Posted by Lindenblüte on November 6, 2006, at 9:29:34
In reply to Re: Chronic Acne..., posted by laima on October 20, 2006, at 0:19:07
Hi Meri-
You sound just like me! I'm 27 and I always have some bad skin spots, and some days that I just feel like a monster.I have been seeing a dermatologist. Definitely worth it. My skin care routine is complicated, but I've seen benefits. There are the usual things -wash with gentle cleanser. use non-comedogenic moisturizer with sunscreen.
then there are the elements to my routine which are more atypical-
physical exfoliation 2-3 times a week- either using a scrub with grainy bits, or washing with a washcloth, or using a mask
chemical exfoliation. My skin responds well to alpha-hydroxy. I use a gel several times a week. I believe it's 10% acid, which is pretty strong. It makes my skin red and a tad itchy for a half-hour. I use it when I'm at home. But the next day, my bumps and flakes are gone, and my skin feels so much smoother.
Exfoliation is really important, because if you have dead skin cells on TOP of your skin, the treatments, moisturizer, etc cannot get to the living skin cells which need them. Also, the alpha-hydroxy helps to exfoliate the skin cells which line your pores. those dead ones are constantly getting pushed out to the surface. If they get stuck, though, they can block the pore and cause icky pimples and black heads.
Increasing cell turnover- I use prescription retin-a for this. My husband (oilyskin) and I both have acne, so we have a few different strengths to choose from. Tretinoin .05% on strong skin. Tretinoin .025% for more delicate or already inflamed skin. I also have a Rx for Renova, so I might use that too. It's even gentler. Usually I use these treatments almost every night. A pea-sized blob smoothed over cleansed skin- everywhere but the eyes. BONUS- increases the thickness of your dermis (deep skin layer) and so it will help reduce wrinkles and slow aging. DOUBLEBONUS- actually reverses some sun damage when used for a while. My other treatment is a Olay Regenerist Serum. I use this as my eye treatment (they sell a tiny bottle for eyes, but the ingredients are 98% the same, so I'll just save myself 20bucks and use a big bottle. Contains peptides which trick skin into thinking it's damaged, so that the skin tries to regenerate itself faster. Vitamins too. good stuff.
Antibiotic- I have good results from benzoyl peroxide (5% or less) smeared in thin layer all over my face (except eyes). PROBLEM- Benz will deactivate the tretinoin- so use one in the am (benz) and one in the pm (tret). I'm really annoyed, however, that the benzoyl peroxide medicines bleach fabric. I have ruined a lot of clothing, from pulling a shirt over my face- bleached- to sweating in the summer- bleached spots on my chest. I dunno how. grr! I also have a script for clindamycin. A non-bleachy topical antibiotic. I have it in a gel format. Pretty good- just smooth all over face. disappears in moments, then add sunscreen, lotion, makeup on top.
fading existing scars- alpha hydroxy helps. So does hydroquinone. don't use this one for more than a few months without a derm's advice.
preventing scars- as the pimple dries up and gets crusty, dap a tiny bit of neosporin on it several times a day. helps speed healing and minimizes scar formation.
for really deep pimples (cystic acne) -- the tretinoin helps, but these will respond best to oral medication. I have also had a lot of success using a hot water compress- soak a cotton ball in the hottest water you can tolerate, apply to spot for 5 mins, refreshing hot water as necessary.
This is all well and dandy. my big problem is that I pick the damn things, and make everything worse than it has to be. So, I have some psychological issues that affect my acne too.
Diet- omega-3 fatty acids, avoid too much sugar, refined carbs (insulin swings not so good for acne) and maybe a tiny birth control hormone is not a bad idea, if you want. (testosterone increases acne). When I was on BC pills for 5 years, I had very little acne. huge flare-up when I quit, and now I'm kind of better...but still not as clear as when I was hormonally bonkers on BC pills.
whew. sorry for too much info!
-Li
poster:Lindenblüte
thread:687844
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20061106/msgs/700863.html