Skin care tips

[Sophya24]

I have had bad acne for about 2 years now (ever since quarantine first started) and i am finding it hard to get rid of it. I am 15 going on 16 in October (if this is relevant) and bad acne runs in my family. I am constantly having breakouts everywhere such as forehead, cheeks and chin. I have a lot of acne scaring and lots of blemishes that will not go away no matter what I use. I as well have very bad pores around my t-zone and lots of blackheads on my nose. I used to use the inkey list but then I realized that the oat cleansing balm was not good for my oily skin type, only good for my sensitive skin. So, I stopped using the inkey list entirely and bought a new cleanser-Skin fix acne aha cleanser along with their Skin fix Bha spot treatment. now since I needed sunscreen and a nice moisturizer, I found the Glow Recipe niacinamide spf 50 to be very helpful cause it as well is not greasy like other sunscreens I've used and contains hyaluronic acid inside. This has been my routine for about a month now and i have seen that I don't have breakouts as much but my texture, annoying blemishes that never pop/never get a white head, blackheads and bad pores are still there so I'm wondering if there is anything else i could do to get my confidence back and my skin to where I'm actually happy with, I honestly don't even care how expensive as long as it works. Please any help for my concerns. 

[WinglessOne]

Hi @Sophya24 ! Can your parent/guardian take you to see a board certified dermatologist or primary care doctor? If you've tried BHA (salicylic acid), azelaic acid, benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil, and even sulfur, and none of those ingredients have touched your acne, then it's time to see a doctor for a proper diagnosis. Your type of acne might not respond to any of those typical acne-fighting ingredients, and you might need something like a retinoid or oral medication to treat it. Or, you might have a skin condition instead of (or in addition to) acne; could be something that mimics acne. A doctor can figure that out and recommend personalized treatment options. 

If you're in the US, there is a retinoid available over-the-counter that's been FDA-approved to treat acne: adapalene. It's a member of the vitamin A family. Adapalene comes in prescription strength from a doctor, as well as a lower strength version found in OTC products like Differin Gel and La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel. You could try one of those... might wanna consult a doc first, though, because adapalene has some annoying side effects like skin irritation and dryness. Adapalene's also infamous for causing "purging" because it speeds up your acne cycle; this can cause sudden new acne to appear during the first month of use. Purging's not necessarily a bad thing, though; I think of it as the retinoid evicting crud from pores. 

For blackheads, have you tried loosening them up with a clay mask? Something as simple as The INKEY List Kaolin Mask 1.7 oz/ 50 mL can work well. The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque is another option; that one contains BHA and charcoal, in addition to kaolin clay. 

[Sophya24]

Thank you, but I have tried talking to my primary doc. and he prescribed me penicillin I believe that didn't work, then benzenol peroxide, but that made me break out severely which I think ended up making my acne worse even after trying to get used to the product. On the other hand, I have tried a clay mask that did in fact help my skin and pores/blackheads but I'm only using it once a week as it is a little drying to the skin. 

[WinglessOne]

@Sophya24  Have you gone back to your doctor to explain what happened and ask for other options? Sounds like he prescribed an antibiotic + benzoyl peroxide, which does work for many people. That doesn’t mean it’ll work for your particular skin, of course. How long did you give it to work?

Benzoyl peroxide might’ve caused some purging in your skin, which is why it seemed you were breaking out worse. Purging’s not necessarily a bad thing and usually stops after a month. But if by “break out severely” you mean your skin had a red burning/stinging rash (lots of little bumps), that might’ve been a bad reaction instead of purging. In that case, you’d definitely want to stop benzoyl peroxide and tell your doc about the reaction. 

I still think you should keep working with your doctor, or ask him to refer you to a board certified dermatologist. Your type of acne sounds like it needs more than the usual OTC options. I hope you find treatment that works for you! 

[Skunk12puzzola]

@Sophya24 tag her!! @WinglessOne 

[Sophya24]

My bad I'm still new to this 😅

[Skunk12puzzola]

@Sophya24 honey, don't worry. Type @ and then her username next time.

[Skunk12puzzola]

Hi @Sophya24 and welcome to BIC!! you are soooo young. Yes, age is relevant so we can understand who is behind the screen and which concerns that person may have due to age/hormones. I feel the need to advice you to go see a dermatologist, because from what I'm reading, your skin is not at its best right now and I'm not the most qualified here to give you any advice. Probably some skin issues will go away with age, is normal to have acne so young. My only advice for you is that you don't have to lose your confidence just because your skin has issues. Confidence comes from within. So, don't worry about what others can think of your skin and go on. The more you are concern and worried about it, the more your body will be stressed out and so you will see spots on your skin. Again, only a doctor can advice you on what's best.