2 replies to this topic

[allyouneedishope]

Well, I am finally posting here. I have been searching around these forums for quite some time and have decided to start my own post.

Basically, I just want to get all of my current measures that I am taking to become acne free out and written down somewhere.

Backstory: I have had acne for 3 years now. Recently, I have come to notice that it has always gotten worse since when I started getting acne at age 14. If it does "clear up" slightly for a week or so, I breakout again and it comes worse than it was before. I would say that I am at a moderate level of acne stage. I wouldn't call it severe as I don't really get cystic acne. Typically, I have acne that is headless/inflammed. Would that be cystic? I guess I'm not really sure.

Anyway, my scars aren't awful... but I do have long lasting red/dark marks form previous acne and such.

I know that half of it is genetics the other half hormones... most likely... (and stress....so much stress) but I just want to try and lessen the breakouts and make it better.

What topicals I have used:
Clearasil products. Like 6 different ones.
Clean and clear. Same as above
C&C oil erasing wipes
stridex face wipes
Walgreens brand BP
PanOxyl
Natures Cure medication/ BP
Burt's Bees Acne wash
Neutrogena regimen
Mary Kay Cleanser, Stringent.
Cetaphil moisturizer
Natural things — Strawberries / Tomatoes / Honey / Baking Soda/ Lemon juice / berries — applied to the face.
SO MUCH MORE. I literally can't remember it all. Sadly I have probably spent hundreds of dollars on crap.

My face tends to get accustomed to whatever I use and so it works for the first week or two and then stops preventing new breakouts.
Especially PanOxyl - Worked so well for 3 weeks and I was practically clear...and then it stopped working.

Currently: My acne is mostly in my cheeks (always has been), and has now spread to consistently being on my chin, around my nose, and in my t-zone (between my eyebrows).

As most people, I have become pretty depressed about all of this. I'm not one who really gets lonely, or one who cares about finding relationships or anything... but I still put a lot of emphasis on looks/ my appearance.

Also, I have asked my parents if I can go to a dermatologist and their response was.... you should try proactive..... Really!? Why is proactive going to work when I've tried everything else under the sun to no avail.

oh well whatever.

------------

That ended up being longer than I expected...

Current precautions:

I just started a regimen of Clean and Clear acne/acne mark regimen. It has a cleanser, sport treater, night scar removal cream, and moisturizer.
I wash my face once in the morning and once at night. I have pretty much been doing that for 3 years.
I don't usually pop anything. Unless its a really bad head that just asks to be noticed by everyone I see that day...

Sometimes I pop whiteheads.... and I pop white heads and black heads on my nose A LOT. They are hardly noticeable and they don't leave anything behind... scars/bigger pimples/etc.

Currently I have restricted these things from my diet / tried to stay away from them:

Coffee
Soda
Caffeine
Candy
Chips. All chips
Most dairy — I have never thought I had a problem with dairy...but it sounds like it doesn't work for so many people that I have started to stop easting it.
Pasta — I love pasta, but just recently I have been refraining from eating it.
Ice Cream
Tea
Sugar
Fruit snacks
Smoothies — The sugar in them tends to break me out
Meat — I've started to be a vegetarian

I eat a lot of:
So many Fruits
so many Vegetables
Nuts / Granola
Water — I pretty much only drink water.... occasionally gatorade/vitamin water.


God... It's turning into an eating disorder isn't it....


Basically I think that the only thing that truly breaks me out is Coffee and Pop (caffeine) That I know for sure does something.... but everything else.... I'm pretty sure I've just scared myself out of eating it.


I may or may not try to keep this updated and regularly post to it.


Any tips/ support/ information/ guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Edited by allyouneedishope, 19 February 2012 - 02:30 PM.

[allyouneedishope]

Didn't get home until really late last night.... fail. Lack of sleep + Fell asleep before I could wash my face. Hate that. I feel like I have something really deep and big coming in right above my nose / between my eye brows...

Almost ate a donut last night; didn't. Had a nice salad and really good pizza. (It was from like a 5 star pizza place. Fire roasted, good veggies, legit.)

Starting a new job soon. Kind of stressed about that. Hopefully my face will clear up just a little before then.

Anyone know of any topicals that help redness/acne scars that are red. I have like some hyper pigmentation on my left cheek that is totally just a scar but is like 1/2 the reason my face looks bad.

Off to wash my face!

[allyouneedishope]

Bleh Day.

I woke up and I was late for school so I didn't wash my face. Plus it was looking better than usual, and sometimes when I wash my face in the morning it just agitates everything, and I look dumb the rest of the day. So I went to school. Had a meh day. Oh except a bump on my chin turned into a great big white head and looked gross and I had no idea until school was out. cool.

Then after School, my face was getting pretty oily, but I was supposed to be up at school, so I ran home and washed up. For some reason, my wash burned my face. It was bad. It was burning and so I went to put some moisturizer on it and it made it 10x worse. So my face basically burnt. Then I went back to school (it wasn't terrible red), and someone came up and was like why are you so red? Your face looks burnt. Well thanks, cool. Glad to hear its noticeable. So whatever. I had a regular afternoon other than that.

Then later on I had to go see this event, and there were a ton of desserts... so much regret. I hate cheesecake and a cupcake and a cookie... blehhhhhh. My face WAS looking so good today....

so hopefully that doesn't lead to anything toooo bad. Except I already feel something under my nose and my right cheeks as a reddish painful spot starting... and above my right eyebrow there is something. COOL. fml

Now it's super late though and so I'll probably break out from my lack of sleep. asdfjasl;dfkjasdf Gonna go wash off the days grime.