What do you use for acne?

Acne is usually bacteria thriving on a build up of oil / sebum in your pores and causing them to become inflamed. Washing your face 2 or 3 times a day is rarely enough to tackle the problem.

In my experience, none of the acne-specific face washes do anything more than soap does. They have good advertising and branding, but the chemical effectiveness is poor and the majority are just embellished bottles of soap.

I also tried Benzoyl Peroxide cream, which didn't work for me (although it does work for a lot of people apparently), and resulted in quite a few bed sheets and items of clothing having bleach stains -

Pros: Increases skin cell turn-over because of peeling thus reducing the bacteria count in pores, directly kills bacteria.

Cons: The skin peeling is unappealing (pun intended) and more severe for some people. Drying out can result in flakey, sore, cracked skin. Also bleaches fabrics (clothing, bedsheets) so be warned.

Another treatment I'm trying is light treatment; I bought a red and blue LED light which works by killing the naughty bacteria in the pores with light waves. In trials this method has a pretty good rate of success, better than Benzoyl Peroxide, which is otherwise the most typically effective. You have to use it for 15-30 minutes a day on whatever area has spots over a period of several months before noticing a difference though, which is a long time for a lot of people. I haven't used it for long enough to know whether it's working for me yet -

Pros: Doesn't irritate or damage the skin, penetrates pores further than the majority of creams can due to the use of light, kills the bacteria, has an impressive rate of effectiveness in clinical trials.

Cons: Expensive, takes a while to find out whether it is working for you.

Some girls need only start taking a contraceptive pill to overcome acne. That's all my friend needed and she went from severe acne to perfectly clear skin. Doesn't always work but worth a try even if you're not sexually 'active'.

Apparently intolerance to some foods can cause acne, especially dairy intolerance. It might be worth experimenting with cutting certain foods out of your diet over a few months to see if that makes a difference. Good luck to everyone out there dealing with acne :)

I use lemon juice, so far it works.

I have tried every product under the sun and the only thing that has worked was baby ass cream.
I use the cetaphil cleanser for all skin types.

Clean and Clear is my miracle life saver when it comes to acne and dry skin. Get the one with benzoyl peroxide

It really depends on what kind of acne you have. One cream or face wash isnt going to work for everyone. It would be a good idea to see a dermatoligist and they can tell you what will work best for your skin type:) i personally just take my bc and i dont break out, 2 in 1 deal:P

Uhmm if you are a girl birth control works wonders. When i was like 14 i had bad skin so I went to my doctor and she said I had sistic acne meaning it was hormonal and she got me bc. You should see if your acne is caused by oily skin or hormones first. If it is hormones you will waste all your money on expensive face cleansers because they will NOT work. Go to a family doctor or dermatoligist.

I rarely get any since I became an adult but I use facial scrubs and toner regularly anyway which is probably a good preventative and when I ever do get a pimple I discovered neosporin works well to fix them quickly just like it does with cuts and stuff

Neutrogena foaming face wash. Stuff is fantastic.

If you actually have acne and not a couple of spots, soap will do zilch, as will any over-the-counter purchase. I have acne, I got a prescription from the doctor, and it worked. But you can't just pick those types of things off the shelves because they're too strong. That's what my doctor told me anyway. So, basically, go to a doctor.

Btw, if you want to moisturize, which I suggest you do, make sure it's a non-greasy one, otherwise it will just put oil back in your skin.

:)

I used to use a retinol moisturizer that worked good but I don't think they make it anymore.

You could always get a chemical peel, it's not too expensive and it works by literally burning the top layers of skin causing you to peel and grow new healthy skin so rapidly. The drawbacks are that it's irritating (a bit painful, itchy, etc) and it takes a week to heal. You'd probably not want to go out of the house for a week because your skin is red, cracked and peeling. But once you're through that, you have basically 'brand new' skin. It also reduces scars and wrinkles.

Petroleum cream.

Also: lemon juice directed into the eyes has a symbiotic effect on the surrounding glands making them less conducive for acne.

I use Glycerine soap and Olay sensitive skin moisturiser. I also stopped eating meat and that helped a lot. If I could just cut out sugar that would help even more. But I don't really break out much anymore. Be careful of scrubs because the gritty bits can make tiny abrasions in your skin and leave it open for bacteria (zits!) Also, benzoil peroxide and salicilic acid can cause more dryness. You may not get the results your looking for until you also change your diet

I put uncooked rice in a bowl of cold water and mix it around until the water goes murky, then I drain the water into a bowl, mix it with a tiny splash of lemon juice and use it as a toner. It clears up my face brilliantly.
If you have more severe acne then look for a cleanser with salicylic acid and/or benzyol peroxide. They are the strongest chemicals that can be put into cleansers and they work really well.

I just cut the lemon in half and as i rub the lemon onto my face i gently squeeze the lemon juice out. Then leave it on till it dries, and rinse. Lemon is a natural disinfectant and helps lighten skin pigmentation.

St. Ives invigorating scrub and sometimes lemon.

I used to use some anti acne stuff, and that only made it worse. Then I started using just some warm water and some hand soap nightly; It worked worked wonders.

I was wondering about that too! When my acne started I freacked out. Its uncommon in my family and I never had such problems before so I tried everything I went and brought acene products and better quality soap and you know what that made it worse so I stopped caring and just went on with my life no products no nothing and well after that the acene started to go away not all but it feels better its slowly going away. Just wash your face at night with the usual soap you use and enjoy your wonderful sleep and in time it will start to stop. dont worry too much worry will only increase it. Give it no attention and Mr.pimple(acene) will feel unloved and not apreaciated and disapear searching for a new host. haha

First of all, let me see, since I am in my 50's and never had any acne in my entire life I would say with nothing.

Proactive! ;)