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Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:24 am  |
Hi everyone
I'm really fed up by my skin and was hoping someone might have an idea what I should do?...
I've got adult acne, which flares up with most cosmetics and products - I get spots on my cheeks and chin and have little bumps under the skin on my forehead and chin. But the weird thing is that my skin is, and has always been really really dry, so normal acne products are not at all suitable for it. And yet anything that moisturises it enough breaks me out. it's impossible to treat!
So at the moment, my skin is sore, flaky, stings when I apply products, and at the same time has whiteheads on the cheeks, and little bumps under the skin.
Can anyone help?... The only thing that's improved my acne recently (so that now it's mild-moderate) is the hydraplenish collagen supplements - don't know whether that gives a clue as to the underlying cause?...
I'd really appreciate any suggestions anyone has - so sick of trying to manage my messy skin!
Thanks
Katie |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:39 am |
When you mentioned "hydraplenish collagen supplments" being the only thing that helped, I would venture to say a main issue is lack of nutrition to the skin. A great non-oily nutritional product to apply is Sea Kelp Bioferment.
I over-exfoliated my skin last year (and also burned a hole in it with tea tree oil trying to fix the zits), and it got all bumpy and dry and acneic at the sametime. After two weeks with this product (it may flake a bit) I could see progress and my skin just got better and better. You can apply it straight to your skin (and it will probably flake or pill off when it dries - but spritz distilled water over it from time to time) - it is very soothing and calming, and there is clinical research to support the fact that over time, fucus vesiculosis (which is the main component of Sea Kelp Bioferment) can actually thicken the skin.
You can get it from http://www.theherbarie.com/Sea-Kelp-Bioferment-pr-267.html or http://skinactives.com/products/seakelp_bioferment.htm.
The Herbarie is slightly cheaper, and you can read about its qualities from the Skin Actives forum (but you have to cut through the gushing a bit to get to the really informative stuff). There is also much much talk on this forum about the properties of Sea Kelp Bioferment - check this thread out - http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=14945
Whatever you do, please resist the urge to apply benzoyl peroxide products. They release free radicals and accelerate skin ageing. If you are a pimply teenager, perhaps this is a luxury you can afford, but not otherwise. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:47 am |
I feel your pain. I developed adult acne at 30 and have been having ups and downs ever since. I am in the process of treating a HUGE outbreak and have been having great results from L'Oreal's adult acne kit. It costs $24 and has made a world of difference. I us it at night and then I use cetephil as a moistuizer (only thing that does not break me out) and then in the morning I use the cleanser and toner and not the spot treatment. I have also purchased the LOreal Adult Acne Peel Kit which works to jumpstart the healing. My experience has been that a combination of SA and BP are the ONLY things that work. BP for the short term and SA for the long term to keep pores clean. I have used proactive/neutrogena kit/juice/etc and L'Oreal will not dry you out as bad if you use the treatment only on your spots. The first time I used the kit I used it on my whole face and it dried it out like crazy. Use it as a spot treatment and you your regular moisturizer to avoid the annoying drying. Here is my daily...
PM
Dove White Bar Soap (wash makeup off)
L'Oreal AA Cleanser
L'Oreal AA Toner
L'Oreal AA Spot treatment
Neutrogena Light Night Cream
Clinique All About Eyes Rich
AM
L'Oreal AA Cleanser
L'Oreal AA Toner
Cetephil Moisturizer (no spf)
Clinique All About Eyes Rich
Makeup
BE Mineral Foundation or Laura Mercier or Covergirl Olay "well rested" foundation.
I realize what you mean about the smallest thing breaking you out...I'm in the same boat. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:57 am |
Thanks so much for the quick replies!
Olivia - I have actually tried bp and salicylic before and, even if I built up gradually, I've always found them too drying. In fact, with most acne products, I've found they make my skin worse, which suggests to me that maybe it's actually the fact that it's out of balance, or needs hydration that is causing spots? Maybe that's why the hydraplenish works?... Anyway, thanks for the advice - hope the l'oreal works for you. God, it's a nightmare, isn't it?! You'd think at least that once we're over 30 and have to start contending with wrinkles, that god/fate/allah would do us the favour of removing acne! It's so unfair to have it at this age!!
nyonyakay - yes, I've been a lurker at skinactives for a while and have been eyeing up their products, so I'll definitely give that a try! Did you say that it causes peeling initially? Or do you mean that the product itself flakes? Have you tried any of the skinactives ready-to-use products? I've been wondering about them...
Thanks so much again for the help, guys! |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:59 am |
KTKat please check out our own EDS raves about Sea Kelp bioferment on the thread I posted above.
The product itself flakes, not your skin. And no, I have never tried their ready-made products, because by the time they came out, I was a complete fully-fledged DIYer. I now make all my own skincare products, including shampoo and conditioner, and have never ever been happier in my life with my hair and skin! I also save lots of money, funding my DIY hobby by selling my products to family and friends.
Good luck and let us know how you progress, please. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:34 pm |
Hi KTKat,
I'm going to be a bit unorthodox about my suggestions. I hear what you're saying and have lived it.
I don't know about the supplements, but the single best thing I ever did for my skin was switch to OCM. If you do a search here for OCM you'll find lots of threads on it.
It cleaned out my pores and normalized my skin ... and after a bit of an adjustment phase of about 2 weeks, my skin had never been so clear of breakouts!
At the same time as I switched to OCM ... I also switched to Mineral Makeup. The second best move I ever made. With Mineral Makeup your skin can breathe ... and the coverage is great. There are tons of brands ... and my only caution would be to avoid bismuth ... which can cause problems for some people.
For a long time I used OCM and just jojoba oil as a moisturizer ... and then about a year ago, frustrated by the odd blemish that would try to rear its ugly little head ... I came up with my own, very simple, "pearl paste". This worked for me because there were so few ingredients.
It's what I came to realize ... the more simple the product ... the better it is for my skin.
In the DIY section you'll find lots of recipes for making your own stuff ... and by increasing the actives gradually, you can see what your skin does and doesn't respond to.
My skin has been wonderfully clear for quite a while now ... and now I'm working on trying to repair some of the damage that was done through the years of trying every product available that never delivered on its promise! 
There is hope. The other great thing about OCM and MMU is that comparatively ... they are far less expensive than most of the products offered commercially.
I came to realize that my skin doesn't like either the emulsifiers ... or just some of the chemical additives in commercial products. So ... I now avoid them.
Good luck
Mary |
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Over 50, combo, OCM. Originator of Pearl Paste ... www.silkenpearl.com |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:45 pm |
KTKat...I'm so sorry to hear that SA and BP do not work for you! I tried all the "natural" methods and none of them worked for me while others had great results...so I know how you feel.
For the record...I have tried OCM and I do love it. I'm kinda lazy at night and do not always take the time to steam etc...and if I dont get all the oil off then my skin goes crazy. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:48 pm |
Love the OCM!  |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:28 pm |
Thanks again for all your help!
Mary and poohlisey, I've only ever tried DHC olive oil cleanser, and even with washing separately afterwards, it still broke me out. Do you have any recommendations for brands? Also, is mineral make up enough of a sunblock by itself? I'm a bit fanatical about protection... I'll definitely look into this pearl paste.
Thanks again, guys. I'm determined to crack this! |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:00 pm |
Hi again KTKat,
I use a 50/50 combination of Grapeseed Oil and Castor Oil. I like it ... it likes me too!  
HTH
Mary |
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Over 50, combo, OCM. Originator of Pearl Paste ... www.silkenpearl.com |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:32 pm |
| KTKat, I use a combination of the least comedogenic oils I know of: Jojoba oil and Olive Squalane. They are supposed to most closely resemble human sebum, so they are easily absorbed and do not sit on top of the skin, clogging pores. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:09 pm |
Second the other suggestions to try the OCM methods. Can't stress the importance of proper cleansing especially since you're using makeup. one of the girls with the best skin i know triple cleanse daily - oil cleanser, milk cleaner and foam cleanser.
another suggestion is for you to leave off the makeup if possible. our skin needs air to breath, especially during the acne flare periods. the derm always stressed as little makeup as possible during bad skin days.
last suggestion would be to vist a derm.
please don't be like me when i was younger and try out 200 different counter skincare products. don't use our face as the testing field - it doesn't like having different products on it every week  |
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normal to combination skin that is sensitive. cheeks have large, visible pores and flush very easily. most SAs tell me "dehydrated on the outside, oily on the inside"! |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:15 pm |
| KTKat wrote: |
| Mary and poohlisey, I've only ever tried DHC olive oil cleanser, and even with washing separately afterwards, it still broke me out. Do you have any recommendations for brands? |
not mary or poohlisey, but here's some info on oil cleansers,
for DIY oil cleansers, check out the link from poohlisey.
for off the counter oil cleansers, here are the hot ones from an asian forum.
1) Shu Urema oil cleansers, 4 types for various skin type.
- Shu fresh, pink
- Shu normal, yellow
- Shu enriched. orange
- Shu A/O, green with green tea extract
2)Fancl cleansing oil
3)Kesalan Patharan Perfect Cleansing Oil
(lovely citrius scent)
4) IPSA
5) DHC
6) Babor
I'm not sure if you're able to get your hands on them easily as they are mostly asian brands. Shu and Babor should be easier to find in the USA (Babor is a european brand).
The oil cleansers made a big difference to my skin, i could literally feel bits of dirt/black heads coming out of my face. I've tried all 4 of shu's cleansing oil, dhc, KP and IPSA. They are all pretty good and differentiate in scent and texture only.
hth |
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normal to combination skin that is sensitive. cheeks have large, visible pores and flush very easily. most SAs tell me "dehydrated on the outside, oily on the inside"! |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:20 pm |
My own problems with adult acne sound similar. Too much exfoliation and unsuitable products. My skin was dry and flaking, so I put more moisturizer on, which caused breakouts and then more exfoliations and products like AHA and BHA. And on and on and round and round.
I've become a bit more cautious about the exfoliation, and only do it about once a week. I'm now on the path to try and get my skin back to 'normal', whatever that is.
I agree with whomever said that massive amounts of different products is using ourselves as guinea pigs. It's an expensive process, and sometimes our skin suffers! |
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62, dry skin prone to milia - why oh why can't I find skincare products I can rave about! |
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