Acne.org Products
Bp just completely stopped working for me. I went to the grocery store and realized Ive tried everything on the shelves. Im using salylic acid right now just to feel like Im trying. Where do you buy tea tree oil? Ive never tried it, nor have i seen it being sold in anything but a shampoo lol.
You can find it at The Vitamin Shoppe, and GNC. Although I found that buying from there you got very little product for your money. I bought mine from Amazon.
Honestly none of them. Treat from within if you want to stay clear in the long run. They can all be aggravating and have a lot of mixed responses.
All you need is a gentle cleanser once a day. Being gentle you will not need to moisturise.
Avoid DAIRY, SUGAR, REFINED CARBS and TOO MUCH CAFFEINE.
Is there any essential oils that help with small bumps or closed comedones? I do have a natural SA %2 from Alba. I might apply it on my problem area again, I never had any issue with it. What I get is probably different.. they usually get inflamed with white head. Not sure if that's considered a closed comedones. I will still apply SA and see what happens.
I know it sounds ridiculous that I am treating one comedone! I am in my 50s and am mainly on this site to find answers to treat my teenage son's acne. My acne has cleared for the most part but I still have lingering issues like large pores, scarring, and occasional break outs and I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve my skin with natural products. But I have this one bump (which I recently learned is a closed comedone) above the corner of my mouth that is really annoying me so I would like to get rid of it once and for all! I'll keep you posted...
ginger, did it work on that closed comedome?
It does seem to be less noticable, but I am still working on it. So far I have only used a 1% SA homemade acid instead of Miritextiles 3-4% and I only apply it once a day, so I expect my results to be a lot slower than hers. But I do plan to increase the SA percentage now that I know my skin can tolerate the it. I have been using the Hemp Oil and apply a little each day to my enitre face. I also use a green tea toner on my face. So I am not following her instructions exactly, but I do see a slow and steady improvement.
ginger, did it work on that closed comedome?
It does seem to be less noticable, but I am still working on it. So far I have only used a 1% SA homemade acid instead of Miritextiles 3-4% and I only apply it once a day, so I expects my results to be a lot slower than hers. But I do plan to increase the SA percentage now that I know my skin can tolerate the it. I have been using the Hemp Oil and apply a little each day to my enitre face. I also use a green tea toner on my face. So I am not following her instructions exactly, but I do see a slow and steady improvement.
I moved up to a 2% salicylic acid and have added Witch Hazel with 14% alcohol to my daily routine and I can keep it at bay. But I am beginning to think these larger than normal closed comedones are never going to completely go away and it will be constant maintenance to keep it reduced.
My experience:
Benzoyl peroxide: Gets into the skin and does its thing amazingly well. 2.5% works better than 5% or 10% because it is less irritating but still creates plenty of oxygen to kill the bacteria. Used precisely within The Regimen it predictably clears up the skin completely within 3-4 months.
Salicylic acid: Doesn't seem to do anything at 2% strength, which is the legal limit in OTC products. I tried upwards of 15 salicylic acid products since I was a teenager and I would say they are a waste of money.
Tea tree oil: I have tried tea tree oil in many different strengths, and in several "natural" acne products. In my personal experience, it does nothing. While I love the idea of a "natural" acne remedy, tea tree oil most definitely wasn't it for me.
The clear winner: Benzoyl peroxide. It's not even a contest honestly. Benzoyl peroxide works, and the other two do not.
My experience:
Benzoyl peroxide: Gets into the skin and does its thing amazingly well. 2.5% works better than 5% or 10% because it is less irritating but still creates plenty of oxygen to kill the bacteria. Used precisely within The Regimen it predictably clears up the skin completely within 3-4 months.
Salicylic acid: Doesn't seem to do anything at 2% strength, which is the legal limit in OTC products. I tried upwards of 15 salicylic acid products since I was a teenager and I would say they are a waste of money.
Tea tree oil: I have tried tea tree oil in many different strengths, and in several "natural" acne products. In my personal experience, it does nothing. While I love the idea of a "natural" acne remedy, tea tree oil most definitely wasn't it for me.
The clear winner: Benzoyl peroxide. It's not even a contest honestly. Benzoyl peroxide works, and the other two do not.
Pretty sure it's legal to sell up to 20% salicylic acid peels over the counter.
Otherwise Skin Laboratories, Makeup Artists' Choice, Perfect Image, and Diana Yvonne would have all been shut down a LONG time ago. Perfect Image actually got a FDA recall just a few months ago on their hair loss product because it contained too high minoxidil, so they were just investigated and didn't have to stop selling their at-home peels.
For some of us, higher strength salicylic acid makes a difference in clogged pores that benzoyl peroxide does not.
http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/1535287
Most cases of acne vulgaris are either mild or moderate in severity and well-suited for treatment with nonprescription agents that are safe, effective, and convenient to use. A review of four clinical studies and a comedolytic assay attests to the efficacy and safety of 0.5% and 2% solutions of salicylic acid for the treatment of acne vulgaris. In three placebo-controlled studies and a comedolytic assay, salicylic acid pads reduced the number of primary lesions and thereby the number and severity of all lesions associated with acne. Comparative studies of salicylic acid have shown it to be superior to benzoyl peroxide in reducing the total number of acne lesions. Adverse reactions to salicylic acid are generally limited to mild, local irritation occurring in a minority of patients.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/19250161
Eighty subjects with mild to moderate facial acne were randomized to receive either the LHA formulation twice a day or benzoyl peroxide once a day for 12 weeks. Efficacy and tolerance were evaluated at days 0, 28, 56 and 87. Results LHA formulation and benzoyl peroxide decreased the number of inflammatory lesions from baseline to week 12 by 44% and 47% and noninflammatory lesions by 19% and 23%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two treatments (P = 0.748; P = 0.445).
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/14708455
A 12-week double-blind randomized study was performed to compare benzoyl peroxide 5% (BP) gel and chloroxylenol 0.5% plus salicylic acid 2% (PCMX + SA) cream (Nisal cream) for efficacy and adverse reactions. Thirty-seven volunteers participated in the study, 19 in the BP group and 18 in the PCMX + SA group. The patients applied the medication twice daily to the entire face. Clinical evaluation and lesion counts were obtained at 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 weeks. At week 12 both groups showed a marked improvement in both inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions (60% and 54% for the BP group and 62% and 56% for and 56% for the PCMX + SA group, respectively). Although PCMX + SA showed a slightly stronger keratolytic effect throughout the study period, there was no statistically significant difference in the reduction of the papulopustules or comedones between the two groups. Adverse effects such as erythema and photosensitivity were significantly fewer in the PCMX + SA group at week 12 (p = 0.0002 and p = 0.05, respectively). These results suggest that PCMX + SA cream is as effective as BP gel in the treatment of papulopustular and comedonal acne and that it is better tolerated.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16778460
after 3 h, bp was significantly more effective in disrupting sc cohesion than sa and ra, indicating bp is a moderate keratolytic agent in addition to its antimicrobial properties. After 6 h, all three agents were similarly effective in keratolysis. Barrier disruption, as measured by TEWL, paralleled depth of SC removal. SA tended to exhibit the greatest keratolytic efficacy superficially, hence its clinical effectiveness in superficial conditions such as comedonal acne, whereas BP was more effective at deeper levels, complimenting its antimicrobial effects and enabling it to treat deeper, more inflammatory lesions. None of the agents significantly affected skin erythema. These techniques provide a robust and rapid assay for in vivo keratolytic demonstration.
I think it's a stretch to say that salicylic acid "does not work."
I actually personally agree most with the study that stated benzoyl peroxide is better for inflammatory lesions, and salicylic acid is way better for comedones.
Certainly drugstore salicylic acid is ineffective. It's pH is usually too high and it has too many filler ingredients to penetrate into the skin. If you get a quality product at a 2.0 pH or lower that is almost purely salicylic acid, there is a HUGE difference in efficacy.
BP is the strongest of the three for certain. It is effective in those not sensitive to it and if used properly. However, I don't believe BP should be used morning and night. SA is a great day treatment. I agree that SA is not a stand alone treatment for moderate to severe acne, but used in conjunction with another nighttime treatment for active active, it is effective. My son currently gets mild acne around his nose. I recently started him on the 0.5% SA, and this does seem to be keeping them at bay. Formulation is key.
i used tea tree oil and it burned my face. i used the soap and that is gentle enough for my face. DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO GET RID OF TEA TREE OIL BURNS? any help would be so great. thank you. I'm using manaka honey and aloe 99% with no luck yet. be careful. using tea tree oil to spot treat is the worst thing i have ever done.
My experience:
Benzoyl peroxide: Gets into the skin and does its thing amazingly well. 2.5% works better than 5% or 10% because it is less irritating but still creates plenty of oxygen to kill the bacteria. Used precisely within The Regimen it predictably clears up the skin completely within 3-4 months.
Salicylic acid: Doesn't seem to do anything at 2% strength, which is the legal limit in OTC products. I tried upwards of 15 salicylic acid products since I was a teenager and I would say they are a waste of money.
Tea tree oil: I have tried tea tree oil in many different strengths, and in several "natural" acne products. In my personal experience, it does nothing. While I love the idea of a "natural" acne remedy, tea tree oil most definitely wasn't it for me.
The clear winner: Benzoyl peroxide. It's not even a contest honestly. Benzoyl peroxide works, and the other two do not.
After close to a decade with the regimen, I'm now trying Tea Tree Oil. I was so tired of the dry flakiness which couldn't be fixed by any moisturizer I tried. I was tired of ruining shirts by bleaching them, likewise with my girlfriend's pillow cases. I was tired of not being able to go for a swim in a pool without exiting looking like I had a dry flaky beard. While BP was effective sometimes, I would still get large pimples sometimes, no matter how careful I was being. I would never be clear for more than a week. Plus, towards the end, with BP, my pimples were leaving red marks on my skin. Add to the fact, the reigmen takes 20-30 mins every morning and night, I just couldn't stand it anymore.
Even if I get a few pimples with tea tree oil, to not have all the excess bs that accompanies the BP reigmen is worth it, in my opinion.
I used BP for 15 years (I'm 35) before recently switching to a combo of tea tree oil and SA. I did get more acne initially but my skin seems to be calming down now. The biggest benifits from TTO/SA vs BP I've noticed are,
1) Any pimples that have developed while on TTO/SA seem to heal/go away faster then when on BP
2) The red marks left from pimples I've developed while NOT on BP have faded significatly faster than the red marks I got from pimples while on BP. I have been using TTO/SA for about 6 weeks now and I have red marks that have been on my face for months from zits I got while on BP. I also have places where a zit formed while on TTO/SA that have no red marks because the red mark didn't get so dark and faded faster.
3) The condition of my overall skin is MUCH better than while I used BP. It's less dry and more even textured and not as ruddy?reddish? in places. I can go out with only a bit of concealor over my spots, or a light tinted foundation, vs a full foundation and concealor to even out my skin tone.
4) No more bleached clothing/sheets/towles!!
Over all so far I've been very pleased with a TTO/SA regime than using BP. I wish I would have tried it a lot sooner!
Tea tree oil is Great! Work really well and fast for my acne. The most important rule though is to DILUTE! Mix in a spay bottle about 5 drops of TTO & fill the rest with water. Before every use just shake the bottle & spray on your face. I swear by this routine. IT WORKS!
