Skin Breakouts

Wow, so many great ideas!! I dunno where to go next lol

Well ladies, I'm trying AMBI Fade Cream on my spots now, have been for the past 2-3wks so far. I hear that it takes time, so I am trying to be as patient as possible --I can be an impatient lil thing sometimes. It worked fast on a spot I had between my eyes and but there are still traces there.

I started researching alot of the products I was using as far as correlations with acne breakouts/allergic reactions and found that some people using that Dudu Osun black soap experienced the same thing I did after a while. I have recently switched back to Dove (what I had been using for the majority of my existence) and I am seeing lots of improvement. I have even been able to stop using that Clean & Clear acne scrub I started using.

@ curlyamazon, I looked up the connection between candida overgrowth and acne and the symptoms they had up there are on point with some othe things I deal with including the acne. I just figured that I my stress levels and hormones were off for whatever reason but this summer I looked into acne breakouts on cheeks; a Chinese face map showed that this area is connected to the colon and stomach, so you may be on to something with the candida overgrowth So....it may be a topical and internal deal; School is out soon, so I'll be able to make that trip to the dermatologist and see my other doctor about my digestion (long overdue)

I stopped using the apple cider, green tea and honey mix that I had been using from You Tube (took too long to see results and breakouts started back) and now I'm using the ACV as a toner only. I occasionally do a yogurt, honey and oatmeal mask for moisture and I've read that yogurt has a light bleaching effect but no results in that area as yet although my face is soft. I use black soap now and it has completed halted my break outs. I have found that I can't use it daily or it will definitely dry out my skin but now I have the blemishes. I may give Ambi a try also. What is in it? Hydroquinone perhaps?

I don't eat fried foods or diary (just soy here) but found that my culprit was caffeine and stress. I love my Green Tea. Had to switch to decaf but still working on the stress factor. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Oh, Acidophilus is a great digestion aid as far as getting your GI on track also. I get mine from the local health food store.

Hey naturallydestined!
Ambi does have hydroquinone in it and I read that alot of products including Ambi have come under fire for it; because of that I was reluctant to start using it but I was desperate. I use it as directed (I have really slowed up though b/c I dont want any real issues later)

I have seen much improvement in my skin since switching back to Dove soap (apparently all natural products arent for everyone like I thought lol) and I have seen a few of my dark spots get lighter while using the Ambi cream.

Acidophilus? Hmm.....I had already been thinking about adding those yogurts with the special cultures in them to my diet. I might still do that. I have been drinking senna tea like twice a month, so cleaning my system that way may be helping a little too

Ok. I'm in desperate mode also. I'm so tired of my blemishes. Ambi is on the list. LOL

Thanks!

maybe my skin was too sensitive for Ambi or maybe it was a bad batch, but it gave me a really bad rash so I had to throw it away. It also had a weird smell and the tube started leaking somehow...like it had been pierced somewhere but too tiny to see. I have lots of dark spots that I need to treat.....maybe I will try the proactiv treatment for dark spots that you gals mentioned!

Hi Lena,

I feel your pain. I don't blame you if you don't want to go back to using Proactive. Apparently the ingredient that is most responsible for the success of the Proactive system is Benzoyl peroxide. Luckily, there are other more gentle options. I think you should try an Alpha-Hydroxy acid or a Beta-Hydroxy acid. A brand called Alpha Hydrox has a really good lotion with 10% glycolic AHA. You can also try my favorite brand called Paula's Choice. They have a full range of AHA's and BHA's with additional soothing ingredients that do not irritate the skin. Whatever you decide, be sure the product is fragrance free and non-abrasive. Oftentimes, fragrance irritates the skin and causes more breakouts. I am an independent skincare consultant feel free to contact me if you would like some samples.

Good luck,

Nneka Okonkwo
303-875-9053
o.nneka@gmail.com

I've suffered with acne since a teenager but earlier this year, it got way out of hand. I was experienced a severe amount of stress (grandmother diagnosed w/cervical cancer. Please pray for her) and to save some money I decided to no longer use birth control other than condoms. My skin went crazy! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I had saw two different doctors and neither one of them helped accept for telling me to use a lighter moisturizer for my type of skin. I researched online and figured I needed to see a derm who was familiar with ethnic skin and found Dr. Kim Nichols in NYC. She knew exactly what caused my breakouts based on their locations and prescribed me to use a product that contains both salycilic acid and benzoyl peroxide pads, a retinoid and I glycolic acid lotion I use nightly. She did recommend chemical peels to address the hyperpigmentation but they're out of my budget.

I'm happy to say that I followed the regimen she recommended and my boyfriend compliments on how clear my forehead is. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I can see my moles clearer and I don't have to use liquid foundation any more. I use Bareminerals occassionally.

I finally went to a dermatologist!!!

The doctor told me I have seborrheic dermatitis and gave me a list of stuff to take (topical gels and an antibiotic, plus he told me to use a new shampoo and soap)

He wants me to wash my hair one a week with T-Gel shampoo (dunno about all that once a week business lol) and use Purpose soap. My pharmacist didnt have any of my soap so I have to wait on that (didnt get to check Rite Aid or any other stores yet) but one of the lotion's he gave me makes my skin feel so much better; I thought he was just saying that it would to get my hopes up. Before, my lil zits hurt and were irritated but the Cordran lotion eliminates my irritation and pain. I only have to take my antibiotic every other day (which is good, I've head some horror stories about prolonged use) and I start my other creams next week.

I'm so glad to know what the problem is

@ Hamptonsfnst, I'm glad you were able to solve your skin issues too!! Stress is no joke, and I wasn't even stressed until after my skin broke out; that probably aggravated my dermatitis problem.

I've been wanting to use Bare Minerals for the longest. Is it as great as the commercials and other people make it?

Lena_Jolie wrote:I finally went to a dermatologist!!!

The doctor told me I have seborrheic dermatitis and gave me a list of stuff to take (topical gels and an antibiotic, plus he told me to use a new shampoo and soap)

He wants me to wash my hair one a week with T-Gel shampoo (dunno about all that once a week business lol) and use Purpose soap. My pharmacist didnt have any of my soap so I have to wait on that (didnt get to check Rite Aid or any other stores yet) but one of the lotion's he gave me makes my skin feel so much better; I thought he was just saying that it would to get my hopes up. Before, my lil zits hurt and were irritated but the Cordran lotion eliminates my irritation and pain. I only have to take my antibiotic every other day (which is good, I've head some horror stories about prolonged use) and I start my other creams next week.

I'm so glad to know what the problem is

They definitely have Purpose at Target. I got some yesterday for my cousin.

I LOVE Purpose! I get it from WalMart, Walgreen's, CVS, etc... Most drugstores have it.

I was able to get it from Rite Aid, our local pharmacist made it seem like my dad had to get it from them and it couldnt be found anywhere else lol

Anyways, Purpose and the other stuff I was prescribed is working great no more breakouts; my dermatologist is now treating my dark spots. I'm soooo happy that madness is over!

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I use Shea Terra Organics African Lemongrass Indigenous Black Soap Elixir. I have very bad acne and scars. You can purchase from http://www.nyenzo.com/naturalorganicfacialcare.htmlI I also moisturize with Shea Butter

Hey ladies,

I've been really focusing on tackling this problem since last fall, and found some great info out there that might help you, too.

A little background: At age 12 for some reason I decided to try Noxzema and overnight turned my face skin from flawless into an inflamed, oozing nightmare. By painful trial-and-error I pretty much narrowed it down to anything with cocktail of chemical ingredients, especially active ingredients that tingle or have immediate results (acids, etc.). Since then I've only been able to use very gentle products on my face and body. Other than that my skin was lovely. Then about 6 years ago I started getting irregular breakouts, and since have been searching for natural ways to get rid of it.

Because of my sensitivity to chemicals, I haven't been able to try many of the most popular remedies like ProActiv, peroxides and acids (on the whole this is a blessing), which has meant very slow progress. However, in the past few months I have learned that there are probably multiple sources to my acne, which has helped me not throw out good products and solutions that only provide results after long-term use, as well as pass up others that I know won't treat the source of my individual acne problem.

To help figure out one source of my breakouts, I read about facial diagnosis here:
http://vitaleblog.org/articles/facial-diagnosis-skin-conditions . While it's probably better to see a naturopath, or Ayurvedic or traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner for thorough and accurate diagnosis, I can't afford it at the moment so this chart helps. Because my pimples tend to pop up in the same places, I was able to determine I have some digestive issues (which I already knew, but didn't ever link to my pimples).

Last year I found a website called High on Health (http://www.highonhealth.org) that chronicles a woman's battle for the past 3 years to get rid of her cystic acne (caused by stress, candida, and product overload) using natural methods. She's rather obsessive about skin and natural health (in a likable way), which is great for us since she documents all of her research, product trial-and-error, and offers some pretty balanced information and advice. While she consistently says that there is no one miracle product or solution that will work for everyone, she highly recommends a couple of particular natural products and has a list of no-nos (like no squeezing or picking). I would try to ignore the product recommendations until you have read the information about determining the source of your acne (see this post: http://www.highonhealth.org/how-to-identify-the-root-cause-of-your-acne-just-by-looking-at-your-skin/#more-1144 ). From there you can search her site for more information about remedies for your particular problem, be it reducing product overload, stress, balancing hormones or candida overgrowth, or identifying possible food allergies. She is currently on a raw-foods and detoxing/colon cleanse kick, but again she doesn't necessarily think this will work for everyone. She also has a free video guide (10 short ones) to healing your acne through health (http://www.the-clearest-skin-ever.com/) that has some good information on topics such as scar fading with natural products (you can download PDFs of the transcripts so that you don't have to take notes or watch the videos again later). She also sells an "Eat Away Your Acne Guide", but from feedback in the forums there I decided not to purchase it because it's really best for people who have no knowledge about how different foods impact your health. I think people like curlyamazon and KinkyShea probably wouldn't benefit from the Eat Away Your Acne guide. This site has helped me start working on balancing my hormones (and reducing stress at key times in my menstrual cycle) and candida overgrowth, which I'm sure I have since I've taken antibiotics every few years for one thing or another since I was 12 (yep, I was prescribed tetracycline and erythromycin for my Noxzema disaster, which ultimately has caused another disaster!). Thank goodness I'm allergic to most of them, so I can break the cycle!

Lastly, in the transitioning forum I posted about pore-clogging, comedogenic ingredients in your skin and hair care (go here: http://www.curlynikki.forumotion.com/general-f3/acne-at-the-hairline-t2093.htm ). Compare the ingredients of your current products to the ones on this list, and if the comedogenicity rating of any of the first ten ingredients is 3 or higher then pass up the product. This helped me completely eliminate very annoying clogged pores on my back.

Sorry for the long post, guys, but HTH!

@ Lena Jolie: I like to wear BareMinerals in the summer because it's too humid in NYC to be rocking liquid or cream foundation. I purchased my kit at Sephora because you're able to test the different shades or even blend to find the kit that truly compliments your skin tone. I've also been cleansing with their RawMinerals cleanser and that seems to be more effective than my Neutrogena Foaming Face wash. I like to use that at night and when I get off of work.

@GGG - Thanks so much for your informative post.
@HF - I've been using BareMinerals and I love it because it's so light. I have never been in to any liquid or cream form of foundation - I'm so low maintenance when it comes to cosemetics.

Me too TMS. I don't really wear makeup unless it's for a social occasion. I would like to learn how to play up my eyes more.

@HF - I've been trying to find someone besides MAC to really take time with me in applying eye makeup. I need in broken down in steps - like first this, then this...LOL

@TMS You're welcome (and gorgeous btw)! I'm pretty low-maintenance like you. I think when I was growing up I put so much energy into my hair I didn't have time to learn how to apply make-up LOL

I've been thinking about trying mineral make-up. Does it take a while to learn how to apply it evenly? Also, did you have access to a tester to match it, or were you able to match it easily by the packaging (i.e. was the package color pretty true to the actual color)? Lastly, how does it stand up when you go out dancing?

And with BareMinerals, any irritation or pimples? I was thinking about buying an Australian mineral makeup (Inika or Earthy Essences) because I won't be back in the Bay Area for a while, but if it's really good I'll wait.

@GGG - Thanks for the compliment. I never cared about makeup until my late 20s maybe even early 30s.

Actually, I went to a Bare Escentuals store so that they could match my skin. Yes, the package color is true to color. It's really simple to apply and you don't need a lot. The one thing that I like about BareMinerals is that it's light and the application is effortless.

Oh, it's perfect in hot steamy environments. I find that if I use a primer for my eyes the makeup stays on.

I have sensitive skin and have been using BareMinerals for the past 3 years with no breakouts from the product whatsoever. I would suggest that you wait until you come back to the States so that they can match your skin, give you tips and samples.