Pimples. Acne. Zits. Blemishes. Breakouts. Everyone has them. But I swear, they are the most evil things on Earth. I'm 17 and it feels like they're coming at me with a vengeance. I'm trying as many solutions as I can, but they either make my face even more oily or they make it way too dry and peely (I've got combination skin; ugh).

How old were you when the acne ceased? Or are you still going through acne? What's seemed to help you the most? Any tricks to combat these facial menaces?

I never really got acne too badly, but I do go through small breakouts where I get a couple small bumps here and there. They usually clear up for me really fast, but when I was around 15 or 16, it was more of a problem. Strangely enough what helped me was just nightly washes using anti-bacterial soap... o.O I'm not sure if it was the soap itself or just that the skin was cleaner from washing it every night, but it cleared up after maybe a week or so.

I'm almost 20 and still have a pretty bad case of acne. I break out everywhere. :gonk: It's been better lately, though. Lower stress levels, healthy diet and frequent showers help a ton. None of those "Acne cures" ever helped. At all. Ever. Oh ya. And I can't wear makeup.

I'm 23 and still get it. :( I switched facewash to Clean & Clear Blackhead Eraser and it cleared up a lot of it. I think if I stressed less it would probably go away.

Oh. There's also some Neutrogena cleansing bar that really helped clear up some of my skin. I haven't been using it recently, but it did make my skin feel tons less oily. I've also read about making soaps with White Vinegar and stuff like that, and that Tea Tree Oil is good for spots. I haven't tried these suggestions yet, though. I don't really have the time/money to just go off and try every new suggestion made. So for now, I'mma stick to regular showers, decent scrubbing, and a healthy diet. ..>.<

As a side note, don't use the Neutrogena bar for regular hand washing. It'll make them extremely dry.

My face tends to break out less when I don't use anything on it. It's far from clear, but it's not as bad as it's been.

Don't use too many things to get rid of oil, because your skin will react and produce even more oil. It's perfectly fine to have some oil on your skin; that's what it's there for!

I rarely get break outs from real zits. I get these break outs from my immune system being overactive, mostly right under my nose and on the side of my face. I use a steroid cream to get rid of them. For normal zits, I found a nice milk and honey vegan soap that doesn't dry my skin out too much and the honey works as an antibiotic to keep bacteria down.

I've had acne since I was in middle school, and there hasn't been much of anything that has completely stopped my acne. I'm almost 21 and still have horrible acne. But washing my face twice a day seems to be the best solution for me. If what you have been trying hasn't been working, it would be best to see a dermatologist to see if they can offer you any better acne fighting cream.

Originally Posted by Mystic

I rarely get break outs from real zits. I get these break outs from my immune system being overactive, mostly right under my nose and on the side of my face. I use a steroid cream to get rid of them. For normal zits, I found a nice milk and honey vegan soap that doesn't dry my skin out too much and the honey works as an antibiotic to keep bacteria down.

That soap sounds really cool. Where can I get some? 0.0

I second HappyStarr's question! Right now I'm washing my face three times a day with Clearasil; it keeps the dryness away but the acne just doesn't stop. And I've also been kind of stressed a lot, so I'll work on that some more. Aaaand I'll work on eating healthier...Kind of hard when my family has no time to cook. :gonk:

@HappyStarr: Yeah, I can't wear any make up like concealor or anything because my skin is just so dry and agitated all the time. That and I guess I stopped caring about covering up my blemishes. :XD

You can really dry up your skin if you wash it too much. Try washing twice a day with a moisturizing soap? ..I'm sure that if we could get our hands on some of that milk and honey soap that would do the trick. ;D I still kind of wish I could cover up my blemishes some mornings, but overall...ya. I never cared much. More that I didn't care about trying to look pretty by putting makeup on, though. =/

Lol I still have acne issues and I'm 26. My doctor suggested to see a specialist but I can't afford it and just find it embarrassing to have to go at my age -__-

Honestly, using clearisil every other day (so it doesn't dry me out too much) and birth control pill managed to get things mostly under control.

..I think my doctors gave up on me. They've made suggestions for some medication, but I don't like taking pills. And the one they suggested would make me unable to donate blood..like..ever again. And honestly, as much as I hate needles, I'd rather donate blood.

I've been getting zits since I was 12. I'm still a teen, so I guess it's expected for me to have acne. It's never been really bad but I get it on my chin, nose, and forehead (I have bangs, so it makes it worse). I've tried many, maybe even most, acne treatments including things from neutrogena, clearisil, oxy, and I even tried proactiv. Proactiv worked best, but it's too expensive to use regularly. Right now I'm using Oxy Clinical Advanced Face Wash twice a day and Neutrogena Rapid Clear 2 in 1 Fight and Fade Gel once every night. The rapid clear gel works pretty well ( I saw results after the first use), but you want to avoid using too many treatments on your face. I moisturize my face daily, if I didn't my face would probably be really dry and flaky. I suggest moisturizing your face daily and I would try what I said. I don't think the Oxy Face Wash makes much of a difference, it's mainly the Neutrogena 2 in 1 gel. I myself am still trying to find a solution that will completely rid me of my acne. Good luck.

Originally Posted by HappyStarr

That soap sounds really cool. Where can I get some? 0.0

I shouldn't have said vegan since it's not because of the honey but other than that no animal products. It's from a lady that owns a small gift shop around here. She makes all these wonderful handmade soaps. Lush also makes some pretty awesome vegetarian/vegans soap too. I used to use the chocolate face mask from them and the sea salt one and those worked pretty well too.

Originally Posted by Mystic

I shouldn't have said vegan since it's not because of the honey but other than that no animal products. It's from a lady that owns a small gift shop around here. She makes all these wonderful handmade soaps. Lush also makes some pretty awesome vegetarian/vegans soap too. I used to use the chocolate face mask from them and the sea salt one and those worked pretty well too.

lol I'm actually not so focused on the Vegan/Vegetarian thing. But I'm totally for more homeopathic solutions. Besides, Milk and Honey has got to smell amazingggg... :drool:

I'll def. see if I can find some of that kind of stuff. Anything to make my skin better. Especially since I'm going to be starting Bellydance as soon as the club gets started. :lol:

I am 28, and it's just not going away. All that seems to really help is going at least a week w/o makeup.

Originally Posted by HappyStarr

lol I'm actually not so focused on the Vegan/Vegetarian thing. But I'm totally for more homeopathic solutions. Besides, Milk and Honey has got to smell amazingggg... :drool:

I'll def. see if I can find some of that kind of stuff. Anything to make my skin better. Especially since I'm going to be starting Bellydance as soon as the club gets started. :lol:

It does smell amazing. I found a recipe for milk and honey soap a while back that I wanted to try to make too. I'm always tempted to eat soap that smells yummy but then remind myself that it will not taste how it smells. XD

Originally Posted by Mystic

I shouldn't have said vegan since it's not because of the honey but other than that no animal products. It's from a lady that owns a small gift shop around here. She makes all these wonderful handmade soaps. Lush also makes some pretty awesome vegetarian/vegans soap too. I used to use the chocolate face mask from them and the sea salt one and those worked pretty well too.

o.o Chocolate and sea salt? Is there natural antibacterial stuff in there or is it added in? Also, I remember these ladies who made some lavendar and oat soap; I just wonder how much cleaning power it has...

Strangely enough...my skin gets better when I eat UNhealthy. :p I don't understand my skin at all.
And if I use less face solutions it also gets better. If I moisturize it, it breaks out like CRAZY!
So..basically do all the opposite stuff...helps my skin. most of the time.
But I do need to clean it >:p

Clementine: I've never heard of that. 0.o I wish I could just do whatever and have my skin alright. My lifestyle attitude does not match at all with my body's high demands. I swear I don't want to be high maintenance. :gonk:

I've heard of chocolate scrubs and such before. lol We should all have a Mene trip to the Hershey spa! ;D

My mom used to make soaps, but they were all using essential oils. I don't know if she knows how to make it any other way or with other things. She might try to "fix" a recipe herself if she doesn't understand how it would work otherwise. 0.o

Originally Posted by Amethyst Lavenlight

o.o Chocolate and sea salt? Is there natural antibacterial stuff in there or is it added in? Also, I remember these ladies who made some lavendar and oat soap; I just wonder how much cleaning power it has...

The sea salt is a natural antibiotic. I forgot what was in the chocolate one though. Lush's products are all natural though.

@HappyStarr: I've always been afraid of messing up soaps so I never made my own outside of a kit. I really want to set up an area in my basement once I get the flooring and all that done. I've always wanted to make and sell my own soaps.

That'd be awesome. My mom's pretty good with the soaps she makes, but I wouldn't ask her to try any different soaps. She gets very determined that her way is the only proper way and will make changes in order to fit it. I do like her soaps, though. She customizes the scents to fit the person's personality and such, so she doesn't really sell them to people she doesn't know. But I'm sure she could easily sell them if she wanted to. She just doesn't.

And I'm looking at Lush now. These prices are pretty awesome. I was honestly expecting prices in the $20-$40 range. 0.0

I'm looking at Lush, too! But the prices are a little high for me...:sweat: However, I found this one site called Herbaria and they have tons of natural soaps with $6 for a 4.5oz bar. They have a big selection and I'm really eyeing their lavender and oatmeal bar. I'm so nagging my stepdad to get me one, now. :XD

That's not that far off from Lush. 0.o lol and I love the names of these. "MMM Melting Marshmallow Moment" :lol: Herbaria does have a nice herbal selection, though. I may have to try out different ones between the two and figure out which works better for me. ...I really want that Caramel and Honey soap on Lush, though. :drool: