Skin: Which facial cleanser do you use that reduces pimples, blackheads? (reviews, girl)

[city living]

Unfortunately some people will always have trouble with their skin regardless of what they try.

Originally Posted by RamenAddict

I hvae never been able to use benzoyl peroxide. It is way too harsh for my skin and causes it to dry out and get blotchy.

I used to have terrible acne that covered my entire forehead. Using that strong OTC stuff was crazy---it basically dried out my forehead to the point of completing flaking off but I have NEVER had acne there again. Trying it on the rest of my face was too painful.

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

I went to a dermatologist finally (this was back in my 20s) and he recommended Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. (Not the face wash or other varieties of Cetaphil. Has to be the Gentle Skin Cleanser.) So I tried it and my skin cleared up. It's now been 20 years and I use it every morning and every night and my face stays clear. I rub the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser in circles all over my face and neck, then hop in the shower and massage it off. I pat my face dry. At night I just do the same thing but I rinse it off over the sink with not too warm water, then pat dry with a clean cotton towel.

For whatever reason in the past year my face has started to break out in places that were never really prone to breakouts before---I am not sure if that's as a result of discontinuing the use of a medication or if it just happened. But Cetaphil is letting me down big time. My skin is terrible right now.



Separately, I have a light therapy acne mask that I got when I had to use up some FSA money or lose it. It doesn't do a thing.

[Izzie1213]

I have had acne my entire life. As a teen some pimples but as adult general acne and cystic acne. Went to dermatologist, tried everything under the sun except that a oral medication (can't think of name right now) for extreme acne, even though mine not extreme, just persistent cystic acne, that was treated with steroid injection into the cysts.

About 15 years ago I broke a bone and for pain I was taking 4 Ibuprofen twice a day (equivalent to prescription strength) After a few weeks of taking all that ibuprofen my skin was suddenly clearing up alot. I did some googling. Ibuprofen is, along with being a pain relief, is also anti-inflamatory and reduces swelling too. There were a lot of people who experienced acne clearing as a result of taking ibuprofen. I don't necessarily recommend for long term use, it can harm your liver and kidneys if over used. But I do now use/take Ibuprofen at least weekly, if not for headache, then as more of a "maintenance" for the benefits of clearing my skin.

As for skin products:
Clean and Clear, daily pore cleanser (scrub)
Neutrogena, Hydro boost water gel

[hertfordshire]

Reported

[hertfordshire]

School's out, and someone's bored.

[skippercollector]

Gouligan,
The bumps you describe sound like small cysts, which is not the same as cystic acne. I've had a few of the small ones on my face, and even my lower back and back of the leg. A dermatologist has to remove them, because it is a small surgical procedure.
A cyst is not a tumor, which is tissue growing out of an organ, nor is it a pimple, because the contents are not pus. With my cysts, the doctor made a small slit in the skin, pulled out the contents, and then stitched the slit shut, and I returned two weeks later to have the stitches removed. One small blob was a translucent gelatinous red, the others were tiny white hard balls. I know this is TOO MUCH INFORMATION!
Cysts are not cancerous and I don't know why they develop on me, other than that I had horrendous acne and very oily skin growing up. Could it be a virus my skin is susceptible to, or is it scar tissue from a pimple? No one knows.

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by RogueMom

When my kids were teenagers and had those issues, they swore by Neutrogena Acne Wash. It really kept their skin clear.

Yes, my teenagers use that now and they have beautiful skin. Surprisingly, I don’t remember them ever having a pimple - so maybe this product really works. They found this cleanser themselves, so maybe it was recommend by their friends IDK.

[gentlearts]

I use whatever body wash I’m using, but I use it with a Clarisonic facial brush. I really like how clean it makes my skin feel.

[mrxalleycat]

Would this work?

I found this brand online. $6.59

https://www.target.com/p/neutrogena-...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[BirdieBelle]

Yes, it would help.

[coldwine]

If you want to clear up your skin, here's how:

Cleanser --> Moisturizer --> Primer --> Concealer

Facial Cleansers:

These come in a few different forms, all topical. Rinses are just that; masks you apply maybe ten minutes before rinsing them off; the heavy-duty, last resort is benzoyl peroxide.

Queen Helene mint julep mask. Dimestore. Maybe $10? Use once a week.

Sal3 Sulfur Soap. Buy on Amazon, lasts forever. Sulfur and benzoyl peroxide are the only two treatments that will do anything for your skin. You can wear this as a mask or use it as a rinse.

Everything else is literally just benzoyl peroxide or sulfur repackaged into a WAY more expensive "regimen" that you do not need. Neutrogena's entire product line is built around salicylic acid, which does a semi-decent job of removing oil. It just isn't anywhere near as effective as sulphur or benzoyl peroxide.

Finally, the last resort: Benzoyl peroxide. The only product I would recommend is cheap and available from acne.org. The only product worth buying from them is the benzoyl peroxide, which is an honest-to-god life changer for blackheads and pimples. It goes on like a moisturizer, but it is still benzoyl peroxide, and at the lowest concentration.

Any product that is benzoyl peroxide at a level higher than 2.5% will literally burn your skin. You never, EVER need anything higher than 2.5%. What companies are trying to do in this case is replace the sulfuric acid treatment you would receive under the care of a dermatologist.

A dermatologist would use sulfuric acid on your face (and maybe back, if you need it) ONCE A MONTH at most. And then they would add a protective layer of moisturizer, usually in the form of a clay applied like a mask. These companies would have you using an equivalent EVERY DAY in a 10% benzoyl peroxide solution. This is... not what you want.

Moisturizers:

Clinique oil-control mattifying moisture. Buy the men's version, which is three times the size of the women's and also a tenth of the price. Use it in the morning after you wash your face, and in the evening after a shower.

OR

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. Same deal, really, but use this product if "moisturizer" is the end of your personal regimen. If you want to wear makeup, the mattifying moisturizer is your go-to.

I recommend Clinique because these products are literally all the same, but Clinique (although expensive) is something most people can regularly afford to purchase. It doesn't come in those insulting-to-my-mind tiny tubes that have maybe 2 applications in them.

Primers and Concealers

Rinse, dry, apply moisturizer. You DO NOT need a lot!

Wait 10-20 minutes. Then apply primer.

For primers: Smashbox. It is expensive, but like I said, it should literally last you forever.

For concealers: Apply after primer. Everyone has different opinions, and honestly, it matters way more that you match your skin tone than anything else. You'll see a lot of "BB creme" in this category. Go for a tinted moisturizer or a simple concealer.

My favorite concealer is Clinique's Even Better, which can also work as a foundation. I like it precisely because it isn't anything special. You do not look like you are wearing concealer. The "best" concealer technically is NARS, but NARS leans heavily on the "brilliant and radiant" style which is personally something I dislike. It's very expensive, but I will say that NARS makeup in general is worth the price; I just do not wear makeup, and if you're dealing with acne, you have to cover a lot of bases that are expensive enough as it is.

Also, a standard bottle of Even Better will last you until the end of time. A very little will go a VERY long way.

If you only want to cover up a spot here or there: Bare Minerals. The two products that matter: Bare Skin and Well Rested. Bare Skin (which is an alternative to Clinique's Even Better, if you prefer this brand) is a liquid cover up. Dab a very little bit on. Let it dry. Then use Well Rested, which is a powder for spot-treatment that honest-to-god will make spots vanish.

People are very divided on Bare Minerals, which I think is an absolutely amazing product line. I just do not wear enough makeup myself to buy it.

Coverup used to be the catch-all name for primers and concealers. As always happens, because there is nothing new to develop, the beauty industry split "coverup" into "primers" and "concealers". This is why we have BB creme/cream/whatever, which no one should be buying.

And finally, the best bang-for-your-buck concealer is Burt's Bees tinted moisturizer, which for its price is amazing. Super cheap, buy it at Targets. It's a very, very light concealer with the added benefit of SPF. I cannot stress the importance of SPF, especially because your skin will initially be very sensitive to sun. I've tried many different tinted moisturizers, and they all fall into the "here's a tube that wouldn't last Tinkerbell a week" size while commanding outrageous prices.

Disclaimer: Tinted moisturizer is not a replacement for primer, concealer, or foundation. Although if you are fighting pimples, I would avoid foundation like the plague.

If you're dealing with pimples on a regular basis, even if it isn't acne, you're already shelling out a lot of cash. Hope this helps