acne treatment mistakes

[powerliftmike]

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up on some acne cures. I have talked with nurses, dermatologists, and spa employees. So Im not just pulling this out of the air.

1) Seems everyone agrees that accutane is nothing to fool around with. FDA indicated for severe, disfiguring acne, not something many people have. Go to a drug site and search for its side effects--very long. Liver problems and elevated blood triglycerides as well as mood changes are common. I am pointing this out to tell you to only use as last resort.

2) I see guys on this site recommending dish soap or something similar. Again this is stupid and will worsen your acne. Why? It dries the hell out of your skin stimulating it to make more oil and can also clog pores. Same thing goes for your average bar soaps, which are very basic (pH) and will really dry out your skin.

3) The key here, as pointed out in number 2, is NOT to dry out your skin. Be weary of astringents as well. Most are alcohol based, which is going to kill all the good bacteria on your skin as well as severly dry it. I used to use alcohol on my face, and after I quite I noticed much less oil being produced and thus less acne.

4) Start by getting facial soap (pH balanced and skin hydrating). I recommend going to a local spa or dermatologist so you can get prescription topical retinoids (I use these on my back) and/or specialty products that really work.

Hope that helps.

[kirk3624]

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up on some acne cures. I have talked with nurses, dermatologists, and spa employees. So Im not just pulling this out of the air.

1) Seems everyone agrees that accutane is nothing to fool around with. FDA indicated for severe, disfiguring acne, not something many people have. Go to a drug site and search for its side effects--very long. Liver problems and elevated blood triglycerides as well as mood changes are common. I am pointing this out to tell you to only use as last resort.

2) I see guys on this site recommending dish soap or something similar. Again this is stupid and will worsen your acne. Why? It dries the hell out of your skin stimulating it to make more oil and can also clog pores. Same thing goes for your average bar soaps, which are very basic (pH) and will really dry out your skin.

3) The key here, as pointed out in number 2, is NOT to dry out your skin. Be weary of astringents as well. Most are alcohol based, which is going to kill all the good bacteria on your skin as well as severly dry it. I used to use alcohol on my face, and after I quite I noticed much less oil being produced and thus less acne.

4) Start by getting facial soap (pH balanced and skin hydrating). I recommend going to a local spa or dermatologist so you can get prescription topical retinoids (I use these on my back) and/or specialty products that really work.

Hope that helps.

Good info.

Also, it is possible to wash your face to often(I believe around 3-4x a day is recommended). This will actually have a negative effect by further drying your face out and you will produce more oil. Learned that the hard way.

[rast4man]

Let's not forget scrubbing your face is bad for your skin too. Some people think that if they scrub a bit harder it will help. Also, moisturizing is a very important step in keep the skin hydrated. For those of us in the sun especially, it is extremely important to use a moisturizer to combat the drying out of our skin.

Here's something too, if you use a regular "acne wash", check the ingredients for "Sodium Lauryl Sulfate", it is a surfacant which can be bad for your skin. It is also comprised mainly of Sodium Stearate which makes up roughly 50% of shampoo contents. It can have adverse effects on our skin. Just something to think about. I use organic shampoo and face wash myself, but when your "on", it just makes it tough..period.

Just my 3ccs

[powerliftmike]

Look for "noncomedogenic" cleansers/soaps in your local drugstore. Noncomedogenic basically means it wont clog your pores like normal soap would.

[SVTMuscle*]

What specific soaps do you recommend for face?

[Mizfit]

Do not use soap on your face!

spectra gell or cetaphil ONLY!

[salford1]

HI will b5 and zinc help to clear spots that have appeared on my back as well as using a suitable soap/gell.