My skin is terrible. So terrible that in most photos of me, I utilise the power of the ‘heal’ tool in photoshop.
I think most of it is EDS and not healing very well, or very fast, but my skin = shocking. I get a lot of period related pimples and they take forever to heal, leaving me with giant red spots all over my face.
Sexy, right?
I’ve had some sucess with using an insane amount of vitamin C to help with healing, but as for skin products, I use very few.
So I’m asking your advice, my lovely beautiful internets on what works for you. My skin is combination/oily and at the moment, I use a garnier daily moisture cream and avon clearskin cleanser and warm water.
Obviously that regime is working SO WELL.
However, while the vitamin C isn’t really helping with the pimples and healing, it does seem to be having some effect on the bruises I develop. 80% of the time I don’t look like a beaten wife. I used to joke that someone seeing my legs would think that Nathan was hitting me. Luckily the bruising seems to be limited to my legs/bum/back, with a few on my upper arms. I don’t think I’d cope very well if I was bruising everywhere – lovebites are disgusting looking and even worse if they’ve just appeared for no reason.
So what do you think would work well for my face? My skin is quite sensitive and I’d like something that cleared up blackheads too, as *shudder* they are the scourge of my life.
Dammit, I’m broken enough, the least I could get would be awesome pretty skin! Wouldn’t it be nice if pimples stopped with the end of puberty?
If you figure it out, lemme know. I’m 30 and still struggle with my skin.
Veronica, my skin became nasty after a long foray with prednisone (taken for an auto immune condcition.)
I also have intermittent patches of eczema, and dermatitis.
Ummm, don’t I sound gorgeous…..
BUT, 2 litres of water each and every single day, as well as herbal tea, it helps.
As does washing my face in a glycerine soap every day. (I use Neutrogena). And I moisturise el cheapo with Oil of Olay.
(I have tried a lot fo the ritzier brands. Oil of Olay Hypo Allergenic is the best.)
Against all odds, I now have decent skin.
Go figure?
Salycilic Acid.Start with the 5% wash and if that doesn’t work up it to the 10% wash.
You can get it cheap at a doctor’s office– they market is as Benzac over here. Salycilic Acid is the active ingredient in the ProActive wash. (ProActive works but it’s too expensive). It will take a month for your face to adjust to it— at first, it will sting and your face will become overly dry and red. But it REALLY works at preventing breakouts.
For current breakouts, I would use a topical solution— erhythromycin 2%.
I use Oil of Olay for sensitive skin and SLAAAAAAAATHER it on several times a day when using this stuff to keep my face from being the Sahara desert, because between those two products it REALLY dries your face out.
(This regime is not safe while breastfeeding or pregnant).
I had really bad skin when I was young— think pizzaface :/ This kept me down to 1-2 small pimples at a time.
For blackheads— boil water, stick washcloths in the hot water, and apply to face. Reapply when they grow cold. Do that for 15 minutes to open the pores, and then use the blackhead strips. Then wash with the benzac wash. It stings like a MOFO! and you would swear your face is melting off for about 15 minutes because the steam opens the pores up and the salycilic acid digs deep. Only do that about once a month.
This is a hardcore treatment I am suggesting— Highly effective but as about as hardcore as you can get without doing the shot treatments. It worked on me and others I’ve suggested it to, but it’s not exactly all-natural
Ah, and SSRIs, SNRIs, and the noncatagorized antidepressants all have different affects on my skin and how I react to different skin regimes. A beautician friend told me to use the most basic cheap shampoo I could find as a cleanser. During various periods of my life this has worked really well.
I’m now in the land of combination skin in which part of it is oily and the rest is painfully dry. I’m using a heavy night cream (it’s bog standard boots night cream) both morning and night. And I’m on the verge of taking the advice of the pharmacist and using aqueous cream as soap on the rest of me. My skin problems are all drug related, so I don’t know if any of this would be helpful to you.
Okay, so I say take a vitamin E supplement; this will help w/healing and keeping your skin clear. I also suggest washing your face with Safeguard or Dial twice a day, or any regular anti-bacterial bar soap. I know it sounds crazy, but it really works. It may leave your skin a bit dry, but as long as you moisturize you should be fine and it will really help. To help the pimples heal, but some Neosporin or Bacitracin (or whatever antibiotic ointment you have) on them. That should speed the healing, and they should not stay red as long.
I am afraid that I can’t help you here for although I have very sensitive skin it only breaks out when I get my period and actually it hasn’t even done that since I started taking Yaz the wonder BC. But try Aveeno products that best fit your needs, I use it on the girl I watch for her skin it work really well and dose good with sensitive skin. Again I don’t use it on myself but it works on her.
Rish gets eczema and used to have terrible pimples… eczema still here and flares up with stress. HE uses cortisone cream
For awhile there he too a low dose antibiotic for the acne
I’m with Jenni on the vitamin E, and I’m about to suggest something, and you’re going to think I’m really really crazy and insane and dismiss me immediately, but let it sink in and consider giving it a go, ok? This is literally the only thing that’s ever worked for me, and it DOES work, even though it sounds extreme.
Just stop washing your face. No, I’m serious. Put down the cleanser, toners. Leave the moisturizer alone. Lock up the soaps and flannels. Just stop it all.
I used to have terrible skin, really horrible, big red painful under-the-skin spots all the time. For a time I used to obsessively pop them and lance them and squeeze them, my face was always red and bleeding. Then I went through a period of depression and my personal hygeine became non-existant. I stopped washing my face altogether, and when I came out of it I noticed my skin was very very clear. I started cleansing again: breakout-city. I stop, it clears up. Now whenever I start cleansing again or start any sort of instensive washing, I break-out again. I wash my face a couple of times a week unless it gets dirty, with just water splashed and rubbed gently with my hands (no flannels or face cloths) and I’m clear apart from a couple of small spots now and again.
On the other hand, I cleaned my face roughly with a flannel about 5 days ago and two days later woke up with five BIG spots and about a dozen small ones. ARGH.
My theory is if we clean out our pores too often they have no resistance to dirt getting in and get clogged and infected more easily. If we let a certain amount of natural grease protect the deepest part of the pores then dirt is easy to rinse off just with water and won’t stick deeper down.
It may make you break out while your skin adjusts for a week but really, if you’re willing to hand over a week or two to the skin gods in the hope of never having to have a ‘regime’ again, maybe it’s worth it, right?
Hi Veronica.
I definitely advocate drinking LOTS of water – I don’t know how much you drink atm but it’s not only good for your skin it’s good for everything.
I have found that Sudocrem – the nappy rash cream – works really well to dry out a ‘blind’ pimple, reduces any swelling etc and if you put it on overnight you wake up in the morning it’s almost gone. Then it’s much easier to cover with makeup if you have to go out and about – obviously wash the makeup off straight away when not required! I think the reason it works so well is because of the Zinc in the cream. I have had an Ella Bache spot cream which is pretty much the same as the sudocrem, just way more expensive.
I also used to take Blackmores Bio-Zinc which was really good and is meant to assist in management of acne (I just read the bottle and apparently it also assists in production of healthy sperm!) but it warns not to take if pregnant or considering becoming pregnant as it is a form of Vitamin A.
Other than that I wash with Dove soap – the exfoliating beauty bar – each night in the shower. I don’t moisturise often at all – sort of like what Arienette said – as the Dove soap does have a lot of moisture. Also your skin will adjust itself after a few days and won’t require it – unless you’ve been indoors with lots of heating etc…
Hope some of that helps, about 18 months ago, I used to always have at least one spot at any given time but now they are very rare and usually only appear when I’ve had a few wines so I don’t do that very often!
Go for some more natural soaps like olive oil ones and try not to exfoliate too much or let your skin dry out, even in winter. Daily creams with Vitamin A seem to have good healing properties but it’s trial and error which suits each individual best.
a tiny bit of tea tree oil and witch hazel applied liberally all over the face and left to dry. Alternate that with aloe vera, straight off the plant. that acts as a face mask and you leave it on overnight.
The tea tree oil and witch hazel works so well if you rub it on with a cottonball. Too much teatree will sting a lot so just a little. I had shocking pimples and that helped and the witch haxzel reduced pores as well. Aloe Vera just makes it soft and supple as though you’ve had a face mask.
This is going to sound strange but look into Manuka Honey.. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it, it’s all natural (obviously, cuz it’s honey!) and it has very good healing properties. Best thing is, it’s good to keep around the house for everything, like burns and scrapes/grazes etc. Clears up rash’s and skin irriations pretty good. So even if it does’t work for you, it’ll be good to keep around the house for when Amy and Issac fall over and hurt themselves, or (god forbid!) burn themselves on something.
Good luck!
I second the sudocrem suggestion. It’s also good on visible healed scars which will fade with regular use. A zinc supplement may help. Cut down on the moisturiser if your skin is oily/prone to blackheads. Steam treatments are good at lifting blackheads, maybe try that once a week.
Hey.. remember how bad John’s was in high School? he tried that pro active stuff on the TV and that worked really really well.. he still gets a few here & there but not mass break outs like he used to.. u can try that?
See a dermatologist for the pimples and blackheads. Use a vegetable oil based natural soap and warm water to wash your face twice daily. Rinse with clear warm water or use the barest minimum of the soap. Moisturise with something really gentle like Johnson’s Sorbolene Lotion with 10% glycerine for sensitive skin. Available cheaply in supermarkets in a 750ml pump bottle, it’s light and smooth, doesn’t clog the skin. (I mix mine with a bottle of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lotion, because I love how it smells and feels, but you don’t have to.) In the winter I go for something a little creamier on the face. Cocoa Butter lotion mixed into a jar of Sorbolene Cream.
Oh and keep on with the vitamin C. Vitamins A and B are also good for skin.
P.S. Becky’s treatment sounds really, really harsh. Sorry Becky.
I wouldn’t try it except as a last resort and even then probably not. I’d be seeing a dermatologist instead.
Arienette gave me a clue here. Maybe your skin is allergic to either the Garnier or the Avon. I know quite a few people, including me, who can’t use any Avon. I’ve never tried Garnier so can’t say anyhting about that.
I thought I’d comment on this one as I can totally feel your pain. Having horrible skin makes you feel like shit. I have just recently started using Duac, it’s perscription acne cream, and it’s really helped me. The first few days my skin went a little red and quite dry but now it’s better than it’s been since I was like 11, lol. I have actually stepped out of the house without makeup on, and I never thought I would be able to do that! I only use a tiny amount, and only on oily areas and directly on pimples/blackheads. Other than that, washing with any face wash designed for acne prone skin (but not an exfoliating one, I reckon they make bad skin worse), and only using mosturiser on the dry parts of my face seems to help. Drinking litres and litres of water sounds horrible and I would be on the loo all day! I’ve never found water to be the cure-all it seems to be for some people. Good luck with finding something that helps, bad skin is such a pain.
So, I’m forty and my skin care has changed in the past few years as it’s become less oily and I’ve become more aware of the laugh lines. I do very little. Wash my face once a day with something gentle. I actually bought some soap at the market in Hobart when I was there and it’s been really gentle on my body and face. Since doing a soap making class earlier this year, I know the ingredients are all natural and I’ve not had any patches of itchy dry skin on my arms and legs. The soap can be bought online very cheaply at naturalinfusion.com.au. I’ll be buying more.
I’ve used Oil of Olay sensitive skin for a while. It’s SPF 15 and absorbs well. I wear very little make up, but when I do, I wash it off and use Redwin Vitamin E Moisturiser (look on the bottom shelf in the supermarket for a white tub) before bed or if I”m not going out in the sun. The Redwin Soaps are also good products and cheap.
Hi Veronica…
My name is Jodie, and I’m a beauty therapist (for 15+ years). An online friend of mine asked me to look at your post and see if I could offer any suggestions.
Often problem skin is a combination of internal AND external influences. For example: stress, medication, diet, hormones, illness (internal) and products, environment, allergies (external). So where possible – it’s best to identify and combat from all sides.
I would recommend ZINC as a healing mineral (tablet form is fine).
For skincare I would recommend:
* a cleanser for your skin type (problem skin is not always OILY skin – and if your skin is not oily – then clearskin will be blocking your pores and making your pimples/blackheads WORSE).
* exfoliate 3-4 times a week. This removes grime, refines pores (thus preventing blackheads), makes your skin smoother and makes moisturisers work better.
* moisturise – ideally twice a day. Again… this has to be the correct moisturiser for your skin type. The incorrect moisturiser can make skin problems worse.
* mask – once a week. I sell products from the Dead Sea – so the masks are mud based and both healing, purifying and hydrating. There are various types of masks – but again – need one for your skin type.
* serum – this is like an external multi-vitamin for your skin. The serum I sell has a ‘treatment’ regime (if you have problem skin) where you apply every night for 10 nights… then have a break, then apply every 3rd night. After a month, you repeat the process.
Other products to consider are eye cream (to prevent aging) and Toner (which is a very useful product – but the products above are the most important).
Sometimes professional products cost a little more…. but they work much better, and last a lot longer – so they end up being better value.
The products I stock are ALL hypo-allergenic – and I have samples. (all good ranges have samples – and you should ALWAYS try before you buy!).
I’ve put my email in the post requirements – and you are welcome to email me anytime. Or call my 1800 phone number if you would like to chat.
As a final note…. I know that everyone gives advice to help. But I’ve never been a big fan of “acid” products. As the name suggests – it is acid – and can burn the skin. That’s the idea… burn off a couple of layers of skin – so there is “fresh” skin underneath. But if the problem skin comes internally – then you’re just making the external skin surface REALLY sensitive and weak. Acids are ideal for really tough, old, leathery skin (like super sun-damaged Qld skin). It’s even good for people that have had problem skin and the acne has cleared up – but there are scars remaining. I would never recommend any Acid products for people with sensitive skin. And ANY acid treatment should be under the supervision of a dermatologist.
And just remember…. problem skin is not always OILY skin. And if your skin is not genuinely oily – using products designed for oily skin can block up your pores more. The skin needs a good balance of natural oils…. and many of these products STRIP the skin of those oils…. and often the skin works ‘overtime’ to replenish the oil/moisture that it needs. I can chat to you about what constitutes genuine oily skin.
Hope this advice helps… and don’t hesitate to contact me. No obligation to purchase anything. 🙂
For healing have you tried Vitamin E? When Bad was 18 months old he fell down the stairs and needed 6 stitches over his eye. The surgeon told me to buy Vitamin E capsules, and prick one with a pin and squeeze the vitamin E out and rub it on the scar every day, that it was the best way to minimize scarring. It really seemed to work, it was a huge cut, and now you have to look really close to see the scar.
Just wait until you have pimples and wrinkles at once. Sigh…
Me too ! – as we have talked about before. I am 35 (tomorrow actually!) and still have acne and a face full of blackheads. If I look up close – every pore is a blackhead. Disgusting. I am sorry to say but I haven’t found anything topical that works.
When I am pregnant I have lovely skin and thats it. I have also had prescriptions for antibiotics that I have taken long term – 6 months each time. The antibiotics seem to work and keep my skin clear for about 6 months after finishing the prescription but thats it.
I also have sensitive skin and am currently using beauty and the bees facial soap, rose petal toner and marigold ultra light moisturiser. Beautiful product – no chemicals. Doesn’t help the acne that much but it is such lovely stuff. I also use dermalogica microfoliant once a week. Makes my horrible bumpy skin feel smoth for a little while.
I also take ages to heal after a bout of acne – which is once a month. Lots of red marks for ages. URhghghg. Then the acne is back again.
I reckon at this rate the acne will finally clear up and then I will have wrinkles to worry about!
My skin is never that clear either, so I’m going to be reading over all these comments for some advice too! x
Hey Veronica… I use a prescription cortisone cream… and it really sucks to get pimples AND wrinkles!! no fair – one or the other…I pick pimples over wrinkles! LOL
Blimey, there are a lot of very detailed comments there! I don’t think I can help much – I’m a plain old soap and water type of girl.
I tried making my own toiletries (you may remember) but gave up fairly quickly because it isn’t half a faff!
Just recently came across this interesting hub that I’m not sure you’ve seen about EDS. I don’t know about it’s accuracy however there were some interesting videos I saw on it: http://hubpages.com/_17b85u8qljaoh/hub/Ehlers-Danlos-Syndrome
Hi Kelly, thanks. I’ve seen those videos before 🙂
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