Hi,

to start off.... I am a 20y/o african american male going through puberty and I have oily, sensitive and acne prone skin.

Skin gets dry when I use certain cleansers as they strip my face and make my skin dry and strips PH balance (neostrata oil free cleanser w/ 4% glycolic acid) but if I use a cleanser with oils (Burts Bees sensitive skin cleanser) in it then it clogs my pores, especially in and around my nose and chin.

- hormonal skin (sebum)

- break outs only in some areas

- local outbreaks of blemishes exacerbated by stress & fatigue

- blemishes in some areas

- dilated pores

- blocked pores especially in nose from using products with oil in them

- if I use AHA's skin feels stiff, tight, tingly and dry especially in winter

- PH balance is stripped from certain face washes which causes more break outs

- harsh cold weather drys my skin and leads to break outs

- hormonal changes

- skin breaks out after I shave but I clean my shaver with every use and use bump patrol.

- I also suffer from acne dysmorphia and some stress from being anxious

- anxiety where I think everyone is staring at my acne/acne scars

It's winter and I've been trying to use a proper face cleanser but none seem to work.

I'm starting to get more hormonal acne as I'm getting older (still only 20) and now starting to get facial hair and more breakouts than I did lets say 4 months ago.

I heard African americans, especially men in general, shouldn't use cleansers with alcohols, dyes, propylene glycol, lanolin, oils, sulfates, soap, and fragrances.

I was thinking of switching over to clearasil ultra cleansing cream wash as it has a cream base to it but also has 2% salyicic acid which is good for removing dead skin, sebum and etc.

I also read that BHA is better than AHA for oily skin that has breakouts and oily sebum which is my problem especially since I have more facial hair now and getting older. Supposedly BHA's are less irritating than AHA as well. So I guess the glyciolic acid is an AHA that I shouldn't be using especially during winter.

I need a gentle facial cleanser that wont strip my face of PH balance and leave me clean by washing out my pores and reducing my inflammatory moderate acne and also a good moisturizer that is oil free, wont clog my pores and still keep my face moisturized during these winter months. Maybe something from a mens skin care line for the cleanser?

Any ideas?

Thanks.

p.s. Benzoyl peroxide is not an option as my skin gets very irritated by that, likely because I have sensitive skin.