yeah, i usually use soap. Either Dove or Nancy Boy (thanks to my ex, I don't think I'll ever use another bar of soap..besides Dove). Dr Bronner's is good to have when you're in a place where facilities are limited ("18-in-1," supposedly you can use it as toothpaste and deodorant too, lol). It also gives you a crazy tingle in that region. It'll make you do high knees in the shower.

omggg i use dove bar soap yay

and i'm all for anything that makes the dingle tingle

Tim

tim, try nancy boy!

my last ex gave me a box of the soaps and i've been hooked ever since. it sucked being in costa rica where i couldn't get it delivered (a monkey would totally intercept that package).

and the little write ups are SO funny: http://www.nancyboy.com

michael i think tea tree worked a bit.

i might be inclined to try your purity cleanser tip. or get a bar of soap. this kiehls stuff suckssss

NANCY BOY's website left out the fourth reason on WHY WE DONT ADVERTISE

- Lack of budget.

My mum bought me some zinc/witch-hazel/salcylic acid wipes today and then a salcylic acid spot-treat. Im giving the spot treat to my sister, and only using wipes when ive no alternative product handy.

I really am adamant about avoiding un-necessary products.

do you have acne issues now, michael? or just oil issues?

i'd avoid the spot treats honestly. and the masks and whatnot.

He will say yes, but his pictures prove otherwise.

once i get a good shave i should take profile shots and track my "progress"

i really don't have acne, but a number of razor bumps and red cheeks and extremely oily skin.

harry, what do you use?

i think i've also decided that the way to go is to try and spot treat things instead of applying medication ALL over my skin like i've been advised to do for ages. that bp or retinol or whatever overload is probably causing redness in areas that are perfectly clear and smooth

i also assume that if i take my issues bump by bump, zit by zit, i don't really have to worry as much about integrating new products into my routine or whatever.

I've always had good skin as far as not breaking out. I tend to run oily, but as long as I don't mess with my face (and use wipes sometimes) I never have any problems. I don't use any kind of treatment on my face. I simply wash once a day in the shower with my Neutrogena Facial Cleansing Formula, then after showering I apply my Aveno Daily Moisturizing Lotion (no scent) and that is that.

For body I was using bar soaps that I purchase at places like Marshalls/TJ Maxx cause they get these expensive European bar soaps there and they are always half the price of little boutiques, but recently I just switched to Aveno Daily Bodywash to see how that is. It's certainly more gentile and leaves more of a film on my skin, but I think it works well with the Aveno lotion I have at keeping my skin blemish-free.

is that neutrogena the orange bar?

No this is the facial cleaning formula:

I dont like to say what my skin is like because it notoriously switches up. . I definitely broke out about a month after accutane but its settling, touch wood, perhaps because ive got ontop of that excess oil with a natural (Simple) and gentle toner and tea tree.

So right now i'd say my skin is not perfect, . Definitely i have combination skin now, with an oily tzone and dry-matte cheeks and jawline. I do get shaving rash still and also i get the odd clogged pore on my t-zone area (cheeks, nose, forehead).

Certainly an occasional clogged pore is to be expected for the average 21 year old, and its really a world away from where my skin once was. Its important to note that acne on the jawline and deep into the cheeks is more associated with hormonal imbalance - stubborn, more serious acne; this is what i USED to get. T-Zone acne/problems is more associated with surface stuff like oil and not enough exfoliation.

It also seems to be responding far better to basic topicals like tea tree where i once used strong products like Differin, Duac and Retin-A micro to no response. I would stress that this is a pinpoint of here and now; my skin will be changing frequently over the next few months as it settles post-accutane.

I think a lot of people didnt appreciate the gravity of the acne problem (dermatologically classed as at first mild and eventually moderate, persistent acne) because it'd look okay at night and i guess it could be hidden in photographs, i was always aware of it, there is a big period of my life where there are basically no photographs because i hated my skin so much.

Acne is a big deal for people who suffer it. It seems a lot worse in the sufferers mind, but because i get crazy about it i would stress, squeeze and pick; which makes everything worse. Certainly i remember having huge painful pustules on my jawline at one stage. I also remember the confidence and carefree attitude i got when my skin was clear. I could walk into a room and know my skin wasnt what everyone was looking at. Which is what i always felt.

My Journey
15 - First breakout late teens
16 - By this stage my skin was pretty pizza like, i had a face full of minor comodeonal acne which was red and inflamed
17 - Persistant prolem
18 - I discovered Pro-Activ and until i was well into 19, my skin improved dramatically and eventually cleared completely. During this time my seychellois complexion was visible again and i got a lot of compliments for the texture and colour of my skin
19 - Started breaking out after first year, Proactiv totally ineffective at this stage, acne spreads quickly and agressively, by the time i head to Seychelles my skin is covered with angry, painful, deep set pustules. The problem gets worse with the Seychelles heat, not aided by the sun or salt water which in previous visits had always really refreshed my complexion. The acne continues to worsen on return.
20 - After ups and downs it finally reaches seriousness to be on antibiotics and various other treatments, I go through the mill and many products make the acne worse. Duac works for a couple of weeks then stops. Doxycycline gives me crippling stomach pains which results in an emergency doctor. Skin seems to just get worse, i become extremely self concious about it and comfort eat, eventually ceasing to even go out.
21 - I begin to come to terms with the problem a bit, but it isnt going away. FINALLY late 2008 discussion begins on roaccutane. I am prescribed it late february. Accutane side effects become serious in the third month to the point where my dosage is dropped. They want to stop me early, and i agree but then continue to finish my final month course. Dermatoligist informs me my skin is more or less clear and i should expect skin similar to an average 21 year old. Where i am now my skin is the clearest it's been in over three years.

I have noticed since my acne has cleared that a lot of people comment on how i've lost weight. I haven't but i have lost the acne that used to reside in the contours of my face, which is why i appear thinner to other people.

people always think you are so crazy for finding it such a big deal.
they dont understand at all.
i bump into former or current acne sufferers from time to time and all they want to do is talk about it, because its always on their mind and its a difficult struggle that not many people can relate to.

I've always been conscious but it wasn't until maybe this Spring where my skin got to the point where I was like "okay, redness, occasional chin acne, oiliness, razor burn -- WHAT IS GOING ON." It's hard to believe, but when I was in Costa Rica in August, I went a month without using any sort of acne treatment, while using harsh bar soap/Dr. Bronner's/whatever I had lying around (if anything at all!).

In September, I had a mild break out and bought some retinol gel (I was all "Cool! Retinol! That's prescription in the U.S.!"). I actually used it to spot treat. It somehow worked, even though I wasn't using it right...

When I came back to the States, my skin looked great (slightly oily); I switched to Cetaphil to combat winter dryness. By March I think stress + warm showers + shaving more frequently + less sleep all added up to a skin nightmare.

I've since tried AHA, retinol, BP, BHA. I think if I committed to one thing it'd work better, but now I'm committing to a different idea: cleanse and spot treat. no all-over acne treatments. I seriously think the daily application of acne treatments over my entire face (to reduce the size of maybe 4-5 spots) is causing more harm.

I think I'll try that Philosophy cleanser btw...unless I find a soap bar that looks nicer.

I definitely thinking over-switching products when its not necessary is a big mistake a LOT of people make. They get seduced by marketing spin that says "this all natural amazing spot fighting moisturizer awesome ingredient free excellence will make your skin 9 times softer, clearer and less ugly than it currently is!" and they use a lot of ingredients in such nominal amounts that your skin doesnt even know its there.

If you find a regimen that works pretty well, stick with it. No good can come from over-complicating your skin-care regime especially if you find simplicity works best for you!


How was BHA and AHA for you? Was it Paula's Choice? I flung away nearly a full bottle of her BHA one time.

Definitely torrino sometimes overall acne treatment can be beneficial, but i found that ONLY in the context of a short period because my skin developed resistance to it. Certainly it makes sense only to treat the areas that you have active issues with - including particular problem zones that seem to break out often. Just keep an eye on your face and apply as needed is my new ethos.

I had to stop philosophy because i noticed it broke me out again. I clearly can't tolerate it. You can have mine lol.

Tim and you were onto a winner with Dove Soap. If there is a soap bar id use it'd probably be a dead sea sulfur bar, but Dove Soap is for nearly everyone a great product because it doesnt do the bad shit to your skin ordinary soap can.

oh and RED MARKS, i forgot to mention that, accutane makes red marks way way worse and scarring can be more intense, i fell off my bike a few weeks back and have almost pock-mark like scars from it now.

Definitely. I usually evaluate products based on ingredients. I've used good and bad products from drugstores and department stores. In either case, it's important to remember that skin care products are a good way to start improving your skin, but they can only do so much...what matters is what's going on inside.

As far as claims go, I would only trust the acne.org guy. I think he's registered as a non-profit, for one. His products are terrific. The Nancy Boy couple may not make super sensitive skin products, but they also don't make outrageous claims (and they're fucking funny, too!). They also throw you 15% savings and a free goodie (usually a 2 oz cleanser or gigantic bar of soap or something) over $40 (+ free shipping).

I tried the Neutrogena 3-in-1 BHA (I also have a BHA/AHA cleanser by Menscience; this used to work well for me back in '06 or so). I would never buy anything from Paula Begoun. Her reviews are terrible. She doesn't actually test products, she just evaluates them based on their ingredient list, using outdated research (her strategy is to look for a few "scholarly articles" claiming something may be bad for your skin and then nitpick product lines that may contain a minimal amount of that product)

Besides, she contradicts herself frequently. Case in point: she hates certain cleansers/moisturizers/whatever, because they contain a little bit of lavender oil, menthol, peppermint oil, fragrance or alcohol denat after the preservatives in the ingredient list! But there's other products where she'll say "the minimal amount of *insert-irritant-here* irritant won't affect you," even when it's THIRD in the list!

I can also tell you that her skincare line is lacking. Her sunscreens, for one, are not photostable. Avobenzone cannot be paired with Octinoxate.

(BTW, she'll also have you believe that sulfur and witch hazel are terrible for skin, even though they were the old standbys for acne before BP and BHA came along...I certainly don't think teenagers in the 1940s looked worse than teenagers now).

Dove I generally use as a body bar, but I sometimes use it on my face. It is gentle, but I need something that packs a bit more punch considering how oily my skin is right now. I did ask for a small sample of the Philosophy cleanser, so I may try it tonight. I've heard good things about it...

acne.org is okay. the cleanser is decent, the moisturizer is too goopy and the benzoyl peroxide whilst i have i avoid because you know, its a last resort. I also think the BP is inferior to Proactiv's BP lotion. I didnt like it/find it as effective.

I remember in Seychelles i was slapping BP on by the boatload, the acne.org stuff, it did nothing, if anything it made things a lot worse.

Nancy Boy may be funny, but that is not what one cares about when buying stuff for your skin. I think Philosophy have a great marketing ethos. Its all pretentious bullshit but its backed up with genuinely thousands of people who love the products because they work.

One of the things i absolutely 10000% know was ultra effective for my skin was proactiv's mask. Active ingredient? Sulfur! It transformed my skin texture, exfoliated and softened my skin and fought acne all at once.

Oh and tonight looking in the mirror i could see a few tiny bellow-the-skin blockages. This is the kind of skin issue i have now - minor clogging beneath the skin, but that really irritates me and since im a squeezer... heh. It actually tempts me to give a BHA a go, but it only ever becomes visible/surfaces late at night when my skin is tired. Im never exactly sure how to DEAL with this kind of problem other than squeezing it. I think i need to ask my doc for a follow up with a derm to address any concerns, since i was kind of brushed off in Carlisle when my derm was sick and i had some other dude for my final appointment.

But yeah Paula's Choice BHA which everyone loves/rants about did sweet fuck all for me when i had real problems other than break me out further. I am always reluctant to go near a product which broke me out previously.

Philosophy cleanser is not a great choice for oily skin since it has moisture-restoring properties.

I just used the Philosophy cleanser in the shower and actually found it on the drying side. Weird.

Purity Made Simple?
If anything it makes most people on the moist side.

And for BHA, why not try a BHA cleanser? The MenScience brand is pretty good. There isn't anything irritating in those products...

my gawd you two need to get a room!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tim

Whatever, Model Skin.