Hi everyone. I just found this group today, so we'll see how this goes... I have just been super down on myself lately (and pretty much since I started getting major breakouts when I was 13... I am almost 20 now...) I feel like I have worn out my options of treatments with no success, and just feel like I am constantly fighting this acne battle. I have acne on my face, chest, shoulders, and back and have found no treatment that actually seems to make a difference. When I saw a dermatologist a couple years back for a while, I knew that it was supposed to get worse before it got better and everything, but despite that, my dermatologist would switch my medications every 4 weeks because she wasn't seeing improvements. So on top of suddenly having much worse acne, I was also getting sick from switching meds and suddenly had a completely shot self-esteem. Birth control did not work to calm my breakouts either. Honestly, one of the only things I haven't tried is Accutane, but I do not really trust all of the major side-effects that come along with that.
I know everyone has different skin, but has anyone with relatively oily skin had some miracle cure that is more or less on the natural side that you have found that has really helped? I just need some hope that I don't have to deal with this for the rest of my life, and a little help picking myself back off of the ground.
Much Love.
Hi there, I am in a very similar situation as you, have tried just about everything including the dermatology treatment too. But question, did you find out that you break out too more so around the time of your monthly cycle? birth control hasn't worked for my acne either but maybe natural hormonal treatment might help. you do need to treat the outside with topical treatments to your face, but also if your inside (hormones) are out of whack then the acne will still keep coming back no matter how good the topical treatment is.
For some reason, my acne actually tends to calm down for a few days right around my cycle which puts me in an even more difficult situation because I have never heard of anyone else having that happen to them. I don't know if bringing up possible hormonal issues with my doctor is something that could maybe make a difference or not...
@maybesomeday22 Even if you have the opposite effect, that could possibly mean you have a lack of the right hormonal activity. People who breakout more during the time of the cycle usually have too much hormonal activity going on.
@maybesomeday22 Also, if you feel you have tried just about everything else than maybe just to ask wouldn't hurt.
I've been battling acne for 14 years so I know how you feel.
Finding the cause can be frustrating. You probably drive yourself crazy thinking of all the possibilities: foods, stress, hormones, bacteria, overactive sebaceous glands, makeup, washing your face too often, etc...but it's not wrong. Acne is a very complex problem.
I've tried everything under the sun, and yes, even Accutane.
What topical treatments have you tried? And have you tried combining them?
@Shaelin I’ve used 2 prescribed topicals tretinoin and tazorac… but those dried my skin out really quickly and pretty badly so those didn’t last. I’ve used benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, aha and ha and pha combinations. They work for a little while and then they don’t anymore. I’ve also tried tea tree oil, coconut oil, navan skin care topicals… other over-the-counter type things.
YES I FEEL AS THOUGH I CAN HELP WITH THIS.
27 year old woman here, have had acne since I was about 11.
I wash my face once in the morning with dove sensitive skin, pat dry.
There is this new toner (alcohol free) that I have been using from the company Piping Rock.
I bought it a week (!!!!!) ago, and oh my god the difference in my skin has been tremendous!! I am so happy about my progress.
Then after applying the toner with a cotton pad, I let it dry, and put on nivea day cream with spf 30.
My skin has been getting better and better on the DAILY. I swear by this.
https://ca.pipingrock.com/witch-hazel/thayers-rose-petal-witch-hazel-with-aloe-vera-toner-12-fl-oz-355-ml-bottle-39779
Here is the link if you'd like to buy some. I truly do wish you the best!
@ivanaguadalupe witch hazel acts as an astringent and does not actually combat acne. It only temporarily results in a tightening of pores effect.
Yes, and not a single thing on this planet is a forever lasting product.
Like sunscreen, you'll need to apply it each day (when in the sun, every 2 hours).
When pores tighten, it is more difficult for bacteria to get inside the pores, and later on, cause pimples/blackheads.
As for my comment, I posted what has given me fantastic results, and the fact that my skin has been doing better and I have seen immediate results for what works for me, yeah, I'm going to share it with someone who was specifically asking for help in that area.
@ivanaguadalupe I wanted to point out the ingredients of your products that your rave post failed to mention.
If anything, rave posts like yours that do nothing to explain why the product mentioned would be helpful is just harmful and misleading. If someone ill-informed and gullible had read what you had written, trusted in it, bought it, only for it to not work as believed and shatter their high hopes, they would just feel even more disappointment and frustration.
If you had linked to well-researched articles like this:
that state helpful information about why witch hazel can help acne-prone skin, then it would be a completely different matter and I would not have made my clarification comment about witch hazel.
And just an FYI, witch hazel helps oily skin because it is a drying agent to to reduce excess oil, and also has anti-inflammatory properties1. The pore tightening effect does not realistically affect acne at all, and hence what you say about bacteria getting into pores is just untrue and misleading.