Regarding acne, obviously there are many
different causes and treatment options. I
was "blessed" with oily skin that never
sunburns but has the tendency to break
out, extremely badly at times. When I was
younger (I'm 22), I used to literally have
a face full of acne and 1-3 cystic zits
every other month or so (yet again,
because of my dad's genetics as his skin
does the same, even though he's 52).
I tried many things over the years; tea
tree oil helped some but smelled gross and
was just, well, oily; benzoyl peroxide
made me itch, salicylic acid helped some
but was really drying.
I now have extremely clear skin, but it's
definitely still a daily battle. I do 4
things for my skin, and have to do them
all (or at least the first 3) to have the
best version of my skin.
1. Proactiv. I thought it was certainly
rip off and never considered it, even
though my mom and nana had both separately
agreed they'd even buy it for me (I'm kind
of frugal, to say the least). About 2
years ago, my nana went ahead (against my
wishes) and bought me a kit. It made my
skin worse at first, then it cleared up
nicely, then it started to become
painfully dry, even as oily as it
naturally is. What I do now, which works
best for MY skin (trial and error), is to
wet my face once or twice a day and apply
to face wash, leave it on for a few
minutes (not too long or it'll dry out),
then wait a bit, use the toner, then when
it's done drying I use the benzoyl
peroxide lotion, but I ALWAYS add 2 small
drops of Vitamin E, and sometimes a bit of
the green tea moisturizer, depending on
how my skin feels. If I do have some
potential zits or places that look like
they are itching to break out, i add a
very tiny dab of the sulfur face mask
stuff into the mix. So basically, every
day/time I use it, I kind of customize it
to my skin. My nana had the Proactiv on
autoship, and I know she shells out about
$60 or so every 4 months (2 sets at a time
- saves on shipping) for me, but I get
excited every time she calls to tell me my
new packages are in. This is really the
only thing that has consistently worked
for me, and my skin has never been better.
It took some trial and error at first
though. The only problems in my opinion
are the dryness (which I counter) and the
fact that if I skip more than a day or 2
using all 3 steps, then I will start to
get little whiteheads and blackheads
almost instantly.
2. When I do fall off the wagon and don't
wash my face often enough, leave makeup on
too long, etc., and I start to get
whiteheads and blackheads (there will
literally be 50+ on my forehead, corners
on my nose, and a few on my chin) because
of the skin oil and quick cell turnover
rate of my skin; I absolutely must go in
and extract them. I have an extractor but
also do it the sinful way, with my nails
occasionally, which I know that doctors
often advise against. But actually
manually removing them is really the only
thing that works to remove the little
suckers, as I've tried about everything
else. I'm sure others with the oily skin
and quick sloughing will understand that.
3. This might be the most important and
helpful piece of info I'm typing here, at
least for my skin, and I never even
realized it until a year or 2 ago. When my
skin starts to act up (especially before
my menstrual cycle), it will look at least
50% better the next day if I drink
100-125oz of water/tea in a day. I read
once that a large percentage of people are
perpetually dehydrated, and this article
advised drinking your weight in pounds, in
ounces every day (so if you weigh 120
pounds, drink 120 ounces, etc.). I think
people are probably sugar-sensitive in
varying amounts, but I absolutely despise
water, so I'll make 4-5 24oz cups of
varying types of tea sweetened with a bit
of natural cane sugar and stevia to stave
off an extreme sugar load. I also mix up
the glasses: 2 decaf mint green tea
glasses, 1 rooibos, 1 chamomile, etc., to
make it more tolerable. If I drink this
much tea every day for 3-4 days in a row,
my skin looks flawless. It's like if my
skin is already clean, the pores won't
re-clog as easily when my system is
flushed. I suppose cleaning all the crap
out of your body has other positive
effects too, but at least for my skin, it
makes it extremely clear. For the record,
if I have blackheads/whiteheads not
extracted yet, drinking a bunch of
tea/water will not make those disappear,
but it will halt their progress and they
won't turn into zits. I really recommend
trying it out.
4. I also drink carrot juice for the
vitamin a, take a teaspoon or so of
flaxseed oil or supplements, and take
daily zinc supplements almost daily.
Flaxseed oil (according to my research and
practice) heals the stuff inside clogged
pores not turn hard, so to speak, and be
easier to extract. Eat healthy as well and
get all your vitamins, minerals, and
antioxidants. Loading up your body on crap
makes your skin look like how it feels.
Manage stress. Exercise. Live well.
Good luck - I really hope this was
helpful.
