I know your skin produces a lot of oils during puberty, but they just seem to keep popping up all over my face. I've started drinking more water for my bags and my face (don't seem to be doing much for my bags, maybe I'm not drinking enough?) Anyway, I wash my face every single day, and of course drink water. I pop them a lot, something I need to stop doing, but are there any other ways I can have a lighter face? Also, when I do pop them, I get these awful scars which leave a dark mark on my skin and, even though it's dark, you can still see them.
I never used them myself, but there are an assortment of products designed solely for getting rid of acne.
I had really bad acne so I went to a dermatologist who perscribed a topical antibiotic and Epiduo. A few months later and my skin is completely clear (aside from a scar or two). Coconut oil, pure, unrefined coconut oil can also help.
I should tell you to be very careful with products that are supposed to help you. If you have a sensitive (and a bit of a dry) skin, like me, they will only make it worse. I have some suggestions: - Don't touch your face with your hands. If you touch your face, you might get outbreaks. - Don't wash your face too often, especially not with soap. You should use neutral products, or none at all. Washing your face two times a day with water is enough. Be careful if you have a dry skin, like me. - Don't wash your face using warm/hot water. The water should be a bit warm, but not that it's too warm or hot. It causes your skin to dry, which will cause it to produce more oil later on (and thus making it worse) - Avoid too much sunlight. It causes your skin to dry, which will cause it to produce more oil later on (and thus making it worse). Moreover, too much sunlight can cause inflammation. - Change the sheets of your pillow often. The cleaner they are, the better. =) Some suggestions about food. There are many different opinions here. I found that it does matter, for myself. - Avoid products with too much sugar in it. They cause your blood sugar level to rise all of a sudden, which can cause outbreaks, according to some studies. - Avoid milk. I don't recall why, but it has been said to cause outbreaks, according to some.
Sorry Quemmy but will have to disagree... Notice, this comes from a 27 year old guy who has the skin of a 20-22 year old. This is what you need to do: - Exfoliate with deep exfoliation cream/soap with grains (Garnier, others i've tried are crap), do this once a week and let it stay on the face (like a mask) for about 4-5 minutes. - In the morning when you get up and in the night before going to bed, wash face with face wash (for gentle skin, with no soap, L'Oreal has these, pink bottle). - Get some cotton swab thingies and wash face with micellar water, for gentle skin (again pink-ish bottle by L'Oreal). - Apply moisturizer (don't overdo it), make sure to get one for day and one for night, in the morning and before bed. Wash with hot water, to open pores, don't worry about skin drying, due to above treatment. You will get some, troublesome spots in the beginning, while your skin adjusts, but as you start doing this on a regular basis, you'll notice a huge improvement. Also, moisturizers have ph, so sunlight is okay. As for pillows, DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER on pillow sleeves and towels (might as well, not use it on rest of bed sheets as well, that is close to face). Also, why i mention towels... Put one on top of your pillow, it will help absorb sweat, pulling it away from body and into the towel. Make sure it's one of the more fluffy ones. Milk and sugar stuff, affects people differently. For me, i have no problem with them, but eggs are my bane. Also, plenty of water... Switch between spring and mineral on a 7 to 15 day basis.
Go over to acne.org. They have a forum and the product they sell, you can find substitutes for in your local pharmacy. I've found that an egg yolk (only) mask will help scars heal a bit faster. (Store it in the fridge but only for a few days - it will die quite quickly). Then use a plain old moisturizer/sunscreen.
What I do: Allow warm water to run over my face in the shower, and use a shower scrubber to exfoliate my face, removing any dead skin. I don't use soap - just water. When I get out of the shower, I usually apply sudocrem to any spots that appear - I wouldn't use too much, because it dries out your skin. Just apply a small amount. I then apply moisturizer - but only a thin layer - and nothing too heavy - this can make your skin oily and result in more spots (in my experience anyway). As for my diet - I avoid fatty, greasy foods (particularly the latter), and usually drink two 1-litre bottles of (flavoured) water a day. Also, as Quem mentioned, avoid touching your face, and change your bed sheets regularly.
My comment is based on my own dry and sensitive skin. Believe me, if you had my skin, your suggestions won't work at all. Doing the things you do, I've done it, causes outbreaks for me and inflammation. My skin reacts to those products, Garnier, various moisturizers.. So saying "this is what you need to do" is not true. Sure, it can work, but it doesn't have to work. Especially washing your face with hot water is disastrous for me, no matter whether I use the products you've recommended. *edit* My skin is very sensitive, unfortunately. And I'm possible allergic to some of the ingredients they use in the products. =\
This. If washing your face with warm water and soap several times a day is not helping, there are acne products that may help. When I was young and had bad acne, this is what I had to use. I grew out of the acne and have embarrassingly smooth skin now, so all hope is never lost! :icon_wink Also, quit popping and scratching the acne, this will cause scars that will last longer than if they just healed on their own. It can also actually make the acne worse. http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/teen-acne-13/pop-a-zit
