it was pretty horrible for me as a teenager as well, until my doctor prescribed erythromycin (sp?). that thing did wonders for my face. that was 10 years ago. now, when i don't wash my face thoroughly, i'm still pretty clear. i guess your body changes chemically as you get older.
Purpose soap kicks ass. Seriously in addition to accutane I think it had a big part in clearing my skin up. It's available over the counter, give it a shot.
Drink a lot a lot a lot of water... and try to keep your face clean with mild soaps... that's about all you CAN do without spending much money. http://www.lilgames.com/acne_zit_popper_game.shtml
I've never had acne, but I've had skin sensitivity problems, you know when your skin gets red or blotchy even if you merely touch it or especially when you exercise and sweat. For me, ProAcne (a cheap version of ProActiv you can get at Walmart) worked wonders. I was clear in about 2 weeks. However, since I was about 16 or 17, I've used just bar soap, and now I'm 19, and I hardly have any skin problems I hope you find a solution!
Proactive solution before bed everynight prevents acne from breaking out for me. I've used to have bad acne until my mom got me to use Proactive and it works like a charm. Now I only get a couple of small pimples like every two weeks as oppose to every 3 days previously. Sometimes I would go for a month with clear skin. Prevention is the key and rather then actually treating the acne itself and Proactive does the job.
I've still got acne...and this is after Accutane (and I've tried Proactiv and anything else you can think of). Apparently I'm the 10% that it doesn't work for...and I got severely depressed because of it. All I'm doing is using some mild soaps and praying to God that it passes... Let me know if something works for you (or for anyone else that Accutane didn't work for...)
I still don't know what makes Proactiv so great... the active ingredient in the stuff is benzoyl peroxide. I think it's more the way they tell you to do the 3 step (?) process more than anything. Anyway, like P Diddy says in the commercials, y'all moisturize your situation and preserve your sexy... lol. What a dork.
best moisturizer I've found is called Complex 15. It doesn't leave an oily residue...and doesn't irritate the skin. Better than any of the Neutrogena moisturizers imo
the people saying the acne dot org regimen know what they're talking about...been on a year, it's worked wonders...it's cheap, fast and healthy for your skin...if you haven't tried it, you really should...forget all this accupunture, japan lotion, etc...waste of time and money...go to acne dot org and do the regimen today....it will change ur life.
I never had bad acne, just the typical acne you get as an adolescent. I'm 32 and I still get the occasional zit. Most of the time it's ingrown hairs along my jawline from shaving with a dull razor, though. When I do get a pimple anywhere else, it's because I've been eating lots of greasy foods or been under stress. Steer away from Zinc. It's the only thing you eat that has been proven to cause acne. It occurs mostly in fish. My ex-girlfriend had bouts of bad adult acne, and proactiv worked wonders for her.
Best none working crap in the world, well it may work for you, but the general rule is that anything with BP and SA in it is crap, it will make your skin red, sensitive, and ****z.........Just like Proactiv.
there's no SA in it. but BP...makes your skin red and sensitive for the first week or 2 (during which you use the moisturizer a little more to compensate). After that, you get used to it and it doesn't happen anymore at all
Most BP comes in a 10% solution. The regimen suggests a 2.5% solution. Proactiv is a 2.5% solution as well but it uses a harsh face wash and does not include moisturizer. The regimen calls for a gentle face wash and moisturizer. My skin hasn't gotten dry at all. It seems to be working pretty well for me. You've probably never tried the regimen. I don't see why you immediately discount it. Then you go onto post a solution that OP can't even try because of the inavailability of the product.
My experience is this: if you use treatments like benzoyl peroxide/salicyclic acid, you should also use some kind of face moisturizer lotion to keep your skin from being too dry. I've had acne problems related to shaving (ingrown hairs and stuff), but I've found a combination of Neutrogena face-clearing shaving cream (with SA) + a good moisturizing lotion (stay away from the Gillette crap!!!) generally keeps my face in good condition. YMMV, of course.
