The Acne Thread – Post on problems, questions, treatments and/or solutions etc

[Kimkhuu]

I asked my derm about a laser treatment, though I have to mention that right now my acne is VERY VERY mild, which means clear skin with 1-2 major zits a month, other than that, it's pretty clear.

My dermatologist told me I could get laser treatment, that way, I don't need to use a special cleanser or any medication or topical creams. The effects of the laser should last at least 6 months (and maximum a year).

Of course the only inconvenient is money, it's around 700$ per treatment!

Ouch, that hurts.....

 

[Orchide]

i have done lasering type facials- foto facial and microdermabrasion...love them!

usually for breakouts and with foto facials or the diamond laser, they work best when you get a series of them like 4-5...you get them done every 4-5 weeks and after the 4th or 5th, your skin is good to go
i love the way your face glows right after a laser facial...it triggers the collegen level and gives you a boost. plus the lasering removes the bad bacteria and cleans it up!
usually, dermos will offer you a package deal...like if you want to do a series, the 5th is free or something like that...also, some insurance co.s will cover part of the treatment b/c it can be considered as necessary for acne or rosecea and helpful for getting rid of painful cystic acne...my dermo is always good and creative with phrasing it so they cover.
if you can't afford, something that is cheaper and definitely beneficial to breakouts and is covered by insurance, is a glycolic peel.
ask you dermo about this if you can't spring for a laser treatment.

 

[discoball]

I just got the Murad treatment, so I'll report back on it in awhile.

What is the murad treatment?

 

[Kimkhuu]

What is a glycolic peel?

 

[JackT]

acne and food:

The medical profession unrelentingly expounds the message that there is no proven connection between food and acne,that studying such subjects are useless etc...yet, have you seen what happens to your skin if you visit a McDonalds 3 times in one week?..

and how do you explain the following:

I have suffered from medium to heavy acne since my teens,wich has improved greatly since I became an adult,but I still have problems, with occasional breakouts..I tried many different treatments for this,with varying results,none of which was entirely good. ..dalacin,antibiotics,skinoren etc..(and also accutan/isotretionin,but I will not do that again..)

at one time 10 years ago,I went to see a doctor that somebody recommendend
..he was a little,old,egyptian man ,who examined me,and made few questions,and after that he spoke for FORTYFIVE MINUTES on what I should eat and not eat..and before I left ,he also wrote out a recipe for a white zinc paste that I should apply daily ,but I had the feeling that that part was more of a formality,and only because he should prescribe _something_...

Well,I went ahead and did what he told me..and let me tell you....I have NEVER,EVER had so good skin and been so completely free from skin problems at any time in my entire life, before or after that period ...

unfortunately ,I remember very little of what he said...
It was things like,drink a lot of water every morning,don't eat choccolate,don't eat grilled chicken,don't drink red wine....and a lot more ,of which I have no recollection :-(
...
Some time ago I made a renewed effort to fix my skin ,and visited three different doctors,who all recommended accutan unanimously...certainly not,I said, and
started looking up the doctor whom I had visited previously.
Unfortunately,the clinic where he had served told me that he had passed away...:-(..
so I thought that I would request a copy of my journal,in order to find clues to what he had said.
They did warn me that he usually did not write so many details in his journal..but I thought,oh,well, there must be SOMETHING...but to my dismay,when I recieved my copy and opened it with great anticipation,it only contained TWO lines,with something like "...acne so-and so...prescribed zinc pasta so and so"...........

Wish there was another doctor like this,who was still around!!!

 

[Acid]

the best cure IMO is sunlight

 

[Hanne]

that makes me wonder..if sunlight is the best cure..is acne less prevalent in more sunny climates ?
Do we have any bi-residental members who live in sunny AND cloudy locations ?

 

[Acid]

i believe its true.....
when people come to the UK they always say that their skin gets worse

and same when people from the UK go to LA, they praise how their skin clears up

 

[Kimkhuu]

Does Proactiv work?

 

[SJPdeux]

when i was in my teens, there was a product that was on the market that really worked for me. the spiel that surrounded it claimed that it was made out of whale's sperm (if my memory serves me right), it was either australia or new zealand formulated but i used to buy it from boots and superdrug readily. It came in a spray action bottle. i cannot remember the name but it might have started with k. or i could be wrong.

also, it was also for controlling oil/t-zone overproduction and i used it as a moisturiser as well and would still use it now. if i could remember its bleeding name

 

[SJPdeux]

I lived in Africa for half my life and I am now resident in Europe. Of course the sun is good for the skin! It activates cells and regenerates. Think plantlife then think bigger.lol

I lived in Africa for half my life and I am now resident in Europe. I had no prevailing skin conditions before arriving but was diagnosed with psorasis about 5yrs ago. The only thing that helps is the sun IMO and NOT steroid creams. I look forward to the summer because I know it will help my skin heal.

 

[Orchide]

What is a glycolic peel?

a glycolic peel is when they take glycolic acid which is a much higher grade than you can get over-the-counter, and swab it over your face-avoiding the eyes- and if you need it, over your chest and back. they leave it on for about 2-5 minutes depending on your sensitivity level. it does start to itch a bit towards the end.
then they rinse it off with lots of water.
it immediately has a toning and antiseptic effect which is deeper than anything you can do at home...it keeps breakouts at bay and gets rid of bacteria

 

[I_Heart_Shopping]

I recently purchased 100% organic unrefined african shea butter for my acne scars. Because I've heard a lot of people saying how it was a "miracle" for it. So I was really excited to try it. When I put it on I was expecting it to be creamy- but it seemed to melt, like butter, on my face. I've been using it for a couple of days now and so far haven't seen any improvements. :-(

So I'm not sure if I just got ripped off with something else... or if I have to wait a month+ to start seeing results.

Any suggestions of what to do now?

 

[secondly]

I'm going to start drinking more white tea, and water, but wasn't sure about what sort of cleanser to use. Some days my skin is oily, some times it is dry. I tried oxy pads, which don't really do anything. I tried some Neutrogena crap, but it didn't do anything either. What kind of product works? I mean, are Neutrogena and Oxy generally supposed to work, or are they just a big scam to begin with?

 

[polly]

my derm said to use Cetaphil anti-bacterial cleanser and no moisturizer ...and use Sea and Ski spray on sunscreen....

 

[Golden_butterfly]

Does Proactiv work?

Yeah, about I'm wondering that too

 

[Orchide]

I recently purchased 100% organic unrefined african shea butter for my acne scars. Because I've heard a lot of people saying how it was a "miracle" for it. So I was really excited to try it. When I put it on I was expecting it to be creamy- but it seemed to melt, like butter, on my face. I've been using it for a couple of days now and so far haven't seen any improvements. :-(

So I'm not sure if I just got ripped off with something else... or if I have to wait a month+ to start seeing results.

Any suggestions of what to do now?

that is a longterm fix...nothing you can apply topically or take as a pill will remove scars within days. you have to be patient i know its hard but shea butter is very good...take antioxidant supplements too to promote healing.

 

[jd255]

In terms of Proactive...

I think it absolutely works. It cleared up my skin, but the only problem is that your skin adapts to it rather quickly and then you have to switch regimes. I didn't mind--I used Proactive for a couple months, my skin cleared up and then I went back to Cetaphil.

I would most definitely reccomend it.

 

[oui]

Hi, I have a question

My skin used to be so-so ... some small (but always nastily red ) spots, blackheads around the nose and bigger pores on the forehead. My forehead was also very oily, while the rest of my face was okay, meaning that my fringe often after school or a long shopping trip was all straggly. Oh, and since I am very fair skinned (I hardly ever find makeup mor my rosy porcelain skin, it's always to darkand WAY to yellow for me :/) it seemed to dull.

A few weeks ago I started using a new tube of my washing gel. I think they changed the formula, it smells and looks different and the tube looks slightly different as well (but they didn't advertise it). Thing is, at first my skin was all normal, but then a few days ago my skin started showing strange reactions to it. I started getting this kind of rash, manymany small but not red spots that you couldn't see but feel. At first it was only my chin and cheeks, then my entire face. Suddenly my skin was sensitive to EVERYTHING, which is new to me.

Then it got all dry and today I noticed that the rash seems to be gone and my skin seems to have improved in general. Less blackheads, almost no spots (no visible ones), my forehead is much less oily and it seems to be more glowy (positively).

Not complaining, but is a change of skin types in just a few days possible? I drink as much water and green tea as before, I eat just as before. The only difference is that it started getting sunny again and that I started jogging again, but I've been jogging for months withouth improvement in skin.

 

[xcoldricex]

i've had chronic problems with my skin. was on accutane for awhile.

though strangely enough, when i was in beijing for 3 months, ate the greasiest foods, the city is really dirty.... i had CLEAR skin. this is the only time in my life since adolescence that this happened. i have no idea why. maybe its the tea.