Hi friends!
I'm posting this again because I didnt get much of response on the 1st one...
I'm at my wits end with my skin right now...
Just wanted to pick your brains about what products I can use/ what I can do to tackle my SUPER acne prone skin.
A little bit about my skin:
I was on Diane 35 for about 1 year because I was breaking out severely on my forehead and cheeks. It got better with the BC as well as a regimin consisting of the Cosrx Good Morning Cleanser, Sunday Riley Lactic Acid and pure Argan Oil. Then I got off Diane 35 about a year ago and it wasn't until 8 months ago It started coming back. It's been the 5th month i got back on Diane 35. I first thought it was fungal acne , but a trip to the aesthetician as well as the dermatologist confirmed it wasn't.
My forehead gets abnormally oily, and I have lots of bumps which eventually come to a head (these seem to never end). I used to have these on my cheeks and they would turn into whiteheads but my cheeks are clear now and left me with some scarring.
For 3 months I took 50 mg zinc, l-lysine 1000 mg, and calcium magnesium, milk thistle, and DLM supplements daily. And drank 1-2 cups of organic spearmint tea a day with ZERO improvement. Now I've stopped taking supplements all together. I don't eat sugar, diary or gluten (maybe once in a blue moon), drink lots of water, work out minimum 3x a week
About 3 weeks ago I went to a new aesthetician who did extractions and high frequency (I am used to getting these at least once a month), but this one went well as it looked like she got all the gunk out. And my skin looked great after the first 2 days of redness went down. But a week later the bumps started coming back and my skin is becoming like it was before. She recommended me to get a enyzme exfoliant or physical exfoliant and not use a chemical exfoliant such as the Paula's Choice BHA I was using. Im trying out both the AmorePacific Enzyme Peel as well as the Juice Beauty Exfoliating Peel Spray (just purchased yesterday), and if anyone here has experience with the two please let me know!
Current routine
AM:
Cosrx Good Morning cleanser
Hada Labo Hylauraunic Acid Toner
Hada Labo Gokujyun Essense
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
Elta MD UV Clear Sunscreen
Cosrx Good Morning cleanser
Hada Labo Hylauraunic Acid Toner
Hada Labo Gokujyun Essense
Cosrx advanced snail 96 power essence
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
- Paula's Choice 2% BHA liquid 3X a week
- Peter Thomas Roth Sulfer Acne Spot Treatment
- Alternate between aztec indian healing clay masks, innisfree green tea sheet masks 2-3 times a week
FAILS
- I tried using the ordinary marula oil as well as the rosehip oil and they both gave me little bumps under my skin
- I have 0.04% Retina-A that i stopped using (It wasn't working for me)
- As well as Sunday Riley Good Genes (I used it for about a year which kept my skin clear but stopped working about 5 months ago so i stopped
- I have cosrx AHA 7 whitehead power liquid but after using it a few times I think it made my skin worse
- I also bought a few other products but haven't given them long enough to be effective Melazapham (I think it was congesting my pores more), Pixi Glow Tonic (Don't think it did much), Differin 0.1% (Didn't really use it), TO Madelic Acid, Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel
My question is.... WHATS GOING ON WITH MY SKIN.
Do I need to scale back and not exfoliate to make my skin more dry, or do I need to exfoliate more to keep my pores clear? Is there any types of laser that would benifit my skin. I have no idea whats going on here!!
3 hours ago, MinnieMouse123 said:My forehead gets abnormally oily, and I have lots of bumps which eventually come to a head (these seem to never end). I used to have these on my cheeks and they would turn into whiteheads but my cheeks are clear now and left me with some scarring.
personally i dont think your skin looks that bad but do you know about non standard acne type problems like milia andpityrosporum folliculitis? folliculitis is a common cause for skin "bumps" on the forehead - unfortunately folliculitis doesn't respond to standard acne creams/washes.
my skin is currently "good" (no spots, just a little redness) - i dont drink milk, minimal face washing (which stops my skin over producing sebum)and i occasionally use nizoral to keep my skin bacteria in check.
Rebec and Kestrel
Minnie Mouse and Today Kestrel
This problem is caused by malasezzia fungus. Malasezzia fungus outbreaks occur from taking antibiotics, birth control pills and possibly from accutane.
Dermatologists will never diagnose fungus, so ignore any tests that dermatologists or others have done. The tests for fungus are not reliable.
In any case, applying topical antifungal creams is totally safe, so the best test for fungus is to test the response to applying antifungal creams
Apply Lamisil anti-fungal cream to the affected area (ie, apply an antifungal cream with terbenafine in it) and the bumps will most likely go away. If you cannot get Lailsil or other terbenafine antifungal cream without a prescriotion, buy clotrimazole anti-fungal cream (Canesten or similar) and use that instead.
It is possible that the bumps are caused by candida fungus rather than malasezzia, in which case you will need to apply nystatin anti-fungal cream.
But I think malasezzia fungus is the cause so start with terbenafine cream (Lamisil or similar, or you can use butenafine cream - sold as Lotrimin ULTRA) .
Nizoral shampoo is VERY irritating to skin - yes it is antifungal, and you can shampoo your hair in it, but do not use it on your skin. The best shampoo for skin which will fix the skin problems is Mustela Foam Shampoo for Newborns. This shampoo contains climbazole (not to be confused with clotrimazole) and climbazole wil get rid of malasezzia fungus.
Do NOT use tretinoin or retinoids on the affected area.
Do NOT use moisturisers or organic oils on the afected areas - malasezzia feeds on organic oils and all fungus LOVES moisture. KEEP THE AFFECTED AREA VERY DRY.
DO NOT EXFOLIATE AS THAT JUST DESTROYS THE SKIN BARRIER AND ALLOWS THE FUNGUS TO INVADE>
Let me know how you go with applying the antifungal cream/s. The antifungal cream/s should clear the problem in a week or a bit longer.