All of these face cleansers, remedies, and acne products are bull s**t. No matter what I do I get acne. I use either a Aveeno Face Wash, Neutrogena, Biore, (Charcoal Cleanser) and along with a toner or acv and moisturizer and nothing changes. I wash my bed sheets, pillow cases, and blankets and still see no results. I wear clean clothes, I drink a lot of water, i work out, i wash my hair, i do everything i searched up. and please, dont say, "just be patient" because ive been for the past two years!! my self esteem is do low because of it. I guess any tips would be fine.
Hi,
I too have been battling with acne for a while now. My acne was not as bad when I first got it (around 12 years old) and bombarded it with loads of chemicals and products till now. I've tried proactive, any over the counter products, and the oil cleansing method. Currently, I realized that my skin barrier has been damaged because my t-zone is extremely oil, even after I wash my face. So I decided (yesterday) to slowly stop products and just wash my face with filtered water (to avoid the harsh chemicals that are in tap water) twice a day and then eventually to just once a day. Also, I've heard that a lot of people use apple cider vinegar to tone their skin and help their skin have a good ph balance. Maybe this can help you as much as I hope it works for me. I'll be posting my progress on my page. Goodluck!
What you're experiencing is pretty common....Over-the-counter cleansers aren't always the answer so if you haven't tried 'leave on' topicals with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide amongst the remedies you mention then that's probably your next step. If you haven't had any success with those then you're probably at the stage where a doctors visit is called for to get something prescribed to use in combination with your preferred topical...there are options for you yet 
Thankyou everyone, also, for more information, Im a 14yr old male, so its probably hormonal acne right?
On 3/12/2016 at 3:59 PM, FetchingLife said:Hi,
I too have been battling with acne for a while now. My acne was not as bad when I first got it (around 12 years old) and bombarded it with loads of chemicals and products till now. I've tried proactive, any over the counter products, and the oil cleansing method. Currently, I realized that my skin barrier has been damaged because my t-zone is extremely oil, even after I wash my face. So I decided (yesterday) to slowly stop products and just wash my face with filtered water (to avoid the harsh chemicals that are in tap water) twice a day and then eventually to just once a day. Also, I've heard that a lot of people use apple cider vinegar to tone their skin and help their skin have a good ph balance. Maybe this can help you as much as I hope it works for me. I'll be posting my progress on my page. Goodluck!
So you use only tap water and acv? I too use acv but ive never tried only water. i mainly get whiteheads so do you think thatll be a good idea?
On 3/12/2016 at 4:02 PM, Jazzguy said:What you're experiencing is pretty common....Over-the-counter cleansers aren't always the answer so if you haven't tried 'leave on' topicals with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide amongst the remedies you mention then that's probably your next step. If you haven't had any success with those then you're probably at the stage where a doctors visit is called for to get something prescribed to use in combination with your preferred topical...there are options for you yet
Ive never used "leave on" products but the over the counter products that i use have Salicylic acid in it. Where do you egt "leave on" products though?
By "leave on" products I just mean the cream options that are available that you apply and don't wash off your skin. Neutrogena and Aveeno do creams with BP and SA respectively which you apply in this manner, rather than just a wash which you wash away with water immediately. Where to get them depends on which country you're in...You may already have been using these but I just thought your post talked mostly about 'wash or cleanser'type products. If you don't get any benefit from these then you really have to move on to prescription meds to get results.
Yeah, that's what I mean...you can get similar moisturisers with BP in them too. Those products give you longer contact time of the active ingredient on your skin. Maybe look for a BP version and try that...you are in the age bracket where hormonal acne is prevalent and you might yet grow out of it...the creams withSA or BP might help minimise the appearance of your acne (can clear some people up pretty well) and if you were comfortable dealing with it then waiting a couplemore years would be a valid option.As it's making you really uncomfortable then maybe it's time to talk to your family about how you're feeling and ask to see a doctor about what your next options are. You're at an age where many of your peer group are grappling with self esteem over how they look (and not just because of acne) and trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into the world so remember you're not alone...it's all part of the journey to becoming a grown-up (if there is such a thing!!)
On 5/4/2016 at 11:53 PM, everythingisbs said:Thankyou everyone, also, for more information, Im a 14yr old male, so its probably hormonal acne right?
So you use only tap water and acv? I too use acv but ive never tried only water. i mainly get whiteheads so do you think thatll be a good idea? Ive never used "leave on" products but the over the counter products that i use have Salicylic acid in it. Where do you egt "leave on" products though?
I do not use tap water because the chemicals in it dry my skin and irritate it. I used to use filtered water but I saved money for a couple of months o buy a small reverse osmosis filter for my kitchen and that is what I use to cleanse my skin with.
On 5/5/2016 at 4:30 AM, everythingisbs said:Ohhh. okay. I know what you mean. But i use a moisturizer that has SA in it, and of course i dont wash it off. is that the same thing?
It sounds like you are doing some of the right things, but as said you need more active products to really kill the acne bacterias. You're washing your face, that is fine - but you can't really wash your acne away, the wash only removes oil.
Here is what i would say you should do
Evening
1) wash your face (don't use the toner after washing, it is not doing anything for your acne)
2) use an active product with BP in it, for instance Clindoxyl or the one here from acne.org (Clindoxyl works better)
3) Use an AHA/BHA creme on top of the layer with BP (the one you have or maybe the one here from acne.org)
Morning:
1) wash your face again
2) Use thermal water spray after that (skin can get dry from BP and AHA cremes)
3) Use a good moisturizer with spf that won't clog the pores, for instance oatprotein complex from kiss my face
100% this will improve your routine way better because it now contains more active ingrediens that not only will work at the surface of the skin but actually will work under that and kill bacterias and improve your skin. You're welcome to write if you have questions 🙂
Are you on any medications currently? I found that a medication I was taking had acne listed as a side effect (it was buried in the symptoms). It just so happens that the medication messed with my hormones causing terrible hormonal acne all over my body. I talked to my doctor and we were able to adjust the dose and now I don't have acne anymore after 8 years!
Dermatologist always say food doesn't affect acne but when I eat a lot of carbs I get pimples. What really helps the most for me is just to cut carbs almost completely. Of course you can't cut it completely because it's your body's peffered energy. So I eat 20g-30g of carbs before I workout. It takes a lot of will power but it's worth it. I feel great when I can actually go 3-5 days in a row. It's worth it trust me. oh also eat a lot of vegetables. They provide lots of anti oxidants and it really helps with acne
OMG. Everything you have said is ME. I just want to give you a big hug because I totally understand!!!!!. I tried going on diets, cutting out gluten, dairy, sugar, no change. Shelled out $$$$ for OTC medications, no change, Tried ACV, no change, Tried remedies people SWORE by, no change. Was on vacation and brought back a special mixture of herbs and vitamins to be eaten every day that would "supposedly" clear the skin...... yeah you guessed it.... No change. For four years I dealt with acne that I just could not get under control, spent so much money only to be disappointed again and again. I thought I was cursed and acne/scars would simply be a part of my life, and the best I could do is try to cover them up and live with it.
As a last ditch effort I decided to meet with a dermatologist. But I can tell you, after a life of being let down by virtually every other form of treatment for acne, I wasn't expecting much from the derm appointment. He barely spent 15 minutes with me, didn't ask many questions only inspected my skin and prescribed me doxycycline and tretinoin. I wish I could tell you that was it and my skin was perfect from then on.... Well, it kind of was... About a month into it, as my skin had started to clear up, then out of nowhere, the left side of my face, which was clear to begin with, started to break out really badly, long story short, I found that some people experience a "purging" with tretinoin and it is recommended to not give up using it through that.I continued on with my regimen and my skin is now CLEAR. All that's left is some hyper pigmentation and my skin is actually completely smooth for the first time in 4 years. I am now also on Spironolactone after a second visit to the derm, which is supposed to control my hormones a little bit, which I suspect is the reason for my crazy break outs in the first place. It took 2.5months to clear btw.
I guess the purpose of my tirade is to encourage you to see a dermatologist. It's SO SO worth it, please do it!. My insurance didn't cover it, so I had to pay $100 out of pocket, but after years of basically throwing my money away on make up and OTC medications to take care of it, I was fine with that. Also, it feels good to let someone else (who is qualified) worry about your skin and make informed suggestions about what will help you get the skin you want. Good luck with your journey! Keep us updated.