Acne
 

I remember seeing this thread pre-crash. So I was wondering how many of you have acne? And if so how do you deal with it and what face products do you use?

I've grown out of whatever afflictions pubescence entails. pHisoderm is a recommendation I'm happy to make. I find it to be the most efficient product of its grade in terms of painlessness, ease of use, and results. Plenty of acne treatments have these very claims but of the one's I've tried, pHisoderm holds truest to them. I never had acne, per se, but that doesn't mean I've never been too embarrassed to go to school. Best wishes, unless of course this is rhetorical. In which case, shame on you and I hope you get a boil right between your eyebrows. jk

Well, I can safely say that pretty much, or close to, ALL teenagers have some case of acne, let it be a small or large case. I get it moderatly, but I think i end up getting scars from zits that haven't formed yet. You know, those bump on your face you think are zits, but when you get rid of em, you get a scar for like a week. Yes, that just me being an idiot.

Anyway, I use Spectroderm. It does the trick and it smells nice. :)

Well, i have a little bit of acne, not that much, but it does tend to flare up every now and then at the most inconvenient times and really piss me off. I don;t use any products really. Besides washing my face with water and some form of face wash, i just leave it alone. I'm still only 16 so i don't expect it to go away just yet.

Nearly 20 and never. Guess I'm just lucky like that. I just hope that I'm not cursing myself with this post.

- WraithTwo -

All throughout my teenage years, I rarely had a blemish on my face.

My dear friend Sarah has had acne and really bad skin for YEARS. She's been doing this, uh....I guess its the thing Jessica Simpson sells on TV? I forget the name of it, but it DOES work. Your body just builds up a tolerance towards it.

Crysta ALSO tried the same product and it worked for her for maybe 6 months, and then again, her skin grew accustomed to it and it essentially stopped working for her.

Well at first I thought I had to walk around with it. Well stop eating junk food and get some face cleanser; proactive/clearskin products, and you will be set. Acne does take some points of your good looking meter. I did great with the acne problem, hardly had any.

i don't think i suffer from acne, just really bad skin that means i constantly have spots which get worse whenever my period is due (i'm 20 turning 21 this year as well T_T).

i'm too lazy to use various products apart from the basics; face wash, cleanser and moisturiser, instead i try and make sure i drink 1.5-2 litres of water a day and 5 portions of fruit/veg. also been trying to fit in some exercise but only managed to do walking to uni/city a few times a week which takes me about 20-25minutes.

All these face products are too expensive as well. A few years back, i used to buy those Clearasil facial wipes, and they worked pretty well for me, but because you had to use them twice a day and you got like, 30 or something stupid, they lasted no time atal, and next thing you know, you're buying a new pack. Sames goes with any facial products for me. I also don't wear makeup because i think that'll make my skin worse.

Proactive, right? My friend also uses that and she told me it worked wonders for her. I never had a case of bad acne, but I do get pimples and whiteheads once in awhile. I pop them with a needle after 2-3 days to avoid accidently scratching them, which can lead to scars.

Ok, this is going to sound really wierd....

I'm 24, and I still have acne problems, but the weird part is the location. I don't get it much on my face (I do sometimes, but it's rare), but often times I'll get it on my shoulders and back. And I thougth your skin was suposed to clear up after puberty...

Same here. I never really had acne as a teenager ... the month I moved into the dorms at university it flared up out of nowhere and freaked me right out. (Perfect timing, eh?) I cleared it up with neutrogena products, and once I moved out of the dorms it went away. Maybe something in the shower water?

Same here. I've had a few pimples show up in the same locations sporadically throughout the years (for some reason i will get a pimple on my eyebrow and right under my nostril), but that's it. Thankfully, I've never had any serious acne troubles.

Those aren't uncommon areas at all, and it's not always puberty-related. If it gets bad, a dermatologist could probably give you something to help it out.

As for me, I still have it bad on my face. Use Proactive, which does enough that it doesn't get worse, but flare ups still keep it there =\

Acne doesn't just affect teenagers though. Once you hit puberty, you're body constantly produces the things that create acne (though with less intensity than when you're a teenager) & you're going to have to deal with Acne from time to time from the day you hit puberty until the day you die.

Oops I kind of forgot to post my situation. I have a little acne, mostly on the face. I use your basic pads and such and Clearsil Ultra, it works pretty good but I still get a few every now and then. I've heard from a lot of people if you just leave them alone its better for you, not too sure though.

My acne has started to fade over the past couple of months. I use this stuff called Acne Free. It's kinda like ProActive but kinda not. It's better than the hunting knife I used to use.

I still get acne like crazy and I am 18 years old. My multimedia teacher still gets acne and he is in his mid 30's.

I have pretty minor acne. It will pop up every here and there every then and now, but I use those Stridex (or any other brand) face wipes so it keeps it to a minimum. It has never been much of an issue for me.

I rarely get acne, but I do find that eating chocolate seems to play a role in getting it. Face cleaners work great, if used daily. I'm using Olay's Daily Facials, and as long as I also wash my hair (really!), my face usually stays clear.

I've been pretty lucky thus far. I haven't had any major acne, just your run of the mill zit every now and then.

someone told me not too long ago that a great way to get rid of zits in a hurry is to use regular table salt and mix it with water until it's a paste. I guess it's supposed to dry them up and practically have them cleared up overnight. I haven't properly tried it yet though, so this could just be a waste of time, especially since the salt would most likely dry up all the good moisture in your skin as well. if you do try it, make sure you moisturize afterwards to save yourself the trouble of dealing with any after effects.

I used to have it pretty bad until I figured out what was causing it--candy and chocolate. Both were also making me quite sick after I would eat them. Before I realized what was going on, I think I used about ever anti-acne skin cleaner I could get my hands on. None of it worked. So, when I finally got around to the real problem, I dropped candy and chocolate and my face cleared up right away.

I was lucky enough that, for the most part, I dodged this bullet. My poor older brother had very bad acne through most of high school, until he found a dermatologist who put him on Accutane. After a harsh outbreak in response to it, it cleared up almost overnight. When I started to show signs of my own around my mouth, the same doctor put me on the stuff, and I was in the clear.

Now, being 24, my main worry is baldness... No clear signs, but with my father being bald, it's always been a concern for me. If it comes to that though, I've already made up my mind on shaving my head.

I really want Accutane... out of curiosity, when you got the clear for the prescription, what was the cost?

You know, I have absolutely no idea. That was back when my parents fit the bills and I didn't ask those types of questions. I think my brother was actually covered by insurance though, as his case was so out of control.

But I can tell you neither myself, nor my brother suffered from any side effects. We scoff when we see these reports of how it causes depression in everyone who takes it. The only downside was the monthly bloodwork, as we both feared the needle, pansies that were are.

I don't have a big acne problem. But I normally wash my face with netrogeana soap and keep a good hygeine. Drink plenty of water, eat your fruits and vegetables, you should be good!

Oh, and don't touch your face alot.

I've heard something similar, but instead of salt and water, I was told to use minty toothpaste. It actually does work, as long as you're treating a pimple and not the rashy, irritated acne. However, it really dried up my skin, so I only use it when it's absolutely necessary.

Acne
 

I'm sure all of you will go through, are going through, or have gone through a phase of acne, be it big or small. For some, its just a couple of zits here and there, but for others, its a rash-like plague that consumes the entire face.

Personally, I have had a bit of trouble with acne around the mouth. I alway seem to have 2-3 big zits around my mouth, and as soon as they dissapear, a couple more manage to come around. It's really annoying. It might not help that I tend to pick at them, turning them into more of a scab, which eventually leads to scarring.

So how do you people deal with acne and acne scarring? Any special tips that work for you? Any commercial treatment? Stories? Let it all out!

Edit: I just saw the other thread. This one may be more broad, but if not, you might want to merge it with the other thread. Sorry :(

Threads have been merged.

Mine all went away when I actually started drinking water a couple years ago. 8 glasses at least a day. All liquids should be water. Too bad I didn't figure that out sooner.

I have one problem where I get a zit every once in awhile, but thats not what upsets me, its the skin on and around my nose thats always pink or red. Anyone know what can I do about this?

I don't get really bad acne. In middle school when I didn't take care of myself (physically or mentally, but that's another story,) I never washed my face. I got lots and lots of blackheads and not-so-bad acne on my temples and forehead, where my hair sat, and my chin, where I rested my hand. Now I wash my face everyday with pHisoderm and use an anti-blackhead toner. (Stings like hell but it's that kind of hurt that kinda feels good, like flossing your teeth too hard) I don't get zits, really. Once and a while I'll get a really big one in a really embarrassing spot (usually between the eyes) and it takes a while to go away. One thing I never do is pop zits. That's DISGUSTING. And I don't get bacne either.
I usually moisturize but I can't find my moisturizer so I haven't in a while D:

OMG, I'm the same way. When I wear makeup I use a tinted moisturizer that kinda evens out my skin tone.

In my teenage years, I never had a major outbreak of acne. So here's my advise that has been passed on to me:

1. Drink Plenty of water
2. Wash your face daily (2/3 times a day. I usually do it twice, once in the morning, and once at night)
3. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
4. Stop touching your face. Your hands has oil and dirt, stop contaminating your face with it.

I use Neutrogena-Deep Wash and sometimes Johnson & Johnson Clean and Clear. Try it out and good luck.

I've had severe acne since age 11. I'm 19 now, so my face is pretty much fucked with acne scars everywhere. I've tried everything. The only thing that worked for me was an antibiotic medicine that cost $170 per tube. Once I was no longer covered by insurance I couldn't afford to get it anymore. I'm just gonna wait it out until the acne is done growing, and I'll get some laser resurfacing done or something. But until then it's really humiliating. I'd take a pic but I don't want to gross anyone out.

I never had acne turing my teenage years, but for the past couple of years I've had recurring acne confined to a smal portion of my forehead. It's really becoming quite bothersome.

Yeah I actually had moderate acne with lots of spots on the chin area and on each side of my forehead. I still have some big bleeding ones on my chin but it's my fault because i'm not doing anything to get rid of them. Someday, i'll grow tired of seeing them I guess.

I use to have pretty bad acne when I was a teenager. I used acne pads but it didn't do anything except burn the zits and make them hard and sometimes bleed. My mom bought me Proactiv.. I'm sure it would've worked really well if I had used it twice a day. But I'm too lazy... I started using it again just to clear it up more since I started college. I had one on my cheek pop up that's starting to go away.

I had fairly bad acne for a couple of years. I tried acne pads and...um, something with Oxy in its name, and they both helped a little bit, but they also dried my skin out really badly. My face and hands would literally crack and bleed in the middle of winter while I was using them.

I'm fairly lucky, though, because my acne went away on its own after a couple of years. I haven't had any acne outbreaks since middle school, just the occasional annoying zit. I found that milk products irritated my skin and switched to soy milk, which helped out a lot...I've become completely lactose intolerant since then, though I don't know if the two are connected.

I get a stray pimple every now and then... usually on my forehead though. I use products with salicylic acid to help remove it, but it takes a while to fully work.

I use exfoliating cleansers to try to get rid of the blackheads on and around my nose but I've never noticed too much of a difference. Those blackhead removing strips don't work too well for me either. :/

Of course, my eating habits are shit so that probably has something to do with my skin condition.

I do get acne every now and then, but it's mostly centered around the "T" area (forehead and nose).

I use everything from Proactiv to Mary Kay, and I'm lucky enough that those brands work. The only problem for me is that I tend to forget and use soap (which is really bad, since it dries up your face, making your skin produce more oils to compensate for it) instead =/

I read somewhere that a milk wash helps clear your skin, but the best thing I ever heard was taking zinc tablets. Not only does it boost your immune system, zinc also lowers your body's production of oils. I was a little skeptical at first, but then it started working! Crazy stuff, those vitamins and minerals.

So is "zit-popping is bad" the general consensus? Damn, I hate the look of the little white tip, so I usually pop it.... which then leads to more picking :(

I think I'm going to try drinking more water and eating more fuits, and hopefully that will help.

I had acne for around 3 years. Unfortunatly I had to wait for them to clear up on its own, but if its terrible you could try getting proper medication.

I used to have so many pimples, and I don't mean to sound like a salesperson, but Proactive really worked for me. I used it for like 2 years in a row and its worked great. I don't use it anymore because now I rarely get pimples.

Also in regards to poping pimples, disgusting I know, but for me I generally pop them and wash over them with anti-bacterial soap and keep them clean (that means wiping off any blood that may come out of it) and by doing this I can usually effectively kill the pimple with minimal evidence of such a procedure having been performed (if you wiped away all the blood the clot that forms should be really small and not real noticable).

My acne is pretty mild. It's cyclical, so whenever I get my period, it flares a little, but it's kind of tapering off now. I just wash my face every day.

Ok, I have bad acne. I take a shower everyday with salicyclic acid acne face wash , I put on purple emu blemish control, then I put on clearisil 10% benzoyl peroxide and from testing different combinations each one stops my acne by half so 1/2 * 1/2 * 1/2 so I only have like 1/8 the acne I would have if I didn't do all those things. If I miss a day of this routine I totally break out :(