Btw, I don't use moisturizer at the moment. I used clean and clear 'oil free', but it just seemed to clog my pores more - so I've been going without moisturizer for awhile!

Im sorry idk the exact cause of your issue, but i can tell you that clean and clear f**ked up my acne even more. My skin became red and raw. I used the salicylic face wash from them but now I don't trust anything they sell so good call on quitting their moisturizer. i currently use tretinoin which is available by prescription, and it is a miracle worker. Until then, for the crease of your nose i would try some bacitracin or any regular ointment. It can help to keep that area hydrated and keep those pimples from spreading. It is looking very sore and inflamed from that picture so personally i would go the antibiotic cream route before trying any kind of acne treatment, because thatmay make your skin angrier. If you're looking for a moisturizer, try CeraVe, or something similar that has non irritating ingredients. Also they don't look like cysts, it just looks like the common acne vulgaris because you have regular old whiteheads and a few breakouts. Good luck!!

56 minutes ago, Ugurl said:

Im sorry idk the exact cause of your issue, but i can tell you that clean and clear f**ked up my acne even more. My skin became red and raw. I used the salicylic face wash from them but now I don't trust anything they sell so good call on quitting their moisturizer. i currently use tretinoin which is available by prescription, and it is a miracle worker. Until then, for the crease of your nose i would try some bacitracin or any regular ointment. It can help to keep that area hydrated and keep those pimples from spreading. It is looking very sore and inflamed from that picture so personally i would go the antibiotic cream route before trying any kind of acne treatment, because thatmay make your skin angrier. If you're looking for a moisturizer, try CeraVe, or something similar that has non irritating ingredients. Also they don't look like cysts, it just looks like the common acne vulgaris because you have regular old whiteheads and a few breakouts. Good luck!!

Thanks so much Ugurl 🙂
This is what I'm using :

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (hot cloth cleanser)
Liz Earle exfoliator every couple of days (or should I use everyday?)
Instanatural spot treatment (not sure if this is available in the US)
Aztec Healing Clay once or twice a week

The liz earle stuff seems really gentle which is good. I'll definitely give that Cerave a try. Apparently the PM version is alot gentler than the normal one?

30 minutes ago, Shenn said:

Thanks so much Ugurl 🙂
This is what I'm using :

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (hot cloth cleanser)
Liz Earle exfoliator every couple of days (or should I use everyday?)
Instanatural spot treatment (not sure if this is available in the US)
Aztec Healing Clay once or twice a week

The liz earle stuff seems really gentle which is good. I'll definitely give that Cerave a try. Apparently the PM version is alot gentler than the normal one?

I'm not sure about the difference between the am and pm unfortunately, I've just heard really good things about their moisturizer for sensitive/dry skin types. And from what you've described, it feels to me that you might be over treating your skin. Exfoliating once to twice a week is fine, but when you have acne break outs, over exfoliation can just further irritate your skin. I would stick with the spot treatment, once/twice a week exfoliation to get rid of the dead skin cells, an antibacterial soap to wash your face with once a day (Cetaphil has one, but if you're happy with the cleanse and polish thats fine) and then CeraVe moisturizer at night to help your skin maintain its hydration through the night. The healing clay once a week is fine just make sure you don't over do the cleansers, exfoliating, and spot treatments. 

Your acne isn't bad honestly, it just looks a bit angry. That can come from over treatment. I'm by no means an acne expert, I've just had it for a couple years and went through stages of self treatment. I'm not familiar with your spot treatment either, but i'd check out it's ingredients to make sure it doesn't have anything that can inflame skin. Trying a little bit of aloe vera on the crease on your nose might help bring the redness/inflamation down a little bit

PS: Also not 100% sure you need to be using the spot treatment, as you don't seem to have dark marks on your skin, only a minor active breakout. It's totally manageable, take a deep breath, you can do it!!

4 hours ago, Ugurl said:

I'm not sure about the difference between the am and pm unfortunately, I've just heard really good things about their moisturizer for sensitive/dry skin types. And from what you've described, it feels to me that you might be over treating your skin. Exfoliating once to twice a week is fine, but when you have acne break outs, over exfoliation can just further irritate your skin. I would stick with the spot treatment, once/twice a week exfoliation to get rid of the dead skin cells, an antibacterial soap to wash your face with once a day (Cetaphil has one, but if you're happy with the cleanse and polish thats fine) and then CeraVe moisturizer at night to help your skin maintain its hydration through the night. The healing clay once a week is fine just make sure you don't over do the cleansers, exfoliating, and spot treatments. 

Your acne isn't bad honestly, it just looks a bit angry. That can come from over treatment. I'm by no means an acne expert, I've just had it for a couple years and went through stages of self treatment. I'm not familiar with your spot treatment either, but i'd check out it's ingredients to make sure it doesn't have anything that can inflame skin. Trying a little bit of aloe vera on the crease on your nose might help bring the redness/inflamation down a little bit

PS: Also not 100% sure you need to be using the spot treatment, as you don't seem to have dark marks on your skin, only a minor active breakout. It's totally manageable, take a deep breath, you can do it!!

 
Awesome, thanks very much! That's very helpful. Sorry, 2 more questions then i'll stop giving you these annoying notifications 
1) How come you don't exfoliate every day? 
2) If I use moisturizer at night, can I get away with not using it in the morning before the day? If so, can you recommend a daytime moisturizer that won't clog my pores up and will not make my face look shiny?

Thanks again!

2 hours ago, Shenn said:

 
Awesome, thanks very much! That's very helpful. Sorry, 2 more questions then i'll stop giving you these annoying notifications 
1) How come you don't exfoliate every day? 
2) If I use moisturizer at night, can I get away with not using it in the morning before the day? If so, can you recommend a daytime moisturizer that won't clog my pores up and will not make my face look shiny?

Thanks again!

1) I don't exfoliate every day because my skin has healing acne and recently healed scars on it so I don't want to resurface that skin too often. It can be a good idea to exfoliate once a week to ensure that you're not having a build up of dead skin cells or environmental guck, but unless you work in a coal mine, chances are you aren't coming into contact with that many harmful substances, and simply washing your face once a day can get rid of all of that anyway. I actually looked this up and most websites say, for normal/combination skin to exfoliate two to three times a week, and for sensitive skin cut it down to once a week. œOver-exfoliating pulls cells away that are not ready to be shed, which can trigger irritation and inflammation, and even worsen acne breakouts, How Often to exfoliate I think that's why your skin has become inflamed and red, just be a bit more sensitive towards it and it should improve.

2) CeraVe actually does disappear into your skin, so you shouldn't have a problem with it being greasy or leaving a film on your skin! Personally I wouldn't use moisturizer more than once a day. This is a great acne.org forum discussing lightweight moisturizers, they give some great recommendations:  http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/328565-recommendations-for-non-greasy-moisturizer-that-absorbs-well/

It's kind of hard to tell if your acne is cystic based off that photo. Answer these questions and I should be able to tell you.

Are your blemishes always painful to the touch?
Do they take a long time to go away?
Do you find your blemishes never or rarely come to a head?
 
I've attached an old picture of my old cystic acne if that helps you. 

3 hours ago, MonroeQT said:

It's kind of hard to tell if your acne is cystic based off that photo. Answer these questions and I should be able to tell you.

Are your blemishes painful to the touch?
Do they take a long time to go away?
Do you find your blemishes never or rarely come to a head?
 
I've attached an old picture of my old cystic acne if that helps you. 

 Thanks for the reply people!

Tbh no, I don't think it is cystic.
Basically the main reason they get inflamed, is because I wake up with a load of whiteheads on my nose - and after cleansing in the morning they come off and obviously get inflamed.
However, at the end of the day (it's 11pm here in the UK), I will have a load of new whiteheads that form just from waking up to the evening!!

So to cut a long story short :
1) I wake up with loads of whiteheads on my nose
2) After cleansing in the morning the whiteheads will be removed but instead will bleed for a bit and become red for an hour or so.
3) At the END of the day, before I cleanse/acne routine, a load more whiteheads will form (see attached photo).

It drives me NUTS. I know it's not severe acne by any means - but I eat incredibly clean, follow a good cleansing routine (I think), wash after the gym and drink so much water but I still always get them.

On 5/25/2016 at 5:22 AM, Shenn said:

Is there a reason for this, it's always red and painful right at the side of my nose.
Also, is the type of acne I have cystic?

Apart from a few minor spots elsewhere, it's only really my nose that has issues! So annoying.
Btw - those red spots on the top of my nose are from where whiteheads were but came off from cleansing/exfoliating. I wake up with 6-7 new whiteheads every morning 

Thanks!

Google Impetigo of Bockhart and see your doctor or dermatologist.

Best!

8 hours ago, Viseslav Tonkovic-Capin said:

Google Impetigo of Bockhart and see your doctor or dermatologist.

Best!

Thanks

Hi Shenn, 

I realise you posted this a while ago but we seem to have the same type of acne and I was wondering if you had found something that helped clear it? I have had this for about 4 or 5 years around the same area of the nose and can™t figure out how to get rid of it. I wash regularly, excercise and eat well (no gluten, dairy or eggs). 

Thanks,

Sam 

On 5/25/2016 at 11:22 AM, Shenn said:

Is there a reason for this, it's always red and painful right at the side of my nose.
Also, is the type of acne I have cystic?

Apart from a few minor spots elsewhere, it's only really my nose that has issues! So annoying.
Btw - those red spots on the top of my nose are from where whiteheads were but came off from cleansing/exfoliating. I wake up with 6-7 new whiteheads every morning 

Thanks!

Hi Shenn, 

I realise you posted this a while ago but we seem to have the same type of acne and I was wondering if you had found something that helped clear it? I have had this for about 4 or 5 years around the same area of the nose and can™t figure out how to get rid of it. I wash regularly, excercise and eat well (no gluten, dairy or eggs). 

Thanks,

Sam 

On 5/27/2016 at 8:44 AM, Viseslav Tonkovic-Capin said:

Google Impetigo of Bockhart and see your doctor or dermatologist.

Best!

I agree with this, go see it to your dermatologist.

hi did u have a solution for this by chance? i constantly am getting whiteheads on my nose just like you are untop of the nose not really the side but i am constantly getting that acne on the sides of my nose and it's always cut like and sometimes i may get some on the side of my face...i have a tiny bit of acne scarring but the nose is the main issue and around the nose on the side