GC and BHAs work against comedones, the deep plugs under the skin. BHAs loosen them up, GC forces them to surface.

It is still possible to have congested pores, though, especially around the nose, because neither BHAs nor GC affects sebum production. Congested pores are generally a problem for people who tend to have thick, waxy sebum. BHAs and GC should prevent actual pimples from forming, but the sebum will still be there.

You can improve the appearance of congested pores by exfoliating. AHAs work well, but it's tricky to use them in conjunction with GC ... manual exfoliation with a gentle scrub may be the best way to go.

It's frustrating, I know. Accutane is the only thing I've found to help with sebum production.

Hi, thanks for the quick reply. I guess I'm a little confused then on the difference between "comedone" and "congested pore." Would you say comedones are the ones that have a "bump?" because the clogged pores on my nose do not have bumps, it's just rather disgusting to have stuff trapped in there.

I don't really think I'll be going on accutane since I don't even have inflamed acne..just do what i can with the GC/BHA

And do you happen to know a good way of dealing with the red marks? (without makeup--i'm a guy) Right now is the first time in a while that I've had no inflamed acne, but one of my friends told me my skin used to look better and that the acne is "bigger and more red"- simply because the red marks are so ugly. Thanks!

I am starting to have many pimples or comedones surface . A few on my cheeks, nose, chin etc. I noticed that my blackheads don't entirely go away, they tend to come back but sometimes I would catch a few falling/coming out of my pores. I don't think my blackheads or whiteheads ever slipped out the pores of my nose automatically before using GC, as I always need to squeeze them to get them out of my pores.

I feel guilty sometimes for not sticking to my GC routine. There are days where I totally forget to apply them on, then when I hop into bed and turn off my nights, do I remember that I hadn't applied GC but I was already to lazy to get back up. I think it's been a month since I started using GC, and I do think that my skin is comfortable with retinol now; however, I am still not ready to apply GC everyday, because I need some breaks from flaking!

I still take a day off from GC every now and then, for the same reason: my skin starts to get peely and needs a little time to recover.

No big deal. The main thing is to be as consistent with the product as you can over time.



Yeah, I'd say you have the difference figured out. Comedones are hard, solid plugs, and they form bumps under the skin. Congested pores just have soft or waxy gunk inside.

What sort of red marks are we talking here? Are they old, or fresh?

fresh, and i'm probably only superfrustated because of the moment, as even today they are better. What seems to happen is that they form not a scab...but a layer of darkened, dry skin over them that in a couple days can be peeled off and it looks much better

does the retinol speed or slow the healing process? I would imagine if it can reduce the skin cycle from a month to 5-6 days it would also help in cell renewal for this sort of thing too? It may be my imagination but even scabs seem to heal in only one day with GC.

Was feeling horrible this week because of those marks but it feels/looks like I'm done purging now..given that I don't notice anymore comedones by that definition. But for some reason, aside from the red marks, the upper part of my cheeks seem to have like a reddish/pink color that they did not always have. Is this due to congested pores? or sun sensitivity... or maybe just irritation from extracting a few days back... ?

One more question- now that I've gotten rid of the comedones I'm trying to be extra careful not to do anything to cause any new ones to form. What sunscreen/spf moisturizer would you reccomend that is noncomedogenic? ones that claim to be haven't always proved that way in the past.

Thanks again

I think things heal faster because of the faster skin cell generation.

The reddish color in your cheeks could be slight irritation. If it bothers you, back off the GC for a day or two and it should subside. Or I suppose it could be sun .... you know that retinol increases sun sensitivity, right?

My preferred sunscreen & moisturizer are sold by Diana Yvonne -- www.dianayvonne.com

I buy Red Tea serum (hyaluronic acid + rooibos extract, which is an antioxidant), Ultra Emu Oil, and the titanium dioxide sunscreen. I mix a drop or two of each in the palm of my hand .... voila.

thank you, perhaps if i can gather enough money i can invest in the moisturizer/sunscreen.

right now the red marks that are most annoying are like those in between a scrape and just irritation- the result of extracting. They don't really scab (sometimes though) but are dry and harder than the surrounding skin. How can i get rid of these? they seem to linger and not progress in healing. I do apply the GC over them in hope that it can increase the healing process but that does not seem to work too well.

Those do take awhile to go away. I found that emu oil helped with healing, but other than that ..... you just have to be patient.

Does GC (and retinoids in general) makes wrinkles more proeminent before it diminishes them?

After almost 3 months use of GC, I don't really see a difference

So I have been using green cream for a little over two months now and am very impressed with it for the most part. My hyperpigmentation is going away and I feel like the breakouts are more subdued and my skin is more even... but I still get about three to four pimples every week and on top of the old scars it looks like more. I am impressed with the results ( two to four pimples is better than seven or eight!!) but was wondering how long it takes until the breakouts subside completely. One of the posts said that weeks 8-12 can be the worst in terms of purging, is this what other people have experienced? If so, once I pass that should I be in the clear? I am just ready to have clear skin again... ugh