I think I have come to my wits end on trying to find something that can really clear my face up and keep it clear. I can honestly say all through highschool when I was a teenager I never really had issues with acne unless it was that TOM, but ever since I hit 21+ its been ridiculous. I know the wedding isn’t until 2012 but I would love to find a solution now rather than freaking out more the closer the date gets.I realize everyone’s skin is different and will react to different solutions but I swear I think I have tried everything possible from home remedies like hydrogen peroxide to proactive to antibiotic pills and dermatologist prescribed gels and creams. Nothing seems to be working…. Is there anything at all that actually works for oily/highly sensitive/acne prone skin??
Re: Stressing out over Breaking out
Also, I would stop switching all of your stuff all the time, your face needs time to adjust to stuff and if you have sensitive skin it can't handles all of the switching of products.
I'm in the same situation! I recently started seeing a dermatologist in order to prepare my skin for my sept 2011 wedding. Being on a long term antibiotic can be harsh to our bodies but there is a new acne pill out there, its just basically a water pill (the name slips my mind right now). Its for patients who suffer from hormanal acne, designed for woman who break out on the chin. Until then, switch to a very mild face wash and stick with it!
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I am taking an oral antibiotic that's not as harsh as others supposedly. I can't remember the name right now. I'm using Tazorac and Clariofoam on my face at night and Benzaclin in the morning. I have also started getting monthly facials, which helps with the clogged pores. I don't know what is helping right now because I have been using these meds for a while (maybe 6 mos) and it's only been for the last month that my skin has been good. I also can't go on BC so that's not an option for me anymore. When I was on BC before my skin was still up and down.
I've pretty much accepted that I will always battle acne. It actually makes me pretty sad. I hope that I don't have breakouts on my wedding day. My plan is to continue this course of treatment, get facials once a month and get cortisone injections if necessary a few days before my wedding. Have you gotten those before? It shrinks pimples down pretty much right away. It's not as swollen within a couple of hours and within 2 days I no longer have evidence of the pimple. It's a great quick fix for flare ups.
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I had deep, rather horrid acne. Most recently on my cheeks and side of my face, but in the last 15 years, it's been EVERYWHERE. I had scarring, redness, SUPER dry skin, etc. Can't leave the house without makeup.
7 months before my wedding, I started going to a medical spa. I ended up dropping around 2500-3000 total...but for me it has been worth it. I got IPL laser and an acne-treating laser, in addition to chemical peels. In addition, they put me on a retinol product, tretinoin (sp?) to help tame breakouts. After 6 months, while I still wear makeup to look nice, I don't feel strange about leaving the house without it. My skin looks pretty much normal, and I only get one or two big zits during that time of month and they die down really fast.
This was expensive, but FULLY worth it to me. I only wish I had started earlier...I would have been much happier with myself overall.
Things they also told me to do were to STOP using scrubbing acne products--I was just making my skin both drier AND more prone to breakout. I rinse my face in the shower in the morning and immediately upon exiting, while it is still wet, put thick cream cetophil lotion on it and let it soak it. Sounds counterintuitive for oily skin, right? Well, it basically tricks your face into thinking it is already oily. When you scrub it, you remove the natural oil so your face goes into overproduction trying to replace it. This way, you are moisturized and not oil-producing. At night, I was my face with olay regenerist facewash, dry it thouroughly and use the retinol product on it, which inhibits acne and promotes cell turnover (makes yer face peel). If my face gets too dry, I dab hyrdocortisone cream on it. All per my derm's directions.
I, too, tried many other meds, creams antibiotics, without much luck. For me, the only thing that REALLY worked was ACCUTANE. It is a pain in the a** to get, but in my opinion it was well worth it. My face has cleared up 100%, and I can rest assured that it will stay that way for my wedding
You should consider it, it really is the most effective medicine out there for this problem.