I came across an interesting patent...

In random reading of these forums, a thought occurred: Can Aluminum Chloride help acne? Aluminum Chloride is currently used as a strong antiperspirant that closes up pores. I thought, well, why not if used with the proper disinfecting agents and other products? So I searched for it.

I came across Patent EP0281812 at a free patent site. It incorporates the idea of using a solution that includes a keratolytic agent, an astringent, and an anti-inflammatory agent. The keratolytic agent they preferred was a stronger concentration of salicylic acid than currently available in most OTC products for acne, with benzoyl peroxide being considered. The astringent of choice was zinc oxide, although aluminum chloride was considered. The anti-inflammatory agent of choice was glucosamine or cysteine.

The way it is supposed to work is the following:
*Keratolytic agent will pull the plug out of the comodone and bring the skin level down to the follicle.
*The astringent will restrict the wall of the follicle, making it too narrow for bacteria to thrive. (?)
*The anti-inflammatory agent will slow down the body's reaction to the inflammation inducing substance that is in and comes out of the pore.

The way it is explained in the patent, it sounds like it could work. They had a very, very small study on people of various degrees of acne that tested out the product. They all had success. You can find the patent easily with a search if curious. It is a somewhat long read.

Everything about it sounds good, like it would be on the market somehow. Problem? It's from 1988, and I can not think of a single product that is like that. Was it just ultimately a failure or turned down outright by companies?

Is anyone aware of a product, past or present, like this? It has seriously piqued my curiousity. Thanks ahead of time.

Strawberry Gashes

So, here I am. I may as well attempt to keep a log. It will probably help me to get more strict with my regimen... which I am still somewhat winging right now.

Here is some background information:

*I have had acne since I was 12. Most of it was mild until I reached adulthood. Now it floats between mild and moderate. I'll be 26 in less than 2 weeks.
*I have sensitive skin.
*I am excessively oily. My oil usually comes back 30 - 60 minutes after washing. I use oil wipes about 2 - 3 times a day.
*My skin under the oil tends to be flaky and dry.
*My face always hurts.
*My acne is typically focused on the sides of my face- lower to mid cheek area and my chin. It is usually sparse in the other places.
*Lotion and I do not get along very well.
*I have a weird schedule that doesn't always allow me to wash and speckle stuff on my face when I need to.
*I recently had my skin under decent control until 3 things happened in close proximity to each other to completely destroy it. I switched to a product my skin did not like, I was due for my period, and a pipe burst while I was in the shower resulting in bathing in rust and other filth. Tomorrow, it will be two weeks since the pipesplosion.

Here is my proposed regimen, hopefully twice a day 10 - 12 hours apart:

*Wash gently with original Neutrogena bar. It is the only stuff besides PEARS that my face does not freak out about. If I could find PEARS, I would be using that. Best face wash I have ever used. Freakin' Walgreens stopped carrying it, and no one else has it. I'm considering Ebaying for it, but I have a feeling it will disappear causing withdrawal symptoms. =(
*Wait some amount of time.
*Witch hazel toner. Low in alcohol. I would love to find an alcohol free one. Still seems to really sooth my skin, though.
*Wait some amount of time.
*AcneFree Terminator. New product for me. It is only 2% Benzoyl Peroxide, but still seems to work. Also has willow bark extract (anti-inflammatory), lactic acid (probably too low to do anything), and triclosan (will still do something in low doses). Tea tree oil for spots near or in hair.
*Wait some amount of time.
*Fruit of the Earth Aloe gel. It seems to do me a lot better than lotion. Lotion makes me greasy and does not hydrate me at all. This at least does a little and smooths me out. Plus, being a gel, it works a lot better for oily skin. Bonus anti-inflammatory properties. (I use it for hair gel, too.)
*At some point(s) during the week, use a salicylic acid product to exfoliate. For now it is Neutrogena Acne Defense Lotion mixed with a drop or two of tea tree oil before bed. I am looking for a gel based product that is more suited to my skin.
*A few times a week use scotch tape to get rid of loose flakes.
*Any make up I use is Physicians Formula Mineral Wear, except for eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lip stain. All has to be gluten free.
*No picking, popping, scratching, slapping, or paddling.
*For spots that really hurt, I am considering using crushed aspirin to relieve the pain and inflammation.

Problems present by this:

*Two days of the week, I am gone from 8:00 AM to 11:30 PM. Work then school. I should be washing my face at 6 and 6. Not sure what to do about these days. I guess I could use excessive amounts of oil wipes and spot treat then re-cover with make up?
*Days I have to go out after work pose similar problems to the above posed problem. Yargh.
*Some days I end up having to wash and do my routine three times, due to oddities... such as having to go out at night when I had to day off or having to go out unexpectedly... or my cat drooling on my face. (Thanks, Nina! Four times and counting.)
*The wait some amount of time parameters listed above are not static, especially before going out for the day/night. I often tend to run out of time because I either don't get up on time, have stomach issues, or completely ADD my time away.
*I have a notorious habit of getting carried away with my hobbies and projects. Sometimes, I will not sleep a wink if I am really into a video game, reading, studying, or one of my various computer projects. This also means I sometimes either completely space out one of my face speckle adventure appointments or pass out doing what I am doing before I realize I missed said appointment.

If all else fails:

*Invest in Times Travels Face Bag. It allows me to travel through time at the speed of regular time.

Current affliction:

*6 or so very apparent pimples/red marks along my jawline and cheek on left side of face.
*6 or so very apparent pimples/red marks on my cheek on the right side of my face.
*Several faded pimples and 3 or so healing pimples on my chin.
*Several faded pimples and 3 or so healing pimples on my upper lip. Possibly 1 active.
*3 or so healing pimples on my nose/ brow line.
*1 active to healing pimple on the very delicate skin under my eye.
*3 or so healing pimples on my temples combined.
*Several faded pimples and several healing pimples on my forehead. Many are very small and hard to count.
*Overall texture is a bit damaged but is starting to smooth out already.
*Pores are medium sized and skin between doesn't seem puffy or inflamed.
*Blackheads are minimal.



So, how am I doing so far? Well, it is technically day 1 and a half. So far so good. I still have to work on the picking and popping, though. I have sort of been on this regimen a little closer to a week, but have not perfected it until... well, today, actually. I did start taking pictures 2 days ago, so I will count from there. If I ever get the courage, I will post them. IF I ever do. I had them up one day and saw that everyone looked at them more than my better pictures and felt horribly discouraged and disfigured... kinda like I was showing myself naked and covered in lacerations.

I think that's enough for now. Have fun making sense of my muddled bemusing and self loathing.