My problem is mainly my combination skin with very oily hair scalp, forehead and nose (with open visible pores) but the areas where I shave are a bit dry and actually I only shave once a week or so so as not to irritate my face.
I also think I have some sort of sensitive skin because it is easily affected by the weather and other products.
I am 35 soon and the problem has started when I was 17 or 18 and has been going on and off. With a few spots here and there. In the early years it was mostly around the areas where I shave but in the recent years, mostly the spots I get are on my oily forehead. I get some blackheads and medium red inflamed pimples filled with puss and blood. I do not have many active pimples at once. I think 3 or 4 maximum at any time and even if I do not touch it, the stuff inside comes out on its own after a few days and sometimes some leave brown hyper-pigmentation marks. More recently, the problem is more localized to my forehead more than anywhere else. I am very careful with my shampoos and even tried SLS free ones for a while.
I have changed my lifestyle dramatically lately with regular exercise (an hour in the gym 6 days a week), eating more healthy foods such as fish, veggies and fruits and even bought a juicer last week, I also started eliminating some suspicious food from my diet such as sugar and diary products.
The oiliness of my skin & hair and the spots has really had a very bad impact on my social life and career.
I have to admit that in terms of the number of active pimples, they are not in great numbers and they usually last for a week or so and go. The problem is that I would hardly have a week where there is no active pimple and they seem to be consistent especially on my forehead.
As you could see from my other few posts, I am always in search for a gentle cleanser that cleans gently without making the problem worse.
I wasted so much money trying different face cleansers: Purpose (both the gentle cleanser and the soap bar), Avene gentle cleanser, Simple cleanser for sensitive skin, Cetaphil and many other brands
especially the ones that claim they are gentle and non pore-clogging but never was consistent with finishing any of them because I fear that they make things worse and sometimes I just stick to using plain water twice a day because of the fear that those products make things worse especially that most of them have either SLS or Sodium Chloride which are said to be pore clogging.
Sometimes I feel really down and neglect my job and social life and in the past I even fell out with some of my friends and family because of moodiness and isolating myself as a result of my skin.
I do not know what to do to get rid of this oiliness especially on the hair scalp and forehead which I think is the main cause of the breakouts.
I suffered for so long from this problem and I do not want it to affect my life anymore!!
Hey man, just wanted to say your not alone! By the sounds of it your acne is similar to how mine was for a long time. Have you been to your GP to discuss the issue? I really advise you to do so if you haven't. Try using benzoyl peroxide for the dryness and an isotreniton cream such as differin if the BP does not work- . both these are drying agents and should work for your skin type. I know that many people have cleared up from using topicals alone and I myself maintained relatively decent skin using BP for a number of years.
If both the above options do not work then go to your GP again and demand to see a dermatologist. Explain how acne makes you fel psychologically and i'm sure you'll get a referral. However, if you go down the derm route then it's almost certain you'll be prescribed accutane due to the fact that your acne is still occurring at your age. This is a medication that is extremely powerful and is not for everyone, but most posters on this site agree that it is the closest thing to a 'cure' that western medical science has in its armory. Try reading some of the accutane logs on this board to get an idea of what it's about.
If you have further questions feel free to PM me.
Hi,
Thanks a lot for your reply. As I said, in terms of number of active pimples, I do not have many at any one time. I mainly get a few (2-3 max) active ones on my forehead which take a few days and start fading sometimes on their own but the problem is that I keep getting new ones on regular weekly bases. Sometimes small ones which do not bother me much but other times I get one or two occasional angry ones mainly on forehead.
I noticed that sometimes things get worse when I use a face wash including those claiming to be gentle and non-clogging.
I think my main problem is the oiliness especially the hair scalp and the forehead. I think I have a bugger combination skin and still could not find a gentle cleanser that would suit my kin and would not make matters worse so that I can use it fearlessly. That is why most of the time I am scared of using anything on my face other than water which sometimes worked okish apart from the occasional stubborn spots and the shininess.
I have started to use cleansers more recently including Purpose gentle cleanser and Boots Simply Sensitive Cleansing gel and I am not sure if that is contributing to the problem. The first contains SLS and fragrance, whereas the second contains Sodium Chloride.
I was felling down in August because of a couple of new ones on my forehead so I went to my GP.
He gave me Duac and said it is just a mild case of acne. I used Duac for little under two months and I think it kinda worked ok apart from leaving brown hyper-pigmentation where two spots used to be.
The thing is that the spots sometimes get better on their own and sometimes make me feel down.
I have just decided that I will try going back to washing gently with just water and continue the healthy diet (no sugar and no diary + fresh vegetable juices etc.), changing my pillow case every other day for a month and washing hair with a shampoo daily instead of every other day and see what happens. If things do not get better, I will go again to my GP and ask him to refer me to a dermatologist or give me something effective for the excessive oiliness which is the main issue in my case because I cannot let it affect my self-esteem no more.
Thanks alot for your help once again.
Your body is producing more oil than whats needed. I love the Vitamin A cream that is prescribed by the drs. Cleans that skin right out of oil and the thickness of skin and pores
ta
....those cleansers you stated are crap (in my opinion)...i would suggest trying a AHA cleanser and exfoliant
I've used hundreds of products so I'm not trying to sell you anything here, this is just what I have found works best, if you can find other brands with similar ingredients then I'd try those too. The mild cleanser I use is DDF's sensitive skin cleanser, it contains aloe and glycerin (you could even use a pure glycerin soap bar and those are very cheap), then use a topical treatment at night to dry up/fade any spots you have (tazorac, differin, etc.). There really isn't much you can do about the oil in the hair, I am oily as well and have to wash my hair twice a day. To help with the oily forhead and any other very oily areas though I would suggest two things, Mario Badescu makes this glycolic cleansing lotion to combat oily skin and clogged pores http://www.mariobade...leansing-Lotion and or a sulfur based powder you dab on the oily areas (works wonders) http://www.mariobadescu.com/special-healing-powder Try using an organic shampoo, or something with very few ingredients and changing your pillowcase a couple times a week.