obsessively washing your face?

i keep getting asked by my family (thanks mom) why it takes me forever to wash my face...
i actually understand, because its kind of ridiculous but i probably spend ten minutes in the bathroom with the water running. The thing is, i only splash my face with water and actually wash it for a little bit but i inspect my face in the mirror from all angles and run my fingers over it to find any new pimples forming. This becomes even worse when my face is clear for some reason. I like doing this when the water is running because i like to leave the room after just having washed my face and not touched it all over.

Im i alone in this obsessive face washing routine??

can they disappear? PLEASE HELP ANSWER THIS.

Sometimes i will feel a painful hard bump coming one which is sure to become a cyst. Usually I just load on a glob of duac (BP+clindamycin) on the spot for a couple days and on a few occasions the spot has just gone away WITHOUT COMING TO A HEAD. This usually only works along the jawline and sometimes on my cheekbone, but anyways...

I was wondering... how is it possible for them to disappear like this when there is obviously a whole lot of sebum clogged up in the pore? where in the world does it all go!?

If it stays there festering under the skin wont it eventually come back to get me? haha

i have a few right now on right corner of my mouth/chin that i really feel like popping to get everything out but if doing my usual routine with the duac can somehow make the pus disappear for good then i will probably avoid it


it would be amazing if anyone could help
THANKS!

closed comedones + salicylic acid = breakout?

Hi everyone,

I have been a long time lurker and read the message boards all the time, but I can't seem to find anything resolving my question. I have gotten rid of the majority of my inflamed acne (the hard red bumps) using panoxyl 5% face wash and duac. I have been using Paula's Choice BHA liquid for about 3 months, and it has worked amazingly on the sides of my face and cheekbones at getting rid of all the little bumps (which used to prevent me from standing outside a lot because I would hate the way they showed up under the direct sunlight). Anyways, the deep clogged pores under the corners of my mouth extending all the way down to my jaw (which have been there for MONTHS) are so annoyingly persistent and I thought they had become so comfortable there that they were never going to leave. Now they are starting to surface by becoming tiny inflamed whiteheads. Anyways, I guess my question is whether the only way for them to disappear is to cause a breakout once they come to the surface of my skin? I can't take this anymore.

Thank you to anyone who can help me!

TCA peel question- help!

Hey everybody!

I just had a mild TCA peel done at the dermatologist and was given sunscreen to apply post-peel. I am wondering if I should wash my face tonight or leave it alone. Obviously I won't use BP like I usually do but want to know if washing with a gentle cleanser would interfere with the peel's potency or effects?

Thanks for any advice!!