My battle with congested skin/clogged pores
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free skin care · Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:02 am

I've been battling this issue for years now and can not seem to find a solution for this problem. My skin is prone to milia and condones with oil seeds when extracted. It seems that it doesn't matter whether its winter or summer, my skin is still congested.

Products I've used in the past:
Clarisonic
Jan Marini glycolic acid face cleanser
Jan Marini bio clear
Salicylic acid 2%
Benzoyl peroxide 5%
Clyndoxil gel
Oil cleansing method
Vit c serum
Skinceuticals blemish and age defense
Dr. Hauschka cleansing milk and cream

Note I'm not on BC pills and I exercise regularly and eat very well. Only organic meats/produce and not a lot of dairy.

I will do an experiment and inform you all about my progress in my battle of congested pores!

free skin care · Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:25 am

Day one: I have gotten a deep pore facial with extractions yesterday and will go back to the routine of using retin-A .025 at night to start and increase the strength once my skin gets used to it. The purpose of retin-a is to increase cell turnover and loosen acne causing clogged pores.

I'm good at keeping my skin clean, taking off my make-up before bed and only using mineral make-ups, I have a feeling my acne may be due to hormones. The androgen-stimulated sebaceous glands produce more sebum. Sebum is a natural oil that makes the skin soft and waterproof. The oily sebum accumulates in the follicle as it moves up the hair shaft where it mixes with normal skin bacteria (Propionibacterium Acnes) and dead follicular skin cells. The dead cells normally get pushed to the surface where they are expelled. The more sebum is produced the greater the chances of clogged follicles that potentially result in pimples. Therefore I'm starting to take natural supplements of "vitex" and "zinc" to help from the inside out. This, along with a simple cleansing routine of oil cleansing method AM/PM and skinceuticals C during the day will be my experiment and I will let you all know about my progress

free skin care · Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:46 am

Hi BC Girl,

I think my skin may be a lot like yours, my active acne is more or less under control these days but my skin is still very congested and if I don't constantly deal with it my skin takes on a sort of waxy, bumpy look not spots more like bumps under the skin, horrible!

I did see a dermatologist a few years ago who told me that in my case it was probably genetic and a combination of my making a very thick, sticky kind of sebum along with skin that doesn't exfoliate as it should.

I use a retinoid often and it helps but my skin still gets clogged, one of the few things that help decongest my skin is those clearasil scrubby pads with salycilic acid. I'm not that keen on them as I am sure they are bad for your skin too drying. Its touch trying to find a balance between stripping out my skin and letting it get too congested I always feel I end up too much of one or the other and if I negelct my skin for a couple of days (i.e. only basic cleansing and moisturising) I go back to square one.

I'be tried some of what you have and think the clarisonic and salicylic acid are helpful as well as a retinod. I loved the Dr Hauschka cleansing cream and the oil cleansing method which makes my skin even toned and radient up to a point where it just becomes congested and horrible, I've never seen my skin more awful than after a few months of the cleansing cream.

Your hormones are key, eating high GI foods impacts your hormones and I always find my skin is better when I avoid sugar (too bad I love it so much!) Also my skin was better when I used Vitamin B5 I'm not sure about the safety of long term use. Also zinc helps with oil production and I believe that taking a good spoonful or two of omega oil over a month or two actually helps to thin out your sebum so that it doesn't get trapped in your pores. It all sounds plausible although I have never been arganised enough to do it consistantly it is my new years resolution to do so.

If you already eat well and exercise then your already ahead of me! Just a couple of supplements as you suggest should help. Also you need to be careful about over using drying products as I find my skin only fights back with more oil production!

free skin care · Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:21 pm

I'm right there with you. I don't get very many active breakouts anymore, but I do get a few cystic pimples here and there.
I had a very positive initial response to the oil cleansing method, but I have given up on it with-in the last few days. My skin looked very good initially but over time it got even more congested and looking worse than usual.
I also took large doses of B5 and had a very good reaction initially. That may have lasted for a little over a month and then my skin again became very congested and I even got 3 cystic acne all at the same time.
Now I have gone back to using a gentle foaming cleanser with the clarisonic.
At night I apply Vit C serum along with a 1% salicylic acid + retinol lotion. In the morning I apply 2.5% benzoyl peroxide with sunscreen. I have only been doing this for 2 days, but so far my skin likes it.
I have tried taking zinc supplements but have severe digestive issues afterwards so I gave up on that. I will try taking smaller doses of zinc with selenium and vit E and see how that helps.
Good luck to all of us.

free skin care · Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:22 pm

^ hi pandora, thx for posting. Yes, it really is a tedious balancing act. Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are supposed to help, but then they dry out the skin too much. Then you are dealing with dryness which dry skin gets trapped in pores causing inflammation and acne/clogged pores. Then you have to exfoliate more often and find a solution to cure the dryness which means more products and more irritation to the skin. Perhaps for oily skin types salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide can work, but my skin is combination and can get quite dry in the winter months.

free skin care · Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:28 pm

Hi snow fairy, do report back in how your new regime is doing

free skin care · Sat Jan 26, 2013 7:50 pm

SnowFairy wrote:

I'm right there with you. I don't get very many active breakouts anymore, but I do get a few cystic pimples here and there.
I had a very positive initial response to the oil cleansing method, but I have given up on it with-in the last few days. My skin looked very good initially but over time it got even more congested and looking worse than usual.
I also took large doses of B5 and had a very good reaction initially. That may have lasted for a little over a month and then my skin again became very congested and I even got 3 cystic acne all at the same time.
Now I have gone back to using a gentle foaming cleanser with the clarisonic.
At night I apply Vit C serum along with a 1% salicylic acid + retinol lotion. In the morning I apply 2.5% benzoyl peroxide with sunscreen. I have only been doing this for 2 days, but so far my skin likes it.
I have tried taking zinc supplements but have severe digestive issues afterwards so I gave up on that. I will try taking smaller doses of zinc with selenium and vit E and see how that helps.
Good luck to all of us.

I wanted to update on my battle with congested skin.
At night I use Vit C serum, salicylic and retinol. I follow that up with antioxidant serum. In the morning after washing I apply a spray with HA, Matryxil 3000 and a few other goodies. Follow up with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, follow up with antioxidant serum and sunscreen.
I wash my face with Olay sensitive skin foaming facial wash with a clarisonic brush. This wash cleans my skin very well and takes my makeup off completely.
A few things that I noticed...
During the first couple of weeks of this regimen, after washing I would dry my face with a really rough old washcloth and even after using the clarisonic I still had a lot of junk clinging to my skin (I guess dead skin cells, half extracted oil plugs, whatever). I could just sit there and rub my face with the washcloth for a couple of minutes and this stuff would be coming off. Now, after a little over 3 weeks I don't have that junk in my skin anymore. After I wash my face, my skin is smooth and there's nothing more to rub off. The blackheads on my nose are not black anymore. The pores on my nose are still congested, but not as much as they were, they are not black and they are easier to extract. There are some pores on my forehead that are still a little bit congested, but not as much. The pores on the rest of my face have cleared up. Some of them are still enlarged, but that does not bother me at all.
So far, this is all very good and positive. I just hope this is not the maximum benefit I am going to see.

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 1:41 pm

I dont think that you should b using Vita C serum and retin A at the same time sue to pH incompatibility... apparently too acidic pH inactivates RetinA...

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:28 pm

I agree with Daler. Do the Retin-A at night and the Vit. C in the morning. And, Vit. C is an antioxidant product so no need to do an additional antioxidant product in the morning.

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 5:38 pm

Thank you for the input.
Here's what's going on:
I don't use Retin A. I use a product that has salicylic acid and retinol in one formulation. The PH of the product is 3.8 which is a good PH for the salicylic acid to be effective. I don't know whether the retinol in the product is effective at this PH or not. It may not be effective at all, but it's there although the percentage is not listed on the packaging. Anyway, it doesn't matter because I was mostly after the salicylic acid. I used to use the Vit C in the morning, but I switched to using at night and here's why. My cleanser has a PH of about 6.3. It usually takes me about 15 splashes of water to rinse everything off and for my face to feel clean. I am guessing that after all these splashes of water the ph of my skin is at about 7. If I applied my salicylic acid product right away I am assuming a portion of it would be neutralized in bringing the ph of my skin down. My vit C has a Ph of about 3 (not exactly sure). So, my reasoning behind this is that the vit C would be more effective at bringing the PH of my skin down while still providing some antioxidant and exfoliating benefits. That would also mean that the 1% of salycilic acid in my other product would be used to exfoliate deep inside of my pores and it would not be wasted at bringing the ph of skin down.
As far as using antioxidants in the morning - personally I don't think Vit C is enough and I just like to give my skin a good coktail of natural and synthetic antioxidants.
Anyway - I may be completely wrong about the entire Ph thing, but I gave it a good thought and decided to give it a try. So far I've had really good results.

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 6:49 pm

Hi Snow Fairy, have u ever used retin A? I have used salycylic acid and retinol products for while in the past n they did nothing for my nose white heads.. however retin A removed em in a couple of months and now my nose is almost pore less without any of those nasty white heads! I belive there is no alternative to retin A/retinoic acid... many companies promote retinol, touting it to be as good as retinoic acid/retin A just because they cannot sell the later as it's supposed to be prescription only...

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:26 pm

daler wrote:

Hi Snow Fairy, have u ever used retin A? I have used salycylic acid and retinol products for while in the past n they did nothing for my nose white heads.. however retin A removed em in a couple of months and now my nose is almost pore less without any of those nasty white heads! I belive there is no alternative to retin A/retinoic acid... many companies promote retinol, touting it to be as good as retinoic acid/retin A just because they cannot sell the later as it's supposed to be prescription only...

Hi Daler! Yes I did use Retin A at 0.025 concentration. I loved it and it seemed to be doing really good things for my skin. However at the moment I am underemployed and my current insurance does not cover cosmetic visits to a dermatologist or the Retin A. In a few years when my kids are older I will return to a full time job and will be able to afford the derm and the retin A.

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:35 pm

OCM did not work for you? Which formula and oils did you use?

BCgirl wrote:

I've been battling this issue for years now and can not seem to find a solution for this problem. My skin is prone to milia and condones with oil seeds when extracted. It seems that it doesn't matter whether its winter or summer, my skin is still congested.

Products I've used in the past:
Clarisonic
Jan Marini glycolic acid face cleanser
Jan Marini bio clear
Salicylic acid 2%
Benzoyl peroxide 5%
Clyndoxil gel
Oil cleansing method
Vit c serum
Skinceuticals blemish and age defense
Dr. Hauschka cleansing milk and cream

Note I'm not on BC pills and I exercise regularly and eat very well. Only organic meats/produce and not a lot of dairy.

I will do an experiment and inform you all about my progress in my battle of congested pores!

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:26 pm

Oh SnowFairy, buy retinA from alldaychemist.com it's cheap, only $3 or so and no prescription needed, that's where I buy it from! Are you in USA or...? They are based out of India but ship it to most countries including USA... shipping is expensive, $25 so buy 5 tubes or so... your hands n feet can use some retinoic acid too Wink

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:29 pm

daler wrote:

RussianSunshine wrote:

OCM did not work for you? Which formula and oils did you use?

BCgirl wrote:

I've been battling this issue for years now and can not seem to find a solution for this problem. My skin is prone to milia and condones with oil seeds when extracted. It seems that it doesn't matter whether its winter or summer, my skin is still congested.

Products I've used in the past:
Clarisonic
Jan Marini glycolic acid face cleanser
Jan Marini bio clear
Salicylic acid 2%
Benzoyl peroxide 5%
Clyndoxil gel
Oil cleansing method
Vit c serum
Skinceuticals blemish and age defense
Dr. Hauschka cleansing milk and cream

Note I'm not on BC pills and I exercise regularly and eat very well. Only organic meats/produce and not a lot of dairy.

I will do an experiment and inform you all about my progress in my battle of congested pores!

Oh SnowFairy, buy retinA from alldaychemist.com it's cheap, only $3 or so and no prescription needed, that's where I buy it from! Are you in USA or...?

Thank you

! I did not know that. Yes, I am in the USA.

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:30 pm

I updated my previous post with some additional info.. shipping to USA is no problem...

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:35 pm

daler wrote:

I updated my previous post with some additional info.. shipping to USA is no problem...

I found it! It comes to about 28.50 USD with the shipping cost.
Thank you again for mentioning it.

free skin care · Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:36 pm

SnowFairy wrote:

daler wrote:

I updated my previous post with some additional info.. shipping to USA is no problem...

I found it! It comes to about 28.50 USD with the shipping cost.
Thank you again for mentioning it.

you are v welcome... buy multiple tubes so shipping spreads out...

Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:33 am

Have you tried using Pore Strips? They seem to work well in clearing up clogged pores.

free skin care · Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:17 pm

magmajuice wrote:

Have you tried using Pore Strips? They seem to work well in clearing up clogged pores.

Yes, I love the pore strips. I use them on my forehead, nose and chin. I think they work really great at cleaning out the pores. I like to use the salicylic acid right after I use the pore strips. I figure that way my pores are empty and the SA can penetrate deeper without all the gunk in the way. So far, I am happy with the results, but it's constant work.

Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:45 pm

Hey BCgirl wave

Sounds like we are in more or less the same boat - my skin has been very congested but I suspect mine was thanks to neglect than anything else.

I've started using JM Bioglycolic Lotion again and I'm seeing a huge improvement. It is a product I have used in the past and it has given me great results in the past. As I type that though I realise that you have used the JM cleanser before (which I always get good results from as well) and this has not helped. So, take my experience with a grain of salt. Another thought, are you drinking enough water? I am notorious for being able to get through a whole day and then realising that all I drank was two cups of coffee. I started doing yoga a few months ago though (though now stopped thanks to my back) and that has got me into the habit of drinking 2-3L of water per day, which I suspect is helping with the congestion as well.

I hope your skin is improving!

free skin care · Fri Feb 01, 2013 7:54 pm

SnowFairy,I just want to mention that you may want to reconsider using Benzoyl Peroxide as it is an oxidant and causes skin aging.

free skin care · Fri Feb 01, 2013 8:13 pm

Angelcat47 wrote:

SnowFairy,I just want to mention that you may want to reconsider using Benzoyl Peroxide as it is an oxidant and causes skin aging.

You know, it is something that I have been concerned about and I don't like having to use it. BUT without it I do get cystic acne and I don't like them either. They are painful, itchy, ugly and they linger around for a very long time. Now that I have my order for Retin A, I am hoping that once it arrives and I start using it, I might be able to reduce my use of BP. I will take it slow and hope for the best.

BTW - do you have any experience with cystic acne? Is there anything you can recommend other than the BP? because the salicylic acid alone is not enough to keep them under control. It helps, but not enough. I am open to any and all suggestions. Thanks.

Sat Feb 02, 2013 2:52 pm

I had cystic acne, and tried many things. Although some treatments helped minimize it (oral antibiotics, birth control pills), the fix was always temporary.

I finally tried Accutane, which I had avoided due to my concerns about its side effects, and that took care of it, immediately and permanently. My only regret about Accutane was that I didn't try it sooner.

My age may have played a part, too, in the cystic acne not returning. I took Accutane in my early forties, so I was already having less hormonal skin trouble.

I also had some of the cysts injected with steroids. Although the cysts did go away immediately, I was left with some large depressions in my skin. I've read since that the depression is a result of having too much steroid injected.

free skin care · Sat Feb 02, 2013 3:06 pm

jwaduveev wrote:

I also had some of the cysts injected with steroids. Although the cysts did go away immediately, I was left with some large depressions in my skin. I've read since that the depression is a result of having too much steroid injected.

HI jwaduveev, artfill should take care of the depressions if done by an expert...

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