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What Am I Doing Wrong?

MemberMember
1
(@imaginewharf)

Posted : 07/30/2015 12:32 am

I am so desperate to have clear, nice skin.

I've been dealing with acne and other skin issues for the past 4 years. I'm 15 and I have tried almost everything, but I've never been able to have clear skin. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong and I really hope someone can point out what I'm doing wrong.

  • Acne: I have tons of little red dots all across my face, but mostly on my chin (chin is my biggest problem area) and right cheek. I also have some in between/above my eyebrows, but it really is everywhere on my face. I have bigger bumps on my shoulders/neck area. I would consider it mild-moderate, I don't have anything that serious and it's probably pretty average for my age but it really bothers me.
  • Skin type: I'm not really sure, my skin always feels really tight and dry if I don't use moisturizer, so I always use a bit, but then my face is always VERY shiny/oily looking all day. I don't know if it's oily without moisturizer, as I'm too scared to see what happens if I don't use moisturizer.
  • My skin is always really red looking, doesn't match the color of the rest of my skin.
  • My pores are quite large and my face just always looks dirty.
  • I've been to the dermatologist and I am currently taking two minocycline pills a day, once in the morning and once at night. I was also given Clindagel (clindamycin phosphate topical gel, 1% clindamycin) which I put on in the morning, and at night I use a pea sized amount of Epiduo (0.1% adapalene and 2.5% benzoyl peroxide) that I mix in with moisturizer. All of these were given to me by my dermatologist.
  • I use Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for all skin types twice a day, once in the shower in the morning and once at night. After I shower in the morning, I put on Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion, and then use the Clindagel. At night, I wash my face with the cleanser and add the Epiduo with moisturizer.
  • I use St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Cleanser as an exfoliant about twice a week. Not really sure about this product?
  • I limit my intake of dairy, though I'm not sure if it's affect on acne is a myth or not.
  • I exercise (run) 2-3 times a week in the morning and then shower afterwards.
  • I wash my face with the Cetaphil before I shave in the shower.
  • I take somewhat hot showers and they end up being longer sometimes.
  • I usually get around 8 hours of sleep, but I stay up/wake up later.
  • I have an anxiety disorder and always feel at least somewhat stressed.
  • I drink tea usually once a day, switching between spearmint/peppermint herbal tea, green tea, and chamomile. I just recently started drinking the Yogi detox tea once a day as well.

In short, my skin has lots of little red acne spots all over, especially on my chin, its really shiny looking, red, and big pores, and I use medication given to me by my dermatologist.

Please tell me if you can identify what I might be doing wrong or things I should start/stop doing and if there's any other information I could give to help point out what I'm doing wrong because this honestly affects my self esteem so much. I constantly feel anxious that people are looking at my skin and never feel comfortable going out because I hate it so much.

Thanks!

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MemberMember
1
(@imaginewharf)

Posted : 07/30/2015 12:48 am

Sorry this is so long, I've tried out different things for the past two years and can't ever figure out what it is I'm doing wrong so I just tried to list everything I thought might have an impact. Also a few things I forgot:

My skin's a little flakey, especially around my chin/cheeks

I rarely go in the sun and never use sunscreen

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