Acne....Please HELP!!!!!

[kak27]

I'm 14 and i've had acne for,i'd say, 2 years now.

I've tried almost everything. I've tried many Clearasil products, many Clean&Clear products, many Neutrogena products, Phisoderm(probably spelled it wrong), Acnefree, Proactive(which was guaranteed to work). I've also tried the hot/cold water treatmnet, the lemon juice thing, and i know it's bad but the toothpaste thing, i even tried to make my own mask(my face smelled like vinegar for 2 days).

I recently went to the dermatologist, maybe in july, and he gave my this morning and night cream......didn't work. I just recently went again like beginning of september, and he gave my antibiotics and Retin -A- Micro. I'm still on both and they don't seem to be working. I know it takes a whlie for it to work, but i'm not optimistic. My acne lowers my self esteem. As a result, i'm shy and not outgoing like i normally am. My face always looks red and bumpy, and not to mention OILY! People always make fun of me, and i'm tired of it! I know you'll say, oh don't listen to what people say, but i do! If you don't have acne then you don't know how i feel. Oh, and most people think that ance has to do with not being clean and not taking showers. Also eating chocolate and greasy foods makes you have acne. I can't stand when people have no clue what they're talking about!

Do any of you know anything that i can get that isn't expensive and i can get it easily? Also, please anything to make me feel better!!!

[ayekasong]

Hey kak-

 

I know this may not be what you want to hear, but acne is extremely common at your age, and unfortunately it doesn't really clear up permanently until your body isn't racked with the changes of adolescence. I had bad acne when I was your age, so I totally know what you're going through. I also tried every over-the-counter product available.

 

The only things that ever truly worked for me were medicines prescribed by my doctor. At first she gave me ampicillian which worked well, but the downfall was I had to make sure I didn't eat an hour before or after I took it. Then I went on the pill, and that cleared it up even more. I still get pimples at my age, but it's not as bad and its not to the degree it was when I was 14.

 

If blackheads are a problem, the biore strips have been pretty helpful for me in the past. There are also little blue sheets made by clean and clear that help get rid of some of the oil on your face... just wipe when you're feeling oily.

 

Acne is not a sign of being "unclean." However, do make sure you are washing your face often (especially when it gets oily). However, don't wash it too much or you will start getting flaky skin in addition to pimples.

 

Unfortunately, at your age people think its fun to put down others for anything and everything. It makes them feel good about themselves I guess. The best thing you can do is just let those comments roll off of your shoulders. I know it's hard, but just don't react, don't ever let them know they are getting to you. It only gives them ammunition to keep doing it. In a few years those pimples will be nothing more than a memory, but their attitudes will come back to bite them in the butt.

 

Chin up, there is light at the end of the tunnel! If you have any questions feel free to pm me because I totally know what you're going through.

[rosalind24]

you know, I had an acne problem too... and proactiv didn't work on me either. In fact, it caused me more acne than I ever had before I used the product.

 

Well, so I searched and searched, and this is what worked for me.

 

1. a good face wash. Good means you can use anything you want, but ones that'll clean your pores or scrub your face "a little" is better, and wash your face at least twice a day with warm water, leaving the face wash on for about a minute. (Note: Don't over wash your face: no more than 4 times.) (try to avoid alpha hydroxy -- I think that's how it's spelled. It "renews" your skin by stripping the top layer, in the long run it'll make you age a lot faster than you'll want to.) (A mild face cleaner that won't hurt your face or strip layers and layers of oil off your face if you wash your face often will be nice.)

 

2. I used the Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Astringent . It has Glycolic Acid that Proactiv also used in their green toner that pushes excessive oil or dirt off your face before you apply medicine cream, but it is a lot cheaper and last for longer. (I also like the feel of it.) (about 6 dollars and will last 2~3 months) (It also has Salicylic Acid in it, and I know Salicylic Acid is a chemical that's also being used to treat acne... usually for those who are sensitive to Benzoyl Peroxide, so I figured I'd combine them.)

 

3. Then I bought over the counter "Nature's Cure." They have products for female and male, and these little tablets that help you balance your hormones... it works really well with acne on your cheeks, but not so much with the ones on your forehead or other places. Still, the cream is just 5% benzoyl peroxide, just like every other over the counter cream you can get. It'll last you about a month if you apply twice a day. (around 9~12 dollars)

 

4. I work in a really oily environment (food court. >_

 

5. ALWAYS use a sunscreen, and SPF 30 will last for about 7 hours. Having all that acidic product + benzoyl peroxide on your face makes you very sun-not friendly. If you don't want to get burned, get skin cancer, then use a sunscreen. My favorite right now is Eucerin's Extra Protective Moisture Lotion. I can't stand the greesy sunscreens or the smelly coppertones. This one seems to work quite well... It's still a little bit greesy and smells a little, but I can stand it, and I doubt I have the financial ability to upgrade to Japanese products. =) Japanese make good sunscreens... I know one that's awesome anyways. I'm still trying to find better sunscreens at relatively low cost.

 

 

Well, then I made sure I go to bed before 12am, and wake up before 9am, drank lots of water, and kept my butt off my chair and walked around for 30 min a day, cut down on meat products, ate more fish and vegetables...sometimes I forget though. Sleeping early is kind of hard for me.

 

** I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but don't touch your acnes. Don't rub them, don't squeeze them, don't press on them.

 

^^: That's what worked for me, but everyone have different skin types and not everyone have the same amount of money to throw onto beauty products. >_

 

My skin's a bit oily, so I'm not sure all of that above will dry out your skin or not. Acne around 12~23 are mostly caused by hormone imbalances. I know for most people the terrible skin crisis ends when they're about 23 years old... =) ^^;;;

 

Can you tell I'm obsessed with my skin?

 

P.S. I use a moisturizer nightly before I sleep. I do this to make sure my face won't get dried out with all the acid I put on my face, and the rest of my body won't dry up or crack because I don't pay as much attention to them. I usually go with cheap ones that don't clog pores and smell nice. (Cheap ones because I can go through a large bottle of Baby Oil in 2 months.)

 

I don't know if you're a guy or a girl... but if you're a girl, make up causes acnes. Ever heard those companies that claim their make up won't stop your skin from breathing? They're lying. IMO, if you keep your skin smooth, moisturized, balanced, toned, etc, then you won't need make up to help you look beautiful. If you must apply make up, then try to apply as little as possble. Your skin needs to breathe to be beautiful.

 

 

*****Sorry, I have to add that you should treat your acne after finding out what causes it. The list above targets excessive oil and dirt and clogged pores. It might not work so well if you have normal - dry skin that's sensitive. Also, KEEP YOUR HAIR OUT OF YOUR FACE!

[Bloodblade]

a good place to get info about acne related stuff is link removed they have a recomended regimin as well as a message board where u can learn about other ways to treat ur skin...very good site

[kak27]

Thanks for all your advice. Anybody else..... i'm open for sugestions!

[Nastka]

hey you know what? I went to a dermatologist like last summer and she gave me retin-a too. Since then I have had acne all over my forehead. That stupid cream doesn't work at all. I went to her again and she gave me retin-a micro. My forehead became worse and my poor cheeks started getting real bad, painful acne. I used it for 3 months and stopped. Now I just use a moisturizer whenever I wash my face. Guess what? It's working, cause your face doesn't have to produce its pore-clogging oil. Just make sure you get non-comedonic (doesn't clog pores) moisturizer. I have clean & clear moisturizer for treatment of acne. It has salicylic acid in it which doesn't work for me, but it doesn't hurt to use i either. The moisturizer works great to soften your skin and won't leave a greasy feel. Plus, it gives your skin a fresh, cool feel for a while

I now have some acne but they're not red. My forehead's clearing and my cheeks don't get as many painful blemishes. (Soon I won't have any)

I dunno if it'll clear deep underskin ones but I'm happy with what I have now.

 

Well, try that. Just don't get clean & clear morning glow moisturizer. One use of it causes my face to break out for weeks!

The one that I've told you about is a blue-white tube.

 

Just be patient. Use it all the time. Morning and evening. I'm sure you'll see results soon enough. You seem like you don't have a bad case of acne, or your dermatologist would give you accutane.

 

oh, and get that Biore - Pore Perfect stuff. I like it a lot. Just be careful with scrub while your skin's still red. If you want to scrub a little, use a normal cloth. Yup. I use it all the time.

I'm also on a pill. Try that if your parents are ok with that. I use it just for acne purposes. hehehe

 

Chocolate---ummmmm....I've been abusing my poor face with chocolate eating. Don't have any results yet. No I don't think chocolate's causing break-outs.

 

anyway, hope this all helps

[Starkitty]

I tried cutting out dairy products because I read there is alot of hormones from cows especially pregnant cows in them and some of my spots cleared up within a week. If you do this you have to find a way of replacing you intake of calcium. The extra hormones in your body produce more oil than your skin needs and produces more spots.

[j0k3r]

I've used all the creams/gels that you can get from the doctors - none of them worked for me. I've had acne since i was about 10, so around 8 years now. The only thing that ever worked for me was Roaccutane - if your from the UK and go to the dematologist they might perscribe it for you if your skin is bad enough. I took it for a few months and my skin cleared up quite a lot - the only reason i stopped was because of the nasty side effects- my lips and eyes dried up which was kinda bad and it also put my mood off balance (Ur not supposed to take it if ur depressed). But basically, if u wanna go hardcore get yourself some roaccutane - it shud help.

[Storm1607307168]

I suffered with terrible acne when I was a teenager - I tried all sorts of stuff, can't remember what they all were now but I remember one that really stank like vinegar and was very stingy!

 

Eventually when I was 14 my Mum decided to let me go on the pill; well it was especially designed for teenagers like I was who suffered with bad acne but still acted like a contraceptive.

 

It was a miracle! After about 3 months my skin cleared up and I would get like an odd spot from time to time but nothing like what it was. I was so grateful.

 

My spots have never gone away tho - I still get them now even after all these years; not to say you will! Hope this helps!