A For Acne

Demon Lemon

Yeah pretty much everyone goes through it,
pretty much everyone hates it.
Unless your a robot, I hope your not a robot.

Anyway if you guys have any tips on how to either get rid of this pubescent nightmare,
or even just help me not be all red a shit.
Anything would help really.
Even if you are a robot.

The Cheese

Get lots of sun, but don't let your skin burn because that's bad. I find that makes a big difference for me. You might consider Acutane or other drugs, but be aware of the potential side-effects.

Zombot

Have you seen the commercials for a product called ProActive?
It's a very expensive acne treatment.
It has the wash, the oil blocker, and the salic acid cream.
Works wonders.
Problem. It's like $50.

Solution.
Go to Wal-Mart and look in the health and beauty aisle.
They should have one or two rip off brands that sell for like $25.
Get those. They work just as well.
Whenever I used it, my acne would disappear completly for a while.
Great stuff.

Demon Lemon

Intriguing...
thanks for all the advice so far you guys =D

limester816

I just went to the dermatologist, and he told me exactly what the options were, the causes of it (usually adolescense and stress), and the side effects to some of the drugs. He also gave me some medicine for my degree of acne... so I'd just suggest seeing a doctor about it.

Zombot

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

If you have a really oily face (I know I did) then go to the store and get these oil cleansing sheets.
They will soak up all the oil and are small enough to carry to school.

Demon Lemon

I went to the Dermatologist and she gave me some stuff to try.
I don't know if it's working or not yet.

Grid System

Many acne treatments take weeks to really start working. Sometimes things also get worse before they get better. Unless your dermatologist told you otherwise, be sure to stick with the treatment for at least a month.

Demon Lemon

Thanks to everyone who gave me some help.
I appreciate it!

Steel Angel

Make sure you get enough sleep. Ever notice how after staying up all night your face feels more oily? Your pores do too. I still will get an occasional pimple or two on occasion if I happened to sleep pretty poorly.

Prophetavius V

When it starts to get bad, and it will, just find a dermatologist and see if he can prescribe you Accutane.

STATE OF THE ART ROBOT

Use facial wash EVERY DAY. If I even go 2 days without facial wash, I get bad acne. Facial Wash will help you so much.

Clipse

First, make sure you have a good amount (100% DV or maybe a bit over) of vitamin A in your diet. If you can't get it in your diet for whatever reason, try a vitamin supplement. Second, dairy products, especially "low-fat" dairy products, have recently been shown to worsen acne, so try to cut down on those. The other dietary influences (chocolate, coffee, chips, soda) are debatable, but it would be a good idea to eliminate them from your diet for a while (2 months would be a good length) and see whether or not your acne improves. If dietary changes don't help (enough) and you want to avoid the heavy duty medicine, you can look in to light therapy.

Jasconius

Wash your face, alot. In the morning, after lunch, when you get home, and when you go to sleep.

You don't always have to use soap, but you need to get the oil that accumilates on your skin constantly off.

Demon Lemon

I want to thank everyone again for the good advice!

Grid System

Jasconius wrote: »

Wash your face, alot. In the morning, after lunch, when you get home, and when you go to sleep.

You don't always have to use soap, but you need to get the oil that accumilates on your skin constantly off.

This isn't good advice. If you wash your face too much you'll just dry out and irritate the skin, likely making the acne worse. Do wash your face, but not more than twice a day (once in the morning and once at night). Obviously it's okay to wash your face if it's particularly dirty as well. Make sure though that you use non-irritating soap/cleanser when you wash and afterwards don't forget to use a non-comedogenic moisturizer.

BoomShake

I've heard a lot of mixed information on diet linked to acne as far as causing it. However, a well-balanced, healthy diet is a good idea for overall health. The dermatologist will obviously have one of the more authoritative insights to this issue, but I've found a few things help (I'm 19, still dealing with mild case of acne on face, chest, back).

One of my favorite things that helps clear me up is swimming in the pool. Just enough chlorine to dry things out. After a week staying at my cousin's house with her pool, I come home pretty damn clear.

Hygiene. I shower in the morning and at night. Shampoo hair twice, wash face with either prescribed stuff or soap that doesn't clog pores (the word slips my mind at the moment). I also hear washing too much is bad.

Get outside. A bit of sun and fresh air does WONDERS. I'm the guy that's normally inside, either working or playing video-games or whatever. If I have a few days when the friends are around and we're outside doing general asshattery, the acne seems to be a lot better.

Don't touch the affected areas. If I'm tired while I'm working or up late, i tend to lean with my hand on my chin and elbow on the desk. The next day, zits. If I rub my face too much, like if work is frustrating and it's late, zits. No picking or poking at the zits, either. Make a conscious effort to touch your face as little as possible. Also, depending on your hair style, try to keep the hair off your face. Added oil from hair seems to lead to added zits.

That's really all I can think of right now

LavaKnight

I fought it off pretty well by stopping my soda intake (pretty heavily-I only have a soda every once and a while now) and drinking a lot more water. The diet change could have come when it was naturally residing, but I like to think there's correlation. Products like Pro-Activ and such were all rubbish to me, and I didn't want to try anything stronger.

B:L

What's your current daily skin care regime?

If you don't have one, I suggest checking out this site:
Men Essentials' Beginner's Bible

It describes the different types of face care products, and how and when they should be used. Also, check this out:
Skin types listing

This link describes the different types of facial skin. Identify which one is yours, and treat accordingly.


I basically used these to choose what to try, and my skin has been improving.


A few more tips: Use non-comedogenic and oil-free products, because products will cause break-outs otherwise.

AVOID benzyl peroxide. It may be immediately effective, but it's extremely harsh and can cause side effects such as red spotches.


My regime (for oily skin):
Morning: Anthony's 2% salycylic acid cleanser, Sharps daily prep tuner (toner), Jack Black oil control lotion.
Night: Cleanser, toner, and a heavier vitamin E moisturizer.


Everyone's skin is different, so find out what works for you. Just be persistent, consistent, and commited.

Mr_Grinch

I eat healthy, I exercise lots and I drink plenty of water and I suffer from not-awful-but-bad-enough acne. I happened to be at the doctor's the other day for something else (An underactive thyroid that just refuses to be treated!) and I mentioned my acne, he told me that diet contributing towards acne is largely a myth. He recommended:

Benzyl Peroxide gel (comes in 2.5%, 5% and 10% strength) which is essentially bleach. Which sounded a tad frightening to me! But still, I'm trying it. You have to wash your face first, then apply it. It stings/tingles a bit but nothing painful. I can't comment on how successful it is just yet after two days use but it might be worth a try.

One thing I have noticed, I've increased my exercise regime and do a bit more swimming nowadays, the chlorine in the water has REALLY helped my acne, so that might be worth a shot.

::edit:: Heheh, just read the above post that said to avoid Benzyl peroxide, I'm going with it as it's what the doc recommended. I'll let you know if I suffer any side effects

[Michael]

I've used cotton pads with salicylic acid and gels/creams with benzoyl peroxide, none really seemed to help after weeks of use. I started using a bar soap facial cleanser for "acne-prone skin" from neutrogena 2 weeks ago and it's all cleared up. I'd suggest at least giving it a shot, especially since it's only like $2.50 a bar from walmart. I only had somewhere between mild/moderate case of acne in the first place. I've heard complaints of people saying it dries out your skin but haven't had any problems with it yet (only been 2 weeks though so who knows).

Synthetic Orange

How serious is it? Is it just one or two spots or is it bad enough to leave you looking like

when you grow up?

If it's bad, see a doctor about it, then possibly be referred onto a dermatologist.

Cojones

The_Cheese wrote: »

Get lots of sun, but don't let your skin burn because that's bad. I find that makes a big difference for me. You might consider Acutane or other drugs, but be aware of the potential side-effects.

'tane's side effects are largely unsubstanciated and it's really quite effective in treating acne. I'm not sure which country you're in but it's available on prescription on the NHS if you happen to be a UK resident. Needless to say, if experiencing any side effects it's prudent to inform your doctor and decide what the next action should be.

Speleodot

If you use benzoyl peroxide (it has worked brilliantly for me), go for a 2.5% or 5% mixture and use a moisturiser like E45 or something afterwards, or you will get horrible flaky skin after about a week.

Janson

To be honest I only ever wash my face in water (apart from the odd face mask) and I have never had an acne problem. Now, I know acne is largely genetic/hormonal (and I certainly do notice the odd spot or two creeping up at the same time of the month) and that some people will get it no matter what, but I do think that perhaps by not using any harsh soaps that I've kept my skin a little better. In fact I try to stay away from bar soaps in general; I prefer a moisturising gel for all of my skin.

So although you may not be able to help getting spots, you might find you can reduce the severity of the spots by not using bar soap, by drinking plenty of water (and only water), avoiding the sun, eating good food and getting plenty of sleep. Especially the water + sleep part, as others have said.

Shogun

http://www.h2ocean.com/

They make this stuff for tattoos and ear piercings but it can also be used on acne. Just give your face a light spray every day and let it dry it works wonders.

misbehavin

Zombot wrote: »

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

If you have a really oily face (I know I did) then go to the store and get these oil cleansing sheets.
They will soak up all the oil and are small enough to carry to school.

Just so you know, my doctor told me point-blank that that was a total myth. There are no foods that cause acne... The body removes excess oils and toxins via bowel movements... It does not manifest on the skin.

I suggest ProActiv. Yes, it's a touch expensive, but it works wonders and doesn't have the side-effects of the various drugs.

Tube

Zombot wrote: »

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

horseshit

kupo

If it becomes really bad, you can give Dan Kern's regimen a try. I used it for a while, but found it wasn't right for my skin and acne type. I saw it work for people though, and of all the acne treatments it's the only one that actually makes sense. The Pro-Active regimen is for people with a particular acne type (not the inflammatory kind) and those with mild, moderate acne.

Some general tips:

• stick to a regular sleep cycle and make sure you get enough sleep (8-10 hrs or whatever your body needs)
• eat a balanced diet, make sure you are getting enough Vitamin E (the skin booster)
• exercise regularly
• get sun, but use sunscreen; it's important not to sunburn because while that will cover up your acne for a week or so, the next breakout will be twice as bad
• if you decide to wash your face with soap, make sure it is mild
• don't irritate your skin. don't rub it. don't use hot water (cool or lukewarm only). don't use fragant soaps. don't use 5% benzoyl peroxide. buy a hypoallergenic face lotion to moisturize your face if it is overly dry (if it's not, don't).

The key to everything is to minimize skin irritation. Because when the skin on your face gets irritated, that's when acne breaks out.

Zombot

Cardboard Tube wrote: »

Zombot wrote: »

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

horseshit

Really?
I know whenever I eat alot of chocolate I'll have an acne breakout in a couple of days.
Maybe it's a small allergy or something.

Kewop Decam

Zombot wrote: »

Cardboard Tube wrote: »

Zombot wrote: »

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

horseshit

Really?
I know whenever I eat alot of chocolate I'll have an acne breakout in a couple of days.
Maybe it's a small allergy or something.

Are you stressing out yourself over it.

Shogun

Zombot wrote: »

Cardboard Tube wrote: »

Zombot wrote: »

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

horseshit

Really?
I know whenever I eat alot of chocolate I'll have an acne breakout in a couple of days.
Maybe it's a small allergy or something.

I have the same problem. No one believes that chocolate contributes and I'm not sure I do but I know what happens when I eat a hershey's bar and wait 48 hours. It sucks, just don't eat it.

volluspa

B:L wrote: »

What's your current daily skin care regime?

If you don't have one, I suggest checking out this site:
Men Essentials' Beginner's Bible

It describes the different types of face care products, and how and when they should be used. Also, check this out:
Skin types listing

This link describes the different types of facial skin. Identify which one is yours, and treat accordingly.


I basically used these to choose what to try, and my skin has been improving.


A few more tips: Use non-comedogenic and oil-free products, because products will cause break-outs otherwise.

AVOID benzyl peroxide. It may be immediately effective, but it's extremely harsh and can cause side effects such as red spotches.


My regime (for oily skin):
Morning: Anthony's 2% salycylic acid cleanser, Sharps daily prep tuner (toner), Jack Black oil control lotion.
Night: Cleanser, toner, and a heavier vitamin E moisturizer.


Everyone's skin is different, so find out what works for you. Just be persistent, consistent, and commited.

sir, ill have you known you have just made me spent $60 on facial products and other items

i thought i had a pretty decent regiment, but boy was i wrong.


ill edit this back with results after a month

Xeno

I've noticed with me that my face become resistant to ointments/creams after awhile, usually 3-4 weeks. I notice that certain pimples don't dissapear. I just switch it up and the next day it's gone. I have 3 things that I use and change them every 3 weeks.

Also, yes, SUN. I notice that if I wash my face but just stay on the computer or watch tv all day, then the next day I usually breakout or get a zit.

Treeloot

Zombot wrote: »

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

This has never been proven, and there is plenty of some against it. http://www.usaweekend.com/98_issues/980607/980607eat_smart_chocolate.html

Convael

You can get a 30-day supply of ProActiv for 25$ which isn't that bad considering it does wonders for lots of people and acne is really, really shitty. Apart from everything that people have said about diet not affecting acne, bar soap is probably the worst thing you can do for your skin, don't wash your face too much (once in the morning and once at night, otherwise you can dry out your skin which causes it to make MORE oil which just makes everything worse). I've also read about and heard from my doctor that being out in the sun can be bad for your skin, but I guess it's different for different people. One thing that I'm 100% certain has helped me is to not reuse the same wash towels/body towels too much. I usually use a small section of a towel every day to dry my face until I've used up all of it then switch it out for a new one. Washing your pillowcases once a week or once every few weeks can help a lot too, as all of your oil builds up on the pillow and if you're like me you sweat a lot in your sleep, and you're just putting your face in that night after night. If you're just suffering from normal teenage acne then you should try every possible method before you do Accutane. I knew a girl who used it since her skin was really terrible and parts of her hair started falling out and weird shit like that. Good luck.

Edit: And don't touch your face, ever ever ever. Your hands are a cesspool of dirt and oil. Shaving also has helped my skin look and feel a lot clearer, since I guess it exfoliates all the dead skin cells off of your face.

volluspa

Convael wrote: »

Edit: And don't touch your face, ever ever ever. Your hands are a cesspool of dirt and oil. Shaving also has helped my skin look and feel a lot clearer, since I guess it exfoliates all the dead skin cells off of your face.

careful about shaving tho, a shitty razor/cream will irritate the skin far more than just touching it.

ZeeBeeKay

I've got pretty good skin, with breakouts (that last forever ) maybe once every month or two. I just picked up this Noxzema "Continuous Clean Microbead Cleanser." According to their website, Noxzema is aimed at girls, but it works wonders. It leaves my face feeling all tingly 'till after the end of my shower, and clean pretty much all day. It also can be used in the shower, which makes me happy.

misbehavin

Shogun wrote: »

Zombot wrote: »

Cardboard Tube wrote: »

Zombot wrote: »

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

horseshit

Really?
I know whenever I eat alot of chocolate I'll have an acne breakout in a couple of days.
Maybe it's a small allergy or something.

I have the same problem. No one believes that chocolate contributes and I'm not sure I do but I know what happens when I eat a hershey's bar and wait 48 hours. It sucks, just don't eat it.

From 1 post up...

misbehavin wrote: »

Zombot wrote: »

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

If you have a really oily face (I know I did) then go to the store and get these oil cleansing sheets.
They will soak up all the oil and are small enough to carry to school.

Just so you know, my doctor told me point-blank that that was a total myth. There are no foods that cause acne... The body removes excess oils and toxins via bowel movements... It does not manifest on the skin.

I suggest ProActiv. Yes, it's a touch expensive, but it works wonders and doesn't have the side-effects of the various drugs.

ViolentChemistry

Shogun wrote: »

Zombot wrote: »

Cardboard Tube wrote: »

Zombot wrote: »

A few other tips.

Avoid choclate, coffee and soda.
They all cause acne.

horseshit

Really?
I know whenever I eat alot of chocolate I'll have an acne breakout in a couple of days.
Maybe it's a small allergy or something.

I have the same problem. No one believes that chocolate contributes and I'm not sure I do but I know what happens when I eat a hershey's bar and wait 48 hours. It sucks, just don't eat it.

I don't suppose you touch your face half as often as the average human or more, perhaps? Also do you immediately wash your hands after every chocolate-bar you eat, or just after eating a "real" meal?

As7

If you are a woman, some forms of birth control actually clear up acne pretty well as a common side effect. Some doctors even prescribe it specifically for this purpose.