How I Tamed My Adult Acne
I have had some sort of pimple problem since I was about 12. As soon a puberty hit full force I was breaking out. It is very much genetic and very much something I will have to deal with for the rest of my life. I’ve tried every acne medication ever invented except for proactiv, accutane, differin gel etc. The only thing I’ve ever had prescribed to me was Retin-A and I hated how it dried out my face.
I figured out that I was doing too much to solve this problem. I would wash, tone, use astringent on occasion, use blackhead scrubs, creams, zit gels and the list goes on and on. My skin was getting worse than it’s ever been.
I decided to read up on acne, AGAIN. I soon figured out that less was more. And, as it turns out, it was. I threw away all of my harsh cleansers and moisturizers with salycylic acid [that medication does nothing for my acne.] I began to heal my acne with plain old warm water. I washed my face with water in the mornings and in the evenings I’d cleanse with a regular face wash, not an acne wash. Soon, my face calmed down and I wasn’t getting any new pimples except for the occasional hormonal breakout [which were fewer and smaller than ever.] YAY! But I still had to deal with pimples that were there. The blackheads, the scars, and my brand new supersized pores!!
I want to note: my acne was never severe, but it was painful and ugly and persistent. It got to a point where I had no less than five blackheads and 3-6 whiteheads at a time any given week. Not a good look for a make-up girl. Make-up couldn’t cover that up. Also, at no point did I ever stop wearing make-up.
I decided to figure out how Proactiv worked. Why? So that I wouldn’t have to buy it. In the meantime I bought a mask [while looking for a clay mask that wouldn't break me out] to help deep cleanse my pores. After looking at all of these high priced clay masks online and in the health food store I bought something that I’d never looked twice at before. Made by Neutrogena, it had 3.5% benzoyl peroxide in it. I left it on 3 times longer than the instructions said and when I awoke the next day, I looked like a new person. My about-to-pop whiteheads were no longer red and angry. In fact, some of them were smaller and one of my blackheads was completely clean! BP - benzoyl peroxide was the key for me!
So what did I do, what do I use, and what is my routine?? [cont'd under the hood]::
My Daily Routine
Mornings and evenings:
- Rinse my face with lukewarm water to get the pores open. [not too hot as i don't want to aggravate my skin.]
- Wash for 30 seconds with Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser. Just enough to get the surface dirt off, but leaving my face a little oily/moisturized.
- Pat dry with a clean washcloth. [I use a new one every 3 days or so that is only for my face.]
- Tone.
- When the toner is almost dry, I use 2.5% benzoyl peroxide in all my trouble areas. Since this is my entire face, I use it all over.
- I gently, but quickly rub that in until it is absorbed.
- I then moisturize my face with a non-comedogenic moisturize mixed with a drop or two of emu oil or jojoba oil.
- I gently rub that in until absorbed.
This can take 7-15 minutes.
Tips:
- remember to clean your phones weekly if not daily.
- use clean towel and blot your face dry.
- swap your pillow cases every few days.
- do not aggravate your skin.
- avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
- clean your make-up face brushes every couple of days.
- exfoliate.
- take omega 3-6-9 or some other fatty acid supplement.
- take vitamin a. [talk to your physician first.]
- eat and drink foods high in anti-oxidants. [think high tea at 4pm daily like the brits; not only does it rouse you, green tea is good for the skin and heart.]
*Check out makeupgirl’s awesome tips on covering/hiding acne spots.
great post! thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this…
I’ve managed to get my adult acne and its resulting scars under control by smearing pure vitamin E oil (regular capsules from health food shops) onto my problem areas at least once a day — preferably after washing my face at night, so that I’m not worrying about the greasy, shiny skin that results from it. It may seem sticky and oily, but it works a treat on “disappearing” pimples overnight, and scars, but blackheads have increased, as might be expected with such an oily treatment. Also, I’ve stopped using expensive face creams (which I bought obsessively for years but which constantly irritated my skin) and just use a very cheap vitamin E-based all-over moisturiser, and my skin has never looked so good…
…unless you get up close and see the blackheads. So I’m wondering if you could advise on any specific anti-blackhead products/treatments?
I can’t recommend vit E oil enough for scars, in any case. I’d advise you to give it a go and massage it into your scars morning and evening, it’s done magic for me. Also, your skin looks wonderful in that photo, so congrats!
Thanks for the info… I realized that using a warm washcloth at night has helped tremendously.
thanks for the tips keep up the good posings, I’m learning a lot
Hey girl! I just wanted to stop in and say thank you for stopping by my blog
I truly appreciate it.
This is a really great post. I am definitely in search of a more natural approach to skincare but you’ve definitely piqued my interest on the face mask. I just might help myself to one, lol! And I actually have the same toner and moisturizer also. And have been looking to grab some Emu Oil for some time now. Just lazy and haven’t done it, hah.
Anyhow, you have a great blog here hun. Keep up the wonderful work. Thanks again for stopping by and I do hope to see you again
Have a great week and happy skin to us all!
Thanks ladies! I try. teehee.
Thanks Orange, I use Vit E on my eyes sometimes. That’s an awesome tip, thank you. I have on concealer in that picture and powder, the scars are fading, just not fast enough for me. I have to take a no make up picture.
Oil doesn’t necessarily promote pimples. I think Vit E might be too thick on certain parts of your face and causing the blackhead clogs. I know I can use it on my forehead and cheeks, but not around my nose.
Honestly, my blackheads went away with time. I only had to manually extract one of the four that wouldn’t budge. With daily exfoliating (facial brush or toothbrush or microderm abrasion scrub) they went away.
If you think you need them manually extracted (if daily scrubbing isn’t working, a dermatologist can do it pretty painlessly.) Don’t do it like i did, I used the looped end of a hair pin and scraped the dirt out. Not nice to my face at all. But it worked.
Now I just work on keeping my pores clean. I’ll talk about that.
[...] .:my nighttime ritual is sooo not what it used to be. i literally do exactly what i do for my daytime ritual with a couple of exceptions. [i skip the oil steam cleaning step when i don’t wear make-up on [...]
Nice tips. Over the counter products might do good sometimes. Or you could also use tomato pulp and rinsing your face.
I am 35.
I suffered from acne, since the age of 11. My problem was a consequence to my monthly cycle and the breakouts occur the week before starting my cycle. The increased level of sebum secretion was related to hormonal changes during the cycle, perhaps a rise in testosterone at midcycle. In my specific condition only a endocrinologist with special expertise in female hormone problems is been successful with Diane-35, a drug used to treat severe, stubborn acne. Now,I use without problems and great results NeoStrata Lotion Plus - AHA 15 extra strength lotion with 15% AHA ;it improve the visible signs of scar, even skin tone, improving overall texture when used as part of a daily skin care regimen.