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Hi everyone,
I am in need of help! I think that approximately every pore on my forehead is clogged, and it has been this way since the beginning of the school year. (I think it might be stress-related.)
Up until now, I had had almost perfectly clear skin with the occasional small zit, until seemingly all of a sudden my entire forehead was covered with small bumps- most of them are not whiteheads or blackheads, they are just bumps. (They do pop, kind of, however. I have heard it referred to as "silly string," which seems like an accurate description).
I've tried so many different products over the past 5 months, and it hasn't changed much one way or the other.
Initially, I was only washing my face once a day and then using spot treatment all over my t-zone. Once I started breaking out more, I went to an esthetician, who really didn't do much, and sold me a natural face wash that I used for about two weeks, which did nothing. At this point I started washing my face twice a day.
Then I went back to my original face wash, with a new spot treatment from my dermatologist: Clindamycin Benzoyl Peroxide gel. This cleared up the red acne but did nothing for my clogged pores. I tried using a scrub from the health food store for a few weeks, then went back to my original face wash...clogged pores were still there. I began using Oxy Salicylic Acid face wash for a while, and saw my dermatologist again who put me on differin at night and the clindamycin during the day. I was still using the oxy face wash. I stuck with this for two months, but saw absolutely no change and my skin was burning and dry from it, so I stopped and went back to the routine that I had used all last year. (my original face wash and spot treatment). I still have not seen a change in the past few weeks, and I don't know what to do!
Does anyone who has gone through the same thing have a "holy grail" product suggestion?
If you have the same issue as me, please reply!
I just don't know what to do next and my skin is causing so many confidence problems for me.
Thank you!
Although it seems counter-intuitive, trying only washing with water; it's one of the few things that has ever made a big difference to my skin. I'm not really sure why it helps but I find my skin becomes less oily & much smoother. Since you say you've tried tons of products, it might be worth a try!
Topical antibiotics won't do much for your kind of acne since it sounds non-inflammatory & if you find that benzoyl peroxide also doesn't work, maybe ask your derm for a more powerful retinoid (Tazorac or Retin-A). They are like Differin but actually do something, but they are pretty harsh to the skin so need to be used sparingly.
Although it seems counter-intuitive, trying only washing with water; it's one of the few things that has ever made a big difference to my skin. I'm not really sure why it helps but I find my skin becomes less oily & much smoother. Since you say you've tried tons of products, it might be worth a try!
Topical antibiotics won't do much for your kind of acne since it sounds non-inflammatory & if you find that benzoyl peroxide also doesn't work, maybe ask your derm for a more powerful retinoid (Tazorac or Retin-A). They are like Differin but actually do something, but they are pretty harsh to the skin so need to be used sparingly.
Thanks for the tip- I've heard that using only water works but was always kind of scared of it. Do you wash with water once a day, and do you just use tap water?
