Normally, I have very good skin (or so I've been told), but lately, the humidity of the Florida heat is really getting to me and KILLING my skin! I had bad acne during some of my teenage years, so the skin compliments always leave me floored... plus, since I gained weight, I like to think, "Ok, I may be fat but my SKIN is still NICE!" but anyway, I'd like for ACNE to be a thing of my dreaded past! Right now, I have several blemishes, and when those go, new ones appear. I wash my face as much as 3 times a day to get rid of all the sweat and chemicals (like soot) that my skin can pick up during the day.
Does anyone have any skin care ideas? what do YOU do for blemishes? I wash my face with Noxzema (which usually works well and keeps my skin smooth) and if I have a bad breakout, I also use Olay Regenerist Warming Peel. I exfoliate a few times a week... maybe I should do it more. I HATE SUMMERS IN FLORIDA!
For just blemishes, I scrub with Biore Pore-Unclogging Scrub (w/ sallycic acid)
and overnight treat with neosporin. I have sensitive skin so I can't do peels or masks or anything. I've been spending the summer in the South and the routine is working well.
It could be that you are reacting to all of the chemicals in those facial products, not just the environment!
Have you considered using natural products? I have found, the less irritants, the better...also, try not to touch your face unless your hands have just been washed. Bacteria is the main issue with blemishes!
I noticed the same thing when I had to go back to Pensacola. I simply washed with a facial wash (not scrub or soap) and moisturized each evening. That seemed to clear it up for me. Also, you TOM can make a big difference.
Do you use a toner after you wash? That can help as well. However, be sure and use moisturized afterwards. Get samples wherever possible. It's much better on the budget.
It could be that you are reacting to all of the chemicals in those facial products, not just the environment!
Have you considered using natural products? I have found, the less irritants, the better...also, try not to touch your face unless your hands have just been washed. Bacteria is the main issue with blemishes!
Junebug, that is a GREAT line, and if anyone clicks the link, they will see that there are only a few, easily recognizable ingredients. NICE, NATURAL and PURE!!!
This may not be the case for you, Shane, but I know that washing your face too much can actually make matters worse, as can using a lot of products with alcohol and drying products. You know how great our bodies are at adaptation, right? Apparently, it's not uncommon for our skin to compensate for us stripping our skin dry by creating excess oil, which can exacerbate the blemish problem.
It's a pretty annoying problem, and I inherited adult acne from one parent and rosacea from the other, so I feel ya. At least AZ isn't as humid as Florida!
EDIT: I checked out the Aubrey products linked above, and those ingredients look perfect for combating the skin reactions I mentioned above. I may have to give those products a try myself! Thanks for the link~
I have found products with salicylic acid to be very effective in clearing up my acne. I use a toner with 1% salicylic acid (I buy whatever is cheapest, I think they are all pretty much the same) and since I have started doing so, I've had noticeably less problems with acne. I also have found Biore's pore unclogging scrub to be effective.
When I do get a blemish (which is relatively rare, now that I'm using the combination of toner with salicylic acid and the Biore pore unclogging scrub, I dab a very small amount of Origin's spot remover on it, and, I kid you not, the blemish is gone by the next morning.
Products with Benzoyl Peroxide have also been recommended to me for treatment of existing acne (such Neutrogena's On-the-Spot treatment), but I have not found it to be as effective as the salicylic acid products (but everyone's skin is different so they might work for you). And benzoyl peroxide will bleach fabric, so you have to be very careful when using it (be sure wash your hands thoroughly before wiping them on a towel or all your towels will soon have bleach marks).
And friends that have had far more serious acne than me tell me that the Proactiv system may be expensive but it absolutely does work.
Finally, exercise definitely helps. All that sweating clears out your pores. My skin has been noticeably better since I started exercising regularly.
I had that Biore pore stuff once, maybe I need to get it again.
Thanks, SoulBliss, for the link - when I get home (at work right now), I'll look into it more thoroughly.
And BlueToBlue, thanks for the spot remover link. That sounds really neat.
The reason I'm washing my face so much (3x a day as opposed to 2x) is because it kept breaking out with the nasty Florida humidity + being outdoors on the job. It's summer here - there's a lot of rain and forest fire residue, causing soot. The humidity makes me sweat profusely. I'm actually aware of what can happen when you wash your face too much under normal conditions, as I was quite obsessive about my skin as a teenager (oily teenager skin...) and washed it sometimes as much as 4 or 5 times a day, causing an ugly reverse effect. Luckily, I covered it up with make-up and no one noticed, then once I reached about 18, the acne stopped almost entirely.
Re: ProActiv... I don't know if that would work for me, as I normally have very clear skin. This breaking out thing is something that has been happening mostly in the last week or two. It's been an on-off thing, but it's not the norm. I think ProActiv is probably for people who have continuously bad acne... I fear that it would dry up my skin and make it perpetually irritated.
I know all about this, because I have awful skin. The only things that work for me are L'Oreal Pure Zone Pore Unclogging Scrub Cleanser and L'Oreal Ideal Balance Pore Clarifying Toner. I use the scrub am/pm and the toner at night. They don't dry my skin out (I hate that really tight over-scrubbed dryness you get with some). I've been using these for over a year and my skin is so much clearer than it used to be. When I do get a pimple I use Neutrogena On-The-Spot treatment, because it doesn't have as much benzoyl peroxide as the the treatments geared for teenagers.
I've never had a problem with blemishes, but saw you mention one of the Olay products and wanted to chime in that I use the Olay Daily Regenerating Serum every day and have noticed a remarkable difference in my skin since I first began using it.
Re: ProActiv... I don't know if that would work for me, as I normally have very clear skin. This breaking out thing is something that has been happening mostly in the last week or two. It's been an on-off thing, but it's not the norm. I think ProActiv is probably for people who have continuously bad acne... I fear that it would dry up my skin and make it perpetually irritated.
You are right that it is for people of have a chronic condition. I would definitely try some of the other recommendations offered here first.
Are you making sure to moisturize after washing your face? Sometimes peple figure that problem skin will just get worse with a moisturizer but not so, as long as you choose a product especially for your skin type. Without it, the skin works extra hard to re-moisturize itself, causing an excess of oils being released which then result in blemishes.
Another great product is from The Body Shop and is the tea tree oil line. My teen daughter uses it and it's gentle but effective, as well as being affordable, natural and ethical (as in ingredients are Fair Trade and not animal tested). I use the jojoba line as I have really dry skin.
Skin care...
