A Constant Battle With Acne [ Edited ]

[#1]

I've had acne since the sixth grade that would never go away. My mother said it was simply because of hormones, and I should just let the acne come and go, which I actually tried but the acne would never go away and just got worse and worse. I have yet to find a treatment that actually works.

My skin is rather odd to put it simply. Some days it will be oily and others it will be more dry than oily. I've gone through 3 different acne treatments I bought at a grocery store. They would work in the beginning and after about a week or two of making amazing progress to clear skin, my acne would flare up and be impossible to get rid of. They would even dry out my skin, even when I used the moisturizer that came with the kit. I read the reviews for the clinique acne treatment, but the reviews are very mixed and I'm not sure if it will do anything for my skin. I've lost faith in using acne clearing systems that I don't have to get a prescription for, in fact I don't even know if buying another three step acne clearing treatment is worth it.

Right now I'm considering going to a dermatologist to see what's up with my skin. However, I'm worried about the cost of a prescription acne clearing system.

I'm rather self conscious about my skin simply because when I break out it's really bad. There are so many girls with beautiful, clear skin and no matter what I've tried the acne doesn't ever seem to full go away. Right now all I want is an acne treatment that works with out having to pay big bucks for it. I'm not sure why the treatments didn't work sometimes I think it's because they weren't for my skin composition specifically. Any ideas as to what I should do and whether or not I should purchase the Clinique acne treatment?

[#2 · Accepted solution]

I would suggest going to your family doctor and not the dermatologist depending on your insurance because the family doctor may offer you antibiotics straight up instead of giving you a bunch of creams with ingredients you can find at a drugstore.

As for the Clinique Acne Solutions, I've heard that the moisturizer in that kit isn't that effective, so if possible maybe buy each product separately and buy maybe the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (alternative to the Lotion one because it's oil-free). I would also add that if you have an allergy to benzoyl peroxide, maybe Clinique is a bad choice for you and you should look for another brand. My skin personally cannot handle benzoyl peroxide and responds better to salicylic acid. It's definitely a trial and error.

Don't forget to change your pillowcases every few days and disinfect your cell phone with alcohol every other day.

I hope this helps and good luck!

[#3]

Hi !

I can understand dealing with acne can be really very frustrating. 

I am also having cystic acne since past 1 year or so, after having tried IPLs, antibiotics and several topical medications it wasn't any better. 

I can say that now my skin got better only after I tried to understand and eliminating the reasons which caused me break out. 

Things is what I follow:

1. Vitamins: The vitamin which really helped me was B5, I took 500 mg daily (do consult your primary care physican for further guidance as any vitamin in excess could be harmful). Along with that not to forget fish oil. 

2. Keep a check on any kind of food that can cause you break out: For me it was dairy products, so I have it in minimal amounts. 

3. Make sure everytime you wipe your face use a clean towel. 

4. DDF microdermabrasion kit followed with your fav moisturizer. 

5. Be patient and try to de-stress. 

6. I also change my pillow covers daily. 

7. Drink plenty of water. 

Hope it helps  

[#4]

I understand, I have horrible skin. Like horrible, horrible skin. I always felt like if i had better skin guys would like me better, or i would be more beautiful and wouldn't have to wear as much makeup. 

1) One way you can take the heat off of your acne is to wear bold eye makeup. Then people will notice your eyes, not your complexion.

2) Their is a makeup artist who has a blog, her name is kandee johnson and she shows how to do an at home skin treatment with lemon and sugar (very cheap!) that might help your skin. Plus it makes it superrr soft and it's fun when you have your girlfriends over. 

3) I'm not really sure how much this costs, and i've never tried it but their is that one product called my SkinId where you answer all of these questions and they make a treatment personally for you.

Hope this helps! xoxo, Amanda