Acne Blues

NillaWafer10

I absolutely second origins! I love the stuff.  It's expensive, but it lasts a really long time. I would recommend either checks and balances or a perfect world.  The face serum by Dr. Weil is also amazing.  It's done wonders for my dry skin.

I think you probably need to try a new cleanser. Maybe not MK? I have noticed that if I use a cleanser for too long, my face gets "used" to it, and it's no longer as powerful.  If you have a lot of acne day close to your wedding, you can use a drop of clear eyes on them.  It's anti-inflammatory, so it's supposed to take out a lot of the swelling and redness.  Clinique also has a product that eliminates redness.  It works really well. 

NillaWafer10

Suz, what were some of the diet changes you made?

RhiannonMichele

THanks every one for sharing. I haven't checked this in a while and I didn't realize how much everyone suffers from this. I will take all of your advide into consideration. I know a few changes i need to make is to not PICK!!! Like Joanna I have a bad habit of picking at them and I know it just makes it worse. Also the clean pillow every night sounds like a really good Idea. I know When I  need to wash my sheets by my face!! My Aunt is a Mary Kay consultant and she said that it's never to early to start preventing wrinkles and mary kay doesn't make anything for those of us who aren't teenagers and aren't getting those crows feet yet. I might do some research and find out how much it would be to see a dermatologist, I'm not only planning on a budget I live on a budget and not sure the insurance would cover it. Thanks everyone for the great advice!

DKC1308

I feel like I posted this myself! I am also 23 and have always had break outs. Mostly around my jaw line and neck. My wedding is also in 9 months.

Proactiv and I are NOT friends! My face dried out and huge red bumps YUCK!  The pill did not help either and I am on one that is FDA approved for acne treatment. My acne has caused a lot of emotional struggles that I felt I had over came but the thought of breakout on my special day breaks my heart.

I decided that it was time to take control... I didn't feel pretty at prom, graduation or even at my engagement party. My wedding was not going to be one of those days.

I went to the dermatologist and he started me on an antibiotic and Epiduo. After about 5 months and no real head way he said that even though my skin doesn't appear to be that severe my acne is deep and unresponsive to typical treatment.  I will be starting Accutane on Monday. I am nervous because of things I have read but at the same time my derm doesn't feel I should be on it for an extended period of time.

Also, I do not have insurance. I have cut out eating out and picked up extra shifts or offered to babysit for other to pay for it. I know I will not regret this choice because everyone deserved to feel good on their wedding day. 

GOOD LUCK!!!

Invol

If you feel like your skin isn't bad enough to see a dermatologist, perhaps you could go get a facial? A trained aesthetician can tell you what your major skin problems are and give you a few products to treat it. 

As you can tell by everyone one's response, each persons skin is different. I know that for me the Somme Institute line is wonderful, but that's because it targets exactly what I need.. which may not be what you need.

Good luck!

dirtymartini

Definitely see a dermatologist.  I never had "terrible" skin, but always had a few inflamed, large blemishes on my face.   I ALWAYS had to wear makeup to cover them up.  I saw a dermatologist for years- I tried everything under the sun.  Proactiv didn't really work too well for me either, and all those topical products that the dermatologist prescribed were annoying, and dried my skin out.  FINALLY my derm prescribed Accutane which was one of the best things I have ever done for myself- I haven't had a blemish in YEARS.  Perfectly clear skin, 100% of the time.  I'm a pharmacist- so I know that this medication can have some serious side effects and you should definitely talk it through with your doctor to determine if it is right for you.  But I'm a success story and wanted to share it with you.  I didn't have to worry one bit about how my skin might look on my wedding day.  I knew it would be perfect!  Talk to your dermatologist... good luck!!!

RhiannonMichele

I just ordered the line from acne.org. Did some research on the site and it looks like it might be just the thing i need! It's stronger than anything I've tried to use before. Thank you everyone for sharing with me. I really appreciate it. There is so much stuff out there it's hard to know where to start and you have to give things time to work. My new stuff will be here in a few days and I will post the results when I see them!

a1guitarist

I had horrible acne ever since I hit puberty. Nothing worked on it for more than a day or so, but I finally decided last year to see a dermatologist. Some of the things he told me to do are common sense (i.e. don't pick at or pop the pimples, keep your hands away from your face), but others I would never have thought of:

- hold a washcloth with hot water over a pimple until it grows cold and that will help with the swelling and redness
- make sure you go to bed with clean hair (no hair product in it) - if you forget one night, make sure to wash your pillow case
- don't scrub your face, blot it with water instead
- use a make-up brush instead of your fingers to put on make-up

He also recommended that instead of soap or astringents I use a dermatologist approved cleanser (one of which is called Spectro Gel). It kills the bacteria on the face that irritate the pores.

I also started on Accutane back in August. It worked wonders and since I have finished it in December, I've only worn make-up about 4 or 5 times. It does have side effects, though. I got a lot of bloody noses and my hands got  quite dry. I think it was worth it though.