acne treatments- Page 2
acne treatments
re: acne treatments#25
Posted: 4/7/06 at 2:22amProactiv is amazing. It was the only thing that worked for me.
re: acne treatments#26
Posted: 4/7/06 at 3:02amI would advise you to go see a dermatologist. Proactive and Murad and other over-the-counter products didn't work for me. I finally went to a dermatologist two years ago and he was able to help me out big time! (If only I'd gone sooner I would have saved myself years of extreme self-consciousness.) I was prescribed Cefadroxil (pill, once a day), which I used for a year, and some topical cream stuff. Since last summer, I've stopped the Cefadroxil and now use Clindamycin Phosphate Gel (morning) and Differing Gel (night). Accutane is only recommended for severe cases, like cystic acne, but one bad side effect is depression. You can also go to skinhealth.com and browse. Their products helped me, too. They have a Glycolic acid face wash that I can't live without. My dermatologist told me that benzoyl peroxide is actually bad for your skin because it dries it out, and it doesn't improve the condition. It causes a sort of vicious circle.
Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra
Salve, Salve Regina
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Eva
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
O clemens O pia
re: acne treatments#27
Posted: 4/7/06 at 9:01amHow about treatment for ridiculously large pores? When I look in the mirror I think I'm at the Grand Canyon.
re: acne treatments#28
Posted: 4/7/06 at 9:32amI've got pore problems too. But for belmishes my sister and I swear by The Body Shop products. They have this little blemish stick that works wonders. I carry one with me in my purse everywhere I go.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
re: acne treatments#29
Posted: 4/7/06 at 10:56amI'm another Pro Activ fan with adult acne/rosacea. BIG problem with ruining my pillow cases and duvet covers (near the face area).
re: acne treatments#30
Posted: 4/7/06 at 11:15amI swear by Proactiv. It really works, but best of all, it had the best long term results. It has changed my skin for the good, and I don't have nearly as many breakouts, even if I don't use it all the time anymore.
Stand-by Joined: 3/6/06
re: acne treatments#31
Posted: 4/7/06 at 3:04pm
I tried Nature's Cure, and honestly I can't tell if the pills did good, bad, or nothing for my skin. What I do remember is that I didn't like their benzoyl peroxide gel, as I found its "fumes" irritating to my eyes. It's also one of those bp creams that dries like paste.
I think the best part of the Proactiv system (and its immitators) is the 2.5% benzoyl peroxide gel. It is gentle, yet affective. It's perfect for all over treatment which is essential. I still pull out the big guns (10% bp creams, sulfur spot treatments you dab on with a q-tip) for those huge stubborn zits that show their ugly faces every now and again.
What I don't like about Proactiv is that 75% of the cleanser is running down your arms when you're washing up, and it also burns my eyes a little (and no, I'm not washing my face with my eyes open). I also don't like using cotton balls/toner, I'd rather use a medicated wipe. Their SPF also has too much oxide, leaving you shiny and white. But that's just my experience.
With any benzoyl peroxide cream/gel, I recommend wearing them only at night, sleeping on a white pillowcase, in a white t-shirt. I can't tell you how many nice shirts I've ruined from benzoyl peroxide. For day, cleanse your skin and wear a good SPF, perhaps a *little* bp if you must on your problem areas. But I truly don't believe that it is necessary to wear bp day and night, especially the 10% creams. You will only end up looking red, dry, flakey, and cracked, you'll look worse rather than better.
re: acne treatments#32
Posted: 4/7/06 at 3:41pm
Proactive worked for me.
And it worked for my sister-in-law who had terrible acne while pregnant. She was even in the commercial and in print ads. That's truly the only time I watched infomercials (to see her).
re: acne treatments#33
Posted: 4/7/06 at 4:24pm
"How about treatment for ridiculously large pores? When I look in the mirror I think I'm at the Grand Canyon."
I have the same problem. Does Proactiv help with texture and pore size as well?
Broadway Star Joined: 9/14/04
re: acne treatments#34
Posted: 4/7/06 at 4:33pmIf you can tolerate the benzoyl peroxide, proactiv is worth a shot. However, you have to watch not only your towels, but shirts and sheets that might come in contact with the product. I have some dark shirts that got bleached just from brushing my proactiv-covered face as I pulled them off over my head. Dark pillowcases will also bleach out.
re: acne treatments#35
Posted: 4/7/06 at 4:35pmOr just wait about 20 minutes before touching your face with any kind of fabric, like a pillowcase. It should be fine after that.
Broadway Star Joined: 9/14/04
re: acne treatments#38
Posted: 4/7/06 at 5:10pmWatch your eyebrows too, especially if their dark; I've heard horror stories from people accidentally bleaching them with Proactiv
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
re: acne treatments#39
Posted: 4/7/06 at 5:36pm
All acne products, including Proactiv, have the same two approved ingredients: B. Peroxide, and salycytic acid. Look at anything at the drug store -- those are the predominate active ingredients. So use trial and error with the different strengths; that allows you whatever flexibility there is.
I've had acne on/off my adult life, and (be prepared:) it got worse in middle age, as it often does to the surprise of many. Have used a prescription (expensive) for Retin A, too, but it really works best at getting rid of lingering discoloration and crusty spots, not at the acne lesions per se; its directions even tell you the truth -- it makes it worse before better.
Whoever said above: "don't scrub" is right. Took me forever to learn not to scrub, or overwash, and not to squeeze. Any squeezing that turns the skin pink is damaging.
re: acne treatments#40
Posted: 4/7/06 at 6:35pmany solutions to the large-pore problem people have been mentioning?
re: acne treatments#41
Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:16pm
"moonlite, I wouldn't bet the farm on that"
I use the clearsil ultra stuff which has 10% benzoyl peroxide in it and I never have to wait 20 minutes. I just put it on and go to sleep and my pillows are still the same color since the day I got them. I'm pretty sure that Proactiv has the same amount of benzoyl peroxide, right? But, if Proactiv is known to bleach really badly, then waiting 20 minutes should do the trick. My sister used Proactiv and waited about 20 minutes after putting it on before going to bed, just to be safe.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/26/05
re: acne treatments#42
Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:28pmHow common is it to bleach your eyebrows while using Proactiv?
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/26/05
re: acne treatments#43
Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:29pm
Broadway Star Joined: 11/19/05
re: acne treatments#44
Posted: 4/7/06 at 8:30pm
Proactiv doesn't work for everyone.
I have had serious acne since I was 10, and absolutely nothing worked. I went through all the prescriptions (various Retin As, Differin, oral antibiotics)...you name it. I went on Accutane when I was 19, and it was great. That round of Accutane lasted until I was 22, at which point I went on Proactiv. IT MADE ME WORSE! My acne was deeper, darker (makeup wouldn't come close to covering) and lasted longer. When I finally was able to go to a dermatologist, I was told that a lot of her patients became worse with Proactiv. She put me on Clindamycin (sp?) and Differin, to no avail.
I'm lucky that I seem to have finally outgrown (at 26) the worst of it. I now use Clean & Clear face wash and Persagel twice a day, and I'm doing pretty well. I just had a bad breakout, but it's clearing really quickly.
My recommendation is just to use OTC cleansers and BP creams. Be sure to moisturize lots (I use Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion for Sensitive Skin), and DO NOT SCRUB OR PICK AT YOUR FACE! If you need to exfoliate, do it gently in the shower wiht a washcloth and then moisturize right after.
Sorry for the long post, but after dealing with acne for 16 years and trying everything under the sun, I feel rather strongly about the issue.
re: acne treatments#45
Posted: 4/7/06 at 8:37pmA bit off topic, but do you all have any recommendations for oily skin? Mine has recently become overactive and I don't think that extra powder is really going to help.
Stand-by Joined: 3/6/06
re: acne treatments#46
Posted: 4/7/06 at 9:09pm
For me, the best treatments for large pores/blackheads have been scrubs and medicated pads (e.g., Clearasil Ultra). But when it comes to medicated pads, try to go as gentle as possible... they can make you really red and dry with overuse. I alternated, salicylic acid pads one night, benzoyl peroxide all over treatment the next. I used Serious Skincare's alpha hydroxy cleanser that comes in their acne kit, and I was amazed at how it made the blackheads on my nose (yummy) disappear. I don't know why I didn't stick with that line, I think it was the whole monthly billing thing.
The problem most of us have with stubborn acne is the almost obsessive feeling that we aren't "doing enough" and we end up doing way too much. If you have several nodules, skip the scrub for now and go with a good medicated cleanser until you've cleared up. Then the scrub will help with the appearance of acne scars/discoloration/large pores/blackheads. Scrubs and tender pimples don't mix, unless you a) are using a very gentle scrub, and b) have a very gentle hand. I'm willing to bet that the guys face this problem the most as we have a tendency to scrub our faces like Joan Crawford scrubs a bathroom floor.
I loved using St. Ives' apricot scrub because the OCD patient in me enjoyed the sandpaper-like quality, but discovered that "natural" scrubs (crushed nutshells and seeds and what have you) are actually like tiny little shards of glass that can cut your skin making the problem worse. I know we all love the idea of "natural" (Jocelyn Wildenstein excluded), but the synthetic scrubs are gentler and just as (if not more) effective.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: acne treatments#47
Posted: 4/7/06 at 9:15pm
insomniak, you could try carrying around Clean & Clear oil absorbing sheets. They come in a very small and handy package. I suppose it's not exactly attacking the problem at its source, but it's the only advice I have.
I just want something cheap that will get rid of the blackheads in my nose. They've been there for years. Squeezing them doesn't make them go away and neither does salicylic acid treatments (although I've seen them shrink a bit at times). It's irritating because the rest of my skin has cleared up so much over the last couple years, but I still have these seemingly permanent blackheads in my nose.
Does anyone have any good, preferably cheap products that I could buy from a store like Target that actually work to get rid of blackheads?
re: acne treatments#48
Posted: 4/7/06 at 9:16pmI'm another Proactiv lover. The stuff is amazing and I hardly ever get breakouts anymore but, as everyone else has mentioned, I have ruined some good towles and washcloths using it. If you have sacrs on your face from really bad acne, put neosporin on it before you go to bed. I do it every night and it works too, just be sure to wash your face first thing in the morning, otherwise it gets oily
Stand-by Joined: 3/6/06
re: acne treatments#49
Posted: 4/7/06 at 9:21pm
insomniak, sebum is a cheeky little bugger. On a perfectly clear face it makes you fresh and "dewy", on a broken out face it makes you just plain "greasy".
Your best bet is to go with a mattifying lotion under your powder. Clean and Clear used to make a great (if a little chalky) mattifying gel, but I believe it's been discontinued. Clearasil Advanced makes a mattifying SPF. Proactiv makes a similar product.
You can use these under your makeup/powder, and of course girls can tote around those little blotting papers.
Videos
