Does anyone else find they they just hav not grown out of having acne.I started with it when I was eleven and although it is a lot better than it was I still get it not just face but chest as well.It will be twenty one years ofthis year and I am so fed up :x :x :x :x :x Does it ever go away :( What can I do :?

what products are u using ?

oh honey! I'm in my mid-40s and I'm sorry to tell you I still get acne occasionally. :(

Here is a routine that really seems to help, about halfway down the page:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/11/earlyshow/health/main558084.shtml

I don't know if you can get Neutragena products in Australia, but they make good 2% Salicylic Acid face washes, and 2.5% - 10% Benzoil Peroxide products. (Start with the smallest % BP you can find, 10% really dries me out and seems to make things worse.) Don't leave out the ice cube either, I don't know why that helps, but it does! Always wear SPF too, otherwise those red marks will hang on for six months or more...

Hey I'm 35 now and STILL break out too--nothing like zits AND wrinkles!! :D
Proactiv helps me alot--along with getting PCA peels at a salon.

I have no tips to offer, just moral support. I am 33, and only started having real acne problems in my twenties. As a teenager, I usually got one zit around that time of the month and that was it! Now that I'm an adult, and at that age when I assumed I'd be done with it all, my skin decides to break out all the time! I'm having some luck with Burt's Bees, the tomato complexion soap and the grapefruit complexion mist, plus a benzoyl peroxide cream. It seems to lessen the problem, but not abolish it, unfortunately.
Hang in there. You're not alone.
Kim B.

Hi Nastasska,

.....your name is so pretty!

Have you ever seen a dermatologist? If not, I highly suggest you make an appointment as soon as possible. Your problem may be hormonal. My poor sister went through the same thing (zits as a teen and "adult acne" in her late 20's). Her doctor prescribed actuane. The the results were miraculous! She only regrets not doing it sooner. Now she is paranoid (like me!) about fine lines. Gosh, does it ever end?! Anyway, if you and your doctor do decide to go this route, just be sure you are not planning to get pregnant; actually, it is a good idea to take birth control while on this powerful medication. Why? Birth defects, though I am sure your dermatologist will explain all of this to you during your appointment. HTH!

I have used nearly every skin product in existence.At the moment I am using cleansers called skin clean I found on ebay but they also have a website but they don't make moisturisers or anything else yet. An Australian product called Alpha H is really good too.But no matter what I do I keep getting more pimples at the moment my chest has turned completely against me and has broken out :x :( :x :( :x :( .I did see a dermatoligist but he was not a lot of help :x maybe I should try another one.at least my skin is so oily I don't have any noticable wrinkles ...yet ;) One thing that really helps me is hugging my puppies they don't care what I look like :heart:

Have you tried Proactiv yet??

argh. one of my biggest pet peeves too. When I was a teenager, I could wash my face a lot and use astringents and the acne would stay away. Now, no matter *what* I do, it NEVER goes away!!! :x grrrrrrr. :x

Hi :D

First off (((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))

I know how hard that is to deal with. I'm 36 and still break out on occasion, I HATE it, but have learned what to do when I feel the tiny bumbs coming on that later turn into big red welts.

I use Proactiv every day, twice a day without fail! I also use Retin a every night. I've started using fullers earth on the areas of my face that are prone to break outs and when I feel a pimple forming I slap some fullers earth on my skin every day for about 20 minutes at a time and it really helps to keep the pimple from growing. Most of the time I can stop them in their tracks with the proatciv mask and the fullers earth, sometimes I use lemon juice as an exfoliant to help keep the pores from clogging, lemon juice is really powerful stuff. I use it undiluted but if you have sensitive skin dilute it with water at first to see how your skin will tolerate it. I just take a cotton pad and soak it in the lemon, wipe it on my face and leave it on for 20 minutes to a half hour, then wash as usual.

As for the fullers earth, mixed with water and made into a paste, left on the skin to dry, it will really draw out the oil and dirt in your pores and help to keep your skin clearer.

If you need more info anytime, just pm me.

Hang in there.

Oh, I almost forgot. You may want to get your hormone levels checked.

A girl at my eye doctor last year had really bad acne and I felt so bad for her that I gave her some of my proactiv to try. I saw her about a month later and she looked great! She said the proactiv helped and she had her hormones checked. They found some sort of imbalance and she had it corrected with medication.

I hear you....I'm 26 and have had fairly bad acne since I was about 12 or 13. I have tried Retin-A, and my face got so red and dried out - almost scaly! My brother tried the Accutane, and it did seem to clear up his acne, but he ended up needing glasses afterwards - the accutane had messed up his eyesight! My eyesight isn't great to start with - accutane might end up making it much worse - plus, accutane did worse things to my brother's skin than Retin-A did to mine. I think my family just has ultra sensitive skin.

Recently, I've been alternating between Nutrogena Acne Wash (Orange colored gel in a pump), and Mary Kay 3 in 1 facial cleanser. I also use zinc oxide (Store brand Desitin, 40% zinc oxide) overnight occasionally (tends to come off on my pillowcase, so I don't use it every night). Also, Mary Kay acne treatment (I'll have to check on the ingredients), and Mary Kay oil-free moisturizer. A great thing I've found, which I use occasionally, is Queen Helene's Mint Julep Facial Mask. This is a clay-type mask which you apply and leave until it dries (15 minutes or so). It has done a good job clearing my skin up a bit (nothing so far has completely fixed the problem).


If anyone finds anything that works wonders (OTC, not prescription), please let me know!

(Edited to add - )

http://www.queenhelene.com/index.html This is the link for the Queen Helene Page - I didn't know they made all this other stuff, but there's natural oils, cleansers, and other stuff.....if I try any, I'll let y'all know how it works!

U can go to www.acne.org for some tips and a regimen.

I got acne , really bad at 23 from Shiseido, Chanel ad Orlane products :( never had problems before . It took me one year to get cured and I still have some clogged pores.

This is what I used and worked for me :

Cleansers :

- Cetaphil Gentle cleanser – this is gentle but it can leave a film on the skin if u do not rinse really good , if this happened (sp?) stop using it. (I use it in the mornings and I like it) (10 cdn for a huge bottle)

- Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser – this cleanses really good, no residue behind but it can be drying. (7$ cdn)

- Alpha Hydrox Moisturizing Cleanser – thins washes good, no residue and it is less drying then Neutrogena FFC, great stuff IMO. 98-9 cdn )

- Topix Ultra Gentle Cleanser – this is great, gentle (it’s made for people that are on retin a or has laser resurfacing) . ( 9$ but only online)


Moisturizers :

- Jason 98% Aloe Vera Gel - this stuff was great for me, it gives me enough moisture but no pimples and it’s cheap and natural, helps heal the wounds and red spots from previous pimples.


Treatments :
- Alpha Hydrox Oil Free Formula – this was great for me , it healed my acne in weeks.

- Neutrogena Night Clear Por Gel – if seems to work for me, it has 2% salicylic acid but I keep reading that the ph is too high or the ph it’s right, well , it worked ok, it’s cheap (10$) so I am still using it.


Masks :

- Green Clay – I get half a kg. of natural green clay and I use it once a week in combination with water, aloe vera gel, honey , tea tree oil etc. I have tried a lot of clay masks but all irritated my skin a lot (Queen Helene MJM burned me , I had a burn wound for a week !!!) like this I eliminate the preservatives and other unnecessary oils and irritants that the manufacturer uses in these masks.


There are a lot more other great products out there but u have to keep in mind that u have to be good with your skin.

Natural products did not really work because they have so many oils in them and irritants like eucalyptus oils for ex. (I am referring to cleansers and some moisturizers)
A good moisturizer from the natural food store is Derma E Pycnogenol® Gel with Vitamins C, E & A 2oz but it’s really expensive , another one that could work is the NaPCA (if it’s correct …) face cream from Jason because it’s light and looks safe but I have never used it.


:D

Treatments :
- Alpha Hydrox Oil Free Formula – this was great for me , it healed my acne in weeks.

Cool....Where did you find this? Sounds like something to try....



- Green Clay – I get half a kg. of natural green clay and I use it once a week in combination with water, aloe vera gel, honey , tea tree oil etc. I have tried a lot of clay masks but all irritated my skin a lot (Queen Helene MJM burned me , I had a burn wound for a week !!!) like this I eliminate the preservatives and other unnecessary oils and irritants that the manufacturer uses in these masks.


Goodness - I'm sorry about the burn! I just read the ingredients last night, and turns out, Zinc Oxide is number 5. I figure that the MJM is just as good for me as the fake Desitin. Now, if I could find straight zinc oxide, I could probably make my own without the fragrances and whatnot...where do you find your green clay? I'd be interested in finding out if it's possible/cost effective to make my own version of the MJM, because it seems to work better than a lot of other things I've tried, but it'd be nice to not have the fragrance and any other added ingredients.

I got Alpha Hydrox oil free formula from Shoppers drug mart , it’s available anywhere AH products are sold , here is how it looks like : http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=16742&catid=21507&trx=PLST-0-SRCH&trxp1=21507&trxp2=16742&trxp3=1&trxp4=0&btrx= BUY-PLST-0-SRCH


When comes to clay masks from the store my theory it’s simple, if u look at the ingredients u will se usually : water, clay, maybe some plant oils (which can give u pimples :? ) , sometimes even alcohol and more irritants and preservatives. My skin could not take it . U end up paying for additives, irritants and preservatives not for a soothing, cleansing clay mask and if u can avoid all these, why not. I never buy masks
The best thing I have used is regular clay. It doesn’t dry or burn my skin but still absorbs a lot and I have the liberty to make my own personalized mask every time according to my skins needs ;) .
When it’s more oily then only with water and aloe , if it’s dry and irritates I can put honey, apple or cucumber juice. Of course , it is less money :D , 10$ (Canadian $) for 500 g and this is my second box, I only used it once and the last box lasted me 1.5 years .

What is the best foundation you have used to cover up with. I always go oily even when it says it won't and have very pale skin so getting a good foundation is hard :x Thaank goodness for make up I would live in a paper bag otherwise :P

(((hugs))) for you.

I'm going through the same thing. I've tried many different things, even got a prescription- Benzamycin(sp?), but it wasn't enough. I get acne on my chest(it's awful now) and my back- during the summer months. The only part of my face that I seem to get acne on is my chin.

I need a prescription for an internal medication I can take, since it would be difficult to apply creams on my back, and the creams irritate the skin on my chest.

My acne (I'm in my late thirties) comes from poultry and dairy products.
I totally avoid poultry now, and only drink organic milk in my coffee, and try to eat only organic or (European cheeses (they usually don't use hormones in their animal feed).

The source of the problem, as I know it, are the hormones that are added to the chicken feed so that the chickens can be sold at 6 weeks, and to the cow's feed so that they will produce more milk.

I never found a skin product that would treat my acne without drying out my more mature skin.

If I eat chicken just two days in a row, the acne comes right back. My acne used to be so bad that I had pimples that literally never went away. Same place on my face every day.

Teporah, I know how u feel, my skin changed from oily to combo – dry , dehydrated from the harsh Shiseido products that I was using.
Now I use Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser , it’s gentle and cheap but some girls reported that it leaves a film behind which give them pimples. I have to admit that this might be truth but it doesn’t seem to do the same thing to my skin, I splash water on my face first then spread the cleanser on (it doesn’t foam at all), massage well and then rinse really, really well with water. I use Neutrogena Clear Pore gel because it has 2% salicylic acid in it and it calms and keeps the pimples off my skin. Another great treatment is Alpha Hydrox Oil Free Formula or if u are dry the Enhance cream. Theze have AHA’s which help with acne and wrinkles. As a moisturizer I use Jason 98% aloe vera gel and I just love this stuff, no irritation and more important no pimples from it.

My theory is :

- Gentle cleanser (as gentle as possible) – Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser, Alpha Hydrox Moisturizing Cleanser, Topix Ultra Gentle
- Treatment to combat acne – (gel if possible because gels are less comedogenic) – Neutrogena Clear Pore (BHA), AH Oil Free Formula (AHA)
- Moisturizer – something that will not break y out , in my case Jason 98% aloe vera gel.
- Sunscreen – all break me out so I am still searching for the right one.

All the skin care products that I use are relatively cheap and u can find them in regular drug stores or target.
And I think u are right when comes to meat, I stopped eating meat since I came to Canada because of all the stuff they inject into animals (plus I never liked meat either way)

I just wanted to add my $.02 on this topic...I have acne now and then, but since using the Sage products and also starting on spironolactone (brand name Aldactone) my face is clear most of the time. I only break out during times of stress :( Anyway, check out the Sage stuff, they have a 30-day money back guarantee on their products, and also a forum where you can post questions and get help. Their customer service is the best ever.

company website:
http://www.sageskincare.com/

forum:
http://login.prospero.com/dir-login/index.asp?webtag=sageskincare&lgnDST=http%3A%2F%2F forums%2Edelphiforums%2Ecom%2Fsageskincare%2Fstart

HTH,
~Sango

Sage was actually one of the worst I’ve tried, they dried my skin a lot. :?

Sage was actually one of the worst I’ve tried, they dried my skin a lot. :?

Did you contact Barbara about it? Usually she's quite good with advice and will even re-formulate products for you if needed...

Anyway, I guess no product works for everyone...

2 stories to add to the suggestions.

Our son had lots of dandruff and acne at about 13. I told him it would clear up if he would give up drinking cow milk. He fought the idea for a long time but couldn't live with the dandruff anymore, so he did, and the dandruff cleared up and the acne is lessened. Not completely gone, but much better.

Another neighbor tried giving up as much white sugar products as he could. His terrible terrible acne went away.

These are two food products that are not very good for us and our bodies tell us in all sorts of ways.......

Lol, actually they say that diary product give u acne … :rolleyes:

Our son had lots of dandruff and acne at about 13. I told him it would clear up if he would give up drinking cow milk. He fought the idea for a long time but couldn't live with the dandruff anymore, so he did, and the dandruff cleared up and the acne is lessened. Not completely gone, but much better.


I wish that had been my problem! I've been mostly dairy-free for several months now - soy or rice milk, non-dairy cheese, etc..... I've also been doing my best to exclude bleached flour, and I've been cutting back (can't eliminate, dangit) on sugar. My acne doesn't seem to have been affected....

Thanks so much to everyone :D If you go to www.tvsn.com.au and search Alpha H you will find what I consider to be the most helpful products I've used in a long time all prices are aus$ and this site does not sell internationally but the actual company does I think. I starte d with the alpha teen pack.The owner of the company has had bad acne so she really understands what it's like

Hi , I've got a good news for you!!
I've seen several doc and they all told me to wait etc....
I was 29 when I found a great dermatologist who put me on "Accutane" and believe me that stuff rocks. I took it for 11 months and buy buy greasy nose and pimples. My skin is SO clear now, I'm very happy!!
GO and see a dematologist and ask him about accutane , you'll thank hilm (and me?).
BUT you need to take a good contraceptive method because you CANNOT get pregnant or the baby will suffer major malformation from Vitamin A.
Other than that it's great , no side effects for me. I took 20 mg and then 30mg and at the end 40 mg and I could stand it!!
Hope that helps!! :D
Please let us know!!

I'm seriously thinking about trying another dermatolgist about accutane oddly enough it's called roaccutane here. I find having bad skin is probably the best contraceptive there is :( :( :( :( Actually I am on Diane 35 but it has it's limits skin wise

If I were you, I wouldn't take any of those medications that will hurt an unborn baby, because for sure they will have negative side effects for you as well. I had real bad acne between 18 and 20, and I tried EVERYTHING. Nothing helped, though, until I went to see a sensible doctor who told me to just wash my face twice a day with a mild, pH-neutral cleansing bar and NOT to ever use any moisturizers. It was hard in the beginning, but it helped: my skin cleared up significantly, and after a while I felt I didn't even need to moisturize anymore. (I do moisturize again now, though, but then my acne is all gone.) What really stopped the whole thing completely was being put on zinc supplements. I took one capsule with every meal and my acne finally disappeared within about six weeks.

What really stopped the whole thing completely was being put on zinc supplements. I took one capsule with every meal and my acne finally disappeared within about six weeks.

You know, I never thought about taking it internally. Can you get Zinc supplements at a local drugstore, like Walgreens or Eckerds? Perhaps the medicine sections of grocery stores?

I'm not in the US right now, but I think you can get them at both places. If you take zinc supplements, make sure you swallow them during a meal or else they may give you a slight tummy ache. :( They sure do a great job on clearing up acne, though. :D

You should be able to find zinc there, Rennie - in Canada, we have supplements in most drugstores, pharmacies, Walmart, health food stores, etc. Don't take more than 60 mg per day, however, as more than 60 can depress your immune system.

Betcha won't get sick at all while taking the zinc, though... it clears up colds, etc, very quickly!

You should be able to find zinc there, Rennie - in Canada, we have supplements in most drugstores, pharmacies, Walmart, health food stores, etc. Don't take more than 60 mg per day, however, as more than 60 can depress your immune system.

Betcha won't get sick at all while taking the zinc, though... it clears up colds, etc, very quickly!


Cool beans! Thank you both - I'm going to go check on it as soon as I get some free time....

I've been taking Blackmoores Bio Zinc since 1986 and I am sure it helped prevent me having really bad scarring it really works.
I got my first star :D :shocked: ;)

I used to get acne until I started really taking good care of my skin,
I use a gentle glycerin soap to wash at night and
glycerin and rosewater to moisturise at night and during the day.

I find this routine almost completely deminished acne breakouts.

After battling acne for years here's some things that helped me, INMO:

Symba soap
washing off sweat immediately
limiting sugar intake
witch hazel
Ortho-tricylin birth control pills
avoiding certain foundations


Unfortunately the biggest factor is genes, which can't be helped. And goodness if I had a dollar for every time somebody gave me unsolicited advice (as a teenager--when it was really bad) I would be a rich woman. Someone even advised me to "wash my face," like, duh.

I've been taking Blackmoores Bio Zinc since 1986 and I am sure it helped prevent me having really bad scarring it really works.
I got my first star :D :shocked: ;)

I've heard/read that zinc is really good for acne. I've been juicing a lot lately and the book I have says that zinc is good to get rid of acne.

I've been breaking out more than normal lately, I'm thinking of having my hormone levels checked. My skin has been extremely oily lately, I could sink an oil well and get rich :rolleyes:

As far as juices that help the skin, bell peppers are good, greens and things like that AND I just read this morning that walnuts are a good source of zinc.

Oh Anne my skin is SO oily I could be an oiil billionaire if I could just bottle it and sell it the world would have an endless supply waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :( :( :( :(