305 replies to this topic

[temp123]

Now the weather is warming up a little, the tea tree oil is making my face look like an oil slick!!!

The tea tree oil itself is unlikely to do that. Probably you need a less heavy cream as a carrier for the tea tree oil.

[PLONKER]

Trust me, it is, as it's the same cream I've used for years and is very light. I now wish to be affectionately known as 'greasy chip. Amen.

[Catty]

It's been about 2 weeks now. I'm still getting breakouts with about 4 or 5 new spots every 2-3 days. I'll keep at it for the 3 months though because it's cheap, quick and easy! I do find that I can't wear foundation on top of the gel though so I just wear concealer over any spots and if I'm going somewhere where I have to look non-ugly I clean my face so there's no gel and put on foundation. I find that if I try and put foundation on top of the gel, it "balls up" much like benzol peroxide cream or gel.

[PLONKER]

I have the same make-up problem, so I only apply the ibuprofen once a day at bedtime now.

[xmiss_behavex]

I've been using this for about a month now altho i do not do the tea tree moisturiser part as i am part Greek which equals very greasy skin and moisturiser just makes it more so.
Not sure about the results. I deal with cystic acne and they are still popping up. Went to my local pharmacy yesterday as i used to buy 100% tea tree oil there and was planning to start mixing that with moisturiser just at night but couldn't find any.

Also ladies, what make up are you using? Because i use Revlon Colorstay and have no problem wearing it over the gel at all. Just goes over and there is no balling or peeling. I can probably understand if your using minerals as that, i find, shows up everything on your face anyways. Maybe think of switching if your not happy just wearing concealer.

[Catty]

I use Max Factor Lasting Performance. But I had to stop this regimen because it just wasn't working

[temp123]

I use Max Factor Lasting Performance. But I had to stop this regimen because it just wasn't working

4 and half weeks isn't long enough to tell. You have to give it at least 6 weeks (ideally 3 months, but you will normally start to notice significant improvements, like 50% better after 6). That's true of really all decent treatments unfortunately.

[outoflight73]

hi all
being based in the uk this would be great for me if it works but i have one question, does anyone who gets good results with the ibu-gel previously got good results with dans products? i am currently using the BP and aha which is proving to work well. i wonder if anyone has successfully converted from dans BP to the ibu-gel and maintained their complexion. id like to use something that doesnt require expensive shipping or bleach my favourite clothes!
cheers

[temp123]

I found out some more information about acne; apparently when you get a spot the immune system swoops in and starts squirting in enzymes (metallloproteins or something like that) to break stuff down and try to fix the problem. Trouble is, the enyzmes break down the skin, but the skin has no enzymes to break down the keratin that's plugging the pore. So the body is doing entirely the wrong thing; the enzymes it uses will encourage scarring.

I'm thinking that might be why the ibuprofen works for me- if it damps down the reaction of the skin then there will be less enzymes and the zit will recover much more quickly.

That seems to be what I'm seeing, when I'm on minocycline or using the ibuprofen the spots usually last a few days and then they are pretty much gone; otherwise they can last weeks. So it may be that as soon as you get a spot you need to just slather on the ibuprofen 3 times a day until it's gone; also some kind of antibacterial (anything really) would help as well (I'm using tea tree oil).

[outoflight73]

I'm thinking that might be why the ibuprofen works for me- if it damps down the reaction of the skin then there will be less enzymes and the zit will recover much more quickly.

surely this means the ibu gel is a better treatment than a preventative? i need to choose between the ibu-gel or panoxyl, which I have had in the past...

[temp123]

I think though that by the time you notice you've got a spot it's already a ways along- you'd be better off jumping on it before you notice it, slapping on the ibuprofen gel twice a day does that, and seems to have no significant side effects.

[joconnor]

Excellent thread here guys...
How have i just heard of Tea Tree Oil just now?
Bought it yesterday in boots. (Rip-off - €11 for 25ml when it was €5 for 50ml in the health food shop next door)

Anyway - First wash yesterday with T tree oil was AMAZING. I could literally feel it cleaning my face. It was 15%, slightly diluted so it was strong. I loved that feeling...

Anyway last night i used ibuprofen for the first time. No new spots this morning. WOO!

TBH, my acne is pretty much gone (thanks to dans regimen, BP, and the baby brush) except for the odd MASSIVE breakout when i've not kept to the regimen.

Id like to replace BP as i think its tough on the skin.
I wonder if Tea Tree oil alone is enough t replace BP with?

I'll give Tea tree Oil + ibuprofen another few months then see...

Question? Does Tea Tree Oil work on blackheads? My cheeks beside my nose always clog even using Paulas Choice AHA... BP does nothing for this. Can tea tree oil help?

Thanks!
John

[{DC}]

I think the high alcohol content in these ibuprofen gels is contributing alot to ppl skin staying clear. Alcohol is an antiseptic. The ibuprofen probably just helps when you get an inflamed pimple.

There is a cream I just found online that uses 15% Ibuprofen with no alcohol. They use liposomes for the delivery of the drug. The ingredients list looks to be very skin friendly. I may order some and cut it 3 ways: 1 part ibuprofen cream/2 parts regular moisturizer. If this works it would be a good indicator if the alcohol does or does not play a part in the clearing of acne.

[temp123]

Excellent thread here guys...
How have i just heard of Tea Tree Oil just now?
Bought it yesterday in boots. (Rip-off - €11 for 25ml when it was €5 for 50ml in the health food shop next door)

Anyway - First wash yesterday with T tree oil was AMAZING. I could literally feel it cleaning my face. It was 15%, slightly diluted so it was strong. I loved that feeling...

You may find that's too irritating. I get away with doing that once in a while, but it sometimes gives a burning feeling. If you dilute it in a facecream down to 10:1 (facecream:TTO) it still works and you don't get that effect.

Id like to replace BP as i think its tough on the skin.
I wonder if Tea Tree oil alone is enough t replace BP with?

Apparently it works about as well.

Question? Does Tea Tree Oil work on blackheads? My cheeks beside my nose always clog even using Paulas Choice AHA... BP does nothing for this. Can tea tree oil help?

Yes, but it's not magic. Generally I find blackheads resolve fairly slowly with any treatment; TTO does seem to greatly reduce my blackheads, but takes months for that.

[temp123]

I think the high alcohol content in these ibuprofen gels is contributing alot to ppl skin staying clear. Alcohol is an antiseptic. The ibuprofen probably just helps when you get an inflamed pimple.

Alcohol may have a small effect as well, but I think the TTO kills much more than the alcohol in the gel does. I tried just the ibuprofen gel on its own, but it didn't work nearly as well. I haven't tried a TTO and alcohol rub though, so it's not completely impossible.

[Heather -FixMyFacePlz]

Hi, I've never posted on here before, and I've only just registered, but I've been looking on and off this website for years...
I'm 17 years old (18 in a month) and I've had bad acne since I was 11. I've been on loads of antibiotics, tried topical gels, Panoxyl, countless over-the-counter treatments... as I am involved in musical theatre, an industry full of beautiful people, my skin condition majorly gets me down. I spend far too long putting make up on every morning. I'm thinking about doing this Ibu thing.. I'm not sure what to use it with.

What I'm wondering is, wouldn't the Tea Tree Oil make my skin break out more? I have acne scars on my cheeks and chin that I used Bio Oil on for about a month, and although it did clear up the scars, my skin popped up with little white bumps.

I'm at my wits end

[BigWill]

likewise i'm new to this website and i'm a bit confused by what i'm supposed to put on my face! i've read the regimen and it seems to make sense, and on the basis of the massively positive comments here ibuprofen seems like a good option

so based on the regimen and the products i've been here, is this what i should be using and in this order? its all from boots cause there's a really big one near where i go to gym:

1: Face wash: Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash

2: Ibuprofen instead of BP: Boots Ibuprofen gel (10%) lightly applied to where i get acne (mostly on my front chin area)

3: Moisturiser: Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel moisturiser

temp123, is this ok or do you have any recommendations? bertie bassett mentioned exfoliator and a leave-on gel - is this necessary or is my combination ok? and then you mention using tea tree cream to dissolve your ibuprofen in??? argh i'm lost throw me a bone here someone!!

i'm starting med school in late september and need to start on this acne now if i want to look my best for all those lovely lady medics

cheers for the help guys, especially temp123

[Heather -FixMyFacePlz]

I bought Tesco Ibuprofen Gel today and I put it on about 2 or 3 hours a go. My spots are certainly less painful, which is such a relief. It may just be me wanting to see this, but they seem a little less red already.

I'm confused about which moisturiser to use and how to use tea tree oil, and also if I'm using the right cleanser. I cannot afford to buy any of Dan's things.. I use Clean & Clear Deep Cleaning Cream Wash and Biore Shine Control Moisturiser... I don't use a toner anymore.

[Crooked I]

Has anyone any success stories about converting to this from the regimen? Where is a good place to get the tea tree oil, can you get it from a supermarket?

[plink]

This thread seems to have transformed from topical ibuprofen to tea tree oil.

I have tried tea tree oil, neat, as a complete replacement for BP. BP kept my face 99% clear. I was looking to change purely because BP is a pain in the ass for bleaching everything. So I switched to tea tree oil neat. Absolutely zero problems with irratation, didn't have any. However, it did not keep my face anywhere near as clear as BP. For me I would say it didn't work at all. And this is neat, 100%! I had read on Wikipedia (so it must be true) that it's been shown to be effective as BP. Well, if that were the case, I would think it would be just as popular as BP. I think it's no coincidence that it's nowhere near as popular as BP. I would never buy it again, that's for sure. Not only was I applying it neat, but making sure my skin was visibly wet from it all over.

Also, it's smell is almost as annoying as BP's bleaching properties.

I'm tempted to try ibuprofen gel. I've banned BP purely because of it's bleaching and am currently using Azelaic Acid (Skinoren) which is very good. Maybe not quite as good as BP, but damn good.