Acne.org Products
Well actually I stopped using products months ago. I was just using water twice a day and maybe a light cleanser once a week for weeks before I started not washing at all.
Then this should work beautifully for you! I've heard shaving is similar to microdermabrasion. You may not even need to exfoliate with a washcloth.
Well actually I stopped using products months ago. I was just using water twice a day and maybe a light cleanser once a week for weeks before I started not washing at all.
Then this should work beautifully for you! I've heard shaving is similar to microdermabrasion. You may not even need to exfoliate with a washcloth.
I'm not familiar with the term microdermabrasion? Is it basically exfoliating? How do you do it? What is your regiment greengurl?
Hey there, I know the exact feeling, infact most people here do.
I know everyone is avising different things. My personal advise is to:
1) Take cooler showers to avoid aggravating your skin.
2) Use cool water to gently cleanse face, you dont need to keep over-loading it with products, most likely making it worse.
3) Depending on severity, yours sounds quite bad, I would go back to your DT's and get them to seriously help you, instead of sending you on your way with a different product everytime, as that is clearly not helping you.
I have never sufffered with major acne, so i probably don't know what your condition is like, but i am a sufferer too, so I will help you if you need any other advise.
Good luck to you, and please let me know how you get on.
Luka.
DAY 4
It is very strange to me that my skin gets dry and flaky after not washing it. I would have thought that it would be the opposite, becoming very oily. Or maybe this just happens to people like me who have stripped away their acidic mantle using harsh products over many years. I imaging once your acidic mantle comes back it will serve as a natural lubricant, as well has a protective barrier.
The acne that I had when I first started this 4 days ago is healing very quickly. I have had one small zit pop up last night but it was gone by mid morning. I'm seeing that my skin repairs itself very quickly when I just leave it alone.
Well actually I stopped using products months ago. I was just using water twice a day and maybe a light cleanser once a week for weeks before I started not washing at all.
Then this should work beautifully for you! I've heard shaving is similar to microdermabrasion. You may not even need to exfoliate with a washcloth.
I'm not familiar with the term microdermabrasion? Is it basically exfoliating? How do you do it? What is your regiment greengurl?
Basically. I think you either buy a microdermabrasion kit or go to your dermatologist.
It's funny because I came on acne.org thinking I'd find some miracle regimen that didn't involve BP (My skin hates it) but I read up on the water only/caveman regimen and thought "What the heck! I'll do it"
I don't really have a regimen. I scrub with a washcloth when I feel like it and rinse with water fairly regularly but I don't use face wash or anything. 
DAY 5
I woke up today and my skin was very dry and flaky, I couldn't go into work looking like that...soooo I cheated. I used just a dab of a light face moisturizer and it helped a lot.
My skin is starting to heal pretty well. I have had one zit show up over night on my right cheek, but the over all skin tone on my face is starting even out and all my old acne has nearly disappeared.
I hope the moisturizer doesn't have a negative affect on this experiment.
DAY 6
If this has taught me anything it's that you don't need to use ANY products on your face, in fact it does more harm then good (at least for me). This is very liberating. This is the first time I haven't worried about taking care of my skin since I was 17.
I worked out last night, and then I did get my face wet with cool water in the shower. Today my skin was a little dry, but looks pretty good.
My dead skin mask actually hurt a lot. It was tight underneath all the oil, and super bumpy. NOT attractive haha. But it made my scars look less noticeable for a while.
That's how my skin felt before I rinsed it last night. It felt really weird even to do simple things like opening my mouth.
DAY 8
Well it doesn't appear to be getting any worse. My lips get very chapped. I've had an extremely stressful day, so if I don't have a breakout after today then I'm going to ride this out for the long run, because even if it doesn't get any better, it hasn't gotten any worse, so why would I worry about washing my face so much.
Hey yall! I haven't posted for while now.
Well i just decided to come back here to keep you guys updated on how my skin's doing.
(iy try not to come back to this website too often because it gets me thinking about my skin, which is not good for my self esteem 
)
okay so,i started on the 21st of october. so its been... 16 days.
I'll sum up what's happened i the past weeks
First 3-4 Days
zomgawwwdd this regimen is tha bomb. my skin is glowing and my scars are very light. im so continuing this caveman regimen
Days 5-7
worst breakout EVER. i had this cluster of whiteheads on the left side of my chin. it was TERRIBLE. ( about 5 whiteheads in a cluster ! D: it was hard to resist picking at them). I almost gave up then..Dead skin everywhere. TERRIBLEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. But i decided to stick to it, because i weighed the outcomes. i'd rather have imperfect and healthy skin rather than perfect but damaged skin.
Days 8-12
Major decrease in oil production. hmm.. no MAJOR improvements. the thing ive realised with this regimen is that, when i was on BP, i mostly broke out(large cysts) on my cheeks, . now that ive stopped that, ive started breaking out in new areas like my chin (whiteheads)... i never used to get breakouts on my chin whne i was on BP. meh. must be hormones 
Days 12-15
I like the fact that now my face is kinda matte now, and doesnt sheen under the light . Ive definitely seen decrease in oil
A cluster of whiteheads above the left side of my lip hope that clears up soon..
Day 16 (today)
The whiteheads have dissappeared however theyve turned red now ==i guess that means its healing..? oh well. So yeah.. my goal is to stick to this regimen until CHRISTMAS! if i dont see improvements by then, im sadly going back to BP 
some things i noticed
- my lips were very oily which is strange xD i used to have really dry, chapped lips
- face is less oily (less oil)
- the dead skin will most likely come back if you scratch or rub it off. leave it be, and it will come off eventually.
Currently, i only have dead skin around my nose, and on the centres of my cheeks. the rest has fallen off by itself, apart from my neck and near my ears which i scratched off. ( i couldnt resists )
O:
so THATS WHY MY EYES HAVE BEEN STINGING SO MUCH LATELY.
i've been trying to figure out, but i never thought that the caveman regiment would be the reason! now that i think of it, the approximate time at around when my eyes started hurting was around when i started this regimen! 
Frangi: I wanted to let you know that I'm toning down my routine even more, and just rinsing in the AM and then using yogurt to cleanse and exfoliate in the PM. No actual products, though. I'll try using Vaseline in a few weeks on blemishes to help protect them from drying out and allow them to heal, but for now I'll leave them be.
I hope your skin is doing good
How exactly do you apply the Vaseline? Would it work for red marks?
Lol I know! I think I spent a week reading this and a few other really long no-washing threads. Was like a drug for me.
HAHA yes being on this forum is so addicting! I sit in front of a computer all day for my job so it's all too easy to get on these forums at any time.
I get so excited to log in every time that it's like I'm a kid in a candy store. 
I don't think it will be hard to wash off. I think your skin should absorb the mineral oil.
I'm using Vaseline and mineral oil and petroleum jelly are essentially the same thing right? I just rinse in the morning with warm water to get rid of the excess Vaseline and it works just fine. I only use the Vaseline at night though, after rinsing.
DAY 18
This was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. PEOPLE LEAVE YOUR FACE ALONE. Your skin was made to heal itself. I have pretty much stopped breaking out all together, and my acne was bad before. I still get a one every now and then but its getting better every day. The best part about this is YOU CAN GO ON WITH YOUR LIVES AND STOP WORRYING ABOUT ACNE.
Get sleep, don't eat like shit, don't stress, and don't fuck with your face! If you feel like you are dirty rinse (let the water do the work, DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE) it off with COOL water. I rinse my face off maybe once at night every other day. No products, no nothing. It's pretty liberating.
This forum is addicting! Waterwater's theory kinda makes sense, I've noticed my affected areas (cheeks) are the places I overwash and I sometimes scrub the crap outta my face. The blemishes/scars take forever to heal and the thought of letting it be, to heal on it's own accord makes complete sense. I have a friend who has gorgeous glowing skin and she only ever washes her face with water.
So I thought why not give this a shot...
I'm on day 2 with this NOT WASHING MY FACE FOR A MONTH trial and I feel oily underneath yet my face is dry and my skin is flaky. Hopefully it'll heal itself naturally.
My face isn't as red and my skin tone looks even than it's been for a LONG time!
But I'll have to admit I do cheat abit with washing my face in the morning with just cold water and that's it for the day. I'm keeping myself well hydrated with plenty of water also.
I'm feeling pretty good about this.
Good Luck to myself and everyone!
DAY 19
Things have been going great however, I have been getting small white heads around my lips and mouth. I have one on my lip right now that is swollen, probably from me picking at it.
This was never a problem area for me, I'm wondering why it is now that I am not washing with soap or using products. I figure it is due to the oils on the food that I eat that are not washed off without soap. Also I've heard that toothpaste with fluoride can irritate some people's skin.
Has anyone else had this problem? Thanks
This forum is addicting! Waterwater's theory kinda makes sense, I've noticed my affected areas (cheeks) are the places I overwash and I sometimes scrub the crap outta my face. The blemishes/scars take forever to heal and the thought of letting it be, to heal on it's own accord makes complete sense.
Hmmm..... My cheeks are the same. After I read this, I wondered I should drop the Vaseline.
I think I'll keep it for the winter flakes, but I really don't want to mess my face up because I'm almost 100% clear! I still can't believe NOT washing my face would solve my products.