FOR THOSE WITH OILY SKIN:

After having mild to moderate acne for 4 years, I have finaly created a regimen to control acne to the point where my skin is 90-95% clear for the last 3 months. I only get about 1 blemish per week now, two at the very most.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO JUST WANT TO KNOW THE REGIMEN, HERE IT GOES:

1. (AM) Wash face with harsh cleanser, preferably bar soap. Moisturize with any active ingredient free moisturizer.

2. (Afternoon/back from school/work) Swipe face with cotton pad soaked with witch hazel toner.

3. (PM) Wash face with harsh cleanser. After patting dry, exfoliate using 2% salycylic acid. (Stridex pads or Paulas Choice liquid). After dried, apply moisturizer. Zzzzz

WHY THIS REGIMEN WORKS:

I saw my first hints of acne at age 12, nothing serious, a oily forhead with ocassional whiteheads. That went on for about two years. My forehead got bumpy with closed comedones, blackheads, and pimples, but the rest of my face stayed clear. Then at the begining of high school I got moderate acne. I broke out along my jawline very often, my temples, and cheeks. Each pimple left large darkmarks that took forever to fade. Begining last year, I got closed comedones (clear under the skin bumps) all over my forehead and jaw line as well. These gave my skin that bumpy, uneven texture, and along with the whiteheads and blackheads, I developed very unhealthy looking acne. During all this I tried many different OTC treatments (No Medications)

1. Salycylic acid cleanser - only worked when I had mild acne, became usless after high school began.

2. Benzoyl Peroxide cleanser - Gave me horribly dry skin, irrititation, and worst of all, a very dull, almost grey complexion. Also,did not clear my acne.

3. Natural/At home treatments - you name em, I've tried it. None gave me results.

4. Diet- Ate nothing but raw, pure foods for half a year. Although I felt great, did nothing for my acne.

So by the end of my freshman year of high school, I was very frustrated with my chronically oily skin and moderate acne covering my face. I started researching endlessly on exactly how does acne form and exactly what these OTC treatments do. I quickly realized that mild-moderate acne is very treatable, however the ways we use our cleaners and treatments do not give us the results we want,becuse they are used incorrecly. Through all this research, I came up with 3 "Golden truths".....

1. The core cause of acne is excessive oil on our face. Bacteria is only a contributing factor to acne.

2. Cleansers with active ingredients do not work because the treatments do not stay on our face long enough.

3. Cleansers marketed to acne sufferers as "gentle" and non drying do not remove enough oil from the skin.

The cleansers and treatments marketed to acne sufferers are only meant to clear our acne to a degree. If these ingredients worked to their full extent, we would not have to continue to buy endless new products in an attempt to clear our acne.

So fast forward back to me in high school. I still had very oily skin, but I now knew exactly how to treat it. Most people are cringing at their screens, horrified at the use of " a harsh cleanser" in the regimen. Put simply, the so-called "gentle cleansers" advertised towards us simply cannot get rid of all the acne causing-oil on our skin. Therefore, the only way to obtain clear skin is to use a stronger soap that will easily rid of the oil on our face. You may have heard otherwise this this is a awful idea, BUT TRUST ME, with excessivley oily skin, your face can easily handle a harsher soap. I recommend bar soap, unscented, and one that is rather intended for body use. This will cut straight through greasy skin. The second part of obtaining clear skin is exfoliation. Dead skin cells accumulate in the skin and clog the pores. Also, any leftover oil clogging the skin will easily be taken care of by the use a chemical exfoliant (Salycylic Acid, 2%), once a day, before bed. Most reccomend Paulas Choice 2% SA Liquid, but I found 2% SA Stridex pads to be much less expensive and easier to get. Please note however that exfoliating twice a day will most likely irritate your skin. Keep it to once a day. After coming back from school, my skin would be oily again. DO NOT WASH YOUR FACE MORE THAT TWICE A DAY. Your skin will go into oil hyperdrive the more you wash it. Instead, when I got home, I would use a cheap Witch Hazel CVS toner on my face. It instanly removes oil from your skin, the alcohol in it kills any bacteria on your face. So this is what I would do immediately after getting home. Before bed, simply wash face with bar soap, apply stridex pad, let dry, then apply a very gentle moisturizer to restore the moisture to your skin. In the morning, just wash with bar soap and apply moisturizer. After school, use witch hazel toner. Repeat each day. Also, I noticed that using the toner lightned my old acne marks within a week. They are gone now! Finally, here are some tips that might give you even better results:

1. Dont pick at your face. Touching your face pushes oil into the pores, and transfers bacteria onto the face.

2. Only pop a zit if completely necessary. Popping pores opens microscopic holes in the skin that easily get re-infected (ever noticed that spot that you keep breaking out......mhmm.)

3. Clean your pillowcase! It acumualtes a greasy film over time that might clog your pores.

4. Avoid stress. The best way to avoid stress is to get enough sleep. Remember, more stress= more oil. Really!

5. Ask me your questions! I know all the ins and outs of this regimen and exactly why it will control your acne better than any other regimen. No crazy miracle cures or medecation here, just downright proper acne skin care.