11 replies to this topic

[chickle]

I have moderate-severe acne (mostly moderate), and have been using many different facewashes and exfoliaters etc and I have now realised the only time my skin was really clear was using imperial leather soap twice a day and taking antibiotics.

I have given up on all cleansing products so far. They seem to irritate my very sensitive skin.

Im currently using water only and a tiny amount of differin a night + 200mg doxcycline a day.

Any thoughts? Is water only a bad idea?

tl;dr: stay on water only or find a very very gentle wash? wut do.

NB: I never clean my forehead with anything except in the shower when i water-wash my hair, and my forehead is completely 100% clear.

Edited by crac20, 03 May 2012 - 05:46 AM.

[Lee1234]

Water only, is what was intended for our skin imho. There's nothing negative you can say about water, it's simple, and does it's job without damaging your skin. The reason a lot of people don't like "water only" is because they either wear make-up (which isn't really an excuse because make-up isn't natural) or they believe that for some reason, unless you have some sort of chemical on your face, it's not "clean". Anyway, if your acne is hormonal, water only won't do much other than prevent further irritation. If your acne is a combination of hormones and chemical damage, or entirely the latter, try it out for a while and at the end of every week make a dead-sea salt solution and wash your face with that and see how it goes. (I'm clear btw).

[alternativista]

No. It's not a bad idea. Soaps and detergents are way overused today.

[chickle]

Yeah I really feel like it's making my skin feel nicer & way less red. it's entirely hormonal and chemical damage I think - my diet is fine. 2 days since coming off neutrogena washes and shampoo. I feel nicer/cleaner and my skin just requires a water wash every 7 hours or so to remove oil.
Im male - makeup is no issue for me, so i think i will continue with this water, tiny amount of differin at night and doxycycline.

[dejaclairevoyant]

The oil cleansing method is even better, a good solution for those like me who wear makeup. It really just comes down to repairing your skin and not putting soap on your face. I've been soap free for a few weeks now and it's awesome.

[Bosie]

Could be that you suffer from putting too many chemicals on your skin so i would keep trying the water only method.

For me though my acne usually starts off as whiteheads or blackheads that later become infected and leave scars. I tried the water only method of cleansing and it didnt work at all over about six months of doing it. If you have blackheads and whiteheads as well as cyst/pustules then i dont think these will go away by doing so little.

[DaftFrost]

I quit and threw away all the topical cleansers and treatments after realizing they were doing no good than harming my skin and irritating it.

Now my skin is lot better, less red, less oily and I wash my face only like once a day with water. Imagine your ancestors, what would you do if you were them. Go up in the morning, go to a river, wash your face with cold river water and refreshen yourself not rub your skin all over. Our tap water has added chemicals though, which can dry your skin. but I personally wouldn't want to waste bottled water on my skin since my acne can be controlled by diet.

[chickle]

@Daftfrost: I totally agree with all of that, it's totally un-natural to use 1 cleanser 1 exfoliator and a synthetic retinoid twice a day.

Results so far: 2 days of water only, this is day 3. Skin is much less red, all acne decreasing in size and prominence. Roll on the next 2 weeks!

[dejaclairevoyant]

Kinda funny that with all the hard work we've done over the years with topicals, all the money we've spent, the best things you can put on your skin really are free (water) or pretty affordable (good oils)...and all so simple.

Wish I had known about this stuff when I was a teen and was smearing chemical filled toners and lotions on my face every day.

[chickle]

Knowing this about my skin, could anyone recommend decent sunscreen? I'm going across europe for a month & with doxy i would get horrifically burnt without a good acne-friendly suncream (or - sensitive skin friendly)

[dejaclairevoyant]

I don't wear sunscreen. The best sunscreen is a hat!

I think there are some DIY all natural recipes out there. I seem to recall one that used beeswax, some sort of oil, and some other stuff. I bet you could find something like that on google with a search. All mainstream sunscreens are toxic and do more bad than good.

[alternativista]

I use a zinc-based sunscreen from Paula Begoun sometimes and I wear mineral makeup. But if you are going to be in the sun for long, you should cover up.

And, btw, I haven't used soap on my body other than to wash hands for 2-3 years.