Hey guys and girls

I'm a 22 year old male, and I have been using Neutrogena Deep Poor Cleanser for a over a year now. It helped a LOT in the beginning, but now it doesn't seams to help at all, actually it's almost like it's getting worse. I got a lot of outbreaks, and I have tried to be extra careful not to irritate the skin for the last week or so, but it doesn't really seams to help at all (yeah it might be too little to actually see a difference, but I'm beginning to doubt that this product do any good anymore).

So I want to hear if the salicylic acid really is needed for my skin?

I have also used Benzolperoxide but it didn't do much for me so I stopped it after a 4-5 months.

I would say my skin is somewhat oily, and I get outbreaks pretty much everywhere also shoulders/back. Right now I have a lot of red pimpels, some few big ones, many smaller ones, and a few white heads. I also have some scars/deep pimples (not sure what it's called) caused by scratching, but I generally try to be gentle with the outbreaks and not touching the skin.

I read about the acid mantle, and wonder if it actually helps that much to use salicylic acid, and not just try making the acid mantle work for me instead? I'm very much for trying to make my body work for me, instead of applying chemicals (as many times the body will get used to that after a while and it makes no difference).

I have tried to search but haven't really found much about how salicylic acid treatment affect acid mantle, but I appologies if there already has been a post about this.

Oh yeah, I wash my face two times a day.

Have no idea what to do now, but I think about stop using the products and try making the skin heal itself. But maybe it will just make the skin worse as then there will be no acid (because skin is used to the salicylic acid)?

Any input is appreciated. Thanks a million!

Well, to follow up on this, I'm going to a dermatologists and they can probably find out what's best for my skin. I'll stop using acid, and make my skin work for itself. It was great in the beginning but now it just turned bad and it looks like it mess up my skin more than helping it. I had some few pimples and spots before but now it's breaking out A LOT more than it has ever done before. And this is after a long period of using this product.

Don't judge all salicylic acid products by this cleanser.

SA works best as a leave-on product. It needs time to penetrate and exfoliate the pores. Also, it needs to be at an appropriate pH and concentration, and you aren't getting either of those with this lousy cleanser. Paula's Choice makes several excellent SA products at an appropriate pH and in a gentle formulation.

This is a harsh, drying, irritating cleanser and I don't recommend it for anyone. It will make your skin worse over time.

I really can't recommend any of Neutrogena's AHA or BHA products. The company will not release pH information, and that's just bad news.

I used to HATE neutrogena but recently they've made this "acne stress control" line. I only use theyre 3 in 1 hydrating acne treatment, but i have to say i love it A LOT. It works amazingly and is finally getting my comedonal acne to come out thank goodness. i think since its moisturizing as well it doesnt irritate my skin. Anyway this is the best thing ive ever used on my skin personally (i mostly just have clogged pores tho). yay!
of course like i said most of neutrogena's products are crap Ive found...i guess they put a lil effort into this one haha

Thanks for the replies girls! Yeah, it might be that Neutrogena product that's just is too harsh. I've stopped using it now for ~9 days, and are going to a dermatologist to get the correct treatment.

There has been moderately breakouts after I stopped using the product, but it's almost the same as when I used the product. I'll continue not using any products, and just being nice to my skin in general. Before I do anything else to my skin, I'll wait for the dermatologist to explain what type of skin I have and how to treat the acne. So until then, I'll try keep up right nutrition, physical activity, and just being allround healthy

Well, now it's been two weeks since my last update and it's going alright. A lot of my bad pimple areas are healing, though I do get new pimples every few days between. I got a time with a dermatologist in february, so one more month of this try out before I can get professional feedback.

I shave every 2-4 days, and it seams to help the healing process.

I'm really happy for not having to be so conscious about treatment, as it has actually propelled some of my insecurities a lot (and in my exerpience, it's the insecurities about acne that helds people back from just being happy).

I'm pretty sure that it is something out of balance in my body that has produced this as I have never before had so much acne (exepct when I was 14-15 maybe), so no more product to hide it, I need to get my body to heal it, and find out why my skin keeps clogging up pores.

Right now I would say that I have about the same break out as I had using salisylic acid.

I'll keep this updated just in case some people find it useful.

Well, I have decided to try be has careless as possible about having acne. It's just a reaction and it shows my immune system is working. I think I produce more acne to be so focused about it. For now it will be; eating healthy, drink water, and really don't care about me having acne and outbreaks.

After reading some posts here about both nutrition and psychological effects, I have decided that the best thing to do is really just live with it until I get to a dermatologist that can pin-point why my skin reacts this way.

Everyone has millions of issues so meh, I just have to stop being a bitch about this haha. It has stopped me socialising so much and it really annoys me, so now I have decided to just don't care about it.

As for how it actually goes with the acne, then christmas holidays hasn't done much good with my skin, but some large areas where I had loads of red marks and pimples are healing slowly. There is many red marks in that area. I got new pimples on my forehead in the last 14 days.

It's pretty hard to try not to think about me having acne though. It has been a part of me for the last one and a half year. But there's only one way And why I have decided to go this way is because I don't want to be dependent on topics, or having to do something a certain way all the time, and a major one, the magic pill search for the final one way to get rid of acne. I decided that it will go away in time, and I really can't do much to it anyway. Being more happy is the way I'm gonna fight this

And of course, to see a specialist that actually knows why my skin reacts this way. I know nothing about it myself.

Going to be exciting to see how it is in a month and look back at this!

Take care guys and happy new year!