...I break out like a teenager still. WTF? Does anyone else still get pimples? Also, I have what I like to call pre-wrinkles! How can I have wrinkles and pimples! That's not fair !
So, if you do, what do you love to use to keep your skin clear? Also, I find I break out the worst after my round of nightshifts...Weird?
night shifts as in nursing? maybe you use some cleaning products that irritate it somehow? Hmm...
I have no advice for keeping skin clear sorry, ive always had the opposite problem- too dry to have a break out >.< i suppose you have tried all the clean and clear stuff
PROACTIV!!!!! Have you heard of it? I had theeeee WORST acne ALL OVER my face, and I tried EVERYTHING! I even tried a prescription pill from my doctor and nothing worked. And then I started using ProActiv when I was 16, and have been using it ever since. I have AWESOME skin now. I still will get one or two zits now and then, but that is only around the time I get my period, when it is normal to break out. I STRONGLY recommend getting it. I know I sound like an informericial right now, but it seriously works. My friend is 22 years old, and started getting really bad acne all over her cheeks about 2 years ago. I FINALLY convinced her to get Pro-Activ. She was spending so much money on Clinique face wash, and it wasn't doing SQUAT. So she finally got Pro-Active, has been using it for about 2 months, and hardly has any zits now.
And I feel you on the wrinkles!! I have bad wrinkles under my eyes. I am only 22 and I also have grey hair!!!!!! White hair! I have to dye my hair!
I do. I had perfectly clear skin in HS. WTH is that about?!
I tried ProActive for a while a few years ago and it DID clear up my skin and I was so happy at first but my skin is so sensitive that it got too dried out and got irritated from that.
The only thing I do now that helps is to wash with water and a microfiber towel and then rub on a little bit of olive oil. If I take time to do that every day it does look a lot better.
You mentioned pimples and breakouts. Are you at all fair skinned? I too had acne for a short time, went away in high school, then decided to pop back up now and then.
Over the years, I just assumed that I had breakouts.
I had tried everything under the sun! Nothing worked.
I even went to my doc, and he prescribed the typlical pills and creams.
What all those skin cleaners did for me was seemingly make my skin worse!
After researching on the net, I found out that I may have Roscea. I will be meeting with a dermatologist in a few weeks. I say this because all my symptons add up to it. You can find more info @ rosacea(.)org
Just thought maybe you could look into it in case nothing else seems to help.
I never listened to my mom, but she was right! She always told me to moisturize with a good moisturizer, & I didn't listen, but since I have done that my face has cleared up. I had terrible skin in HS & I used Proactive & all it did was burn the crap out of face. I have started using Oil of Olay products exclusively & you can customize your skin care needs on their website. It's worth trying if you are looking to try something new.
hartbeat... i just got diagnosed with rosacea. I too thought i had acne. Tried all the creams and stuff...proactiv...everything. NOTHING worked, and only made it worse. I also found out i'm allergic to preservatives...3 main ones used in everything from contact solution to toothpaste and shampoo. That's something to check out too...it's why I kept getting acne-like breakouts that would not go away.
My skin is a million times better now that I started avoiding products with preservatives ...and began putting vanicream on my face twice a day. My rosacea has gotten more in control too. I'm supposed to use this cream for it...but it really dries out the skin, so i don't really use it like I should.
kataclismic - I find that when I am stressed out I breakout too. My skin was TERRIBLE in high school, finally got better in college, and it seems like the day I turned 27, poof, my skin regressed back to high school. I too am trying to find some good alternatives. I used proactive for a little while and it helped immensely, but it can be extremely drying and make your skin sun sensitive, not to mention I think it's overpriced. I use it once a day and then use Neutrogena products the other day. I found this great face wash called Anti-Blemish, Anti-Wrinkle, by Neutrogena, and it WORKS on those small lines I was also beginning to see and the pimples. And it's inexpensive, around 8 - 10 bucks at Walmart. Just remember not to overdry your skin, because your sebacious glands will kick into overdrive and your breakouts will be even worse. Also, scientists have just linked increased levels of insulin in the body to increased breakouts, so when your mom told you eating chocolate and pizza and other high carb foods would make you break out, she was partially right! Good luck!
Last edited by misstraveller; 11-21-2008 at 01:32 AM.
I was actually thinking about posting a topic like this one. It's embarrassing, but does anyone have any remedies for body acne? My face is really very clear...but the rest of me? I start breaking out in places I do NOT want to break out in! (Back, bottom, neck..)
I was just thinking yesterday about this . I have an oily skin and always have pimples. Face, shoulders, back, legs, you name it. I have started using a face cream but it doesn't help at all. On the other hand, I probably don't care enough about it to start using expensive creams. It would help more if I stopped picking at them.
I've had acne for about 13 years now! The only thing that ever made it go away completely was an oral medication that I took back when I was 13 or 14. I started using Proactiv recently and it helps a lot... some days I only use it all once a day, so maybe if I used it perfectly it would work perfectly.
Courtney, I read something in Cosmo (I know, great source, huh?) about using a dandruff shampoo to wash acne-prone body areas, because the zinc somehow prevents acne. About 2 weeks ago I completely replaced my body wash with cheap store-brand dandruff shampoo, and I have to admit, my back/arm/shoulder/chest acne has decreased quite a bit... about 50% of it went away, and that was while increasing how often I was exercising, which usually makes it worse.
There are cleansers and I think some creams meant for body acne, I know I've seen something in stores. Proactiv makes a body cleanser, I don't think you can buy it online unless they've roped you into their subscription plan, but you can buy it in person or on eBay.
Hey, I still get break outs and I am 38 for heaven's sakes. Water has helped my skin since I have been drinking it--could be whole foods (mostly) diet too. Sunshine tends to help my skin more than anything but I know it's bad when I get too much.
I am one of those people that ProActive does NOT work for. At all. It works great for lots of people, but it is by no means a "one size fits all" solution.
I used to get those really deep, painful breakouts about once a month. The kind you can't pop, and that leave brown "scars" that take weeks or months to completely fade. Hard to conceal with make-up, too.
Then roughly a year ago I read about someone else with the same problem, and he recommended the following:
* wash face with warm water, and gentle cleanser & using only your fingers/hands
* apply 2.5% (or higher) benzoyle peroxide cream (I use 10%) to affected area, and gently work it into the skin. Wait for 5-20 minutes before putting on any lotions, sunblock, moisturizers, etc.
That's it. No expensive acne products or time consuming "routines" to follow. And I haven't had one teensy pimple, breakout, or flare-up since I started doing this. Not one. (And I am 36 by the way, so this was something I was battling for many, many years and I did try lots of different things before finding this remedy).
As for wrinkles, I have some suggestions there too. And since people routinely mistake me for being in my early to mid-20's maybe my advice is worth listening to :
#1 -- Stay out of the sun as much as possible, and/or wear sunblock ALL the time. Even on cloudy days, in the winter, etc. Never skip it. (If you have been breaking this cardinal rule of looking young, then start obeying it now. It's too late to undo years of sun damage, but you can prevent things from getting worse.) I can't stress this one enough.
#2 -- Don't smoke. Period.
And to a lesser extent:
* Moisturize your skin. I've been using anti-aging creams and Olay since I was in my twenties. It seems to have helped keep the wrinkles away so far.
* If at all possible, avoid rubbing your eyes -- treat the skin around your eyes as if it could tear as easily as tissue paper. This goes for washing it, removing make-up, or whatever -- be kind to your skin!
So, that's some advice from an older gal who looks to be in your age group!
Last edited by Apple Cheeks; 11-21-2008 at 04:16 PM.
Sigh...26 years old and...
!
. I have an oily skin and always have pimples. Face, shoulders, back, legs, you name it. I have started using a face cream but it doesn't help at all. On the other hand, I probably don't care enough about it to start using expensive creams. It would help more if I stopped picking at them.
About 2 weeks ago I completely replaced my body wash with cheap store-brand dandruff shampoo, and I have to admit, my back/arm/shoulder/chest acne has decreased quite a bit... about 50% of it went away, and that was while increasing how often I was exercising, which usually makes it worse. 
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