HI everyone! I have had moderate to severe acne since I was 9 or 10. I currently take an antibiotic and my skin is MUCH better than it used to be, but I still get persistent breakouts a few times a month, and I still get a lot of blackheads on my nose and chin. Alongside my antibiotic, I use a Neutrogena Wave at night to wash off my foundation (which has a little salycilic acid in it) and a blackhead scrub in the morning. I have a salycilic acid spot treatment I use when I feel a large pimple forming. I am allergic to benzol peroxide, so I can't use most store-bought creams. Are there any homemade masks or creams that you find work well for these breakouts, or any other tricks you find that help?

I wash my face and body with something a bit odd. Vodka. Alcohol was originally made as a cleaning agent. I mix a bit of baking soda and vodka..get in shower...rinse. turn off water...scrub down with vodka and baking soda...and rinse. My skin is VERY clear. Hope that helps. I am sure this matters...but I never wear foundation or powder. In my opinion..it breeds acne. I wear other things...blush..eyeshadow...but never any face stuff. I only wore it for one year when I was about 14...I think it really keeps your skin from breathing.

JerseyGyrl - how well does the mineral foundation hide blemishes? That is the main reason I wear foundation, I am self-conscious of my skin, even though it is much better now. I am prone to getting purple scars after I get a pimple. They eventually fade but it does take a few months.

As i entered my teens and became more aware of skin-care, my mom introduced me to Olay. I've used them for several years now and they work great for me. I use the foaming face wash:


(They also have ones for dry skin/oily skin/sensitive skin/ etc, depending on your skin type.)

Ingredients: Water/Eau, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Polyquaternium-10, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Pentasodium Pentetate, Dmdm Hydantoin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance/Parfum

I love that it has Witch Hazel, i've found that Witch Hazel can really help with breakouts. I bought a bottle of Witch Hazel from Walmart i believe (in their pharmacy area), and every now and then when im having a bad break out i'll use the Witch Hazel on my face after washing with Olay.

Also want to add that before I wash my face with the foaming face wash, i wipe my face and try to get rid of as much foundation on my face as i can with these:

Not sure how old you are now. I'm over 40 and I still get breakouts. I've tried antibiotics etc and also use mineral foundation/makeup to no avail.

One thing I've noticed is that when I went through a period of eating fresh veg and fruits, cutting down on oily stuff and spices, my skin improved considerably. I'm now trying to do that - well, so far haven't really managed to increase veg/fruit consumption yet but am trying to do so.

You may want to give eating more veg and fruits a go.

You might try Tea Tree Oil, it's similar in effect to benzol peroxide, just slower and with fewer side effects. If you get 100% pure oil, you can just use a cotton swab to put it on upcoming pimples. It has helped with my persistent neck acne (though it's not 100% gone), but you'll have to stick with it for a while to see its effects.

Also, I discovered that a lot of harsh washing was actually worsening my skin in terms of blemishes etc. I only wash my face twice a week using any kind of product, and other than that just stick with warm water, and I sweat my skin has gotten better. Can't prove cause and effect obviously but if you're treating your skin very harshly at the moment it might be worth a thought.

Also, I feel you Acne is a tough thing to deal with.

In high school I went through a bout of bad acne. Tried just about everything. My skin is naturally oily, and when I used Clearasil and all those similar brands, I'd get dry patches, itchy skin.

At any rate, a friend of mine who is really into beauty, makeup, cleansers the whole bit turned me on to an idea that sounds RIDICULOUS. But actually works.

I use extra virgin olive oil to wash my face. :

I know but hear me out! This is my routine:

Rinse face with water
heat oil in microwave but BE CAREFUL
If I want a scrub, I'll mix it with sugar at this point. If not, just oil.
With moderate pressure massage into skin in a circular motion. Don't cake your face with it, but enough to look "oily".
Let it sit in for a few minutes. I generally wait about 5.
Run a wash cloth under as hot of water as you can handle, and simply lay it on your face. Wipe downwards with light pressure. Repeat until the oil is washed off. (use a clean towel each time. Use the same one and flip sides. You might need a couple. Sometimes takes 5 times for it to completely come off this way, but worth it)
Never scrub it off or even "wipe harshly". (You might need a bit more pressure when it's a scrub).

Now I've been doing this forever and every once and a while I still get the odd blemish and every time I do the same stupid thing. I go to shoppers, buy a nivea or balei face mask, put it on and kick myself. I used a mask SPECIFICALLY for reducing oil, and within 5 minutes of cleaning it off my face, I could actually see the little "oil puddles" on my pores.

The logic behind what sounds like madness? We're supposed to have oil on our face. Too much oil and gunk clogs pores = acne. BUT, if we strip our skin of all oil (with store cleansers for example), then our skin kicks into overdrive and we produce more oil.

Do a google search about this method and try it out. I promise you won't regret it.

Ok here's my take on this. I do not have acne prone skin myself, but have a few friends that do. Through their experience and my observation I have come to the realization that acne problems arise from your diet and therefore can be addressed through your diet. That's the good news. I'm not quite sure what the diet is but I do know that my friends that have found relief from acne have all stopped eating dairy. That's about all I know but if I had a similar issue I would delve into the nutritional aspect of this and stop wasting money on topical cleansers and medicines - those clearly do not work.

I am a stickler for taking care of my skin -This is what I do:

- In the morning - do not wash face, there's no need. Pat with water and apply moisturizer with SPF.
- In the evening - remove makeup and wash face with a non-foaming cleanser. I use phisoderm cream cleanser. Massage into wet skin and rinse. I wouldn't put alcohol or foaming soaps near my skin if you paid me to.
- apply eye serum, night cream and retinoid (instead of retinoid you should probably apply something with sylicilic acid instead).

Furthermore I change my pillow case every couple of nights. Every month I wash my pillow in the washer/dryer. Pillows and pillow cases are breeding grounds for bacteria. I also do not touch my face with my hands during the day. No scrubbing when I wash either. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and avoid fried foods. Limit sun exposure.

Thats a bummer that you're allergic to benzoyl peroxide, because it worked wonders for me. wow, if i could dig up some of my old photos.. I took progress pics similar to a weight loss journey. Results were really incredible. In any case, maybe www.acne.org can help you out, anyway. There is a forum there with a lot of activity.

I find its best to consider acne prone skin like sensitive skin. Stuff like St. Ives with all those little scrubbies in them are NOT good for acne prone skin, and I'm very skeptical about the Wave and similar little gadgets for the face. Too abrasive. Would you rub sand on a cut? Even though I am clear, I still to this day use a basic face wash. I use Purpose and I love it. (Cetaphil is another good one, but too weird of a texture for me)

A good moisturizer is harder to find. I can't offer any good advice on that one. I use Garnier skin renew because it agrees with me and I like the way it absorbs into the skin.

Consider your makeup, also. There are products that I try and I notice that some things make me break out. I suspect Garnier's BB cream did this to me a while back. Thus, I've stuck with the same face wash, makeup and moisturizer for years now.

Be gentle, don't pick! If you end up murdering a pimple, like I often do..I find that the cream neosporin can work well.

i would suggest trying to quit dairy products for a while to see if that helps.

don't touch your skin too much. don't wash it constantly. i found better results washing only once a day. don't overdry it. i have also heard bad thigs about scrubs that have beads on them. too aggressive.

Okay, saw this post earlier this week. Having had a life long battle with acne and having just turned 30, it is embarrassing to still have the problem. I am at the point I will try anything once...so...I tried this recommendation. I am five days in. Outside of one pimple that was forming the day I started this, my face has TREMENDOUSLY cleared up...in less than a week. It is soft...something it wasn't due to over drying of acne products. It is easier to put on makeup...but even more importantly, I am going without makeup and my scars are fading. Seriously. In LESS THAN A WEEK!

Where the HECK has THIS advice been! THANKS REMINGTON!!!!

I second the idea that diet affects acne. I had really bad forehead acne in highschool and it cleared up when I became a vegetarian. I am no longer a vegetarian but will cut animal products for a while whenever my skin stops looking awesome. Try going on one of those elimination diets for a while to see if cutting any foods helps with the acne.

I also suffer from moderate acne. As a teen I had a clear even complexion. I watched some of my friends in high school suffer from a face full of acne and I was always grateful that wasn't me! Then at age 20 I became pregnant and started to break out. My Dr. told me it was from the extra hormones of pregnancy and it should clear up shortly after I gave birth.

It's been almost 9 years since I gave birth and I still suffer from occasional breakouts. I recently began a new simple skincare regimen. I have sensitive acne prone skin and the harsh facial cleansers that are meant to treat ance actually make my skin worse. Then tend to dry out my face and make it red, irritated and sometimes rashy. They also don't do much for my acne.

I wash my face twice a day using Olay foaming face wash for sensitive skin. Then after I wash my face I follow with Dickinson's 100% natural witch hazel as my toner. Toner is really important because it restores your skins ph balance and deep cleans any lingering dirt and oil out of your pores after you wash. It really helpful for treating ance. Then finally I moisturize my face with Neutrogena oil free sensitive skin moisturizer during the day. At night after I was and tone my face I use Neutrogena light night cream. I also use Neutrogena "On the Spot" benzyol peroxide spot treatment for pop up pimples. I hope this helps...