What would you do after trying TOO many acne products?! What else is left?

Vinyl

Vinyl

O.G.
Dec 1, 2007
4,016
4
#1
I'm 19 & still suffer mild acne. My biggest problem are the red acne marks that won't go away.

To give a general idea of what I've used in the past... I've used everything from Clean & Clear to Neutrogena to Clinique to Proactiv to Cetaphil to LUSH to Mario Badescu acne products. I had been prescribed Retin-A & minocycline in the past, and that still didn't do much for me.

I don't want to go on Accutane because my face has improved, it's just occasional pimples & the persistent marks. But maybe that is the only thing left, lol. I would be seeing a dermatogolist again, but now that I'm away at college, I don't have access to my regular clinic.

I'm really tired of spending money on skincare products, especially if they're only cleaning my face & not doing anything else.

I decided to switch back to Neutrogena for now & am using the pink grapefruit acne facial cleanser as it was cheap & I couldn't stand how ineffective my Mario Badescu products were. I'm definitely not about to go to Sephora & splurge on Murad, Boscia, Philosophy, or Korres when I just know they probably won't do much for me either.

So what are my choices? Do I keep spending money & trying out products? Should I just stick to a basic drugstore cleanser until I can see my dermatoglist?

Or maybe I should be using whitening masks now that my acne has flared down, but the marks are still prominent?

I guess what makes skincare so difficult is that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another, so recommendations are always so-so...
 
#2
accutane was the best thing i ever did but doctors will milk you for as much money as possible before prescribing it...they'll probably put you on oral antibiotics and a topical ointment.

have you tried differin? DF is on it and seems to have tamed his mild acne very well.

for a cleanser Cetaphil is the best thing. its not harsh like Neutrogena or any other acne cleanser. I have sensitive skin so i use the gentle cleanser and i also use their moisturizer with 15 SPF. its great and my face is not greasy

also from time to time i use Queen Helene's Mint Julep face mask its awesome and cleans out your pores you can try that as well.

best of luck but def see a derm again.
 
#5
My younger sister has a few red marks--that I am thinking could be comparable to scars--and she has had a ton of success with Neutrogena 2 in 1 I think it's called like fight and clear or something like that. It takes a bit of time to see results but after a week or so you can really notice a difference, and it is inexpensive and doesn't irritate the skin. My sister also realized that part of the reason she was having some trouble with her skin is bc she is allergic to benzoyl peroxide and was using a few products that had that in it. Other than the Neutrogena product I mentioned she now uses Juice Beauty (their acne kit) and the all natural products seem to work really well for her, she pretty much doesn't break out anymore and their serum has also been useful when trying to heal scars. Finally Kiehl's makes this stuff called drawing paste and while it is supposed to pull our impurties and cut down on shine it has also done a good job when it comes to soothing irritated scars. Sorry that this was all over the place, hope it helps!
 
#6
I've had mild acne too and was prescribed Tazorac which worked extremely well. I also used otc Benzoyl Peroxide on days I'm not using the Tazorac which can be extremely drying. I'd say, save your money and stick to drugstore products until you can go back to your doctor. I didn't see much difference (if at all) in performance between expensive products vs cheaper products and felt like I was just wasting my money on the expensive stuff.

BTW, the red marks take time to go away. It can take from a few months up to a yr.
 
#7
I've had mild to crazy acne and I've been using Patricia Wexler for a couple years now. I absolutely love all of her products. You can find her stuff at Bath and Body works, It's a little expensive, but I'm telling you...it works. And you can test their products for 30 days, if you don't like it or it doesn't work, you can simply return it for a full refund! SImple as that ;)
 
#8
Have you considered one of the blue light devices - I've heard mixed reviews about them for anti-aging, but people generally seem to feel they work well for acne and the post-lesion inflammatory marks/pigmentation. I'd definitly see your derm, too. Even if you don't do accutane, there are antibiotics and other RX options which may well run you less than you're spending on top-shelf skin care products. Certainly worth a try - good luck!
 
#10
Ive found that using sensitive skin care products ( high quality like the ones at sephora) and using my clarasonic brush cleared up my acne..if you dont get the clarasonic brush, regular facials helped me alot ( with a glycolic peel) cleared up my skin perfectly
 
#11
I used to have some acne,too and I was always using the latest acne products and overexfoliating and using harsh skin treatments and my dermatologist put me on differin and some other treatment when I was 19. The differin helped some, but it made my skin red and really dry. It wasn't worth it to me and finally I stopped using acne cleansers, masks, exfoliating and all that. The only skin product I use now is the Neutrogena extra gentle cleanser and I barely ever get pimples now and my skin tone is pretty even. And I just turned 21.

Your face might be irritated because you're doing too much. I wish somebody had told me a long time ago not to use those products. Your scars will fade with time - I used to have really bad scars on my cheeks but now you can't see them. I think that if you just use a gentle cleanser and nothing else you're skin will improve, too and you'll save a lot of money and time. Don't fall for those ads and claims - the people that create those products don't use them themselves, so why should you?
 
#13
Well, not to scare you or be discouraging, but my acne didn't even start until I was your age! Finally at 26-27, my skin started looking great when I just used gentle products and left it alone. The only thing that has ever kept my skin 100% clear is birth control pills (obviously my acne is hormonal, but everyone is different)...
 
#14
claireZk said:
Well, not to scare you or be discouraging, but my acne didn't even start until I was your age! Finally at 26-27, my skin started looking great when I just used gentle products and left it alone. The only thing that has ever kept my skin 100% clear is birth control pills (obviously my acne is hormonal, but everyone is different)...
Click to expand...
^ I only wish my BC worked that well, it keeps it to a mild roar (as opposed to obscene) but still not good enough :sad:
 
#15
I don't have any advice for you regarding acne products or medications, but make sure you're drinking lots of water.

I'm 24 and had acne ever since I was about 14. I tried a million different skin products like you, and most of them didn't work for me. (I now use Proactiv, which works for me.) But I've also found that if I drink a lot of water everyday, it makes a HUGE difference. I started this a year ago with frosty's Water Club thread:

http://forum.purseblog.com/the-beauty-bar/water-club-quest-for-beautiful-skin-326419.html

Water makes a big difference. I can definitely say that my skin is the most glowingly clear and radiant it has ever been in my life. I realize this may seem like a total no-brainer. But just wanted to offer my two cents. :hugs:
 
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