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I just stopped washing my face altogether. No moisturizers, cleansers, or oils. I still have to figure out how to wash my hair without wetting my face. I'm also going to stop using soap on my back and shoulders.
For better or worse, this is how nature intended my skin to be. Stress is an inevitable part of life, and to assume that acne is caused by stress entails the notion that everyone has acne - which is false.
2 days and counting. Anybody with ideas on how to shave with minimal irritation?
Use an electric razor that does not give such a close shave. Mine leaves a millimeter or so left so it's not completely smooth and you have not risked cutting any bumps of skin.
I think that you are on to something. Right now I am really stressed about our finances, my kids, work, and the new dog that was added to our family. I have had some zits come out of no where and I think that all of the stress of those things has shown up on my face and I am freaking out about it. When I try to control things like my skin, work, finances etc, it seems to get worse, but when I don't care or think about it or compare my self or life to others, i feel better about things, hardley look in the mirror and dont stress. I really need to do that more. Elf
It's something you can start to try now. At first, it is hard to force yourself to forget, and you will find yourself doing the opposite. Then after a few weeks you will notice how you have not really even checked your acne when you looked in the mirror.
I really like this post. I find that this worked for me too, except that I can't tell anymore whether the scars are going away or not. But it helps to know that I'm not exactly what one would describe as ugly, I have a great bunch of friends and an unbelievable boyfriend, so the little marks aren't exactly getting me down, even though there are times when I wish I could do something to magically have great skin overnight... And then I realise that things like that take time 
All I want to do for now is lead a healthy lifestyle, be happy, and be really surprised if it doesn't show on my skin 
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wow i literally just came across this after i said "mind over acne" in another one of my posts. I think that this is true to an extent.. The mind does control the body and i learned about it in psychology that you can convince yourself things to actually make them true. I think that people should care about their acne and apply medications, but try not to let it affect them in their interactions with other people. This tells the mind that your acne should be getting better Confidence outshines acne.
Since getting acne, I have come a long way in my maturity and understanding of my body. Both have a very long way to go, however I think some people may find some use in what I have found.
When I first started getting acne, I was in 5th grade and would get maybe one pimple every few months.
Then just did not get acne until I was about 17. I started getting 2 or 3 at a time. Once again, I did not really care because I just thought it was normal. My parents felt bad and my mom started suggesting things I could to "control" my acne. Naturally, "mom is right," I did it. I started using Stridex Pads. Of course, I did not use the sensitive ones, I wanted MAXIMUM! You know, get rid of that acne fast and hardcore! These pads seemed to help a little bit, if anything they made my skin feel chilly when I put it on, so it must be doing something. Over time though, they had no effect on my acne, and it just gradually got worse. Then my mother, bless her heart, decided to suggest a dermatologist. The dermatologist suggested using facial washers before showering. So of course the doctor is right so I did just that. My skin felt cleaner, yet the acne still kept coming, seemingly worse too.
Anyone feel similar yet?
So next the dermatologist suggested Benzaclin, which is benzoyl peroxide basically. I started using this and it only made a small dent in my acne at first, but almost not noticeable. So now I was getting frustrated! I wanted some serious stuff.
My thinking was the harder my acne fought, the harder I should fight back.
So then my dermatologist prescribes me Tazorak! The bottle of Tazorak suggested a "pea" sized amount be applied to the whole face. How you spread a pea sized amount of ointment all over the face without getting a whole lot more in one area than the other, I do not know. Anyways, my face broke out with not just acne, but a horrible facial rash mostly on my chin. I did not go to school for the next few days. It was disgusting.
So now I go to the doctor and she suggests Accutane. I research it and supposedly it is just this "miracle cure" for acne. However, I am an anti pill-for-problem person, so I just was not sure about it and ended up turning it down.
I gave up my fight on acne. I threw in the towel and just said whatever.
After I just stopped doing everything, my acne disappeared in three days. I was completely acne free for about 11 months (usually one pimple a week, but I consider this a success for an 18 year old)
My mother noticed my success and commented on it and asked what I was doing. I told her I had stopped the Tazorak and she deduced it had aggravated my skin too much. Then she warned me that I had better start doing at least SOMETHING to my skin so I did not get acne again.
So I started washing my face 3 times a day with soap. I started getting more pimples, so then I figured I should start semi-treating them with Stridex again. Needless to say, I traveled a similar path again... No Tazorak again or anything, but still treating my skin.
I have seen a lot of people around here advocating the idea of "doing nothing." The only person I can name is Adam08, so you could start by looking him up and seeing the threads he is active in.
I think many people could get relief by giving their skin a break from the beating they give it.
I also think many people could get relief by giving themselves a break from beating up themselves over acne. The most useful tool I have found in the battle against acne is to just quit worrying about it.
All you people applying your multiple solutions daily looking at your dried out, red, inflamed skin multiple times a day are spending so much time in front of the mirror criticizing yourself and your skin.
Another realization I came to is that confidence is the final factor in how men and women will treat you. In the beginning of my junior year, before I even had acne, I started to figure this out. Then when I got acne, I let myself forget about that, and became very self conscious. It wasn't until I cleared up for my first time that my confidence shot up again. Then I realized that people treated me no different when I had acne or when I didn't. They treated me different because I was treating them differently when I was worried about my face. I was acting shy and sort of scared when I had bad acne, so they would treat me like a shy, scared, person. This past time when I had a horrible acne outbreak, I tried to act as confident as I could. I had no close friends because I just started college, so all the people I was talking to was usually for the first time. I found that acting confident was all I needed for friends or respect.
In Karma89's signature, he encourages anyone to show him a person who has actually cured their acne with the use of topical medication. I further implore anyone here to show me, and him, someone who has actually had permanent success with topicals.
I agree with Adam's stand point in just thinking that letting your acid mantle come back will help your skin. However, I would also like to go deeper into this method and why it may work. You may think you are stress free, yet every time you go outside, look at yourself in the mirror, talk to someone new, talk to a friend, you are constantly thinking about your acne. It at least enters your head some of the time.
As soon as you quit checking out your facial status every time you pass a reflective object, you forget how good or bad your face is. You lose any reason to worry. You lose acne.
Even if you do not lose your acne, you still feel better. It does not matter how bad your acne is, your goal is to ultimately feel good about yourself. Your goal is to be happy. You can achieve this whether or not you actually beat acne.
Achieving this can also help you beat acne.
-SnoW
Moral of the story: Mom isn't always right, she can always be wrong.
I'm gonna try this out..
Though I'm worried about pustules... They're really gross and I don't want to go out with white spots all over my face.
I know, it's hard, but if you can make it a few days without touching your face there, they will start drying up and then they usually just fade right away. Just need to gently take off the dead skin.
You just can't let it get to you. Look at it this way, Why worry about something that will eventually clear up in the future when you really can do any that you want. Life is what you make it and this world has no boundries. Don't let acne/scars rob you of your life and amazing things that you can do. Your only young once and only have one life to live.
A while ago, about a year ago I came to try something for myself, I don't know how or why but for a week I basically said 'eff it, I'm just not going to worry about it this week' so i didn't look in the mirror for a week,...a week later skin was clearer. I don't just mean a wee bit clearer, I mean there was barely a mark on my face at all...
So I thought I was onto something, I hadn't really cleaned my face much that week except when it felt dirty, and I hadn't used any 'products' or looked in the mirror, since then I've went through cycles of not caring and being obsessed and I've still got this crap over my face. when i don't care it gets better, no doubt. Now I'm just at the stage where I can't be bothered with it anymore. For better or for worse it's part of me so if I stop caring and it goes away then good stuff i suppose, if it doesn't,... tough, I'm not going to waste anymore of my life obsessing and letting it hold me back. Skimming through these posts you can see that some people are letting it ruin there lives and even in trying out this not caring approach they're still worried about it. You need to let go completely for it to work. If you're counting how many days you've been doing it for etc, you haven't let go and it probably will get better but if you just let go it will improve so much.
The reason why I highlight 'product' in the previous paragraph is for a good reason. By that definition of 'product' you think I am talking of a skincare product as a beautician or any website that is trying to sell you something will refer to it. Take away the word skincare what are you left with? PRODUCT! what is a product? Something that people want to sell you! The reason why any website or beautician will tell you to wash your face religiously twice a day morning and night is because this way you use more and have to buy their product more often creating more money for them. They're running a business at the end of the day.
Basically what I'm getting at is this: think about people around you who you have known since you were young who you consider to be self conscious. I'll bet they're more prone to acne than those who are more chilled! The ones who are chilled out probably don't go through the same vigorous lengths that you do with your skin. Applying topical treatments, taking pills, washing your face every morning and every night, yet they have better skin. Sound familiar? I think that acne is very much a case of mind over matter. From all the evidence I've compiled with different skin care brands I've read mixed reviews, some work for some people and make it worse for others. However in the case of people letting go and just giving up I've never heard of anyone having acne which is have persisted after it, not unless it has been an actual genetic skin disorder, which I've read are quite rare.
Acne has increased in adults and teens in the last 50 years as well, or so what I've read has said anyway. I don't think this has anything to do with diet, or not as much as we have been led to believe anyway. I think more than anything it is due to the incredibly vain world which we now live in. At every opportunity, on the side of buses, on tv, on radio, in papers and on the internet, everything is now advertised by models, celebrities and physically 'perfect' people. I think that this increasing pressure to look good is the most influential factor in growing cases of acne. I think this because the more that the industry encourages people to look their best, the more self conscious people become about their appearance, be it about weight or about skin and all the rest of it. That's my theory anyway, it makes sense to me
I've heard so many people say that they have stopped caring about their acne and it's went away, hence why I believe so strongly that it's all in the mind. The worst thing that can happen if you stop caring about it is that you will still have acne. If you don't care about it though then it's not a problem! 
All the best
I'm gonna try this out..
Though I'm worried about pustules... They're really gross and I don't want to go out with white spots all over my face.
I've been there and done it and at the end of the day remember this. The only person you have to answer to is yourself. If you're okay with going out and not worrying about it then what anyone else thinks is a footnote. Try it for 2 weeks. No touching of the face, and no looking in the mirror scrutinising your skin, you will probably see results. i have everytime I've tried it anyway, though admittedly, it's harder than it sounds.
Best of luck
Hello again, hope everyone is doing well.
You just can't let it get to you. Look at it this way, Why worry about something that will eventually clear up in the future when you really can do any that you want. Life is what you make it and this world has no boundries. Don't let acne/scars rob you of your life and amazing things that you can do. Your only young once and only have one life to live.
I do agree that the mind has a big impact on your life, when battling acne. Having the rigth attitude and mindset can do wonders. My bigbrother used to have moderate-severe acne and of course he was extremly upset about it for a few years or so, however at one point he totally changed his thinking habits and attitude after reading some books or something about the powerful mind. Once again he became the total popular, social butterfly like he was before acne and he still is (though his acne is almost completely gone now).
Your mind is what tells your body what to do. It is basically on autopilot unless you learn how you can control it. It's great to hear about your brother. I am willing to bet his attitude changed before his acne changed.
i do belave if u have good personalty u can get a good or at least decent looking girl, ive had some good looking girls like me, my acne has made me really shy but ive gotting better, i agree 100 percent with u if u put your self at there you can get a good looking girl at any time.
I do agree that the mind has a big impact on your life, when battling acne. Having the rigth attitude and mindset can do wonders. My bigbrother used to have moderate-severe acne and of course he was extremly upset about it for a few years or so, however at one point he totally changed his thinking habits and attitude after reading some books or something about the powerful mind. Once again he became the total popular, social butterfly like he was before acne and he still is (though his acne is almost completely gone now).
Your mind is what tells your body what to do. It is basically on autopilot unless you learn how you can control it. It's great to hear about your brother. I am willing to bet his attitude changed before his acne changed.
i do belave if u have good personalty u can get a good or at least decent looking girl, ive had some good looking girls like me, my acne has made me really shy but ive gotting better, i agree 100 percent with u if u put your self at there you can get a good looking girl at any time.
Yep, you've just got to get past the myth that all people are repulsed by some pimples.
I do agree that the mind has a big impact on your life, when battling acne. Having the rigth attitude and mindset can do wonders. My bigbrother used to have moderate-severe acne and of course he was extremly upset about it for a few years or so, however at one point he totally changed his thinking habits and attitude after reading some books or something about the powerful mind. Once again he became the total popular, social butterfly like he was before acne and he still is (though his acne is almost completely gone now).
Your mind is what tells your body what to do. It is basically on autopilot unless you learn how you can control it. It's great to hear about your brother. I am willing to bet his attitude changed before his acne changed.
i do belave if u have good personalty u can get a good or at least decent looking girl, ive had some good looking girls like me, my acne has made me really shy but ive gotting better, i agree 100 percent with u if u put your self at there you can get a good looking girl at any time.
Yep, you've just got to get past the myth that all people are repulsed by some pimples.
I think a lot of peoples problems or issue with their acne including myself is its not so much of they have acne its the fact they just simply can't get rid of it no matter what they try and it makes it even worse when they had clear skin before like myself.
That is what urks me and keeps me down is because i want what i once had, and it seems like its been taken from me for no reason at all and it depresses me. Especially when you use to be able to do whatever you wanted to do, eat whatever, and never worried about what you looked like.
I do agree that the mind has a big impact on your life, when battling acne. Having the rigth attitude and mindset can do wonders. My bigbrother used to have moderate-severe acne and of course he was extremly upset about it for a few years or so, however at one point he totally changed his thinking habits and attitude after reading some books or something about the powerful mind. Once again he became the total popular, social butterfly like he was before acne and he still is (though his acne is almost completely gone now).
Your mind is what tells your body what to do. It is basically on autopilot unless you learn how you can control it. It's great to hear about your brother. I am willing to bet his attitude changed before his acne changed.
i do belave if u have good personalty u can get a good or at least decent looking girl, ive had some good looking girls like me, my acne has made me really shy but ive gotting better, i agree 100 percent with u if u put your self at there you can get a good looking girl at any time.
Yep, you've just got to get past the myth that all people are repulsed by some pimples.
I think a lot of peoples problems or issue with their acne including myself is its not so much of they have acne its the fact they just simply can't get rid of it no matter what they try and it makes it even worse when they had clear skin before like myself.
That is what urks me and keeps me down is because i want what i once had, and it seems like its been taken from me for no reason at all and it depresses me. Especially when you use to be able to do whatever you wanted to do, eat whatever, and never worried about what you looked like.
You can still do all the same things you did when your skin was clear... and you really should. Letting acne control what you do is the worst thing you can do for yourself.
Your last paragraph brought tears to my eyes. I know it is true what you say because every time I look in the mirror I am reminded of how completely awful I look. On the contrary, when I am away from the mirror for awhile I start to think about more important things and I start talking to people like a normal person instead of shying away from them. This is going to be kind of weird to say, but I kind of wish we were all vampires so we would not have a reflection to constantly criticize. And I don't know how the only water would work. It's just like washing your hands, right? You need to wash your hands to get all of the germs and bacteria off of it. So how would using only water get rid of any impurities on the face? I am a bit puzzled. But, I know that using chemicals is not the way to go. They definitely do make acne a whole lot worse.
Your last paragraph brought tears to my eyes. I know it is true what you say because every time I look in the mirror I am reminded of how completely awful I look. On the contrary, when I am away from the mirror for awhile I start to think about more important things and I start talking to people like a normal person instead of shying away from them. This is going to be kind of weird to say, but I kind of wish we were all vampires so we would not have a reflection to constantly criticize. And I don't know how the only water would work. It's just like washing your hands, right? You need to wash your hands to get all of the germs and bacteria off of it. So how would using only water get rid of any impurities on the face? I am a bit puzzled. But, I know that using chemicals is not the way to go. They definitely do make acne a whole lot worse.
I am not really an advocate of "water only" or "don't clean at all."
I wash my hair and soap from that runs down my face and that is all that is needed in my opinion.
You wash your hands, because your hands touch dirty things all day. You touch door knobs, door handles, desks, other people, and almost everything else you touch is touched by other people too. You do not touch as much with your face, so you do not need to wash your face like you wash your hands.
Your last paragraph brought tears to my eyes. I know it is true what you say because every time I look in the mirror I am reminded of how completely awful I look. On the contrary, when I am away from the mirror for awhile I start to think about more important things and I start talking to people like a normal person instead of shying away from them. This is going to be kind of weird to say, but I kind of wish we were all vampires so we would not have a reflection to constantly criticize.
Enlightment at last. thumps up to the OP as well. You see, i saw this post long time ago when i used to be depressed and way more immature. I didn't believe it. Now, that i can finally see things more clear, it finally makes sense.
I hope everybody can come in terms with what really matters before they waste more years of their lives living in darkness. i really hope for a brighter future for everyone, because we all deserve to be happy.
cheers.
Your last paragraph brought tears to my eyes. I know it is true what you say because every time I look in the mirror I am reminded of how completely awful I look. On the contrary, when I am away from the mirror for awhile I start to think about more important things and I start talking to people like a normal person instead of shying away from them. This is going to be kind of weird to say, but I kind of wish we were all vampires so we would not have a reflection to constantly criticize.
Enlightment at last. thumps up to the OP as well. You see, i saw this post long time ago when i used to be depressed and way more immature. I didn't believe it. Now, that i can finally see things more clear, it finally makes sense.
I hope everybody can come in terms with what really matters before they waste more years of their lives living in darkness. i really hope for a brighter future for everyone, because we all deserve to be happy.
cheers.
Yes, it just takes time to realize what is really important. In the past 2 years, I have had so many great experiences. It would be a shame to have not have had them because I was still worrying about acne and hiding.
I'm very happy that your no-care attitude worked for, but it does not work for everybody. The biggest mistake I ever made was stop worrying about my face, because that is when it became so incredibly bad that I am now totally pitted and pockmarked. I just KNEW that I could fight this naturally and with minimal chemical assault to my face. So I ate as healthfully as I could, washed with a mild, all-natural cleanser (Suki) once a day, and forgot about it. It was just acne. I was happy. I wasn't worried. I knew it would go away some day. Then I came down with mono and acne was the absolute last thing on my mind. I barely ate, rested, and didn't care about my face.
It never got better. It continued to get worse and worse. It got so bad that every tiny centimeter of my face was covered. I couldn't sleep, because my face and neck (and my back, too) was so painful. After a year of that, I finally saw a reduction in my acne. I became very sick again and my body stopped the acne train for a couple of weeks for some reason. Then I got to see how badly damaged my face had been. And that is when my confidence went completely to hell.
And I'll tell you another thing. People DO treat you differently with acne. As I'd mentioned before, my confidence was not shot to hell until I saw that I was permanently and severely damaged. I was the same person, very friendly, quite happy. My acne was not me. But nobody wanted anything to do with me. And people would comment on my face all of the time. It hurt, even when I wasn't in a bad place. I've been living in a new place for nearly three years now and I don't have a single friend. Not ONE. I remember several occasions in the classroom where I was required to pair up in order to do a short assignment. If I was paired up with a guy, he was a complete asshole. He wanted nothing to do with me, because I wasn't one of the other beautiful girls. When I didn't have acne, I never had these kinds of problems. I'm not going to claim that everybody loved me and that I was the hottest person in the world. But if I put out effort, I got effort back. At the very least a friendly conversation could ensue for a short period of time. Now, I might as well be a leper.
People do not treat you differently if you have a few bumps and pimples on your face. That is what most people call "acne." But when you look like a creature out of a bad sci-fi movie, they do treat you differently (i.e., horribly), and your confidence can go all to hell for all other people care. My own mother was making comments over the phone about how creepy my cousin looked with all of his acne scarring and how she couldn't stand to look at him. This was before she had seen my damage. Now that she has seen what I look like, she tries to bullshit me and pretend nobody would even notice my face. I'm beautiful and I'm the only one that sees this garbage. It's all bullshit.