Your Face/skin

I found that Neutrogena has a really great facial scrub that, while it may not really get rid of pimples, it does wonders in reducing them.

And for me, since I have rather dry skin, after washing my face, my skin feels really tight and uncomfortable, so I always use moisturizer, but I always make sure it's non-acenogenic(sp?) or non-comedogenic, otherwise it completely undos washing your face.

Anti-bacterial soap is also good, but despite the fact that it might say "moisturizing", it tends to dry out your skin really quickly.

And ALWAYS when washing your face, exfoliate in a circular motion, NEVER EVER scrub. Otherwise you skin becomes irritated and damaged.

 

Well...I competitively swim/play water pool so I am in SUPER chlorinated water about 5 hours a day which zaps pimples and blackheads to hades. Only drawback? I have to use like super strength non-comedogenic face lotion. But it evens out to a nearly perfect complextion...minus one colorless mole that everyone seems to think is an odd pimple...:eusa_doh: well, my mother is working on an appointment with the dermatologist to get that one laser zapped so...

 

I have surmised that I have something called KP... it's genetic. And i don't have it NEARLY as bad as some of the pics online hahaha

I haven't had time to look into treatment, but There are options. I think it's going on my march break list of things to do... I just seem so busy now!

 

My face was bad when I was younger. No meds needed, but kind of bad.

Generally what I found that worked was washing with anything with benzyl peroxide, or even cheap Hydrogen peroxide worked at keeping blemishes at bay.

I still get the occasional blemish on my back.

As far as care now, I generally wash my face twice a day, and after I shave I use rubbing alcohol as an "aftershave" to keep razor rash at bay.

In the winter I find my skin gets dry and I use unscented Vaseline intensive care extra strength. I like it, because it doesn't have the nasty smell of a lot of creams.

 

i had really bad problems but it was just an awkword stage... i mean cuz i washed then and now about the same if not more then and i used Ivory soap which helps dry out my skin which i preferd to oily skin...

one that that i feel makes my face oily is pizza... NO IDEA WHY... but after i eat it i have 2 wash my face... 1 for the smell and 2 for the gross feeling on my face... now dont get me wrong i <3 pizza like woe lol but yea


to tell the truth... a slight acne problem... is perfectly fine with me acualy the guy im like head over heals in love with (who i shouldnt be... *shifty eyes*) has an acne problem... but i like the lil imperfection... because honistly a lil bit of imperfection makes the total thing better i duno...


with me i still get lil bits of problem here n there on face n back but its nothing 2 horrid... ivory soap pretty much helps i wash my face n back with that then i wash the rest with my axe... which i might change to a different smell... but yea lol

 

I didn't have really bad acne, not enough to leave scars, but it seemed to go on forever. I saw dermatologists and they gave me different antibiotics and a topical cream Retin A. I tried various combinations of those for years. Since it had lasted through college and would still occasionally get some deep pimples which really hurt, I asked to try Acutane which is a pill and about the last resort. It drys up the oil glands so they aren't putting out so much gunk. It worked, but it did dry out my skin, particularly my lips. I wouldn't suggest taking it in a cold climate during the winter due to the dryness. There is a caution about being more sensitive to the sun, but I never had a problem with that and I am fairly light skinned. Now I just wash with a mild cleanser like Cetaphil (favorite), Nutrogena, or Purpose when I shower in the AM and use Nivea for Men sensative skin after shave balm and other lotion as needed.

 

I used to have very bad acne when I was younger too - well into my mid 20s. Antibiotics didn't really help much, and the various creams and lotions for acne did even less.

The most effective solution for me was to wash my hair (which was greasy then) every day with a mild shampoo (I used and still use Johnsons Baby Shampoo), and to wash my face morning and evening with mild soap (Johnsons Baby Soap). Rinse thoroughly and gently dry with a clean towel. No moisturisers or anything.

A shower really helps with this, as it can be difficult to fully rinse your face in the bath or with a basin of water.

Cutting down on fatty and sweet food (fried stuff, cheese, chocolate, cakes etc) and increasing the amount of fruit and veg (yuck) also seemed to help.

With this approach they reduced considerably within a few months. They didn't completely vanish until they were ready to on their own, and I still get the odd one or two sometimes.

Of course what worked for me won't necessarily work for others.

 

I wash my face twice daily with hibiclens. It's used to clean areas and hands before surgery. But what I like about it is even when it's washed off, it has properties that continue to kill microbial life.

I don't get infected follicles after shaving and no more razor bumps/burns.

In the middle of the day I use a moisturiser, nothing fancy though.

A friend of mine would make an aspirin mask from crushed-up aspirin and some warm water. But one must be careful, as I think it's possible to do some damage with too much salicylic acid.

 

My theory is - if you want to keep your skin good and wrinkle free for as long as possible - hydrate from within.

Drink LOTS of fluid (especially water, LOL). Oh - and DON'T smoke!.

It always amuses me when these Women's cosmetic Ads show all these incredibly expensive preparations to smear on your face "reduces lines by 30%, yada yada..."...I just think - "use a little bit of common sense"...

 

St.Ives Apricot Scrub = My Holy Grail for Skincare.

It may not work for everyone but it works for me.

Avon Cell Regenating Formula works too. Followed up by vasaline and baby powder.

Sounds odd, but works for me.

I DEFINTELY AGREE WITH TRIBI......WATERWATERWATER PEOPLE!! DRINK UP!!

 

I think I'm going to try carrying a water bottle with me this week, and seeing how it works.

Now, let's see if I can remember the bottle this week...

 

the proactive line seems to be more and more popular around here... i used it in the past when i needed it (not too much of an issue anymore) but it was the best out there, just a heads up if anybody's never heard of it.

 

There were a few studies done a number of years ago that seemed to indicate limiting the amount of refined flour and sugar in the system would be of great benefit for the skin especially in control of acne. Was a time when they compared native folks from South America in separate groups, those living in cities and eating a more "western" diet with lots of refined flour and sugar and those still living their traditional lifestyle and eating their traditional foods. Those eating more flour and sugar had horrible acne compared to traditional diets.

What was found is the cycling of the insulin was akin to that seen in diabetics, but a side affect was the skin oils also became thicker and clogged the pores easily and lead to acne. Complex carbohydrates are far better for you and if you avoid the simple refined flours and sugars, from these studies, you would have far less problems.

Other factor is being male. The testosterone causes the oils in the skin to thicken a bit too, so could present a problem. Combine the two factors and it could be right bad.

Just a bit of FYI but the ideas of keeping things clean with washing, etc also helps a lot too.

 

Some examples of foods to avoid: Cake, cookies, white bread, soda/pop/soft drinks (Pepsi, Coca Cola, 7Up, etc., oh and it would likely be good to avoid the diet soft drinks as recent studies have shown the artificial sweetners also cause the insulin to cycle as it does in Diabetics) chips/crisps, pretzels, etc.

Now the above been said, it doesn't mean you can never have them, but if you do, moderation and infrequent are the key words.

 

When I was a teenager the experts generally did not think diet had much on acne, yet I found that cutting down on "junk food" did help mine. Things have moved on in the intervening 25 years though and it is good to see that medical opinion now matches what I found.

It's always the nice stuff that we should avoid and the boring stuff that's good for us though.

 

^ Oh - I don't know....I think a lot of it is what you are used to.

Having been something of an athlete for about 20 or so years, I am accustomed to a pretty healthy diet - and, if I can't get it, I miss my natural unsweetened muesli - not to mention all the fruit and vegies that I consume in large quantites.

Not that I don't like the chocolate and ice cream too...tho' an interesting (and purely personal) observation I would like to make. The fitter I am, the more I'm training - the more I eat the "good" stuff and the less I crave any of the "bad" stuff. It seems almost as if my body "self regulates" itself to a quite noticable degree.

Is this common - or is it just me?

 

Actually it is common for your body to do that, TriBi. Seems a bit funny, but with the darker periods of winter and sedentary living increases cravings for simple carbs. Darker winter days and longer nights at that time and the lack of exercise causes a bit of decrease in production of serotonin, where intake of simple carbs increases the production of serotonin. Serotonin helps in making us feel better and is the major brain chemical affected by the antidepressant medicines used now days.

With exercise, the serotonin levels are elevated in the brain thus helping in feelings of well being. With the cravings for simple carbs being blunted, you'll have a natural tendency to eat foods that are overall healthier for you. So your reaction is not uncommon.

 

I used to have really bad skin as well, especially when i was around 12-15, its taken me years to figure out how to keep it under control. Some of the things i use have already been mentioned in this thread, ie hydration, daily cleansing, diet. But i also use a few "novel" techniques (try not to laugh:icon_wink).

Firstly, i eat an entire carrot (raw, but i guess cooked would work too) each day. This makes my skin feel smoother and reduces the number of red blemishes on my face.

Secondly, 2 or 3 times a day i take a few icecubes and rub them over my skin. The cold seems to kill off the bacteria on my face and the water from the ice melting cleans it as well.

I know these may sound i bit unusual, but i didn't really care when i first tried them just as long as they worked. Hope they help:icon_bigg.