Acne.org Products
I'm not sure what to do. I'm cutting back on sugar and dairy, get moderate sleep and have as little stress as I can, but I still get pimples even at the age of 20, and every single one forms an ice-pick scar, whether I pick at them or not. I can't stand it anymore, my face looks like a dozen needles poked all over it, or that it got attacked by a beehive. It's driving me crazy, and I can't imagine what other people see when they look at it if what I see is absolutely depressing.
A while ago I read that some $3-5 product from Target or Walgreen's that has Aloe or something can tremendously heal hyperpigmentation and redness but I forget what it was called, and I can't seem to find it in the forums now. If anyone knows, or knows of products that can take away redness easily around that price and location convenience, please tell me.
As for my scarring, please tell me if what I have is bad on a scale of 1-10, and be honest. Tell me if I have damaged pores, open pores or actual ice-pick scars, because I'm pretty sure they are but I could be assuming the worst. It's depressing.
It's gotten to the point where I don't know if I should pick at my skin or not, because I feel like the cystic bumps and regular pimples just build up if I don't get the gunk out and maybe they'd be worse as scars even more so than they end up being if I were to just let them keep on. There was a point where I just left them alone with the Acne,org regiment and they just didn't go away for weeks until I finally popped the damn things which kept getting bigger.
I can't afford a dermatoligist, which means no surgery and no peels, so keep that in mind before suggesting everything.
Here's some pictures and a picture of what I use on my face.
from those pics, i can see a little bit of scarring, but to be honest you can't really tell if you have scars or not because your pimples are still there..oratleast the redness is ..i cant tell how bad your scarring is until your redness goes away. i can only see a few scars right now in those pics. your acne isnt that bad, it seems like most of your acne is in the phase of going away..i dont see any white tips or anything. your acne isnt that great either, i mean, if 1 i perfect clear skin and 10 is atrocious your probably at a 5 or 6/10. for me, oh and most importantly, ditch ALL those products you are using. i used to be one of those people using those products and it just make my skin worse. they have harmful chemicals in them. if you cant afford a dermatologist use olay facial wash if anything.
On 3/28/2016 at 4:01 AM, blahblah82 said:You need to get on Accutane. If your acne is scarring regardless of whether you are picking at them or not, then it's serious enough for Accutane.
No, the consequences for Accutane what with balding and erectile dysfunction...I'll pass.
On 3/29/2016 at 3:05 AM, ScarFace6556 said:from those pics, i can see a little bit of scarring, but to be honest you can't really tell if you have scars or not because your pimples are still there..oratleast the redness is ..i cant tell how bad your scarring is until your redness goes away. i can only see a few scars right now in those pics. your acne isnt that bad, it seems like most of your acne is in the phase of going away..i dont see any white tips or anything. your acne isnt that great either, i mean, if 1 i perfect clear skin and 10 is atrocious your probably at a 5 or 6/10. for me, oh and most importantly, ditch ALL those products you are using. i used to be one of those people using those products and it just make my skin worse. they have harmful chemicals in them. if you cant afford a dermatologist use olay facial wash if anything.
I just want the redness and the hyperpigmentation to go away. I do get about 2-3 new pimples each week though. Why Olay facial wash? And what harmful chemicals?
On 4/1/2016 at 0:59 PM, ScarFace6556 said:2-3 pimples a week is nothing especially if their minor. you dont gave to use olay just ditch the ones ur using
And do what instead?
On 4/1/2016 at 1:01 PM, Binga said:Go to a derm and get on accutane asap. Your acne is quite serious
Quite serious? I don't have money to afford that.
Instead of wasting money on all the over the counter acne medications (in my experience aren't effective) I would at least switch to topical retinoids. If you're in the U.S. you can get legit topical retinoids that a derm would prescribe from alldaychemist for cheap. Ex. Retin-a micro/cream/gel, Tazorac cream/gel, Differin gel.
http://www.alldaychemist.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=tretinoin
http://www.alldaychemist.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=tazarotene
http://www.alldaychemist.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=adapalene
You can also make your own vitamin C topical to help lighten. Just mixsomepure ascorbic acid with water. Use fresh and don't keep too long since it goes bad quickly. Retinoids at night and topical vitamin C during the day.
Your acne looks similar to mine when I was 20. I was also afraid of accutane side effects and decided to skip it. Instead, Epiduo has worked great for me. I never get any cysts, and only get the occasional pimple, which clears quickly. The texture of your skin still looks ok, so for now just dont pick at it, and try to save up for a derm visit. My Epiduo costs $35 and lasts 3 months. I also took doxyciline for a couple months to kill the bacteria, that was only like $10 a month.