Beauty

[cantdrive55]

I have been making a mask with Epsom salts and a little water that I read about on acne.org. It's wonderful, it pulls impurities and reduces redness and inflammation quickly without drying the skin. It makes a lot of sense if you think about the benefits of bathing with Epsom salts. It certainly is not going to make things worse. Jojoba oil will take away the dryness without triggering more breakouts.

I've posted before on acne.org as a resource. I also read that zinc is a powerful acne fighter and opted to use it topically as supplements can be tricky in that they can cancel out the copper in your system. I ordered the Andalou Naturals Oil Control BB (amazon or vitacost) because of the really good ingredient deck and like it very much.

Oil cleansing was the game changer for me, but I understand it's not for everyone. Copper peptides from Skin Biology helped, too. I recently bought the Foreo and am very impressed with it.

HTH

[Fabilola]

On 1/21/2014 JeanLouiseFinch said:

On 1/21/2014 Bikkie said:

Have you ever tried CeraVe products? My dermatologist recommended the CeraVe hydrating cleanser and lotion for my face when it was irritated several years ago from the cold weather. I think it would work well for a product reaction as well since it is a mild product.

CeraVe products are very good. Lots of derms recommend them, mine included.

Mine too, both cleanser and moisturizer.

[myshell624]

Sound like you have some serious issues going on. I can't believe a derm told you a prescription was the only answer. I highly recommend seeing a different derm if possible. If that is not possible, if it were me, I would contact a skincare company like Paula's Choice and see what they recommend. Good luck

[ForTheLuv]

That stuff is like lye. It is HORRID. Did the exact same thing to my skin. UGH

[ForTheLuv]

On 1/21/2014 cantdrive55 said:

I have been making a mask with Epsom salts and a little water that I read about on acne.org. It's wonderful, it pulls impurities and reduces redness and inflammation quickly without drying the skin. It makes a lot of sense if you think about the benefits of bathing with Epsom salts. It certainly is not going to make things worse. Jojoba oil will take away the dryness without triggering more breakouts.

I've posted before on acne.org as a resource. I also read that zinc is a powerful acne fighter and opted to use it topically as supplements can be tricky in that they can cancel out the copper in your system. I ordered the Andalou Naturals Oil Control BB (amazon or vitacost) because of the really good ingredient deck and like it very much.

Oil cleansing was the game changer for me, but I understand it's not for everyone. Copper peptides from Skin Biology helped, too. I recently bought the Foreo and am very impressed with it.

HTH

How do YOU know that jojoba oil will not trigger more breakouts? Because acne.org said so? You cannot tell another person what will or will not make them breakout. Quit spreading your limited knowledge of what will or will not make someone breakout.

Furthermore, Andalou Organics contain ingredients that are "organic" but also VERY irritating to some. Lavender, lemon oil, and other "essential oils" that can wreak havoc on some people's skin. "NATURAL" does not mean anything in terms of how it will work on everyone's skin. Poison Ivy is "natural" too.

[Dorothy11]

On 1/21/2014 ForTheLuv said:

On 1/21/2014 cantdrive55 said:

I have been making a mask with Epsom salts and a little water that I read about on acne.org. It's wonderful, it pulls impurities and reduces redness and inflammation quickly without drying the skin. It makes a lot of sense if you think about the benefits of bathing with Epsom salts. It certainly is not going to make things worse. Jojoba oil will take away the dryness without triggering more breakouts.

I've posted before on acne.org as a resource. I also read that zinc is a powerful acne fighter and opted to use it topically as supplements can be tricky in that they can cancel out the copper in your system. I ordered the Andalou Naturals Oil Control BB (amazon or vitacost) because of the really good ingredient deck and like it very much.

Oil cleansing was the game changer for me, but I understand it's not for everyone. Copper peptides from Skin Biology helped, too. I recently bought the Foreo and am very impressed with it.

HTH

How do YOU know that jojoba oil will not trigger more breakouts? Because acne.org said so? You cannot tell another person what will or will not make them breakout. Quit spreading your limited knowledge of what will or will not make someone breakout.

Furthermore, Andalou Organics contain ingredients that are "organic" but also VERY irritating to some. Lavender, lemon oil, and other "essential oils" that can wreak havoc on some people's skin. "NATURAL" does not mean anything in terms of how it will work on everyone's skin. Poison Ivy is "natural" too.

Another way to say the same thing:

"There are many products and information sources out there, and we all have different skin issues, so what may work for one person may not work for another. Thanks for sharing your experiences and suggestions.

My research has shown that some organic and natural ingredients can be irritating to the skin, so natural products may not always be the best choice."

The original poster asked for advice. Certainly she knows posters here are not medical professionals, and are just voicing their opinions and experiences. Can't we all be respectful and nice? It makes reading these forums more enjoyable.

[maestra]

On 1/21/2014 cassiem said:

I can't use black soap because it dries my skin out horribly and then I get huge under the skin bumps. Something in it just does not agree with my skin.

Your skin sounds very irritated. Right now you need to treat the sensitivity rather than the breakouts, as acne products will just make you drier and more irritated, causing more acne. Once your skin starts calming down, you should see the breakouts diminish, too. I've been there many times, it does get better, you just have to be very gentle with your skin when the temptation is to bombard it with more products to get rid of the acne.

What I would recommend is using nothing other than a gentle cleanser and moisturizer. No actives for right now.

Gentle cleanser: I like LaRoche Posay Toleriane Dermo Cleanser (a light milky cleanser), but Neutrogena makes a good lotion cleanser called Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser - Creamy Formula. (NOT the Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser - Foaming Formula, that one contains fragrance which can further irritate skin.) Some people also like CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser (a light lotion, not the foaming formula), athough I personally find it stings my face if my skin is super irritated. You can also try regular Cetaphil lotion cleanser (I find it leaves a film on my face, so must remove with a washcloth.) Recently I saw both the CeraVe and Cetaphil cleansers for sale at CVS in small sample sizes.

Gentle moisturizer: My favorite is LaRoche Posay Toleriane Facial Fluide, it's a light lotion moisturizer with very few ingredients that hydrates well without being greasy. I also like Clinique Moisture Surge, Complex 15 Therapeutic Moisturizing Lotion (can find at the drugstore, the lotion, not the face cream which is too heavy for my skin), and Cera Ve Moisturizing Lotion (just the regular lotion, not the facial lotions as they contain more actives). There were samples of CeraVe lotion at CVS, too.

If I have a particularly large breakout, I spot treat pimples before bed with a dab of tea tree oil on a q-tip. Or sometimes I use a dab of clay mask (any kind I have on hand), dabbed on with a qtip before bed. Not pretty, but works really well to dry pimples out.

Good luck!

This is very good advice, but even tea tree can be too much for broken out, angry skin. Treat it like baby skin. Have you ever been to a derm? Especially w/adult acne. If not, maybe you might consider it.

[maestra]

The only mud soap I use is Erno Laszlo, w/the pre cleansing oil-I would hesitate to recommend this to you, especially now! Otherwise it is a wonderful cleansing routine.