TRUTH ABOUT EXFLOIANTS AND SEVERE ACNE

the scrubs are for mild acne. it DOES help people with mild acne.

if you have severe acne - the grainy scrubs will just spread it.

i used scrubs, my most recent being acnexus.

i talked to my DR about it, and he said with my type of acne (severe) this was AWFUL and i had to stop because i was only making it worse!!!

i still use an exfoliant, but its not the scrub kind! its a salicylic acid gel that dissolves the dead skin cells instead of scrubbing them away!

i think there are more out there, but the one i use is murads gel exfloiant.

a lot of people hate murad, but i think if you use the right products together it can be very helpful. i dont do the regimin. i made my own. check it out!

FINALLY! SOMETHING THATS SHOWING RESULTS!

as my name says - i've tried everything. nothing ever seemed to be working to my satisfaction. nothing is fast enough or strong enough. i have pretty severe acne. i dont know all the correct terms, but i get the big painful red ones, and the smaller ones. i dont really have any black heads though, so if thats your problem - i dunno if this will work for you or not. but to keep this short and simple (bc i hate reading through paragraphs of crap b4 they tell their regimin) here it is!

i wash my face with a salicylic acid face wash, usually twice (because i find with wearing make up i have to wash twice to get it all off) and warm/hot water.

after towel drying i put on murads gel exfoliant (the second step in the murad treatment) and sometimes i let it dry, sometimes i dont. im not sure if it makes a difference.
this exfoliant is great for the type of acne i have (the painful bumps). i learned from my dr a couple weeks ago using a grainy exfoliant only SPREADS this type of acne - so if you have the same type STOP USING IT. this exfoliant dissolves the dead skin cells on the surface. sounds harsh to you "all natrual" nuts, but the dr said its great. and really - it works.

next i use a BP lotion, but sometimes BP spot treatment, all over my face. right now i am using the proactive repairing lotion, with benzoyle perozide in it. once i run out ill probably just get something with BP in it from the store, since you cant buy it seperate from the rest of the products (if you can - let me know)

at night i put differin on over this all. you have to get differin from a dermatologist, and you probably could skip this stuff. i dont know how much it helps, but i heard it fades spots pretty well.. and i guess it might be for me


during the day before make up (if my face is really dry - which it will be for you and was for me when first starting this) i put on a salicylic acid lotion - i use the clean and clear purple topped one (lol)
i put this on after the salicylic exfoliant, and before the BP.
all sylicylic acid products always go on before any BP, except spot treatment (for me)

and ALWAYS remember to put on SPF on your face!!!!!! acne or no acne, this is VERY important. i use an oil free lotion after putting the rest on.

for spot treatment, i use a salicylic acid product. any will do, im sure.


tip for murad: its expensive. i think if you get the whole regimin its cheaper. i use the face wash they offer, it has salicylic acid in it.

the whole reason this works is because you combine all of these things! the exfoliant has salyicilic & glycolic acids, which i read somewhere that it does something i dont remember, but using it before BP makes the BP work better. so basically - salycilic acid and benzoyl peroxide work well together. i feel bad that i cant tell you exactly why... but my face has cleared up a great amount in just 2 weeks! its not perfect, i still get pimples.. but it didnt seem to have a period that it got worse b4 better.. but then again my acne was so bad i wouldnt have noticed if it did haha.

you can probably us any salicylic acid product after washing your face, and then any BP product after that and have some great results, but these are what has worked for me.

let me know if you have any questions or comments on how i can improve what im doing!




(ps - i use mineral make up. www.everydayminerals.com)

ACCUTANE IN 2007

nothing effing works.

im really thinking about accutane.

i was told i should go on it a year ago, but refused - thinking i could find a healthier way to clear up my face. i didnt want the short OR long term side effects.. but now my acne is making me wish i wasnt alive. i havent left the house more than twice since last sunday.. and its now monday 8 days later!!!!

how does one go about getting accutane these days? i have read quite a few posts but they are all from like 2003 and im sure its different now. i KNOW i have to go to my derm, but what else happens? im a teenaged girl - sooo do i just get a pregnancy test? or do i get all this blood work done? what about birth control? im not sure anymore!

and WHY have a i read that it doesnt work for some people? and makes it a TON worse? i thought this was like the miracle stuff???

ugh. i feel like i will never have a clear face ever ever ever.

ACNEXUS

guess who just got her acnexus in the mail TODAY?

yupp - me.

well, i cant tell you if it works or not yet.. but my skin feels really good. all the oils are to moisturize your skin.. they are natural moisturizers rather than whatever the heck they put in moisterizers you get at the drug store.

the product feels like you are washing your face with sandy lotion. you use it for 2 minutes and it scrubs away dead skin.. and then you wash it off and the oils stay on. it doesnt make your face oily though! i used it 5 hours ago and my face isnt oily yet! it usually is. im not using any make-up today because i want to see what it does on its own.

so far - so good.
ill update more tomorrow



i also got biodermazen, an all natural acne pill thing. its not supposed to kick in for at least a week but im hoping both of these things will work!