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Are These Acne Scars Or Just Open/large Pores?

MemberMember
18
(@ibiza1987)

Posted : 05/17/2013 7:05 pm

This may sound like a silly question, but here goes...

How can I tell if the small holes in my face are minor acne scars or just large open pores?

After 20 years of persistent acne I feel its really started to take it's toll on my skin, now age 31 my skin is still extremely greasy therefore pores are large. It looks so uneven and when I have foundation on it just settles in these marks, and if I'm having a particularly oily skin day the make up looks like it's about to just slide off my face :( Hate it.

I at least want to start thinking about some sort of skin resurfacing sometime soon as I am fed up of looking in the mirror and looking like shit, enough is enough.

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MemberMember
38
(@aquasea)

Posted : 05/20/2013 5:43 am

 

Hi Ibiza1987,

 

It sounds like your skin is probably dehydrated i.e. has an orange peel effect ?...probably not from acne per se, but through using harsh, abrasive, skin lipid barrier damaging chemical acne products.

 

You will know you have scars if the scars are significantly larger than normal pores, or are creating irregular patterns/ holes/ crevices beyond the boundaries of the pore.

 

Try using highly moisturizing products/ vitamin topicals: You can also see http://www.skinperfectionbymichelle.com/products.html or http://www.skinperfectionbymichelle.com/products.html etc for products/ list of ingredients to help you. Otherwise, see my bio for suggestions on how to heal your skin. Whatever you do, reseach natural products/ vitamins/ DIY active ingredients/ recipes. Try Beta Glucan liquid or trial reputable dermatological tested brand moisturizers.

 

And take heart, your skin will heal with proper care smile.png

~ Peace ~

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MemberMember
33
(@quirky-fox)

Posted : 05/20/2013 8:30 am

You will know you have scars if the scars are significantly larger than normal pores, or are creating irregular patterns/ holes/ crevices beyond the boundaries of the pore.

^ Good way to explain that! Also, if you stretch your skin, do the pores/holes look better or much the same. If they look better then chances are you don't have scarring but more the enlarged pores.

Do you use a primer before applying your makeup? I never used to until my esthetician put me onto the Dermaquest one... holy moly! It's like spac-filler, hehe. Fills your pores and makes your skin smoother but it doesn't cause clogged pores or breakouts. It's specially formulated to deliver peptides and vitamins to the skin instead. Win win.

If I were you I'd try four things:

1. A good cleanser that gets right into your pores and flushes them out, morning and night.

2. Retin A (vitamin A) at night.

3. A good primer under your makeup.

4. Sunscreen during the day (every day!).

It took me less than a week to get used to my skin care routine (below). Lots of stuff yes, but after months of continued use the results speak for themselves. :)

Good luck!

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MemberMember
38
(@aquasea)

Posted : 05/20/2013 9:26 pm

 

Hey Quirky Fox,

 

Thanks for commenting on my post. And yes, DermaQuest looks like a great product!!! Good to hear it's made a real difference to your skin. I can see why just by looking at the excellent list of active ingredients. And your suggestion of using a primer underneath make-up is terrific advice too...I'm thinking of using a product by www.newdirections.com called Nature Lift which might have the same "spac-filler" effect as you put it. Also, this DIY skincare recipe looks interesting...thinking of using it in future http://myfunnyvalentineblog.com/2011/05/diy-idebenone-niacinamide-glucosamine-anti-aging-serum-dragons-recipe.html

 

Cheers smile.png

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MemberMember
33
(@quirky-fox)

Posted : 05/21/2013 2:35 am

Hey Quirky Fox,

Thanks for commenting on my post. And yes, DermaQuest looks like a great product!!! Good to hear it's made a real difference to your skin. I can see why just by looking at the excellent list of active ingredients. And your suggestion of using a primer underneath make-up is terrific advice too...I'm thinking of using a product by www.newdirections.com called Nature Lift which might have the same "spac-filler" effect as you put it. Also, this DIY skincare recipe looks interesting...thinking of using it in future http://myfunnyvalentineblog.com/2011/05/diy-idebenone-niacinamide-glucosamine-anti-aging-serum-dragons-recipe.html

Cheers smile.png

I love that you're into the DIY stuff. It looks awesome and I hope it does wonders for you! I'm not confident enough to make my own skin care products so my hat goes off to you! Could be an awesome career for you. :) I hope the primer helps you out too. I was a little naive about make-up and primer etc until I was shown how to use it properly. Amazing how much of a difference it makes. xx

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MemberMember
38
(@aquasea)

Posted : 05/21/2013 4:41 am

Thanx for the tips Quirky Fox smile.png !!! And as they say, "necessity is the mother of invention" - I was rarely able to find off-the-shelf products that helped my skin ...but DermaQuest looks like a really good product. ~ Peace + Light ~

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MemberMember
33
(@quirky-fox)

Posted : 05/21/2013 8:13 am

I do love Dermaquest. Yes it's pricey but while I can afford it I will keep using it. It has helped me so much. I think the people behind the products truly care and are passionate about skin! That alone excites me! xx

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MemberMember
18
(@ibiza1987)

Posted : 05/30/2013 6:50 am

Hi Ibiza1987,

It sounds like your skin is probably dehydrated i.e. has an orange peel effect ?...probably not from acne per se, but through using harsh, abrasive, skin lipid barrier damaging chemical acne products.

You will know you have scars if the scars are significantly larger than normal pores, or are creating irregular patterns/ holes/ crevices beyond the boundaries of the pore.

Try using highly moisturizing products/ vitamin topicals: You can also see http://www.skinperfectionbymichelle.com/products.html or http://www.skinperfectionbymichelle.com/products.html etc for products/ list of ingredients to help you. Otherwise, see my bio for suggestions on how to heal your skin. Whatever you do, reseach natural products/ vitamins/ DIY active ingredients/ recipes. Try Beta Glucan liquid or trial reputable dermatological tested brand moisturizers.

And take heart, your skin will heal with proper care smile.png

~ Peace ~

Yes that's exactly it - an orange peel kind of look, although there are a few definite pock marks amongst it. Nice! Going to start with a chemical peel I think, had enough of the unevenness.

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MemberMember
38
(@aquasea)

Posted : 05/30/2013 9:43 am

Hi Ibiza1987,

It sounds like your skin is probably dehydrated i.e. has an orange peel effect ?...probably not from acne per se, but through using harsh, abrasive, skin lipid barrier damaging chemical acne products.

You will know you have scars if the scars are significantly larger than normal pores, or are creating irregular patterns/ holes/ crevices beyond the boundaries of the pore.

Try using highly moisturizing products/ vitamin topicals: You can also see http://www.skinperfectionbymichelle.com/products.html or http://www.skinperfectionbymichelle.com/products.html etc for products/ list of ingredients to help you. Otherwise, see my bio for suggestions on how to heal your skin. Whatever you do, reseach natural products/ vitamins/ DIY active ingredients/ recipes. Try Beta Glucan liquid or trial reputable dermatological tested brand moisturizers.

And take heart, your skin will heal with proper care smile.png

~ Peace ~

Yes that's exactly it - an orange peel kind of look, although there are a few definite pock marks amongst it. Nice! Going to start with a chemical peel I think, had enough of the unevenness.

NO!!!! STOP IBIZA1987!!!!

Peels are the LAST thing your skin needs!!! I'm just recovering from 2nd degree burns through peels...trust me, you don't want to use them if you don't need to!!!

Your skin will be worse with a peel... YOUR SKIN IS SEVERELY DEHYDRATED & TRAUMATIZED BY HARSH TOPICALS. IT NEEDS INTENSIVE MOISTURE, SKIN FOOD, VITAMINS, MINERALS, FATTY ACIDS, LIPIDS ETC TO HEAL. So, instead, I ask you to PLEASE try 100% Rosehip oil by Thursday Plantation. This isn't expensive and it will rehydrate your skin and balance the oil. It has natural retinoic acid (vit A), omega 3,6,7,9 and vitamin c. Please use this for a month, before bed and I bet your skin will recover 50-70% within 2 weeks....please trial it ASAP and let me know how it goes...Cheers!

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MemberMember
18
(@ibiza1987)

Posted : 05/30/2013 9:58 am

Hi Ibiza1987,

It sounds like your skin is probably dehydrated i.e. has an orange peel effect ?...probably not from acne per se, but through using harsh, abrasive, skin lipid barrier damaging chemical acne products.

You will know you have scars if the scars are significantly larger than normal pores, or are creating irregular patterns/ holes/ crevices beyond the boundaries of the pore.

Try using highly moisturizing products/ vitamin topicals: You can also see http://www.skinperfectionbymichelle.com/products.html or http://www.skinperfectionbymichelle.com/products.html etc for products/ list of ingredients to help you. Otherwise, see my bio for suggestions on how to heal your skin. Whatever you do, reseach natural products/ vitamins/ DIY active ingredients/ recipes. Try Beta Glucan liquid or trial reputable dermatological tested brand moisturizers.

And take heart, your skin will heal with proper care smile.png

~ Peace ~

Yes that's exactly it - an orange peel kind of look, although there are a few definite pock marks amongst it. Nice! Going to start with a chemical peel I think, had enough of the unevenness.

NO!!!! STOP IBIZA1987!!!!

Peels are the LAST thing your skin needs!!! I'm just recovering from 2nd degree burns through peels...trust me, you don't want to use them if you don't need to!!!

Your skin will be worse with a peel... YOUR SKIN IS SEVERELY DEHYDRATED & TRAUMATIZED BY HARSH TOPICALS. IT NEEDS INTENSIVE MOISTURE, SKIN FOOD, VITAMINS, MINERALS, FATTY ACIDS, LIPIDS ETC TO HEAL. So, instead, I ask you to PLEASE try 100% Rosehip oil by Thursday Plantation. This isn't expensive and it will rehydrate your skin and balance the oil. It has natural retinoic acid (vit A), omega 3,6,7,9 and vitamin c. Please use this for a month, before bed and I bet your skin will recover 50-70% within 2 weeks....please trial it ASAP and let me know how it goes...Cheers!

Oh really? That sounds worrying, I have heard things can go wrong with peels and I guess this could happen to anyone.

It's hard to imagine that my skin needs more oil considering the severe greasiness (it definitely doesn't look dehydrated haha, and I haven't applied any harsh topicals for decades) but I am willing to try this, I am based in North East USA - any idea where I can buy the Roseip oil? Thank you in advance :)

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MemberMember
38
(@aquasea)

Posted : 05/30/2013 7:51 pm

 

I'm not sure, but you can get it online. Please use Thursday Plantation's 100% Rosehip oil or Pai's 100% Rosehip Oil (but Pai is far more pricey). See how it goes for a month. This oil is a "dry" oil and doesn't leave the skin greasy, only silky & smooth. It will balance your oil production, heal your skin & even out your skin tone - it also contains natural retinoic acid (vit A) which is great for the skin and very healing.

 

However, if your problems are not resolved in a 1-3 months of Rosehip oil use nightly/ (daily optional), then try the lowest strength of Retin A/ Stevia A. This is fantastic for orange peel skin and superficial scarring. But it will make your top layer of skin thinner (so more sensitive, thus be sun smart and don't burn), although, in theory, it should thicken the lower layer of skin. Also, do not use any PEEL or harsh treatments if using Retin A. That's how I burned my skin....so don't use the two treatments together - NEVER!!

 

Caveat: Some people report that long term use of Retin A causes "orange peel" skin. Others say it's what makes their skin flawless/ ageless. In my personal experience, Retin A helped my skin texture IMMENSELY. But I can no longer use it since receiving the burns, not perhaps for another 6 to 12 months at least. So, it really depends on your skin type and tolerance to it (i.e. it can cause initial flakiness - so don't get this around your nose crevices, eyebrows, hairline etc as it gets too red/ dry and watch out for the mouth - protect them with an all natural lip balm...if used too often, the sides of your mouth can get sore/ red/ crack. So, best not to use everyday, and then only once before bedtime). So, maybe you can try it every second night until your skin rectifies (i.e. 6 months) and then switch to rosehip oil for long-term safe use.

 

Alternatively, there is a much safer form of retin A called Retinaldehyde. It has all the benefits without the side-effects. I know it's used in the products of Pure Skin Junkie. I'm not sure where else it can be sourced. I'm thinking of using Pure Skin Junkie products myself in future just for the Retinaldehyde.

 

Lastly, please research everything noted above extensively and make an informed decision in whatever you choose to do. However, please try the natural method first, i.e. 100% organic pure Rosehip Oil. It is truly an amazing product and completely safe. Cheers smile.png

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