7 replies to this topic

[White]

Well here is a quick story for you.

Age 14 - Had acne used proactiv = Clarity till age 17

Age 17- Developed a huge cyst, stayed for like 3 months.

Today - Age 20- 3 long years of intermittent clarity laced with lots and lots of acne. Going from clear (rarely) to mild to moderate to very moderate.

I recall at around age 18 that my skin started becoming VERY oily (puberty?).

The more oilier my skin became the more acne i started getting.

Now my skin is a full blown oil field with quite a bit of acne.

I never really attempted to use any products that help to control oil (face washed/toners/lotions etc).

So im thinking if i can find a way to topically control oil 24 hrs a day then maybe i have a chance at clarity. This regimen could actually be done without the use of BP although BP could be used as a spot treatment.

What do you guys think? Control oil and you control acne?

What i was thinking of doing is

Using a gentle cleanser that promotes the natural oils of the skin while cleaning the pores deeply.

An oil control lotion that keeps oil at bay throughout the day.

Couple those with oil blotting sheets and i might be on to something...

Product list would be :

Cleanser - philosophy purity (very gentle ive read, great reviews, helps skin help itself...)
Nivea Oil control lotion - Also good reviews, doubles as a slight moisturizer while keeping oil at bay.
Clean an clear oil blotting sheets - already use these, work great.


The regimen would be :

Wash face gently/apply lotion off i go.

Use the blotting sheets as needed, maybe 1 every 2 hours throughout the day ?


Midday - Rinse face with water, apply lotion.



Night - Wash face, apply BP to any spots and go to bed.



I mean this regimen would obviously rely on how well the products worked, but IF the products were effective, used in conjuction with eachother with the oil blotting sheets...as long as i kept the oil OFF my face the chances for spots to occur would be minimized...and any that did pop up could be dealt with by spot treating (even tho most acne regimens dont advice spot treating).


Any thoughts?

[LionQueen]

It isn't the oil on the surface of your face that causes pimples. It's the sebum and dead skin cells that are forming comedones way down in your pores ... that's where the problem starts.

That Nivea lotion may make your face look matte ... it probably has kaolin in it or something like that ... but it will have absolutely zero effect on sebum production and what's going on under the surface. It might even contribute to the clogging.

I'm using a high-retinol topical that has drastically reduced my oiliness and cleared my pores. If you want more information on it you can take a look at the Green Cream thread in the OTC forum, or read my regimen log. If you have questions after that, feel free to PM me.

[Tyler92]

Take a look:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php...topic=55414&hl=

[ChaOS]

take lots of B5... see how that works for you....

[bedrock]

I have oily skin with mild acne. I started using EFFACLAR K moisturizer. It contains 1.5% salacylic acid, which dissolves dead skin and goes deep into the pores. My skin looks very good. I do have less blemishes now. I only get 2-3 at a time. It doesn't dry my skin either. It's very gentle. This product is for certain skin types, so you have to get it from a derm. It's a bit expensive though, but worth it. It does help with oil as well.

[LionQueen]

The other topical I've been reading about that shrinks the sebaceous glands is Diacneal, made by Avene. Active ingredients are 0.1% retinaldehyde, 6% glycolic acid. It gets rave reviews from many people as an oil- and acne-fighter.

If you live in the US you can't get it in stores ... have to order online.

[LabGirl81]

The other topical I've been reading about that shrinks the sebaceous glands is Diacneal, made by Avene. Active ingredients are 0.1% retinaldehyde, 6% glycolic acid. It gets rave reviews from many people as an oil- and acne-fighter.

If you live in the US you can't get it in stores ... have to order online.

0.1% retinaldehyde won't do anything to shrink sebaceous glands...

6% glycoloc acid is mildly exfoliating though

[LionQueen]

The other topical I've been reading about that shrinks the sebaceous glands is Diacneal, made by Avene. Active ingredients are 0.1% retinaldehyde, 6% glycolic acid. It gets rave reviews from many people as an oil- and acne-fighter.

If you live in the US you can't get it in stores ... have to order online.

0.1% retinaldehyde won't do anything to shrink sebaceous glands...

6% glycoloc acid is mildly exfoliating though

I knew I shouldn't have said "shrink sebaceous glands" -- that was an Avene marketing claim. However, based on reviews on this board and a couple of others, many many Diacneal users do report dramatically decreased oiliness. And the buzz is that the GA somehow increases the effectiveness of the retinaldehyde.