6 replies to this topic

[onsentamago]

Hello, I'm a 27 year old male with light to moderate acne. I've had hereditary acne since I was 14, and it started to settle down from when I was around 20, but never completely. Since then I've had on and off breakouts, and over the years it has slowly deteriorated my overall complexion. I'm concerned the longer I leave it the lower my skin's ability to renegerate will become. I have tried several topical products over the years - from fash wash to creams/gels - none of which work, or either work for a short period before failing completely. I am planning to try out the regimen soon.

One thing I have always wondered about is the fact that this acne is limited ONLY to my face. I have never ever had and acne on any part of my body, not even the area under the jaw line between your face and your neck. The rest of my body is perfectly smooth and unblemished, and I even get compliments on this, but obviously not the skin on my face. I have what people would call a 'healthy tan' which is again another genetic thing. But the acne and treatments have caused a degree of discoloration to my face. I'm thinking if the skin on the rest of my body is in good shape, maybe I should do the same thing with my face, i.e. nothing. Apart from just soap and the occasional scrubbing. I undertand that everyone has acne on different parts of the face, and the body. But I can't hide my amazement at how skin literally cm apart will or won't ever breakout. I was wondering if anyone can enlighten me on this topic.

Just to give you more background, I don't get alot of exposure to sunlight on a day to day basis, eat relatively healthy with more vegetables and less carbs, and take basic vitamin supplements, none of which contain stuff like iodine that supposedly causes acne when present in large quantities in the body. I wash my face twice a day morning and night, and use acne cream/gels on trouble spots. Every now and then my skin will clear up reasonably, only to have painful pimples emerge from the depths - the taut ones that hurts and inflames your skin and takes ages to heal. And then the cycle starts all over again. Stress-wise, my general life is not overly stressful, but I am definitely very self conscious about my complexion as it's been an issue for me for well over 10 years now. Sometimes during the day I would use oil-absorbing sheets/paper on my face to get rid of the access oil. Is this a good thing to do? Or does it just encourage your skin to produce more oil?

I would appreciate information of any kind about this. And would especially love to hear from others who have had the same condition where acne is exclusively on the face. Thanks for reading.

[Listener]

I'm thinking if the skin on the rest of my body is in good shape, maybe I should do the same thing with my face, i.e. nothing. Apart from just soap and the occasional scrubbing. I undertand that everyone has acne on different parts of the face, and the body. But I can't hide my amazement at how skin literally cm apart will or won't ever breakout. I was wondering if anyone can enlighten me on this topic.

I think you've answered your own question there. Well..... almost.
Soap and scrubbing ain't equal to 'nothing'. I'd just rinse my face once or twice a day very quickly with water if i were you, at the most.


You know what to do bro, good luck.

[A-Shizzle]

I've got it only on my face..never anywhere else. I believe mine is hormonal though. I am on an excellent regimine that is keeping me pretty clear.
If you are actually scrubbing your face you are probably doing more harm than good..I think exfoliation and scrubbing are different.

[onsentamago]

Hello, thanks for your replies.

I wouldn't say I 'scrub' my face, but then again I must admit I can probably be gentler. I have tried a few face washes, some of which have microbeads for exfoliation. That kinda works, but only if you use a fair bit of strength which probably ends up irritating the skin. Allowing the shower to run over your face for a while makes the flaky skin easier to gently massage off, but according to the regimen a 10 second wash is all you need, and that you should avoid saunas and long showers/baths. Any thoughts on striking a balance between not overdoing the washing but getting enough exfoliation?

It's probabably as they say: 'Less is More', but when you're self conscious about it it's difficult to leave it alone and not do anything, though that is probably the best way to go. I'm going to give the Benzoyl Peroxide a go and keep things as simple as possible. And if that doesn't work then it's time to see a doctor to find out if it might be a hormonal issue.

Ami, would you mind filling me in about your regime?

[gknowsit]

My face is at it's worst when I've taken a long road trip.....meaning that when I'm not able to wash and treat my face twice a day I have more clogged pores and an overall yucky appearance.

I've also thought that since the rest of my body doesn't break, I should maybe treat my face the same way...until I put the above into consideration.

When I was a kid I only washed my face in the bath, and with the same harsh soap I used on my body, but when puberty set in, it changed everything.

Not everyone has the same kind of acne though. I believe mine is hormonal, and being a female is a double blow:p
Good luck with yours.

[onsentamago]

Yeah, even though it seems to make sense to do as little as possible, going a long time without proper cleansing can really worsen my complexion, e.g. long-haul flights. A splash of water in the bathroom doesn't seem to help alot. From my own experience gentle exfoliation is really important. The problem is trying not to get carried away...

I have friends who do nothing but use good old soap on their face, and no moisturizer either. And the result? Perfect skin worthy of envy. Every situation is VERY different.

[yankeemix]

This is happening to me too...I don't understand why...My body is clean and clear but my face is not....I use a scrub with body wash dove for my body once a day....

Now I started to do a similiar routine for my face...

AM

Dove Sensitive skin bar soap
mixed in with St. Ives sensitive scrub
Jojoba oil to moisturizer what ever is dry on my face

PM
Dove
Jojoba oil

Now another thing im confused about is..My main problem is blemishes..spots..They take too long to fade. My skin smooth is very smooth..If you look at it it doesn't seem like it would be smooth because of the spots...I rub my hand on it to check for any bumps and none what so ever..So why is my face so smooth but still have blemishes/spots?