Help with acne?

[Birkal]

Actually, there's a time where you should pop them. When they become white-heads and look a little swelled, that's when you pop them. If you leave them and let them get past that stage, they become blackheads, which are much harder to get rid of.

Can I get a source on where you got this information? I am just curious, because I have never heard anything of that sort haha.

 

[Hipmonlee]

Man my brothers had bad acne growing up, and they got put on roaccutane..

The idea of giving teenagers a drug that has a known side effect of causing depression seems bad enough, but while they were on it their skin was so oily and sensitive to everything, it was pretty gross.

 

[reyscarface]

Man my brothers had bad acne growing up, and they got put on roaccutane..

The idea of giving teenagers a drug that has a known side effect of causing depression seems bad enough, but while they were on it their skin was so oily and sensitive to everything, it was pretty gross.

The depression has to do with the burst of more acne leading you to feel more insecure / etc or so I was told. But yeah the side effects are pretty brutal.

 

[bojangles]

I'd advise against taking Accutane. It was taken off the market because it's been linked to IBD, including ulcerative colitis, a disease of the bowel that usually requires surgery and removal of parts of the intestines. Acne, no matter how irritating, will never be as bad as ulcerative colitis.

 

[v]

My best friend took accutane, and the resulting depression caused him to go on a downward spiral that ended in pill, alcohol, and tobacco addictions that were not easy to kick, and hard to see him go through. And his face was still fucking gross as hell

 

[Gengan]

Can I get a source on where you got this information? I am just curious, because I have never heard anything of that sort haha.

Personal experience. Half of year of not worrying about acne led to me wishing I had. Generally if they're on your cheek they won't become blackheads, but on your forehead, nose, ears etc., they will.

As for popping, well, I did that as well and the ones I popped went away. It got rid of them, so it must have worked.

EDIT: The name of the cream I used it called, "Clindamycin Phosphate and Benzoyl Peroxide Gel" and it works wonders. I've been using it for just 3 days and my acne has been going away at an alarming rate. Ask your doctor to prescribe it to you if your acne is really bad.

 

[Oglemi]

I grew up with acne, I started getting it when I was 12. I tried everything in my teenage years; pure washing, Proactive, Cetaphil... you name it I probably tried it (Accutane is probably the one thing I didn't try because my mom had heard that it caused depression and refused).

I went to a dermatologist when I was in sophomore year in high school. She told me that the only reason Proactive and the other stuff you see on TV work is because it gets the kids to actually wash their face. She basically flat out told me that Proactive is a scam for anybody with moderate to severe acne, the active ingredients in it are incredibly low.

She also told me it doesn't matter what you eat. Acne is based on hormones and clogged pores, it has zero to do with what you eat (I went a year without soda because I thought it might have been my sugar intake, a common old wives tale).

She prescribed me a topical cream called Evoclin, with its active ingredient being Clindamycin. She rated my acne as moderate to high, thankfully I never had severe acne. The prescription did work, but it had the horrible side effect of basically burning my face: the skin by my nose and my cheeks were horribly inflamed for a while.

I ended up combining it with another cream called Tretinoin. Finally, it seemed like it was working. At my peak I only had 2 pimples on my face. Then, just in my freshman year of college, the drugs seemed to stop working, so I stopped taking them because they started causing inflammation again as well.

Since I've stopped taking the drugs, I've only ever had a couple pimples on my face at any time. Though, I've never been completely clear ever, I don't think since before I started puberty.

Ultimately, idk if there really is a whole cure for acne, especially because so much of it has to do with hormones. The best you can do is keep your face clean, don't touch your face regularly, and wash it 2-3 times a day without soap. Using a sudsy soap will only clog your pores again.

Don't pick at your acne either, like LN said. I regularly popped my pimples when they were white heads though because they even more gross looking. You have to be sure to wash your face immediately after popping though, otherwise the gunk that's inside the zit will only stay on your face and cause another zit. Once you've popped a pimple though, refrain from touching it because that's what causes the scarring. I can say from experience that the only scars that I've gotten from zits are ones that I continued to pick at after popping them. Gengan's post may hold some truth because that's what I experienced, idk fully on the details though.

 

[Improbability]

Get into a healthy routine of cleansing and moisturising morning and night with the occasional exfoliation (investing in quality, alcohol free products is totally worth it), getting proper sleep and eating well. I also find avoiding touching your face during the day, especially whilst on the computer helps a great deal in keeping it clean. Simply using pimple creams wont help if you don't solve the underlying problems and will only make you worse off in the long run.

 

[Stylish Interval]

is it me or do these pictures not match the ones from the physical fitness thread

your face just looks much bigger in these, might be lighting doe, who knows

edit: on topic, don't use bar soap doe. my derma told me that stuff is bad for your face. don't know how reliable she is, but i've been acne free for like 4 years since switching to body wash

 

[Gengan]

Oh, also, this is something I was told by my doctor:

DO. NOT. SCRUB.

If you apply any kind of creams, do not use a scrubbing pad. Use your hands. Scrubbing irritates the pimples and most likely makes them worse.

 

[franky]

There's no actual treatment to acne since most break outs are sporadic especially in earlier teen years. Accutane should only be taken if your acne is severe, otherwise a mild break out can be remedied by living healthier. The best thing you could do is drink plenty water, eat your fruits/vegetable, shower after a sweaty extra curricular activity, and most importantly leaving the acne alone. Even the slightest touch can make your acne worse since your finger nails are most likely filthy. When it comes to facial creams, you should ask your doctor before using them because some products actually irritate acne more than it clears it. Just my two cents.

 

[kittenmay]

Oh, also, this is something I was told by my doctor:

DO. NOT. SCRUB.

If you apply any kind of creams, do not use a scrubbing pad. Use your hands. Scrubbing irritates the pimples and most likely makes them worse.

Actually, I would recommend not using your hands either.
I've never had a problem with acne but I know a lot of people who have. Your hands contain a lot of oils and using them to shmear on cream probably won't be beneficial. I would personally recommend using a soft sponge, something like the one makeup artists use (for the same reason)

 

[Asek]

Anyway I can reduce my acne fast? Preferably by Monday, my first day of school.

You aren't going to get rid of your acne by then. Having had bad acne for a little while, a good expectation is to see signs of improvement at 3 months after starting a prescribed product, as said by my dermatologist. The best way to get on top of acne is to just be consistent with your treatment and be patient. My face is fairly clear now after 6 months of starting the treatment. I can also back up other people here that stress makes your acne a lot worse, and if your parents had bad acne growing up your highly likely to as well.

 

[popemobile]

I'd probably just kill myself if i had acne

 

[bluewooper]

Ok, here is what you do. Go to the locally owned Chinese groceries store. You need to look for something called "green bean powder" in English (it looks like a green powder). This stuff is great. You put a little bit of it in a bowl, and add a little bit of water. This will make the powder into a paste. Then you rigorously apply the paste to your effected areas. You need to let it dry on your face. It will really dry, which will cause the acne to disappear rather quickly. Also, you should be able to get enough in one package to last you for about 3 months. I swear this stuff is deadly to acne.

EDIT:

Here is a link to show you what it looks like. It isn't as green as I remember. Basically, you get a professional quality facial results, except you'll look like an idiot for a while

http://media.maangchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mung-bean-jelly-starch.jpg

 

[XxpokemonmasterXx]

Thanks for all your help right now. Most of my acne isn't too severe, so I don't mind it right now. I do, however, have one really big zit right on my cheek, I'd prefer to remove it by tomorrow or Tuesday. I heard that putting baby Aspirin on it removes it fast, anyone else know about this?

 

[yond]

Accutane is a fuckin miracle drug. Being someone who used it, I can say that the side effects have been blown WAY out of proportions. The only things that are likely to happen (I have alot of friends who've taken it as well) are dry skin / eyes and you become easily sun-burned. As far as 'depression' side effects go.... when I asked my doctor about it before taking accutane he said that statistics showed there were more cases of depression in teens w/ acne who didn't take accutane, because they were depressed about their acne. Kids on accutane didn't have anywhere near as many symptoms of depression because their skin was clear and they felt good about themselves etc. I'm not saying it cannot cause depression, but like I said its blown way out of proportions... Accutane is the way to go if you are willing to commit and deal w/ really dry skin + eyes.

 

[Gengan]

I heard that putting baby Aspirin on it removes it fast, anyone else know about this?

Yes, in fact, I have. This is a good idea if you really need it gone.

 

[doughboy]

Even if you choose to use Acutane (which I would suggest not doing) you take a smaller amount than prescribed. While normally this a terrible thing to do with any perscribed Medicine since the pathogen could develop more of a resistance to the drug, some studies of have shown that taking a smaller dose of accutane was just as effective as the full dose. Now I know this seems baseless now, but I'll try to find the studies and link them in here as well as give the range of mg it is. I know this because of my brother had pretty severe acne even going into his 3rd year of college and had to research accutane really in-depth to convince my parents to allow him to get it.

Fortunately, I haven't had severe acne like my brother. However, I did have a breakout this summer in the late July-early August time period, but I did get it all to pretty much go away (which is good for 3 week time frame). Judging from how I "recovered" from this breakout here are a few tips outside of getting a different drug:

• Clean the areas affected by acne with an astringent. Doing this is especially good to do if you are treating your skin with a topical cream/whatever. It will allow you to remove the dirt/grease from your face to prevent further acne from developing. Use cotton balls to put it on your face, and you will see the brown grease/dirt yourself right on there. I use this
• Get a haircut. Alright I had pretty long hair (grew it out for 6 months) and during the time period I did have long hair, I had the acne breakout. The long hair helps to contribute grease to other parts of your face. As soon as I got my very short Crew-cut, my face has gotten noticeably better.
• Watch your diet. Overconsumption of stuff like Pizza and Chips will lead to have acne. Just try to stay away from junk/greasy food and soda in general.

If you are curious as to what I use, I use Clindamycin phosphate. It works very well and does not dry out my face. However everyone's skin is different so it might not work for you. These were the things that toned down my acne in about 2-3 weeks

One more thing, if you are pregnant watch out for getting the accutane baby head:

ahhhhhhhhh

 

[Shiny Mew2]

Hey it's the crystal skull, Pillsburydoughboy

Everyone's covered basically everything. Keep a clean face, and no matter what: DO NOT STRESS OUT.

 

[TheStarRapper]

I use this tool to provide a more structured way of popping stuff that needs to be popped. Extremely cheap at any CVS/Walgreens, would highly recommend.

EDIT: What a weird ass centennial.

 

[xtra$hine]

i take pills and it makes me dizzy and crazy and i trip on air and its kind of working but my mom said 2 quit it because i look high xD but i still take it xD

 

[Lee]

Shave regularly because microscopic dirt and shit gathers in facial hair and you end up with a collection of spots around your lower face but not anywhere else like I did. becomes a bit of a self-propagating problem too because it becomes impossible to shave without snagging the spots and making them worse