Acne.org Products
hi! im a 17 year old girl with oily/combination skin + enlarged pores. ive had moderate acne for almost 3 years now and ive never had a routine. for past year ive struggled with these little bumps all over my face, from my 
cheeks to nose to forehead, but they dont seem to be acne though? it looks to me like tiny clusters of dead skin. please help identify? 🙂
Looks a lot like comedonal acne. I would try some topical treatments before going to derm and getting prescribed something orally bc those can have side effects. Ive had this problem on my body for a while, never really my face. However, as a guy through puberty i had a lot of clogged pores on my jawline. Ive used a whole bunch of stuff, but here are some of my tips:
AHAS AND BHAS:
- idk much about these but ik theyre really good at exfoliating and clearing pores. I use salicylic acid everyday. Look into these and give some products a try
-dont touch your face with your hands ever ever ever, hands are way too oily and this wont help
- use a sunscreen. be careful with this. get one that is non comedogenic so it wont clog pores. Personally, ive used cetaphil pro oil absorbing moisturizer with spf 30 on my face everyday and i love it. however have heard that this product irritates some peoples faces (i did not experience this)
- dont moisturizer dry flaky skin. This may cause the moisturizer to stick the dead skins cells back to your skin. I would recommend gently exfoliating before each application. (i use salicylic acid everyday which exfoliates)
- if you want to give a physical exfoliant a try, i would try nothing more than a silicone brush. its very gentle and i use mine with an application of benzoyl peroxide.
Research some of these things and im sure youll find a solution!!!!
Check your moisturizer to see if it has dimethicone. If it does you might want to switch to one that doesnt have that as it may cause comedones,. Wash your face with a washcloth in circular motionsand gentle soap like dove sensitive skin bar soap and apply witch hazel as a toner, then finish off with a non comodegenic moisturizer. Also, I would check if your foundation or hair care might be also causing the breakout by clogging the pores. You can spot treat with benzoyl peroxide but i wouldnt put it on the whole face because it is so drying. Im going to try retin-a so I cant necessarily recommend it yet but I have heard it is really good.