I literally do everything I can possibly do for my skin but I still break out and it makes me want to cry. My acne is mild, but of course I would rather it not be there. In the morning I wash my face with water and moisturize. If my face looks oily during the way Ill repeat. At night I exfoliate a couple times a week, then i use a dermalogica daily resurfacer pad thats supposed to clear skin. I use the Roden and fields unblemish acne kit, and finally I use differin gel, what a dermatologist recommended. Then I treat any bumps or sores with BP or hydrocortisone cream or Neosporan. Is there anything Im doing skincare wise that could be making it worse? I also have a generally healthy diet and exercise almost daily. And I wash my face afterwards. Im 17 and most of my friends dont get any acne at all. I feel like a little kid. I feel like by now it should be clearing up but its still going strong. Another thing I want to note- I was on a vegan diet for about 2 months and I still broke out so I know its not dairy. Anything yall have tried that works? Id love to be clear by summer..
Do you stress out alot? Stress is a direct link to more acne. No matter how clean you keep your face, there are some things that can still cause acne that have nothing to do with being dirty.. Do you keep your pillowcases clean?? If not, wash them every few days. Also it sounds like you may be putting too much on your face. Instead of using plain water and a moisturizer, use a GENTLE facial cleanser such as one with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Rinse it off, then apply a non poor clogging moisturizer. Do that in the morning when you wake up, and before you go to bed..try that by itself for a few weeks. See if it gets better. You don't have anything to lose. Give it a shot. Just the cleanser and moisturizer morning and night. Cut out the other stuff for a few weeks and see. Also drink alot more water. When in doubt, drink more. (Don't drink so much u feel bloated tho)
I agree with SweetLeather, it seems like you might be putting too much on your face. I used to use ALL the creams you mentioned. What worked for me was cutting out all the creams, just using micellar water to cleanse and cetaphil to moisturize. In addition I also stopped wearing foundation (which made a HUGE difference, even though I thought I was wearing a safe foundation - it was all natural and organic and STILL made me breakout). And then lastly I did a strict elimination diet where I cut out EVERYTHING but fruits and veggies, and then added the foods back in one at a time. I found out that eggs, meat and dairy all make me break out, so now I'm totally vegan, but everyone's different! Some people find out that oils make them break out, some people find out that gluten makes them break out, that's why elimination diets are so important and so effective.
Finding the solution can take awhile but I just want to encourage you to not give up!! Also, don't look for quick fixes. I regret taking accutane, birth control and antibiotics because none of them worked long term. Going natural is the way to go! 