Skin Breakouts

Hey ladies!

I've been battling with my skin for what seems like forever. My skin started breaking out badly before the summer started and it hasn't stopped yet. I've tested out what products could be the culprit by not using certain shampoos, conditioners, styling products, etc. Nada. I tried assessing what foods may be doing it (it may be a lack of something....)and stopped eating the soy products I was eating to substitute the protein I'm missing from being a vegetarian/pescetarian. Nada

The last time I started breaking out randomly I started using Proactiv (that was back in 06). I dont want to have to go there again for various reasons, even though it worked like a charm and fast.

What are some effective remedies you have used (they can be natural or not, I wont be picky today lol)? Just know that shea butter and black soap have failed me on this one [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thank in advance [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

~~Lena


***Off to look for holistic doctors and dermatologists like my hubby suggested***

Honestly...

I use Dr. Bronner's Eucalyptus Soap... On MY face and Body...

My skin is an oil producing factory... so i dont have the drying problem associated with using certain "Soap" on skin...

I was an avid user of Dermologica... but that stuff is PRICEY...

Thanks for replying!

My skin is usually oily too but depending on what I use it can also be dry; so I've always thought I had combo skin with more oily tendencies. Like the teeniest amount of shea butter has started to cause new pop-ups after I use that (sometimes) drying Dudu Osun.

I started trying Clean & Clear 3 in 1 exfoliating cleanser w/ benzoyl peroxide a couple of weeks ago and its fine except for the fact that a new something pops up every now and then

I had a plethera of things that used to work for me but I think my skin is on strike for real lol

What about dark spots....what do you use for those?

AMBI!!!!

Hands down.... Ambi works... I had ZERO pimples before I went to the navy... and slwoly but surely they would start popping up and leave small blemishes... so my mom told me to use Ambi but on the exact spot so i dont risk discoloring the rest of my skin...

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i also love ambi and proactiv lightning serum to treat those blasted dark spots!! the trick is to the use them AS SOON as you see a pimple showing. that way, the dark spot will fade quicker. also, for me, i noticed that the proactiv lightning serum worked so much faster than the ambi. if used twice a day, the proactiv show results in 3 weeks while the ambi shows in a couple of months...

I do a bentonite clay treatment every Friday night with my steam treatments, and it seems to work really well with drawing out the impurities in my skin. I also used Neutrogena daily.

Thanks ladies for your input. I too am an oil factory and lately my break outs have been a lot worse. Now that my hair is short it is hard to hide the spots now. I will definitely try the Eucalyptus soap and the ambi and see it that works. I am open to other suggestions as well.

I'll definitely be trying some of these. I've never really had problems with my skin, even during pregnancy, but now my daughter is 3 months and I've been a mess for the past two weeks so any suggestions for clearing a monster breakout are welcomed!

Hi CulryDivas,

I haven't experienced any major breakouts BUT I have noticed for me that if I use products that are EXTREMELY heavy on oils and butters then it's all over for my face. My advice is to of course get a facial cleansing regimen but also try your best to keep hair out of face.

I'm posting the first article from Dr. Perry tomorrow...she did one on breakouts as well, but I think this first one is on healthy skin in general.

Good stuff to come

Thanx for all the advice ladies!!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I think I am definitely going to try Ambi and see how it works for me. I use Neutrogena's Clean Pore Cleanser/Mask and it has bentonite clay in it (I love it!!) along with benzoyl peroxide but I might try out plain bentonite clay to see how that works too

@Nikki, I just read Dr. Perry's article--great stuff!!

I have been using Ambi since I was 12. The proactiv fading/lightening cream worked for me too. A couple of years ago they switched the ambi formula, it used to be very thick and greasy, now it's light. It used to work faster, but still works. I think hormonal changes can also cause acne or temporary breakouts. I have been to several dermatologists & one told me until my hormone problems are resolved-there's nothing that she could do. ?? I try to take very good care of my face & even tried proactiv w/ no results. My sr. year in college I was on Doxycycline which made my skin Flawless! but years later I tried that & Minocycline but neither worked. Some now I am still dealing w/ this [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] .

Oil cleansing method! My skin looks better than it has looked in years. Any breakouts seem to melt away by the next day. The oil and massaging action seems to just push them right out. I love it.

Moni, I was just getting ready to ask "what the heck is oil cleansing??" lol but I see there is a new article about it on CN.com lol

**off to read it in another window**

I have acne, not breakouts. I think they are two completely different things (anybody feel me?). I've been dealing with acne for like 16 years now! I'll get into a 'good skin' groove for a few months, and then its like all hell breaks loose and my skin is back to its old tricks. I have a great skin care regimen (cleanser, toner, benzoyl peroxide, exfoliants, non-comedogenic moisturizers, jojoba oil, vitamins, vegetarian diet since I was 15, exercise 4 days a week, very little/no sugar or processed food and wheat products, etc...) and when my skin/body want to cooperate, it really works. Right now my chin seems to have waged a war with me; its a vicious cycle. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I have friends that eat whatever they want, don't work out, and go to bed with makeup still on their face, and they have clear skin! What is the deal? I must admit, before I went on birth control my acne was like 90% worse, so I do have to thank God for my little pills!

@BajanPrincess82, how long were you on birth control pills before you started to see your skin clear up? I'm starting to believe that my hormones are out wack for some reason, and stress from breaking out lead to more spots....which is causing me more stress!! lol So not fun.

My sweetie isnt feeling the whole hormone manipulation thing tho, so thats really gonna be my last resort

The last time this happened (2006) I dont remember what was wrong exactly (probably stress from school and my hair(then relaxed and greasy from oil/oil sheen) being on my face all day) but Proactiv cleared that up within 2 weeks (remaining darks spots and all) But now its like, wtf!! Since the summer my skin has been trippin without many breaks. My dad thinks I'm lacking something since I became a vegetarian in March(but he's biased as heck b/c all he eats is meat--very few fruits and veggies) but even with multis and exercise and a good diet my skin isnt loving me back either.

In the mean time, I am exercising my new skin care regimen and trying to find time in my busy A schedule to fit in a trip to the doctor. I hope I can find out something soon

That is interesting. Proactiv worked for me also (for a few years) and then it was like my hormones got all up on the mix. So frustrating! I take ortho tricyclen lo and it took about 3 months to really see a difference. Slowly but surely the acne (99% around my chin and jawline) started to clear up and for the first time in years I was happy about my skin. Of course birth control didn't clear it all up, but it made a huge difference. Have you had your hormone levels checked? Have you seen a dermatologist yet?

Lena_Jolie wrote:
My dad thinks I'm lacking something since I became a vegetarian in March(but he's biased as heck b/c all he eats is meat--very few fruits and veggies) but even with multis and exercise and a good diet my skin isnt loving me back either.

I was JUST getting ready to say that maybe it's something you're eating. What we eat, or don't eat for that matter, can really affect our skin. I posted over in the OCM post about how I realized that normal milk was causing my breakouts not too long and once I switched to organic, that all went away. Also, this OCM really seems to be doing the trick for people. I've finally decided to try it myself.

Dairy affects my acne too! I drink rice milk and stay away from cheese, ice cream, etc...

I'm a vegetarian also, but I had acne before I stopped eating meat. My mom is a vegetarian and her skin is the bomb (always has been). I just don't know anymore...

I'm a little scared of the OCM. I don't think my self-esteem can handle it if it doesn't work and jacks me up. I can handle my localized chin acne (somewhat), but I definitely don't want to disturb the rest of my face. I'm actually a member of acne.org, and there are people on that board that have tried the OCM...some were successful, others were not.

Succinctlyso, I've been using Dr. Bronner's Eucalyptus Soap for a week and my skin is almost back to normal already! Thanks for the tip!

Hmmm. Gotta add Dr. Bronner's soap to my regime. I never had break outs until child no.5.
Been trying some natural things after failures with over the counter stuff. What's in Ambi by the way? Gotta look that one up. I agree..definitely stay away from diary ( I drink soy due to milk allergies), fried foods, and chocolate. Stress is a huge factor for me at the moment. Trying to toss that aside as well. Thanks, ladies!

I feel your pain as I have been suffering with severe acne since I was 10 years old. After my acne beat Accutane and gave me the WORST BREAK OUT OF MY LIFE. I had to figure out what my skin wanted me to do. It was painful and embarassing to start breaking out so badly and out of the blue (to people who never knew I had acne) after having clear skin. The guy I was dating then broke-up with me because of it. So here's what's helped me get my skin back on track (before and after pics on request):

Diet

I'm cutting starchy foods (breads and potatoes), refined foods, sugars (including honey, white, brown, turbindo, etc.), saturated fats consumption, gluten, red meat and dairy out of my diet. I drink Organic unsweented almond milk and eat free range eggs and organic/free-range skinless chicken breast. I also supplement with organic brown rice protein. I also do don't eat foods that are high in soy (only soy liecithin which is used as an texture agent and preservative in some foods). Try ice cream made with coconut milk and agave necter if you get a ice cream hankering,. It tastes really good and the price will kepp you from going crazy [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] . I sweeten my food with stevia when I need to. This switch is a process that has taken a while and I'm still working on it. The closer I stick to this (along with what you'll see below) the better my skin behaves.

Regime

Day: cleanse with Dr. Bronner's or Dr. Wood's tea trea oil soap, super thin layer of either raw, unrefined shea butter OR castor oil (the think under-processed kind) OR AMBI's Even Tone moisturizer. That's it.

Night: Cleanse as above. Pat dry and add layer of RETIN-A prescription cream. I spot treat if anything is raised up and inflammed. But I'm doing this less an less (since I've not had any new bumps in weeks!!). Use a clay based mask to spot treat.

Extras: I either do my own (very bad but cheap) extractions with lancets OR go get professional extractions for tough to cleanse clogged pores (deep cleansing facial). Go to a derm if your skin is very inflammed.

Food for Thought

Read up on the connection between resistant acne, antobiotic/birth control pill use, and candida overgrowth (the kind in your intestine). It may sound crazy but getting colon hydrotherapy has helped too.

Everything I've listed above works together. But you'll have to read about it before you belive it and try to see if it's true. I did. It turned out to be a factor in my skin issues. I hope this helps someone. My acne is clearing up, thank GOD!! Now I just have to get rid of the hyperpigmentation and MAINTAIN for goodness sake. Wish me luck:) And good luck to you.

Idk if this product is on CN's "go list" (what I've named it LOL), but I use Neutrogena Visibly Even, and Neutrogena moisturizer for combination skin. It works wonderfully. I've also had great success with black soap in the past. It works really fast to heal any scars, or breakouts.

I also tried proactive a few years back. Worked wonderfully, but if you don't continue use you'll have MAJOR problems IMO (guess that's how they make their money. LOL). I broke out SOOO bad when I stopped use. TERRIBLE. So, I feel your pain

I guess everyone has dabbled in the Proactiv movement; I had to get away from that b/c it stopped working and then it was waayyy too expensive. This is a regimen I got from a friend's sis-in-law who has flawless, I mean perfect skin...

Evening: Oxy Maximum face wash, Oxy cleansing pads (to cut my severe oil problem), Acne Free Terminator 10, and Oil of Olay beta hydroxy night cream.

Morning: Oxy Maximum face wash, Acne Free Terminator, Oil of Olay beta hydroxy moisturizer w/ SPF

I have been using it since the beginning of August and haven't seen my skin this clear since before puberty. I do get a pop up or two prior to my "lady days" but they usually go away quickly and leave no scars. Very tedious, but it is all worth it when you see the results. All of the items can be found at the local Wally World or any major drug store. Good luck!

I fell in love with Clinique's Acne Solution line this summer. It cleared my skin and it looked flawless. I stopped to try to use more natural solutions, but nothing has worked as well so far. The only flaw is that the "moisturizer" will you dry you out a little, so I would use Neutrogena's Visibly Even moisturizer after using the three steps.