Hello people of acne.org!

I'm completely new to this forum, and I decided to share some of my experiences with acne.

I started having outbreaks when I was 11, and they've kept going for 6 years (I'm now 17).

It started out in small amounts, and then progressed and came to a top when I was 14/15.

I had massive outbreaks on my forehead, nose, chins and around my mouth.

But now, at the age of 17 it's rather moderate. I have a few ones but it's manageable.

While suffering from this condition, I decided to see if there was anything I could do to improve my skin.

I tried countless chemicals (pills & creams), countless ways of cleansing, and I even read countless

pages of acne and the biology behind them just to see if there was any loopholes that we've overseen.

-But I didn't find nothing, and I returned to the already existing ways of treating acne.

So I've decided to put up a list of all the things that worked out for me (and probably many others).

Some of the things I'm about to mention might seem time consuming and unnecessary,

but think of it like precautions you make to hinder / reduce new outbreaks; and possibly clear your skin completely.

In the long term I'm pretty sure your skin condition will become better if you follow my steps.

So here we go:

• Don't touch your face!

  (Touching your face can spread / add new or already existing bacteria to your face - causing your skin to worsen)

   

• Wash your hands often, but not too often!

  (Washing your hands often will keep your general hygiene good. But it might also reduce acne - "How?"

  -If you were to accidentally touch your face, the bacteria on your hands are reduced and will therefore reduce the damage)

   

• Avoid using unnecessary amounts of make-up!

  (I am obviously not a consumer of cosmetic products myself, but since this is a leading cause of acne it was worth mentioning.

  -Cosmetics clog your pores and makes it harder for your skin to breathe.

  This causes your skin condition to worsen, clearing the way for new outbreaks and nasty pimples to form

  So stay away from unnecessary amounts of it, and remove it when you're at home!)

   

• Change your pillow-sheet often!

  (During the night, sebum oils, dead skin cells and other nasty forms of dirty collects on your pillow.

  When you sleep on this night after night, it collects more and more - causing more bacteria to settle on your skin; worsening it.

  So change it as often as you can, once a day or once a week depending on what you think is the best)

   

• If you're planning on staying inside all day, open some windows and let fresh air into the room you're in.

  (This isn't really necessary, but I personally feel like my skin becomes more dirty if the air around me is more thick and moist.

  Whether or not this is true - I don't know. But some fresh air never hurted anyone, and if it might help then it's worth trying!)

   

• Cleanse your face when waking up, and going to bed.

  (This is way too time consuming you might say, but let me correct you there - it isn't.

  If you're planning on washing your face completely it might be, but by using cleansers like the Clearasil Pads it's relatively quick.

  You just keep the box on your nightstand, and when you wake up / go to bed you grab a pad and wipe your face with it.

  It's quick, very effective and easy to do - So give it a shot! One box contains 65 pads I believe, so that's one month of usage!)

   

• Consider using Tetracycline!

  (I've had very positive results with Tetracycline. I've used it for about 9 months and after 3 months I saw results.

  It reduced my outbreaks and made the ones coming smaller. It didn't remove everything, but it took most of it.

  Yes I know not everyone will have good results or results at all, but let me remind you that many people had

  positive experiences with this antibiotic!

   

• For reducing inflammation, try Dalacin!

  (I started using Dalacin a few weeks ago, and I already notice that the inflammation has reduced quite a bit.

  The Dalacin antibiotic removes bacteria that causes acne, and it also removes bacteria causing inflammation.

  It's the only liquid treatment I've ever found easy to use, as there is a small pad on the bottle that you just touch

  the affected area on your skin with)

   

• Steam your face once in a while!

  (Steaming the face will open and clear your pores for dirt and other bacterias. It's simply amazing how much 1 treatment can do

  to the condition of your skin. It removed all of the blackheads on my nose, and it cleared some already existing pimples from my skin. It's very easy to do, and it cost absolutely nothing to do! You just boil some water and pour it into a heat resistant bowl.

  -Then you wait a minute until the heat is not that intense. Grab a towel, lean over the bowl and put the towel over your head to collect steam. After 10 - 15 minutes remove it and take a pause, go for a new round or wipe away the water from your face.

  I recommend showering after, as your pores are open and can easily be cleansed.)

   

• Shower at least once every two days.

  (Your hygiene is a vital part of your health. And your health condition may affect your acne.)

   

• Don't eat foods containing a lot of fat or sugar!

  (I will start off by saying that there is a direct link between your insuline and your acne.

  I've from my research found out that the insuline in your body produces a specific bacteria in your body

  that increases sebum oil production. And since overproducing of sebum oil causes acne - I think it's fair to say that sugar does

  indeed cause acne... The doctors keep telling us that fat and sugar does not worsen the acne - but from personal experiences

  I've found out that this is not true at all!

   

  I have experimented a lot with sugar and fat, and I completely stopped consuming sugar and fat-rich foods for about 4 months.

  -My skin was amazing when I stopped consuming it. If I ate cakes, candies or any other things containing sugar or lots of fat - I did in fact get new outbreaks. Staying away from these kinds of foods made me feel a lot more healthy, and I felt better about myself.

  Of course, I've reduced my intake a lot - but it does happen that I consume it and it does affect my skin.

  So believe what you want, but it's worth trying to stay away from it to see what happens - Don't you think?)

   

• Reduce your intake of milk, or completely stop drinking it!

  (This may sound like an option you're not willing to go down with, but believe me the milk affects your acne.

  There are a lot of hormones in the milk (above 50 if I'm right) that's constributing to an increased insuline produciton.

  The insuline production causes a specific bacteria to exist which increases sebum oil production - then causing acne.

  So try finding replacements for calcium and the other things your body needs from milk, and stay away from the product for

  some time to see what happens. I'm pretty sure this will reduce it!)

   

• Don't stress!

  (Stress is a leading cause of acne amongst people. So by not stressing you're doing your skin a favor.

  If you're in a situation where you feel stressed, sit down and take deep breaths and breathe slowly out your nose.

  Meditate from time to time, or do exercises which make you stress less. -Think less, stress less!)

   

So that's my list of things you can do to reduce your outbreaks.

I hope it wasn't too long, I really tried making brief and short descriptions and the same time.

Hope it helps!

~Thron.