The Acne Thread

[waxy]

How do you all feel about Cetaphil?

I'm not really fond of Cetaphil, I feel like it doesn't do anything whenever I use it.

Anyway, I recommend products by Mario Badescu and Murad. I've been using products by these brands for 3 years already, and I swear I've never had any intense breakouts again! And whenever a zit pops out on my face, the medication I use is Mario Badescu's drying lotion. It's really effective as the zit would dry up overnight.

 

[dumbfairy]

Kissablekae I've found a lot of products dry my skin out too. Right now I'm using La Roche Posay Effaclar fash wash and a moisturiser from Simple. Other than that my day to day routine is pretty simple so that I don't make anything worse.

My chin is far far better today. It still doesn't look that greta but the swelling has nearly all gone,all the bumps and bruises too. Nothing 'came through' to the surface if you like. I still think it'll scar quite badly though from when it was so red/blah blah.

Going to try my second aspirin mask tonight I think because I found it worked quite well last time. Although I am worried perhaps it was the aspiriin that made my skin all the worse

 

[mousquerader]

Does anyone here have problems with little bumps left behind by acne? I have a bunch of little skin-colored bumps on my chin, but they're not pimples. I think I've had them for almost a year now... When I try to squeeze them, nothing comes out. It's really odd. I probably wouldn't be so concerned about them if they didn't make my chin look weird in pictures. For some reason, it looks fine and smooth in real life, but in pictures it makes it look like I have a bunch of zits down there. Uggggggh. What do I do?

 

[satin chic]

^ I think what you describe is milia. I have it on my chin as well, not very bad, but it's there and it annoys me. Basically the only way I know of to really get rid of this is to have them removed by an aesthetician as they have to be pricked with a needle. Exfoliating helps a little, but they're still noticable.

 

[mousquerader]

^I don't think that's it. I looked at pictures of milia, but what I have doesn't seem similar. They don't seem to have "stuff" inside. lol, I feel like I have cellulite or dimples on my chin or something when I look at my chin at certain angles (yeah I know, gross). It kind I'll try to post a picture when I can...

 

[mousquerader]

Right... here are those pictures of my chin I said I'd post:

Those things I circled in blue are just a few minor zits. All the other weird crap are those bumps I'm talking about. See what I mean now?

lol, I hope those pictures didn't offend anyone. They're so icky, those bumps...

 

[kissablekae]

Kissablekae I've found a lot of products dry my skin out too. Right now I'm using La Roche Posay Effaclar fash wash and a moisturiser from Simple. Other than that my day to day routine is pretty simple so that I don't make anything worse.

My chin is far far better today. It still doesn't look that greta but the swelling has nearly all gone,all the bumps and bruises too. Nothing 'came through' to the surface if you like. I still think it'll scar quite badly though from when it was so red/blah blah.

Going to try my second aspirin mask tonight I think because I found it worked quite well last time. Although I am worried perhaps it was the aspiriin that made my skin all the worse

ive been thinking of trying products to help my scars but i have to say im very skeptical. im going to read more reviews before i purchase anything.

and ive always wanted to try that Mario Badescu Drying Lotion but i think the name turned me off...i was like more drying?! waxy, does it make the skin around the blemish all dry and flakey? because it makes it hard for me to put makeup on it.

i tried aspirin mask yesterday but i mixed it with cleanser. i think ill buy honey for next time, those lil honey bear bottles are adorable! my skin felt soft afterwards but i didnt notice any big changes yet. ill just do once a week and wait for the results! i used 4 tablets, i swear they look so small till you actually put it on your face! i think ill just use 2 from now on even though i have a bottle of 500!

 

[kissablekae]

I'm not really fond of Cetaphil, I feel like it doesn't do anything whenever I use it.

same here. i bought a big bottle of it thinking it will be my holy grail gentle cleanser...i seriously ended up using it to clean my shoes it works for some people but Cetaphil never made my skin feel clean like not refreshing at all. even when i didnt even have makeup to wash off it, it felt like it left a film over my skin after i used it. i like was like swear my skin didnt feel as dirty before! if you do decide to try it i would say start with a smallest bottle and if there is a sale then thats even better just in case you dont like. you dont want to have to use something that makes you feel like you didnt even wash your face at all.

 

[KaraDanielle11]

Sooo the shot definitely made that pimple go away. But its like it pushed that one in and a brand new one popped out! I have a huge ugly pimple thats SUPER red (I should tell you that I'm super pale so any mark really shows up on me) and gross. And I called my derm and she won't give me another one of those shots for at least a month. Plus, I guess insurance will only pay for it every once in a while and they are super expensive without.
But today I literally started crying bc I went to the library to pick up a book I had on hold and they librarian was STARING at it like she'd never seen a pimple before! I've never felt that self-conscious before! Anyway, I got a new prescription for a moisturizer and a topical medication. Hopefully it will work and the redness will go down eventually. THe only thing that sucks is now I smell like sunscreen and rotten eggs.


mousquerader--it looks like maybe some scarring from old pimples??

 

[mousquerader]

mousquerader--it looks like maybe some scarring from old pimples??

That's what I was afraid of, but then I realized I didn't really have that many pimples on my chin. They could be clogged pores... I found a thread on acne.org recently where people have the exact same problem, so phew. *relieved* There doesn't seem to be a solution yet, though. I think I'm going to try a BHA and see how that goes. BHA is supposed to be able to clean out the pores whereas AHA can't penetrate past the first layer of skin.

Now I just need to find a good BHA product...

 

[dumbfairy]

KaraDanielle I'm so sorry to hear that the shots didn't work as well as you hoped.

Mousquerader of course your photo doesn't offend What are the differences between AHA and BHA?

I have done nothing with regards to my chin medically. I'm not registered with a doctor down here so it's very hard for me to get seen. The spots are starting to come through to the surface but I'm beginging to think better out than in cos of the pain of the swelling under my skin. Grrr.

 

[olga.]

i have a question. my acne is gone for now. but on my face remained red spots after acne. what should i preferably do to get rid of them?

 

[Street_a_Licious]

Neutrogena's Visibly Clear On the spot gel really helped me when i had an outbreak. then again, my kinds of "outbreaks" constitute 4 blemishes as the same time lol.

when someone has occasional pimples, i can only say, "On the spot gel".

 

[KaraDanielle11]

Well the shot did work well it's just that two days later I got a worse pimple elsewhere and the shot couldn't be administered again.

 

[mousquerader]

Dumbfairy: The difference between AHA (glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid) and BHA (salicylic acid) is that AHA is water soluble and can increase cell turnover by dissolving protein bonds between the skin cells. They only penetrate the outermost layer of the skin, so they can't prevent the formation of wrinkles that occurs in the dermis/second layer of skin. AHA is good for evening out skin tone and fading hyperpigmentation. BHA, on the other hand, are fat soluble and not only exfoliate the top layer of skin but clean out the pores by getting down to the oil glands and breaking down skin cells; it's good for blackheads, acne, and pores (cleaning out the junk in the pores may help make them appear smaller).

I can't wait to try the BHA out on my chin now! hehe.

 

[dumbfairy]

Well my skin has been disgusting this evening,I had a few tears. My Mum is now insistant that I go on 'the pill' to balance out my hormones thus hopefully sorting out my skin. I haven't been on it so far cos I don't like the idea of anything 'messing' with my natural system but now I think I'll try anything.

BHA does sound good. I'm so naive though...it can be found it over the counter products?

 

[kissablekae]

^ aww im sorry! be strong! dont do anything you dont want to do. tell her it takes time to heal. i went through the same stuff with my mom and family until i said NO MORE! and just stopped all 'treatments'(like i said i refused to do anything too serious). HUG IT OUT GIRLFRIEND!

 

[mousquerader]

Well my skin has been disgusting this evening,I had a few tears. My Mum is now insistant that I go on 'the pill' to balance out my hormones thus hopefully sorting out my skin. I haven't been on it so far cos I don't like the idea of anything 'messing' with my natural system but now I think I'll try anything.

BHA does sound good. I'm so naive though...it can be found it over the counter products?

:/ I always avoided going on the pill because I'm also afraid about messing with my hormones. I've heard horror stories about people going on the pill and having their skin ruined. But best of luck to you if you decide to try it!

Yes, BHA/salicyclic acid can be found in over-the-counter products. St. Ives has a face wash with 2% BHA in it, and so do Stridex and Clearasil pads. I'm going to look for a toner that has BHA in it. I liked Clinique's Mild Clarifying Lotion/Toner but it only has 0.5% BHA in it.

 

[KaraDanielle11]

Well my skin has been disgusting this evening,I had a few tears. My Mum is now insistant that I go on 'the pill' to balance out my hormones thus hopefully sorting out my skin. I haven't been on it so far cos I don't like the idea of anything 'messing' with my natural system but now I think I'll try anything.

BHA does sound good. I'm so naive though...it can be found it over the counter products?

Going on the pill definitely helped my skin since the majority of my pimples were hormonal. Also, it's helped me a lot in terms of mood swings around that time. I think everyone is different and what works great for one person could make the next person worse. It's really just finding what works for you. The pill (but remember there are lots of different kinds and you have to find the right one of that too!) is one option. I think you should at least give it a shot and if it doesn't work out in six months or so then decide what to do from there.

 

[dumbfairy]

The Doctor here in my Mums area wont see me as it;s new years and I'm not registered blah blah unless it's an emergency,so I have to wait till at least mid January before I see anyone My tetracycline antibiotics run out at about the same time. Its beginging to break out in lots and lots of small pimples,as well as the swelling,which is incredibly painful,but my sister commented today that I'm looking a lot better than I was 10 days ago. I think my problems are hormonal as everything is located on my chin (which I think is the area for hormonal spots?) and the rest of my skin is near on perfect,so I can't work out if my antibiotics are working or not cos usually I get a few on my forehead and nose too and nothing,I mean even my blackheads have nearly dissapeared. GRRR!

I'll look out for the clearasil pads

New year,new skin