Acne.org Products
Hello lovely people of acne.org! I've been thinking of joining your forum for many months.
For starters, my name is Elle and I'm 20 years old. My acne is not that severe, but it really does truly bother me.
I was on Retin-A for aprox 3 months from June, July, and Aug of 2012, 0.025%. It did help. But at a big cost, in my opinion. It made my skin red and raw and peel all the bloody time. I also found it made my acne marks fade faster - but, I noticed my skin was pitting! I'd get small little pits where whiteheads used to be. Not usual for me at all! I think I was overusing it, though.
Overall, my biggest issues can be summarized like this:
I used to have a compulsive skin picking disorder for about 6 years. AKA, I used to destroy my skin with my fingers/Q-tips, etc. Thank god I was so young when that happened (aprox from when I was 12-18 yrs) because my skin really healed well.
Now I still have some residual scarring, and I occasionally get whiteheads that are sort of big and get filled with pus. It's annoying. 
Currently, I am using a Benzoyl Peroxide 5% wash in the mornings with a 0.5% salicylic acid cream in the morning, and Bio-Oil at night (it does not break me out at all and I think it has some benefits personally).
I want to treat the scarring and new pimples. I am so frustrated. I know when I get my period, the hormones screw up big time and I break out. But just today, mid cycle, I have a few new pimples.
Could foundation cause me to break out? I use a water-based, pretty mild coverage foundation + a heavy concealer...
Also, could sugar do it too? I am thin and active but Jesus, do I have a sweet tooth!
Can anyone provide any advice? Support? I'd love anything you guys know!!
I'd advise you to go to the Nutrition board and see if you fit one of the treatments that have already worked for some; anything else you do will only treat your acne topically, but not its root causes. In my opinion, the gut flora/leaky gut thing seems the most promising, but you have to judge it for yourself if it fits you.
I feel you so much... My acne is not that severe either but the pits and the shallow scars each of my pimples leave on my face is something I cannot bear at all! Plus, I am 30 and my skin does NOT heal as it used to when I was younger. Awful, awful situation, I know...
I personally find beneficial the fact that I have stopped having sugar since last January (well, very rarely I WILL eat something sweet but that's the exception and NOT the rule). Even though, in any case, quitting sugar didn't clear me up, yet I think it helped somehow... Also, I limited dairy from my diet as well and this helped a little as well. Well, it didn't clear me up either but when I eat dairy more than just a little bit and more often than a couple of days in a row I usually break out in cysts the following days...
Sadly, this is all the advice I can offer (as long as with ''STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE NOW'', hehe) but in case you need any support, I will gladly help!
Be well!
