOT happy!

I will look into the Murad kit - I am having trouble finding a list of ingredients on their website. I need to see if their products are fragrance-free.
 
Well, Em... here's a non-med, natural idea that I'm going to throw out there.

First, watch everything you eat with an eagle eye. I have some "trigger foods" and can pretty much guarantee I'll break out if I enjoy too much of them. When I behave myself, my face stays pretty clear.

Second, try not wearing makeup, if you wear it, and give your face a prolonged chance to be totally clean. Then work back into makeup, testing products to make sure they don't clog pores, etc. I don't wear any, simply because I'm too lazy to mess with it. But when I stopped (many, many years ago), it did make a big difference in my complexion.
 
I work at a day spa and we have a chiropractor there(who is also into holistic medication) and he recommends a Chinese supplement… I don’t know the name of it but I can get it the next time I go into work. A couple of girls at my work use it and they love it. I’ll look into it and get back to you.
 
Thanks for the advice, Shannon.

My acne is strictly hormonal. It doesn't matter what I eat. It DOES matter where I am in my monthly cycle. It's way worse when I'm in my luteal phase (post-ovulation). My skin was glorious when I was on the pill. Now... not so much. Damn hormones!

I wear 100% mineral makeup, which doesn't clog pores or irritate my skin in any way. If I didn't have to be seen by the public every day, I would consider going makeup-free, but believe me when I say it's a very frightening sight. Nobody needs to see that. :p
 
Emily - I do not have a towel in the house without bleach spots - ugh. That's the ben. peroxide doing that. I've resorted to using a white towel only for my face. The proactive works for me, but only in combination with a 10% ben. peroxide ointment applied at night. Mine comes and goes with my cycle too. I can have flawless skin one minute and then next it's a nightmare. Gotta love hormones. When I was on birth control, my face was spotless, but I do not want to go on pills ever again.
 
Hi Emily,

I was starting to get really bad acne earlier this year and was hesitant to buy anything out of fear of wasting my money. One day at the drug store (feeling pretty lousy about my complexion ;( ) I decided to buy AcneFree Severe (it's in orange bottles). Surprisingly after using it for 3 days my face was clearing up and felt much smoother. The only negative thing I noticed is that my face was starting to get really dry so I switched to using the lotion every other day instead and that seemed to do the trick.

Good luck finding something that works for you :)

Chastity

http://www.picturetrail.com:80/chastgirl0205
 
This must have been posted by another Emily. The Emily I met on the Road Trip had lovely young-looking skin, beautiful teeth and a glorious smile.
 
Robin, dahhhling, you're too kind. :) My skin is truly awful, but I have great makeup. ;)

Thank you for the lovely comments on my teeth and smile. That's literally a $5000 smile! :D I really should've been an orthodontist - I'd be RICH!

Liann, you have crystal clear, smooth skin (at least you did on the RT), so keep doing whatever you're doing. :D I really wanted Proactiv to work for me, but alas, it did a better job of "clearing up" my towels than it did clearing my face. ;) *grumble grumble*
 
One of Cathe's posts last week got me thinking about microdermabrasion and its acne benefits. I had actually never heard of this type of skin treatment before :eek:

http://www.skinabrasion.net/acne.html

http://www.skinabrasion.net/microdermabrasion.html

I know in terms of $$ it can be pretty steep but it seems to minimize acne for some. I don't mind spending a lot of money if it's a sure thing. I'm also wondering if such a series of treatments could be used in conjunction with Proactiv. There is a list of associated risks on the right side of the page. Thoughts anyone??

Also the Proactiv pamphlets emphasize that FOR SOME making sure they're doing things like drinking enough water, getting enough rest, not smoking, making sure they have no allergies, may help acne in addition seeking external treatments. Goes without saying some strategies may work better for some than do others.
 
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