New subscriber
Hello,
My name is Brenda T. and I live in Georgia. I have 4 children ages 13,12,11 and
9. I have adult acne and have struggled with this constantly. I joined to see if
there is any thing I can do to fix this problem. I look forward to receiving any
and all help concerning this.
Brenda
December 11th, 2004 at 10:31 pm
Hi Brenda - please describe your acne and your skin type, it will help us
help you.
- Katie
December 12th, 2004 at 12:44 pm
Hi Brenda - please describe your acne and your skin type, it will help us
help you.
- Katie
December 12th, 2004 at 7:08 pm
Brenda,
Especially since this is your first experience with acne, you’re appreciating
that it’s not your fault. Acne, especially the red, inflammed, "full"
comedone type, is a condition that starts in the deep layers of skin up to 2
weeks prior to surfacing. There are many potential ways to address it, many
of which you’ll learn here and by searching these archives … but there is
no such thing as a "cure" outside of finding the cause(s) of your own acne
and addressing it that way.
In view of the info you’ve given, hormone changes are your most likely
culprit, as your female organs have gone through the metamorphosis they
hadn’t dreamed of at 15-16, and long ago enough that your changes have begun.
Perhaps acne is the only symptom of that you’ll have yet for a very long
time (I don’t know your age). However, before you run to your gyno for the
estrogen/progesterone discussion, know that those are only 2 of many hormones
that all intricately interact. There’s a long and fascinating article in the
files at hormonejungle.com that I’m sure will fill in much detail.
What you can do short of hormone therapy is to study several recommendations
in the vitamin/diet areas, topical areas, and stress reduction techniques.
Others on this list have also shared their varied experiences with various
prescribed treatments, dermatological procedures, and many others. Most of
us on this list are here because the over-counter stuff hasn’t worked and
we’ve had it, though some also find some success there.
Now that you realize this is a complex area, I can offer what helps me. My
area of understanding is topical. While we all want a clean-rinsed feeling,
many times we use products that strip our oils and dry the surface skin
further. The body then produces more oil - as it’s the oils that protect us
from infection, creating an acid-mantle barrier, maintaining softness and
retaining moisture. When these oils are totally stripped, the body produces
more to compensate. On top of that, the stripping / drying has caused the
surface skin to become less flexible and have an even more difficult time
properly exfoliating itself, further clogging your pores.
Cleansing must be thorough, gentle, and non-stripping. Oats are totally the
best cleanser for all skin types. They gently remove excess oil, makeup,
dirt, leaving you really clean, but do not strip your skin. They also retain
water against your skin (it is for this reason many manufacturers use oat
proteins in their lotions), and help your surface skin stay soft. Used in
ground-up form as a paste made with a little water, you don’t even have to
scrub - they do that, too, and without scratching. Milk is an excellent
softening and gentle exfoliating agent, and sugar provides just a hint of a
good-feeling gentle scrub while it attacks certain bacteria (without killing
off what your skin needs).
SO - grind up some oats, then measure. Add to that the same measures of
dried milk (low-fat best in your oily-skin case) and table sugar. Maintain
in a waterproof / steamproof container … you do not want moisture to get
in, or other bacteria will begin to grow and flourish. Wash with this twice
daily … pour about a Tbsp into your palm, cap it back up, then add to the
powder just enough water to form a paste, and use as you would soft soapy
bubbles. You can either rinse immediately or leave on for a mask.
I advise warm water to open pores while washing and rinsing. After, you’ll
want them to close up some (added barrier protection). Dimestore witch hazel
has 14% alcohol by volume for preservation … but is a gentle enough toner
for oily skin. If you find it creates dry areas, switch to a non-alcohol
version for your skin type - Thayers sells several of these, as do other
vendors (I found them in my health-food store).
Expect some initial clearing and flaking as your skin exfoliates more and
pimples come up and out, as this is the goal to get your skin functioning.
It will not stop the formation of the pimples, but when I stay on this
regimen, they are gone as soon as they surface (you can tell when I’ve gone
off this regimen, as they’re quite difficult to clear on my skin). I have
"combination" skin, and find I need to add an oil to my toner, but I doubt
that you will. Should you need to tweak this, let us know.
Hope this helps. - Katie