MadisonsWorld started this discussion ·
Ok...so I am breaking out and can't find anything that help...I am getting little blackheads on my face and breaking out around my hairline...and my chest and back are breaking out..I feel like a teenager..has anyone tried proactiv? Any suggestions...
Sign in or create a free account to reply.
Proactiv does work for me for the prevention and treatment of pimples, but the system can be harsh and drying. It actually can leave me without pimples, but with clogged pores. This is because if you strip off the oil on your skin with cleaning and lotions, your skin will produce even more oils to make up for the dryness. So you can be dry but oily and clogged at the same time. So when my skin really gets bad, I use the oil cleansing method because oil dissolves oil but doesn't dry the skin. So I take coconut or jojoba oil because they're similar to your skin's oils, and add a bit of sugar if I want to exfoliate. But rub it all over your face with firm, massage kind of motions not scrubby motions. It can work all that gunk out of your pores. Then I remove the oil by taking a clean wash rag with hot water and pressing it to my face and GENTLY wiping the oil away. Then I apply the proactive lotion so it gets to my pores and I get the medication of the lotion without the drying effects of the face scrub and toner.
Jeez I can't tell you how timely this is for me! I'm 41 with two college-aged children and EEK! I feel like I'm right back there with my kids pimple-wise! I recently moved from Las Vegas (Read:DRY) to Hilo, Hawaii (read: WETTEST CITY POSSIBLE) and my face, my chest, my back...OMG! Obviously I'm going to switch my cleansing products, but I was afraid of invest too much money in products I wasn't sure were even going to work. Thank you!! BTW: http://www.doublebrush.com/2007/10/the-rainiest-ci.html
And I think that is my problem...my pores are clogged....I will have to give this a try..so do you use the cleanser and toner @ all from proactiv?
Proactiv didn't do diddly squat for me. I am getting some results with Zia Treartments tea tree acne mask after I shower, followed by RetinA (you get it via prescription), then put cerave lotion on my face. In the morning I spot treat with benzoyl peroxide. I have alays had an acne issue. I was not breaking out as badly on yasmin. Yasmin is used to treat acne. Once I got a mirena I started breaking out again. I think Yasmin is the best I've found, but unfortunately I cannot take it anymore since I am a high stroke risk. 🙁 As for face wash, I like liquid neutrogena.
My suggestion would be to try moisturising your skin (I realize this isn't great for pole dance, but you can do it just before you go to bed, perhaps), refrain from harsh cleansers or from exfoliating too often, and see if you can pinpoint any specific triggers. Is it environmental? Does this happen at certain times of the month/year? Have you been under more than the usual amount of stress lately? Have your eating habits changed? I know that, for me, cleansing makes my skin very dry, and I can't exfoliate more than once a week (if that) lest my skin freaks out. Moisturising has actually helped clear my breakouts very quickly, and helped them to be less painful, and less noticeable. Stress is a major factor for my breakouts, too, so I tend to expect them if things are more stressful in my life.
aong the moisturizing line: my dermatologist told me to use CeraVe lotion. It is non comedogenic and it has elements in it that are washed away when you wash your face. The lotion replaces them. You can read about the lotion on the website:http://cerave.com/
If its around your hairline and shoulders/back chances are its your hair! Try a different shampoo/conditioniar and keep your hair very clean! Also try to use a different hair spray too/
I feel your pain, I have been breaking out too, it is so ugly on me that I sometimes stay at home really depressed. if you're breaking up on ur hairline and so on:I would suggest to tie ur hair, as they do produce oil which rubs then into your face. Indulge some Zinc it helps a lot, 2 pills before sleeping and 2h30 at least away from your dinner. I suggest to drink more (do help a lot to get remove of toxins) and wash ur face with a gentle soap, I use tea tree cleanser, and dont skip the MOISTURIZING part, people think as they have oily skin they should get rif of the oil, big big mistake.
ahlemh - Don't let yourself get down. It's not worth it. If it's any consolation, I did 2 rounds of accutance and my acne came back a year after each round. I lost a lot of hair during the second round of accutane. I am not allowed to take it again. Everyone else I know who took it had their acne cured. My acne tends to scar, so I have a ton of scars all over my face. 🙁
me too!!!for real it totally depresses me, i stay 3 to 4 days in row at home because I just hate so much the way I look, I have people saying oh it funny I can't tell ur age coz you have breakouts but have gray hairs (I always had them!lol) accutane is a step I did not take so far but will do if my new medication does not work. everytime I get people asking me for a date " am like oooh in 3months I'll be ready (it usually takes 3/4 months to know if the treatment is working or not) !lol
proactiv never worked for me, a mix of salycilic acid and 2% NOT 10% benzoyle peroxide (10% is harsh for some an can actually cause breakouts because it overdries some skin) with a natural moisturizer like Garnier gel works great for me!
yes also consider ur birth control the artificial hormones can either help or wreak havok on ur skin, im on the iud no hormones n love it but in highschool artificial hormones in ortho tri cycle helped because of puberty my androgen levels were raised then, sometimes u just hav to experiment alot
alhemh - Have you tried yasmin?? It's less invasive than accutane. Antibiotics, the creams, etc never worked for me. Yasmin didn't get rid of them completely for me, but it did make my skin look better. Don't let your skin affect your life. Those people who make comments can go pound sand. I had a doctor comment on my skin once. I just rolled my eyes.
:) I just quit YAz, was working sometimes but never constant on me. all the antibiotics damaged my stomach but did worse on my skin when it worked wonders on others, just started a new pill which makes me a bit nauseated (sorry am not american, my english sucks) but am so willing to give it a go. have quit my job coz I dont want to get people notice me or look at me. at one point I was so scared to just go out in the street and have people look at me.lol it takes effort and poling is the only moment I enjoy in my week, even if I have to go out to the studio, I feel like I actually HAVE AN HAND on something, if I suck I can improve but not with my skin;
Hun, people are not looking at your face and judging it like you think. Most people could care less what your skin looks like. You are psycing yourself out, which is unhealthy. If I hid everytime I had a breakout I would never be outdoors! I don't think anything will be constant. Our body chemistry and hormones fluctuate so often that breakouts are inevitable. If you can find something that slightly manages it, that is a step. That's the point I am at. I just want a little fix since I know nothing will be permanent.
thats what my friends tell me...did you try zinc, it works!!!and for the scars I have skinoren, we don't have the same brands as I live in France.what kind of acne do you have?
Mine are mostly cystic around my mouth. If I don't use retinA I will get little tiny ones all over my face. Those are under control though. I can't beat the big ones though. My old scars have gotten lighter and shallower over the years. I have not tried zinc. I also have not tried anything with azelaic acid, but geez they are exensive.
u should try zinc, it will help greatly plus u can have it over the counter. Azelaic acid I tried it and heard of it this year only and so far helps to fade the scars away. but it is like bleaching the skin around and u can't use it with sun!!!!! zinc can give stomachache the trick to have it effective less the pain:before bedroom and 2h30 after ur last meal
I just wanted to say that I feel so much better knowing that it is not just me. I guess I have had spurts of acne issues in my life but just before i turned 31, I have had a hell of a time with oily, nasty, dry skin, and seemingly pubescent ferocious acne issues. It just isn't fair... I am glad to hear that exfoliating is not a good idea for some because I wondered if it was causing a problem for me. I have a problem with grabing any sort of acne fighting agent on the market and killing my skin cells trying to get rid of if. I can NOT take any of the cyclines (though I had NO problem in my early 20's) since it seems to bring on a mess of migraines, hallucinations, the whole messy gamut. But, I thought Accutane was taken off the market. I could have sworn that I just heard this in the last few months. Not, that I could take it anyway... I am very interested, though, in the oil/sugar scrub. I have no proactive lotion to follow up with but I may have something in my arsenal, haha. Sorry we are all struggling but I am actually relieved for this topic :) So, thank you!!
I did try the cocnut oil/sugar scrub last night..it seemed to help with the tiny blackheads..altho I didn't have any acne lotion to use after,I used a facial lotion..and the oil was still on my skin after I rinsed off,I didn't was it off with soap,just warm water..figured the oil is used for moisturising and is natural... I have tried nuetrogena cleanser,and my face was still breaking out..part was I over dried my skin causing it to become oily and clogged...but maybe it will work better now..gonna go to the store tommorrow and see what they have for a moisturiser for acne for my chest and back... I don't take birth control,tubes are tied... I don't know what kind of acne I have,it doesn't sound as severe as some...I get tiny blackheads on my face and on my chest and back,if I scratch the area,a hard like stuff comes out..and sometimes just the usual like acne(little whiteheads) or just bumps,but gunk will come out if I pop it..sorry if graphic....and I know u aren't supposed to pop them..but I can't stand having them...and to make matters worse,I suffer from dermatilomania(picking disorder,also is a form of ocd)..so sometimes I can't fight the urge...
I've actually heard that some doctors recommend synching the pimple and squeezing the stuff out (not ripping the whole white head off, but making a tiny incision to let the puss drain out.) Doctor oz was one, I think. I think the whole pimple popping issue is still under scrutiny. Personally, if a zit is going to scar my face, it doesn't matter if I pick it or leave it alone, it will scar either way.
Regarding exfoliation, if you are breaking out, I would avoid using oil. You can make scrubs with honey and sugar, or other sugar scrubs without oil: http://www.livestrong.com/article/78066-home-scrub-acne/ It also says you can use oatmeal, coffee, and of course salt.
EverydayHealth.comEveryday Health: Trusted Medical Information, Expert Health Advice, News, Tools, and ResourcesEveryday Health inspires and empowers people to live their healthiest lives, every day, through trusted, medically reviewed information and expert health advice from the nation's leading healthcare providers and patient advocates. Learn more about healthI go for regular microdermabrasion and extraction/drainage treatments. They pop them for me but I can never leave them alone later. She did tell me that if I have a deep red one forming, to use a hot boiled egg with the shell and place it right on for 10 min off ten on and that this helps it to come to the surface and take its natural course of draining. Sorry it's sounds so gross...
I go for regular microdermabrasion and extraction/drainage treatments. They pop them for me but I can never leave them alone later. She did tell me that if I have a deep red one forming, to use a hot boiled egg with the shell and place it right on for 10 min off ten on and that this helps it to come to the surface and take its natural course of draining. Sorry it's sounds so gross...
Toothpaste helps too to bring it to the surface...I use it when I have one under the skin that hurts
