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moonprismpower
New Member
Joined: 27 Jul 2013
Posts: 5
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Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:29 am |
I am a long time EDS lurker but this is my first post in some time! I am a bit confused about how frequently you should exfoliate in order to combat adult acne.
Just a quick background...
I am early 30s with thin, combination skin and pregnant. When we were trying to conceive, I stopped using Retin-A and most of my skin care products. Not sure if pregnancy ages the hell out of you on its own but my skin looks pretty bad now and worse due to hormonal acne. My doctor has advised that I stay clear of BHAs, all retinols, and benzyl peroxide while pregnant. In any case, I'm just trying to deal with the bad skin without relying on acne products. Just gentle face wash with a clarisonic, vitamin C serum, Cerave at night, and sunblock.
I used a clarisonic almost daily until the internet suggested that physical exfoliation can thin/age skin and aggravate acne if used more than 1-2x a week. This made sense to me becuase my skin has certainly become thinner since getting the clarisonic. But when I dropped to 1x a week, white heads began to pop up all over my face! So now I wonder if it is better to exfoliate frequently or if my skin is just adjusting.
EDS has a nice group of skin care fanatics so I thought to run it by you all. How often should you exfoliate your facial skin? How do you know if you've over-exfoliated? |
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moonprismpower
New Member
Joined: 27 Jul 2013
Posts: 5
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Wed Aug 21, 2013 1:24 pm |
Hmm, no suggestions? |
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Wed Aug 21, 2013 5:47 pm |
Personally I think exfoliating frequently is a bad idea. Your skin gets rid of dead cells with or without your help and the only reason people exfoliate is to help the process, especially as it slows down with age. Once the dead cells are removed, it takes a while for the newly revealed cells to die and loosen for easy shedding, so removing them shortly after you just exfoliated makes no sense to me and seems like abuse/the cause of unnecessary trauma--a recipe for other problems.
Exfoliation isn't the only way to fight acne or whiteheads. I believe a deep cleansing mud mask can help too. Understanding the cause of the whiteheads or acne can help you know how to address the problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWJgzoFabUg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I do know that in the past when I have exfoliated with something more than the gentle massage of a facecloth (eg microdermabrasion), while my skin looked good immediately after, it would look awful in a couple of days or so--even worse than I remember, making me feel like I must do it again. But once I stop the madness and allow my skin to return to normal, it does so in due time...and goes back to looking good without all that fuss. Less is more, I find. Plus I love the idea of having a thick, firm skin so I have never been a fan of anything that makes skin thin or soft.
If your acne is hormonal, then things will probably go back to normal after the baby. An anti-inflammatory diet (www.shapeyourface.com/nutrition.htm) and maybe cutting out dairy, wheat and sugar, with your doctor's OK of course, may help. |
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moonprismpower
New Member
Joined: 27 Jul 2013
Posts: 5
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Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:56 pm |
Thank you for the helpful suggestions. I know what you mean -- the post-exfoliation skin is just so glowy and nice, it almost gets addicting.
I will keep the clarisonic to a 1x week minimum then. And an anti-inflammatory diet in general is a healthy one so I'll definitely be nibbling on more blueberries and walnuts! |
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sistersue
New Member
Joined: 01 Sep 2013
Posts: 2
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Sun Sep 01, 2013 3:36 pm |
I think you might want to experiment with the cleanser as much as the frequency. I've had really good luck with the Cerave line that you can pick up at most drug stores. It was recommended by my dermatologist when I was having trouble with hormonal acne. Of course I also took a round of antibiotics, but mine was because of lack balance from being off hormones from breast cancer.
Yours is probably too much of one or the other. And will settle down in time with a great reward in the end!
But try a different product and use the gentle brush for your clarisonic. Maybe only every other day. But it should be safe if your products aren't strong. |
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Sun Sep 29, 2013 11:39 am |
sistersue wrote: |
I think you might want to experiment with the cleanser as much as the frequency. I've had really good luck with the Cerave line that you can pick up at most drug stores. It was recommended by my dermatologist when I was having trouble with hormonal acne. Of course I also took a round of antibiotics, but mine was because of lack balance from being off hormones from breast cancer.
Yours is probably too much of one or the other. And will settle down in time with a great reward in the end!
But try a different product and use the gentle brush for your clarisonic. Maybe only every other day. But it should be safe if your products aren't strong. |
I found CeraVe's foaming wash to be drying.
And the hydrating wash was very mild--it scarcely cleansed my skin.
Nevertheless, you might have a different experience, and there are many people who like these products. |
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Sun Sep 29, 2013 5:02 pm |
sistersue wrote: |
I think you might want to experiment with the cleanser as much as the frequency. I've had really good luck with the Cerave line that you can pick up at most drug stores. It was recommended by my dermatologist when I was having trouble with hormonal acne. Of course I also took a round of antibiotics, but mine was because of lack balance from being off hormones from breast cancer.
Yours is probably too much of one or the other. And will settle down in time with a great reward in the end!
But try a different product and use the gentle brush for your clarisonic. Maybe only every other day. But it should be safe if your products aren't strong. |
I found CeraVe's foaming wash to be too drying.
And the hydrating wash was too mild--it scarcely cleansed my skin. |
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Mon Sep 30, 2013 2:17 am |
I have not used clarisonic, because I worry about that my skin becomes thinner. Pregnancy itself is relatively sensitive skin. |
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greengables
New Member
Joined: 30 Sep 2013
Posts: 3
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Mon Sep 30, 2013 5:26 pm |
Just so you know, topical retinoids do not get into the bloodstream, so technically there isn't a risk using them while pregnant. (Oral tretinoin is a different story, of course.)
However, the only way we can document this fact for pregnancy is to do studies on pregnant women, which will never happen. As no doctor wants to get sued, all will tell you to basically use nothing your skin while pregnant...just in case.
Personally I think you will do more harm to your baby by eating badly (you can precondition a fetus for insulin resistance) than by using a retinoid, but of course it's your call. But I think it's useful to know that what doctor says may be more about saving their butt than actual scientific fact.
As for cleansing, I like to alternate between something like CeraVe Foaming and a deep cleansing cream such as Pond's The Classic Cream or Burt's Bees Sensitive Cream Cleanser.
I have a Clarisonic Pro, and I would never use it on a face with acne. It says right on the pamphlet not to use if you have active acne, because it will just spread the bacteria around. |
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