sosickofzitz

update! I switched to a good birth control for acne, ortho cyclen. never again. I broke out all over my nose, my upper lip has this weird rash like thing that I can't get rid off, I started getting painful under the skin bumps, and I turned into a total oil slick. my skin felt so greasy it was like I was sweating. I couldn't take it and am back on this. it also messed with my eyesight. my obgyn had me switch back after a month because he thinks I may be estrogen sensitive. I'm sad it didn't work for me and will be sticking with loestrin from now on.

while I am not prone to inflammatory acne, I have lots and lots of closed comedones, clogged pores, etc. I am also very oily. i have 4 childrwn and have been on this pill inbetween each pregnancy. after my last baby, i had my face relatively umder control and went back on the pill. I was using the generic of this for 3 months and my forehead broke out in tiny rashlike pimples that you could only see in certain lighting but felt horrendous. I would also get flare ups of these along my temples and sometimes my cheeks, even though I was using BP. they never became inflamed, but continued to worsen. I have always had this issue but am now thinking it may have been exasperated by the birth control. this birth control pill also makes my hair grow faster. I had no other symptoms on it, my periods were very short and light. also, after doing some research on here, I discovered that loestrin in particular is pretty androgenic and best avoided if one already has issues with breakouts. I'm hoping getting on a different pill will improve things.

ok, so update! I think green tea is great for you but have noticed my skin is way more oily. I have oily skin anyway but even my hair and eyelids seem oily. now, I did start a new birth control around the same time I started drinking the tea, so it may very well be that. but I am going to try not drinking it for a week and see if there's any difference. I'll be back to update.

I have been drinking 3 to 5 cups of gunpowder loose green tea a day from the past week to see if it helps with acne. as of right now, I haven't noticed a major changes, but my digestive system has been working far more efficiently, which can only help I hope. I will update in the coming weeks. also, I normally drink nothing but a ton of water, so any changes won't be due to not drinking soda, juice, milk, etc. I also want to add that I eat a pretty healthy diet in general, alot of fruits, vegetables and chicken. not much processed or instant food. I do occasionally go crazy and binge on a whole pack of ores or bucket of cookie dough....trying to get those sugar spikes under control.

cetaphil is a gentle cleanser, not an acne treatment. it's not likely to clear anything up on it's own. you need to pair it with some kind of treatment.

cetaphil...I like how it feels, non drying and moisturizing. I have trouble with moisturizers so I like to count this as one in my head. however, I don't think it cleans very well. I have oily skin and often still feel pretty oily right after cleaning. I don't wear makeup but don't imagine this would work very well to remove it. I use this when I feel like my skin needs it, but not on a regular basis. when I used it as a daily staple cleanser, I had an increase in clogged pores, which are my biggest issue. I dunno if it was the ingredients or if I need something stronger or what but it just didn't help.

update! I do get an occasional pimple while using this, but nothing horrendous, most moisturizers give me under the skin type stuff or burn. this is so light and soothing. it doesn't take care of super flaky skin for me, but my dryness typically starts going away on its own shortly after I wash or shower. this moisturizer is NOT oil free, which makes me nervous, but perhaps that's why it's working for me. it contains macadamia nut oil and it's pretty high on the ingredient list. it also contains alcohol, but I haven't found it drying like I've had with some moisturizers. I recommend it. I am using it along with the equate three step system similar to proactiv (I find this one less drying, less harsh, it has less of a smell, and is way cheaper)

I just started using this, been about a week so I will update. I have NEVER been able to use a moisturizer. I literally break out overnight with every one that I have tried. and I've tried most that come highly recommended here. I also find they sting my face. I am a long time BP user and have used the proactive system off and on over the years but never with a moisturizer. I just recently picked this up at a mall kiosk because I was desperate for something to help with the flakes. I have a very oily t zone and normal to dry cheeks normally. I have been using this on the dry parts of my face without any negative consequences for the past week. I will give it more time and update but I'm thrilled with this moisturizer so far. it doesn't feel heavy or greasy. it is sort of gel like in consistancy and doesn't burn or sting upon application. I like the smell. I still have a couple of flakes here and there but this works very well g for the dryness.

Hey Kyl77, thanks for your review! I have used proactiv or something similar in the past and have been wondering if this treatment was better than their original one. I was wary since this one has oil in it but the original has cetearyl alcohol as well as ceteareth-20 which are known to clog pores. you've inspired me to maybe give this a try. is it as heavily fragranced as the original? also, is it as greasy/thick? the original proactiv repairing treatment leaves a pretty significant sheen for me, I actually prefer the knock off versions because they feel thinner and less thick.