ACNE help !!

I've been using the new Neutrogena Acne Kit- you can find it next to the new Clean and Clear ones they're pushing really heavily. It's a little less expensive than the Clean and Clear, and doesn't provide the instant results- but it also doesn't have any kind of spot treatment, which I've always found just overly dried and sensitized the worst areas of my skin.

Instead, it has an exfoliating cleanser with Alpha-hydroxy acids, which brightens up the skin as soon as you've rinsed it off, and two lotions, one with SPF for day, and one with salicylic acids and other good stuff for night.

It takes a while to work, but after a week I noticed serious improvement, and after about a month, I'm pretty much clear. I don't have serious acne- but I do have cycle-related breakouts that are really frustrating. This has cleared up a problem I thought was pretty much hormonal and there was nothing I could do about it aside from BC- so I see no reason why it wouldn't work on other types of acne. I just think it'd take a little longer.

With this, it does really dry out the skin, especially starting out, so a really made-for-super-dry skin moisturizer is probably a good idea to use in the morning, or at night after the night lotion has soaked in for about thirty minutes. Olay has some really good ones, and Clinique's dramatically different lotion (or gel, if you want to go oil-free) is amazing, if a little pricey. But if you don't feel like spending fifty bucks for the pump bottle, the travel-tube is a lot cheaper and lasts quite a while.
 
Proactiv didn't work for me, I have really sensitive skin and it dried my skin out horribly. I also had problems with it staining my towels and pillowcases, it seems to discolor any of the egyptian cotton towels/sheets that I have.

I had the exact same reactions. My friend's Derm told her to try Acne Free Advanced which you can buy at any drugstore, Target, or Walmart. I tried it and it was amazing. It did bleach my pillowcases though which freaked me out. :wtf: If it did that to my sheets, I couldn't imagine that it was good for my sensitive skin! I now use the same Neutrogena one as J'aime.
 
I would highly recommend trying ProActiv. I had acne and tried everything- prescription creams, etc and tried ProActiv as a last resort and it was the only thing that worked for me.


^Yeah that worked for me too...Since August last summer I was getting these bumps under my skin...you could only see them in a certain light..and if I squeezed them I'd end up w/ a full blown pimple...It really really bothered me as I have had no probs w/ my skin at all...so I tried variuos products...then got the proactive Dec 6th.....I have been using it faithfully twice a day since then...I only use the repairing lotion (after the cleanser) on the areas of my face that were a problem....I noticed an immediate differece..at first it did dry my skin out at the chin area...but it wasn't bad..now it doesn't overly dry my face...As each week went by I noticed significant improvement...less break outs..my skin felt softer...it has been 7 weeks and I can honestly say my skin is satin-smooth and blemish free...now watch I'll end up with a huge festering shanker tomorrow a.m. lol!! I was lucky..I've heard it doesn't work for some people but I kept with it faithfully..I would say after 5 weeks I was practically 'healed'...I don't know if it was hormonal or what...but thank goodness my skin is back to normal..:sweatdrop:
 
I don't have anything terribly useful to tell you, but just wanted to express some sort of sympathy for the 12y/o in question and gratitude on her behalf for helping her out! I had this awful version of acne as a kid - it's called acne minoria and instead of the terrible cystic acne you see people with big pustules, I had skin that looked like extremely grainy sandpaper. It did terrible things to my self esteem and I wish someone had understood enough to get me the help I needed earlier.

Oh, and I will add: a regular routine is very important, but if something doesn't seem to be working, keep trying products until you find something that does. All these pills and creams often do work, but they're not without their side effects.

Good luck with the dermatologist! I'm sure they'll be able to find an appropriate, long-term solution.
 
I used to have the worst acne problem and my girls always gave me all kinds of products to try but nothing works! I used Proactive for two years and nothing!! But it cleared my friends' acne after she had used it for two months!

So my french granny asked me to use Baking Soda to help my acne and it worked!!! Soooo well! It save me so much money (no more facials just for acne blah blah).

What I did was mix a tablespoon of Baking Soda with water and stir till it's creamy almost. Then rinse my face with lukewarm water and apply the mixture to the problem areas. 30 mins later I will take a hot steamed towel and put it on the top of my face till it cool and clean the baking soda off.

Give it about a week and you will see a difference.. at least it did for me!! And don't forget it's only a dollar for a huge box of baking soda, no harm trying..

Oh and it does dry your skin out a little so adjust the time that you leave the mixture on a little, if you have sensitive skin just leave it on for around 5mins.

Tone & Moisturize after!!!!
 
after starting a strict skin care regime twice a day, as well as using an aspirin/honey mask and exfoliating every other day, I started seeing improvements and my skin was finally clear! I did still have red marks on my face, though, but those takes a while to disappear. Then I fell asleep and missed my skin care regime on night, and broke out again (it was also that time of the month) and now I'm currently trying to fix my skin again, but I have a feeling that by the time it clears up again, I'll have the same problem all over again. It's a neverending battle :s I'm going to try some of the home remedies mentioned in this thread, though :flowers: Most of the products mentioned are not available here (Europe) so I can't try them unless I go through the trouble of trying to find them online.
 
^ It IS an ever ending battle and I swear if you miss a cleansing your doomed lol!!!! As much as I don't feel like going through my routine at night sometimes I just make myself do it...Faithfully 2 x's a day.....it has really made a dif!!!! Thank heavens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
This thread is great! And your so great helping you young fiend, acne really is very debilitating mentally for young people

I'm going to try some of the things you ladies suggested because lately my skin has been horrible! I never used to have problems, I was one of those people who would get a stress or lack of sleep pimple and only do a whole cleansing routine once or twice a week, soap and water was fine for me the rest of the time. But now, I've been breaking out and it's really demoralizing and I just urned 20! I've been using my clinique once a day now and it's gotten slightly better, but I will up the ante to twice a day and if that doesn't work I'll use the suggestions you lovely ladies have given :smile:
 
Ditch the Pro Activ, go for Murads Acne Complex kit from sephora. Ive been using it since november, and my skin hasnt broken out ever since.

My cousin used it once over night, and noticed her pimples were less red, and pimplely in the morning!