I know there has been a lot of acne related threads in the Beauty Bar, but I didn't find one communal thread where everyone can just come in and give their general experiences, acne stories, experiences with treatments & products, and ask for help. As a person who is suffering from a sudden onset of adult acne, I'm interested in hearing the stories & experiences of other tpfers who have suffered (or still suffer) from acne; what products did/do you use? Which one of those products worked or didn't work? Did you go on accutane? What medications did the derm prescribe you & did it work? What's your current routine? What do you do when you suddenly get major breakouts?
I just want to hear everyone's personal stories when it comes to fighting acne. I hope this thread can be a resource for people who suffer from acne since as of right now all the threads on acne are so segmented. So, instead of posting yet another thread on asking for help with acne, I thought I would create a new thread where everyone can come in and share their experiences.
Here is my personal story & tips to also get us started!
My story:
I'm in my late twenties now but I never suffered from acne until I was in my mid twenties. I actually had great skin. Then after making a move across the country from California to New York for law school, I started getting really bad acne. The cystic kind where it never broke the surface of my skin and had the potential to breakout from the same area again. It was really painful & stressful for me. It got so bad that I had to see a dermatologist for the first time in my life who actually recommended that I go on accutane. I didn't want to go on accutane unless it was absolutely necessary. I was open to anything else to get rid of it even if the process was slower (antibiotics, topical treatments, supplements, going back on birth control). My derm prescribed me a 50 day dose of doxycyline & retin-a. It worked for about 6 months and my skin was completely clear, but then around the end of the summer my acne started coming back. It's not as bad now as it was before I went to see the derm, but I don't have clear skin anymore either. Right now I'm using Panoxyl cleanser which is yielding amazing results, I'm hoping that I can kick my skin back into gear by using the wash once a day and retin-a at night. I'll update the thread if the combination of the two really makes a difference down the road.
My tips that have worked for me:
-Don't wash your face more than twice a day! I know it sounds crazy, but if you have acne prone skin you most likely have sensitive skin as well! Washing your face less often and with gentle cleansers might help with a reduction in breakouts. I only wash my face once a day currently with Panoxyl at night, and Bioderma in the morning. If I have a very bad breakout spell, I only use Bioderma & retin-a -I don't even moisturize.
-Sometimes opting for products that are catered towards sensitive skin is better than going for the harsh products traditionally geared towards acne prone skin. I think this is especially true if your skin is inflamed or red from irritation. So instead of using 5 different acne products, just have one acne fighting product that is coupled with other simple & gentler products.
-If you're going to exfoliate, exfoliate gently!! Opt for a gentle mask that exfoliates (I like Kiehl's Biological Peel) rather than something like St. Ive's Apricot Scrub.
Products I've found that worked:
Retin-A (I use 0.1%), products with tea tree oil (the Body Shop & Desert Essence make great products), Panoxyl (my new discovery!), Bioderma (probably the best gentle cleanser out there, a true HG product), Cetaphil cleanser, Avene products.
Products that haven't worked for me:
Products with salicylic acid as the main active ingredient, Murad sulfur spot treatment, Bare mineral's rare minerals sulfur powder, Murad clarifying cleanser, Clinique Acne Solutions Emergency Gel-Lotion, Demadoctor Ain't Misbehavin' Medicated Acne Cleanser.
Sorry for the long post! I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone else's stories, experiences & tips!! Ideally I'm hoping that everyone would post their personal story, share their tips, and then update in this thread to let everyone know how their skin is doing. It would be especially helpful to update after changing something up in their regime whether it is going on retin-a, trying a new cleanser, etc.
I just want to hear everyone's personal stories when it comes to fighting acne. I hope this thread can be a resource for people who suffer from acne since as of right now all the threads on acne are so segmented. So, instead of posting yet another thread on asking for help with acne, I thought I would create a new thread where everyone can come in and share their experiences.
Here is my personal story & tips to also get us started!
My story:
I'm in my late twenties now but I never suffered from acne until I was in my mid twenties. I actually had great skin. Then after making a move across the country from California to New York for law school, I started getting really bad acne. The cystic kind where it never broke the surface of my skin and had the potential to breakout from the same area again. It was really painful & stressful for me. It got so bad that I had to see a dermatologist for the first time in my life who actually recommended that I go on accutane. I didn't want to go on accutane unless it was absolutely necessary. I was open to anything else to get rid of it even if the process was slower (antibiotics, topical treatments, supplements, going back on birth control). My derm prescribed me a 50 day dose of doxycyline & retin-a. It worked for about 6 months and my skin was completely clear, but then around the end of the summer my acne started coming back. It's not as bad now as it was before I went to see the derm, but I don't have clear skin anymore either. Right now I'm using Panoxyl cleanser which is yielding amazing results, I'm hoping that I can kick my skin back into gear by using the wash once a day and retin-a at night. I'll update the thread if the combination of the two really makes a difference down the road.
My tips that have worked for me:
-Don't wash your face more than twice a day! I know it sounds crazy, but if you have acne prone skin you most likely have sensitive skin as well! Washing your face less often and with gentle cleansers might help with a reduction in breakouts. I only wash my face once a day currently with Panoxyl at night, and Bioderma in the morning. If I have a very bad breakout spell, I only use Bioderma & retin-a -I don't even moisturize.
-Sometimes opting for products that are catered towards sensitive skin is better than going for the harsh products traditionally geared towards acne prone skin. I think this is especially true if your skin is inflamed or red from irritation. So instead of using 5 different acne products, just have one acne fighting product that is coupled with other simple & gentler products.
-If you're going to exfoliate, exfoliate gently!! Opt for a gentle mask that exfoliates (I like Kiehl's Biological Peel) rather than something like St. Ive's Apricot Scrub.
Products I've found that worked:
Retin-A (I use 0.1%), products with tea tree oil (the Body Shop & Desert Essence make great products), Panoxyl (my new discovery!), Bioderma (probably the best gentle cleanser out there, a true HG product), Cetaphil cleanser, Avene products.
Products that haven't worked for me:
Products with salicylic acid as the main active ingredient, Murad sulfur spot treatment, Bare mineral's rare minerals sulfur powder, Murad clarifying cleanser, Clinique Acne Solutions Emergency Gel-Lotion, Demadoctor Ain't Misbehavin' Medicated Acne Cleanser.
Sorry for the long post! I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone else's stories, experiences & tips!! Ideally I'm hoping that everyone would post their personal story, share their tips, and then update in this thread to let everyone know how their skin is doing. It would be especially helpful to update after changing something up in their regime whether it is going on retin-a, trying a new cleanser, etc.