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My last post was exactly one month ago, and I must say this is the best my face has looked for a few months. I've had about 1-4 really insignificant zits over this span of time. I think the biggest thing that helped my face was shaving everyday with a moisturizing gel. It's not harsh and doesn't dry out the skin, which I think were the biggest culprits in transforming my face into a pizza. Now the only thing to do is get rid of these shallow acne scars.
hello guys.
it has been almost a year since my last post here on acne.org. i don't get acne anymore and mine was caused by gluten/grain and stuff for those who still have it try reducing or stopping the intake of these things. masturbation also has a little effect. look for my posts if ur interested. simply put, high blood suger levels give u acne. do a search. if ur not sure about it, eat a whole bunch of rice or grain, and wait and see if ur skin itches or gain acne, if u do, then don't eat them and u'll be clear. also avoid carrageenan, this lil fucker packs quite a punch.
now it isn't about acne, since the real reason i'm back, is cuz i'm still stuck with this terrible dehydrated-dry-oily-shiny-unhealthy skin condition on my face. mine is caused by using harsh cleanser aka proactive and have been stuck with this for almost 3 years now. during these 3 years, i've read A LOT on the internet looking for remedy or lack of for that matter. so the skin is lilke this:
1. skin is DEHYDRATED, note that this is different than DRY skin which is a skin TYPE, this is a condition. skin lacks water and is tight like a motherfucker.
2. skin is OILY AS FUCK to the point of madness. it is unnatural. by that i mean not the skin type. since i wasn't oily AT ALL before i used proactive. but afterwards, it is. literally, beads of oil ooze out from pores.
3. skin develops a deadskin mask RAPIDLY no matter what. so no matter how much u exfoliate u still get it. plus exfoliating "dehydrates" ur skin even more. *NOTE* i use the word dehydrates.
4. skin doesn't absorb ANYTHING. from oils to lotions to creams, nothing soaks in. NOTHING provides moisture other than wetting the surface only to have the moisture evaporate within minutes, losing even more moisture.
5. skin was once perfect or normal. up until u damaged it somehow. in my case it was the proactive cleanser.
if all five things above apply to u, then we have the same fucked up skin. now from what i've been able to understand, there are ways to repair the skin after searching in the internet for so long, if i've counted, this must have been the 1000001th time. here's what u do. NOTHING. don't wash, don't touch, don't itch, don't disrupt anything and let the dead skin build up. DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for 6 months to 1 year until completely healed. washing sets u back. removing the deadskin sets u back. so nothing. this is a long time, yes it is, SO START NOW! the longer u postpone this, the longer u have to deal with it. know this, u look like shit for a year, then u get the rest of ur life back. u can live, fall in love, have a family, kids, fun like everyone else without worrying about any of the five things i listed.
i'm coming back to the "doing nothing regimen". i took a long break because i thought there are products that can help repair my skin or at least accelerate the process. i thought there must be other ways than waiting a year doing nothing. it has been a year and all i can tell u is, if instead of wasting my money on products, spent the year to let my skin heal, i would be looking like a normal person right now and would enjoy my first college class coming up in 3 months. but no because i was impatient. that means starting today, i'm back. this time no washing, no removing the dead skin, no touching, absolutely nothing until next year today. it's a long time so better start now. for others who suffer the same condition and need motivation, just know that this is the only time u'll have to ever deal with this because after u are healed, u'll never have to look back.
i'll make a blog and also i'll give updates here regularly so u guys know what's going on. good luck guys.
The dead skin is the only thing that makes this soo fucking difficult. I'm definitely not keeping this on my face another 5 months. I kind of have a feeling that by the end of august, it still won't be ready, but a lot less pink and better than it was..i hope
well the point is to keep it on until the skin is completely healed. i used to think like u do a year ago. now look i'm still stuck with f'ed up skin. so leave it alone. just one shitty year of suffering and is in the past.
Hey haven't been on here in awhile but yea I've noticed my skin does get better after I leave on the dead skin mask for a little while. But for me I can wash everyday and the deadskin still forms pretty slowly so I'm just gonna wash and let it build and then remove in idk about 2 weeks or so becaue it's gotten way better
Hey Boogerman, how long have you been following the "doing nothing regimen"? I'm intrigued by your post since I'm having similar dehydration problems with my nose. It's like there is a permanent layer of dead skin there. Unfortunately for me, doing nothing isn't really an option since I still have acne trouble and it gets worse when I leave it alone.
I'm curious as to why you are so convinced that doing nothing will solve the problem.
Hey haven't been on here in awhile but yea I've noticed my skin does get better after I leave on the dead skin mask for a little while. But for me I can wash everyday and the deadskin still forms pretty slowly so I'm just gonna wash and let it build and then remove in idk about 2 weeks or so becaue it's gotten way better
Does your forehead still get the deadskin? and do you still use the creams/cleanser from your dermatologist?
Yes my forehead does but I just removed the dead skin mask and the skin underneath look better than before but still needs time I think. My derm said to remove the dead skin with a washcloth very gently to remove it when I have to. The dead skin looks pertty bad when it builds up so since my derm appointment I've been not letting it build up as much by scrubbing harder. But with no dead skin on my cheeks it looks a little red and irritated. I think I'm going to wash everyday but let the dead skin build up because I've noticed that when I let it build I literally do not break out at all and yea my skin gets oily but I feel like it moisturizes it. And I've been prescribed more things but they are all for acne and I don't wanna use them in fear that they might damage my face even more. But now all I've been using is the CeraVe face wash and it's very good it's doesn't irritate me at all and my face doesn't feel dry and I have very sensitive skin. It's not even a foam it's more like lotion I like it alot. "Boogerman" I would like to know how your progress goes because I'm experiencing alot of those things and I wanna know if it's really worth it to leave the dead skin on.
Hey Boogerman, how long have you been following the "doing nothing regimen"? I'm intrigued by your post since I'm having similar dehydration problems with my nose. It's like there is a permanent layer of dead skin there. Unfortunately for me, doing nothing isn't really an option since I still have acne trouble and it gets worse when I leave it alone.
I'm curious as to why you are so convinced that doing nothing will solve the problem.
hello sir
i first started in febuary last year and stopped in around may. though if u still have acne the first thing i would do is to find out the source of ur acne. like i said i was washing my face like crazy because i didn't know it was caused by my diet at that time. i think not washing at all doesn't cause acne but only contributes and aggravates when acne is caused by something else in my case it was the diet.
over these past 3 years i've read tons of shit online and let me tell u, only about 5% of the shit i read actually worth my time now when i think about it. i came across numerous forums and blogs and stuff where people suffering a similar and even some in my opinion, the same condition i currently have and they all point to the same(or similar) solution. unfortunately, i accidentally lost all the links after i bought a new pc about 7 months ago. here are two recent ones that i came across just weeks ago before i've decided to come back to do nothing.
http://www.imminst.org/forum/index.php?sho...st&p=377878
http://rosacea-support.org/community/viewt...?f=4&t=2054
very similar to say the least and interesting reading. but it isn't really all about my research and people having success. actually some people here on acne.org have success with this regimen. even i had success with it when i started but it was all because of my impatience that i decided to look for "short-cuts". this is the only way so far that i've discovered that actually offered improvements. over those couple of months, dead skin build up decreased over time and my skin was definitely more hydrated. if the deadskin builds up slower over time, eventually there comes a time it doesn't buildup anymore. however, this alone is enough motivation for me to go for a year. no hard evidence other than this common sense and some other people restoring their skin by leaving it alone.
there's a reason why the dead skin develops much more drastically and more on some areas. my nose has the most because it is the most severe and less on other places. the deadskin to me, also serves as an indicator of how severe the condition is. i remember having tons of dead skin right below my lips last year but now on day four, i barely have any there.
Yes my forehead does but I just removed the dead skin mask and the skin underneath look better than before but still needs time I think. My derm said to remove the dead skin with a washcloth very gently to remove it when I have to. The dead skin looks pertty bad when it builds up so since my derm appointment I've been not letting it build up as much by scrubbing harder. But with no dead skin on my cheeks it looks a little red and irritated. I think I'm going to wash everyday but let the dead skin build up because I've noticed that when I let it build I literally do not break out at all and yea my skin gets oily but I feel like it moisturizes it. And I've been prescribed more things but they are all for acne and I don't wanna use them in fear that they might damage my face even more. But now all I've been using is the CeraVe face wash and it's very good it's doesn't irritate me at all and my face doesn't feel dry and I have very sensitive skin. It's not even a foam it's more like lotion I like it alot. "Boogerman" I would like to know how your progress goes because I'm experiencing alot of those things and I wanna know if it's really worth it to leave the dead skin on.
hello sir
well, i think it's good that ur skin can handle a cleanser. my skin can't even handle just plain water without feeling tight like fuck, let alone a cleanser. memory is a little bit fuzzy after all since i'm recalling things from last year's feb - may. anyways, i removed the dead skin after a month or two with a washcloth and my skin too felt irritated and red just like u. anytime i remove the dead skin, whether it's by rubbing with my hands, wet washcloth, my skin just feel like it's "plumped" and red and feels tight as fuck after a minute or two. in my opinion, healing only starts when the skin is shielded by the dead skin. removing it definitely delays the healing process and quite possibily capable of undoing the previous results.
right now my face looks like a battlefield. especially my nose, it looks like a fucking bee nest with all the clogged pores and shit. still i'm having much less dead skin this time than i started last year. last year i started after i used OCM, which was 2nd worst fucking idea ever, second to fucking up my face with proactive. at that time, the mask was HUGE but calms down after a month. 3 YEARS, man this is the only thing that showed progress and improvement. i've tried TONS of stuff and all of them only worsened the situation. although it's not a miracle, it is perhaps the only solution.
hello sirwell, i think it's good that ur skin can handle a cleanser. my skin can't even handle just plain water without feeling tight like fuck, let alone a cleanser. memory is a little bit fuzzy after all since i'm recalling things from last year's feb - may. anyways, i removed the dead skin after a month or two with a washcloth and my skin too felt irritated and red just like u. anytime i remove the dead skin, whether it's by rubbing with my hands, wet washcloth, my skin just feel like it's "plumped" and red and feels tight as fuck after a minute or two. in my opinion, healing only starts when the skin is shielded by the dead skin. removing it definitely delays the healing process and quite possibily capable of undoing the previous results.
right now my face looks like a battlefield. especially my nose, it looks like a fucking bee nest with all the clogged pores and shit. still i'm having much less dead skin this time than i started last year. last year i started after i used OCM, which was 2nd worst fucking idea ever, second to fucking up my face with proactive. at that time, the mask was HUGE but calms down after a month. 3 YEARS, man this is the only thing that showed progress and improvement. i've tried TONS of stuff and all of them only worsened the situation. although it's not a miracle, it is perhaps the only solution.
Yea like by leaving the deadskin on it looks bad and takes a really long time to heal but I've noticed that dead skin has went down alot over time compared to when it was waaay worse when I first started.
hello siri first started in febuary last year and stopped in around may. though if u still have acne the first thing i would do is to find out the source of ur acne. like i said i was washing my face like crazy because i didn't know it was caused by my diet at that time. i think not washing at all doesn't cause acne but only contributes and aggravates when acne is caused by something else in my case it was the diet.
over these past 3 years i've read tons of shit online and let me tell u, only about 5% of the shit i read actually worth my time now when i think about it. i came across numerous forums and blogs and stuff where people suffering a similar and even some in my opinion, the same condition i currently have and they all point to the same(or similar) solution. unfortunately, i accidentally lost all the links after i bought a new pc about 7 months ago. here are two recent ones that i came across just weeks ago before i've decided to come back to do nothing.
http://www.imminst.org/forum/index.php?sho...st&p=377878
http://rosacea-support.org/community/viewt...?f=4&t=2054
very similar to say the least and interesting reading. but it isn't really all about my research and people having success. actually some people here on acne.org have success with this regimen. even i had success with it when i started but it was all because of my impatience that i decided to look for "short-cuts". this is the only way so far that i've discovered that actually offered improvements. over those couple of months, dead skin build up decreased over time and my skin was definitely more hydrated. if the deadskin builds up slower over time, eventually there comes a time it doesn't buildup anymore. however, this alone is enough motivation for me to go for a year. no hard evidence other than this common sense and some other people restoring their skin by leaving it alone.
there's a reason why the dead skin develops much more drastically and more on some areas. my nose has the most because it is the most severe and less on other places. the deadskin to me, also serves as an indicator of how severe the condition is. i remember having tons of dead skin right below my lips last year but now on day four, i barely have any there.
Thanks for the links, Boogerman.
I noticed that you also mentioned excessive oiliness in your list of skin ailments, which I also happen to be suffering from (pretty much only in the nose area). Have you noticed any reduction in oil as a result of the do-nothing regimen?
I also wanted to get your opinion on moisturizers, since you never made mention of them specifically. Has your extensive internet research given you any reason to believe that moisturizers should be excluded from the regimen? It seems like they wouldn't necessarily be a problem seeing as how all they are intended to do is provide extra moisture to your skin. Fortunately my skin hasn't deteriorated to the point of not being able to absorb anything. In fact I regularly use CeraVe moisturizer which absorbs into my skin within a matter of seconds (although it causes my face to produce extra oil later on) and it makes sense to me to add whatever extra moisture I can to my regimen. Wanted to hear your thoughts on this.
I'm currently in the process of searching for the cause of my acne. I'm developing a diet plan composed of anti-inflammatory foods as well as vitamins and supplements that have been purported to cure acne (zinc, chromium, magnesium, etc.). With any hope this will at least tone down the severity of my breakouts. Maybe I should look into gluten/grain like you did.
Sigh... it's so hard to know what to do. I recently bought a high-strength glycolic peel that I'm very tempted to begin using to speed up the skin regeneration process, but I'm worried that it will only kill my skin even further rather than heal it. The do-nothing regimen has me questioning everything I'm doing. 
Thanks for the links, Boogerman.
I noticed that you also mentioned excessive oiliness in your list of skin ailments, which I also happen to be suffering from (pretty much only in the nose area). Have you noticed any reduction in oil as a result of the do-nothing regimen?
I also wanted to get your opinion on moisturizers, since you never made mention of them specifically. Has your extensive internet research given you any reason to believe that moisturizers should be excluded from the regimen? It seems like they wouldn't necessarily be a problem seeing as how all they are intended to do is provide extra moisture to your skin. Fortunately my skin hasn't deteriorated to the point of not being able to absorb anything. In fact I regularly use CeraVe moisturizer which absorbs into my skin within a matter of seconds (although it causes my face to produce extra oil later on) and it makes sense to me to add whatever extra moisture I can to my regimen. Wanted to hear your thoughts on this.
I'm currently in the process of searching for the cause of my acne. I'm developing a diet plan composed of anti-inflammatory foods as well as vitamins and supplements that have been purported to cure acne (zinc, chromium, magnesium, etc.). With any hope this will at least tone down the severity of my breakouts. Maybe I should look into gluten/grain like you did.
Sigh... it's so hard to know what to do. I recently bought a high-strength glycolic peel that I'm very tempted to begin using to speed up the skin regeneration process, but I'm worried that it will only kill my skin even further rather than heal it. The do-nothing regimen has me questioning everything I'm doing.
hello
from what i remember, the oil did reduce marginally over the course of those three months. definitely not enough time for the skin to heal. i think the oil acts as a part of the healing process, more oil and dead skin on the most damaged area, and less on others, like my forehead and cheeks. i believe it acts as a moisture/healing barrier underneath the dead skin, the (over)production of oil is a reaction triggered when the skin is damaged. other than that, i cannot say the oil had decreased in any way significant. but i do believe it goes away when the skin is restored to normal, since it's not needed anymore.
on moisturizers. i've used tons of different moisturizers and nothing worked and i've read tons of contradicting information online. none of the stuff i read is to be believed in my opinion. the "5%" i was referring to is this thread and stuff related to this. i have given up my hope on ALL commercial moisturizers to cure this condition. i still don't buy the idea of keep wetting ur face is gonna help heal the skin because these are two different things. and that is exactly what a moisturizer does, hence the glycerin and water. the skin wants to repair itself, but instead moisture is offered by a moisturizer so it doesn't need to repair itself. it might even offer enough moisture to make the skin dependent on it and everytime u don't apply it, ur skin falls apart again. eventually, u still have to stop everything for it to heal. my take on it, if u need a moisturizer, use a good oil like maybe hemp oil, emu oil, jojoba oil, squalene oil or any "good ones". otherwise nothing for the skin to heal. to maintain healthy skin, use sunscreen when go out, use a oil(some oils have sunscreen), and limit shower and water contact. each time the skin contacts with water, the skin loses some moisture. people with healthy skin don't really notice it. after years of showering and washing face, skin degrades. on my damaged skin this is totally apparent and obvious. water is the biggest ingredient moisturizers consist of. that's why i dont buy it.
definitely check out the grain/acne. i was surprised because u see, i used to eat loads of rice and some oatmeal everyday and i always was getting acne. i accidentally discovered this when i started eating beans for breakfast and my acne died down a lot. beans as a supplement of rice cleared me up completely.
bottomline, i wouldn't recommend using the peel nor any moisturizer. i mean usually, women age much faster because they touch water much more than men, u know with all the makeup washing off, moisturizing, and showering. women in my old country look golden even when they're in their 50s and in some cases 60s, probably due to the lack of makeup and products available. and please note that all this information is in my opinion and probably none of them is tested or verified by any means.
Wow thanks for all the info Boogerman. But yea I'm washing with a cleanser but I just went camping with some friends for a few days and only rinsed with water and the dead skin is building up pretty quick. I'm going to try and let it build up for as long as I can handle it and then maybe remove a little part to see how the skin underneath is healing and then go from there, idk though I'm thinking about removing it in about a week and if it needs more time I'll keep letting it build but right now it looks bad and looks like my skin has dirt on it so idk how much longer I can keep it on for. Also do you have any other links like those? Thanks
Gonna be honest, I did not read through 47 pages of replies, but got to like page 3. Very interesting. I noticed many people mentioned being sensitive to just water. I kind of wonder something - maybe it's not your skin, maybe it's the water? I mean water is a natural thing for the most part until humans get their hands on it, they pump it full of chemicals like softeners, chlorinate it ... etc. I noticed when I moved states a year and a half a go that my hair got way more brittle where I live now than before - it HAS to be the water, I used to have crazy soft hair and now its way more akin to straw. I wonder how your skin would react if you used distilled water or something like Fiji or Voss or one of those highly purified waters to wash your face. Has anyone tried? They are mostly free of any minerals or salts that could strip moisture, as far as I know ...
Well Jmaaan, I don't know about you, but I look like a freak right now. Even my near blind parents notice the abomination that is my face.
As far as washing goes, I absolutely CANNOT let water touch my face now, because it is red and painful. Hell, I can barely eat today due to the pain and itchiness. However, I think it is supposed to happen. The whole point is to not disrupt anything and let the skin do its work, hence no washing, no touching and stuff.
And absolutely here are all the links in my current favorites. And it's really a shame I didn't save the links from the past year. I think I had like 4 to 5 links. Those were the ones convinced me to do this "do nothing" regimen initially. Google is your friend if you want even more. Hell, I might even try to go look for the ones from the past when I have time.
http://www.skincaretalk.com/basic-skin-car...rated-skin.html
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Natural-R...50#entry2498550
http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1557788
I hope this helps.
Well Jmaaan, I don't know about you, but I look like a freak right now. Even my near blind parents notice the abomination that is my face.
As far as washing goes, I absolutely CANNOT let water touch my face now, because it is red and painful. Hell, I can barely eat today due to the pain and itchiness. However, I think it is supposed to happen. The whole point is to not disrupt anything and let the skin do its work, hence no washing, no touching and stuff.
And absolutely here are all the links in my current favorites. And it's really a shame I didn't save the links from the past year. I think I had like 4 to 5 links. Those were the ones convinced me to do this "do nothing" regimen initially. Google is your friend if you want even more. Hell, I might even try to go look for the ones from the past when I have time.
http://www.skincaretalk.com/basic-skin-car...rated-skin.html
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Natural-R...50#entry2498550
http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1557788
I hope this helps.
Thanks for the links and yea could you look for the other links too whenever you have time? Anyways started this on the 10th of july but this is not my first time trying, it is my third but this time I wanna keep the dead skin on for as long as I can. It looks sooo bad though Idk how much longer I can do this. It itches, flakes horribly and just looks like dry patches all over my face. And I hate waking up in the morning and it flakes because I roll around in my sleep so in the morning the skin on someparts is like barely hanging on so I have to remove it. The skin underneath does look a little better but I can tell this is going to take a loong time and I'm scared cause when school starts Idk if I'll be able to keep the dead skin on and let it build
I've been thinking about it a lot and I've realized that it's going to take a little while for the skin to fully heal, not just a few months. I removed a little off of my nose and it looked pretty normal, no more little bumps, so i'm guessing in a month or so it should be somewhat healed. I can't leave it on my skin when school starts cause it's a new year, I don't want to be questioned again you know? so by the end of summer it's off my face until next summer I guess. I also realized that light pink cheeks and forehead is 10x better than having acne, so I'll learn to deal with it. It's a lot more noticable to us because we know it's there. A lot of people with fair skin have red/pinkish cheeks and they don't seem bothered by it. I've been so self conscious that I barely went out this summer and it's pissing me off that I'm letting this control my life.
Yes, I would definitely look for the old links when I have time. And what a coincidence, you started on the same day as I did.
Anyways, I've developed really thick dead skin flakes when I started. They started to fall off after a week and a half. I don't know how to describe it really, as I'm not American. But it's like a much thinner dead skin mask is let behind when the "thick" dead skin falls off.
Try to sleep facing upward, and I know it's hard. It helps I think. Day by day, appearance wise, I'm looking better and better so please be patient. And I can totally understand about the pressure of school. I faced the same humiliation since the last time I did this was during school in February 2009.
I assume you are starting school in September. There is still time, the dead skin development calms down drastically after the burst during the first two weeks. The "thin dead skin" I said looks just like normal skin even up close and becomes apparent when the "thick dead skin" falls off. Oil is visibly unnoticeable since it is trapped between the "thin dead skin" and the actual skin.
I'm not going to lie here. Yes, it is going to take a long time. Yes, it is miserable and I feel it too. I also have school coming up in October. College. The thing is if I had stuck with this last year, I would be out playing basketball with my buddies right now. I'm just glad at least I started this on 10th of July 2010 instead of new year.
I feel you man. It's controlling my life too. I have yet to go out one time this summer. That's why I emphasize so much on getting this done once and for all.
I've been thinking about it a lot and I've realized that it's going to take a little while for the skin to fully heal, not just a few months. I removed a little off of my nose and it looked pretty normal, no more little bumps, so i'm guessing in a month or so it should be somewhat healed. I can't leave it on my skin when school starts cause it's a new year, I don't want to be questioned again you know? so by the end of summer it's off my face until next summer I guess. I also realized that light pink cheeks and forehead is 10x better than having acne, so I'll learn to deal with it. It's a lot more noticable to us because we know it's there. A lot of people with fair skin have red/pinkish cheeks and they don't seem bothered by it. I've been so self conscious that I barely went out this summer and it's pissing me off that I'm letting this control my life.
Yea I feel the same way like my skin is damaged to the point where a month of not washing will be beneficial but not cured for good. I think it will take months of me not washing and healing for me to fully be cleared but when I do I will never doubt myself again have the most confidence ever, I swear. But yea I start school in early August so it sucks and I really have no idea how I'm going to keep up this regimen when school starts. And also I don't have acne at all just lots of dead skin and redness, no pimples or anything so that's part of the reason why this is so frustrating. The only way I can describe my skin is just damaged.
@jmaaanYes, I would definitely look for the old links when I have time. And what a coincidence, you started on the same day as I did.
Anyways, I've developed really thick dead skin flakes when I started. They started to fall off after a week and a half. I don't know how to describe it really, as I'm not American. But it's like a much thinner dead skin mask is let behind when the "thick" dead skin falls off.
Try to sleep facing upward, and I know it's hard. It helps I think. Day by day, appearance wise, I'm looking better and better so please be patient. And I can totally understand about the pressure of school. I faced the same humiliation since the last time I did this was during school in February 2009.
I assume you are starting school in September. There is still time, the dead skin development calms down drastically after the burst during the first two weeks. The "thin dead skin" I said looks just like normal skin even up close and becomes apparent when the "thick dead skin" falls off. Oil is visibly unnoticeable since it is trapped between the "thin dead skin" and the actual skin.
I'm not going to lie here. Yes, it is going to take a long time. Yes, it is miserable and I feel it too. I also have school coming up in October. College. The thing is if I had stuck with this last year, I would be out playing basketball with my buddies right now. I'm just glad at least I started this on 10th of July 2010 instead of new year.
Thanks, please post those links when you find them. And I've never experienced this "thin dead skin" so I hope it comes in the near future cause right now my face looks pretty bad.
Hey ladies and gents
I am a female who has not washed her face in three weeks! I have worn Bare Minerals make up a couple of times, some mascara and then at the end of the night I take it off with some jojoba oil or I rinse it off....
Although I am breaking out, they're itty bitty pustules and I do have a ton of blackheads on my nose but I'm ok with that, plus the amount of blackheads has decreased. Also, I'm not too paranoid about water hitting my face, when I shower I just let it hit my face as long as it's not scalding hot water but other than that my face doesn't get any other washing. I love this non-regimen, it's so freaking liberating,
ANYWAYS, I've had acne since I was 13 but it was always pretty light....then sometime about two to three years ago, I was using a really harsh scrub and moisturizer on my face and broke out terribly, it was so bad, I went to a dermatologist who gave me some anti-biotics and I completely free of acne! Then I realized they were terrible for you
and stopped taking them and did just BP which I realized was ALSO evil to your skin
and weaned off of BP and just did a mild cleanser and moisturizer got a few cysts here and there then I then went on a camping trip and decided to set myself free and have been for three weeks now hahahaha.
I find it helps not to look in the mirror and just not give a rat's a** about how your face looks....
Also, why is everyone so paranoid about sweat? What, in it's chemical component would make you break out?
Good luck to all!
This is such an awesome thread! I'm glad to see people having success by not washing their faces.
As for me, I never had acne through my pre-teen and early teenage years (I guess I was more of a tom boy), but when I got to be like 15 or 16 I started buying into traditional beauty ideals... I started wearing make-up, washing my face, and using moisturizer. I didn't break out suddenly, but since then my acne has gotten worse and worse.
Dan's regimen cleared me up for a long time (also made my skin dry and red), but a couple of months ago it stopped working. After quitting the regimen my skin went back to being oily (it had always been oily before the regimen). I went to a skin specialist who recommended microdermabrasion and laser treatment, so I tried both. None of it helped at all, so I decided to see what would happen if I just let my skin do it's own thing. I had nothing to lose.
I didn't use anything on my skin for a month maybe (no soap, make-up, moisturizer, etc.) Now I've started occasionally soaking my face in sea salt or gently scrubbing my face with it. I only get it wet in the shower about once a week, and never worry about wiping or rinsing off sweat. My actual acne situation hasn't changed much; however, I've noticed that my skin's moisture/oil levels seem to have normalized. No more super-oily skin around my forehead and nose! Also, I have less whiteheads and clogged pores around my nose.
Anyway, I'm hoping with continued exercise, healthy eating, regular sun, and leaving my face alone, my body will heal my face. I am leaving for college soon though, so it's hard to have that kind of patience :S
That's really awesome! When you shower, how wet would you say your face gets? I'm not sure if I should stop putting my face under the water for a while, or just let whatever amount of water that dribbles down from my scalp and from the shower head run over my face. I've noticed that my cheeks are still a bit tight, as is my forehead (which is also insanely shiny), so perhaps limiting my water exposure for a while will help.
Have you experienced any flaking? I've been doing this for a week or so, although again not strict, and noticed some mild flaking, but nothing too severe. I also only really have new pustules and blackheads. The pustules I am getting, as long as I don't touch them, seem to dry out pretty quickly, but then leave a hard scab, which I'm not sure if I should leave alone and let fall off. Since I actually have quite a few on my chin, it is causing some embarrassment, but I do think it's improving, especially in terms of redness!
As for sweat, I'm not sure why it's a subject causing people to be paranoid about it and breakouts - my only real concern is whether leaving the sweat on my face will cause prolonged irritation and dryness due to its natural salt content, and salt is comedogenic (supposedly). There have been a few instances where I've been to the gym and had sweat drip into my mouth, but it didn't taste salty at all, so perhaps a lack of over-cleansing and drinking more water helps make it less salty haha.
Do you have any pictures that you could post up of your progress so far?
I'm not sure how to answer how wet my face gets.....but I should note that it doesn't get wet unless I wash my hair...OH, and might I add that I try not to get shampoo on my face...I dunno, I let the water hit my face full blast when I rinse my my hair.....
I've experienced flaking but only on areas where old pimples are healing.
I wouldn't touch those pustules, the reason being is that I have tan skin and whenever I pick those little frakkers I get hyperpigmentation 
I can tell you have fair skin, so that might not be a problem for you, but I am saying that if it's leaving scars behind it, it can't be too great for you to pick em.
I dunno, I wouldn't worry too much about perspiration though, I think the point of this "experiment" to go au naturel and sweating is a regular skin function, if anything, I would think it'd help....I read somewhere that sweat is actually good because it helps your skin build an acid mantle to reach a certain pH...
Pictures....I will work on that...
As for me, I never had acne through my pre-teen and early teenage years (I guess I was more of a tom boy), but when I got to be like 15 or 16 I started buying into traditional beauty ideals... I started wearing make-up, washing my face, and using moisturizer. I didn't break out suddenly, but since then my acne has gotten worse and worse.
I didn't use anything on my skin for a month maybe (no soap, make-up, moisturizer, etc.) Now I've started occasionally soaking my face in sea salt or gently scrubbing my face with it. I only get it wet in the shower about once a week, and never worry about wiping or rinsing off sweat. My actual acne situation hasn't changed much; however, I've noticed that my skin's moisture/oil levels seem to have normalized. No more super-oily skin around my forehead and nose! Also, I have less whiteheads and clogged pores around my nose.
Anyway, I'm hoping with continued exercise, healthy eating, regular sun, and leaving my face alone, my body will heal my face. I am leaving for college soon though, so it's hard to have that kind of patience :S
I was like you as well, only I decided to wear makeup a few years earlier than you. I wish I hadn't decided to wear makeup, or at least not foundation, as my acne situation might not have been as it is today!
How long did it take for your moisture levels to balance out within that month? My face seems to be getting quite oily (although it's also very hot, so it could be sweat in there too), and when I look in the mirror I'll sometimes see little hairs stuck to my face
Do you only shower once a week then, or are you showering often but just avoiding getting your face wet? I seem to be getting more blackheads, but I don't think I really have any new clogged pores or anything.
I'm starting university in the fall myself, and I'm also going off of my birth control pills (which have never really aided my skin), so I know how you feel. Not looking forward to meeting new people with lots of acne!
Yessss, I read your original post, and it seems like we are in very similar situations. It didn't take long at all for my moisture levels to balance out. It's like as soon as I quit with the products my face wanted to normalize. I didn't keep a log, but if I were guessing, I would say it took about 2 weeks. It's hot here too, I work out, and I sun bathe, so I sweat a lot, but it doesn't seem to make my face oilier. I probably shower about once a week (I get my face wet but don't wash it). Yeah I know that makes me sound like a really gross person, but honestly I've been eating a really healthy diet and trying to live healthier and somehow I just stink less. Also, my hair is short, so I don't need to wash it too often. I haven't been consciously avoiding getting my face wet. As I said, I've been doing sea salt soaks. But if that doesn't start to help, I'm going to try avoiding water completely instead. I don't quite understand about the little hairs on your face though? I have hairs on my face but only the ones that are like growing there...
Hah, the thought of going to college with my face looking like this is thrilling. At lease I know I'll be making friends with people who aren't shallow! lol