Quit-zits and help from my former teenage self.

[Automaton]

Well, quitting smoking by any method is known to result in acne for some. But perhaps it is possible that PG makes it worse for some people. I'll do some reading.

Thanks Panini. I'm already doing the last two... we'll see about the egg mask thing, ha ha.

 

[Panini]

Haha I know. It's totally sick...but it feels really good...and it works! I used to do it in high school when I was actually on acne medication and I was able to go off the medication just from doing the masks.

 

[Pheisty]

Post removed by me.

 

[MamaFox]

I have struggled with acne just for the past 6 years. As a teenager, my skin was perfectly smooth, then I hit adulthood and my skin starts kicking my a**. WTF?

My mom owns a salon/day spa, and she gave me a starter kit of this stuff called "Clean Start" by Dermalogica. It's supposed to be meant for teenagers, but I was desperate and gave it a try. It actually worked pretty well, and my face started clearing up. Another thing that works well for me is the Dermal Clay Cleanser by Dermalogica. Feels AWESOME too.

However, the thing that seems to really be keeping my skin in check now is a homemade green tea mist. I pour boiling water over two green tea bags in a mug, cover the mug and stick it in the fridge for an hour or so, then pour it into a small spray bottle (like the ones you buy in the travel-size section for hairspray). I keep the bottle in the fridge, unless I'm leaving the house, then I stick it in my purse. I spritz my face after washing, after applying makeup, and anytime my skin starts to look "icky." It seems to have REALLY cleared me up, even makes my pores less noticeable and my skin smoother and more "glowy." I highly recommend it to anyone who struggles with acne, especially the hormonal kind since green tea is an antioxidant.

 

[Automaton]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. Honestly, it's been a rough ride with my skin for a year now. I had a couple years of my skin being pretty clear... and then I went to work in a kitchen, and it all went to hell.

It got a little better after I quit working there... and then I quit smoking, and back to hell.

It's so frustrating. My teenage acne was never this bad.

I had to stop the Persa Gel because it was drying the hell out of my skin. Clearing up my acne, yes, but it was so drying that I just had to stop. I only used to use it once every other day as a teen, but to keep up with my skin now I had to use it every day and my skin just couldn't handle it.

I'm Italian, we're not supposed to get dry skin!!

 

[MamaFox]

I'm Italian, we're not supposed to get dry skin!!

lol I'm Italian, too, and I've had some super oily skin since I was about 11...but that chemical stuff will dry me RIGHT out. That's why I like Clean Start; it has a very low dose of Salicylic Acid (which is the only acne medication my skin can even hope to tolerate), so it clears me up without taking the situation too far. But really, the green tea has worked wonders. It keeps the oil under control (for the most part) and without making me feel like I've taken a shop vac with metal bristles to my face.

 

[Swissy]

I'm Italian, we're not supposed to get dry skin!!

Same here Best moisturizer I've ever used is "Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturizer"

 

[Automaton]

I'm terrified to use moisturizer, even the non-clogging ones, with the way my skin's been. I really don't want it getting any worse. Ugh.

Ya know, I never even owned moisturizer until I got tattoos, since it helps keep them from getting too dry while they heal. Never needed it - not even in the middle of Minnesota winter.

Dry skin is totally foreign territory to me.

I'll give the green tea thing a try. Maybe the eggs... but money's a little too sparse right now to be not eating food I buy.

 

[sahara4evr]

I have struggled with acne just for the past 6 years. As a teenager, my skin was perfectly smooth, then I hit adulthood and my skin starts kicking my a**. WTF?

My mom owns a salon/day spa, and she gave me a starter kit of this stuff called "Clean Start" by Dermalogica. It's supposed to be meant for teenagers, but I was desperate and gave it a try. It actually worked pretty well, and my face started clearing up. Another thing that works well for me is the Dermal Clay Cleanser by Dermalogica. Feels AWESOME too.

However, the thing that seems to really be keeping my skin in check now is a homemade green tea mist. I pour boiling water over two green tea bags in a mug, cover the mug and stick it in the fridge for an hour or so, then pour it into a small spray bottle (like the ones you buy in the travel-size section for hairspray). I keep the bottle in the fridge, unless I'm leaving the house, then I stick it in my purse. I spritz my face after washing, after applying makeup, and anytime my skin starts to look "icky." It seems to have REALLY cleared me up, even makes my pores less noticeable and my skin smoother and more "glowy." I highly recommend it to anyone who struggles with acne, especially the hormonal kind since green tea is an antioxidant.

I have a funny story about green tea. I heard frozen green tea bags will get rid of undereye bags. So I boiled two tea bags, froze them and then put them under my eyes. I also heard green tea is good for your skin so I rubbed the tea bags over my face. My skin felt fantastic. I then went to the grocery store and only realized I had green skin when I came home. Do you get a green tinge from the green tea spritz?

 

[MamaFox]

I have a funny story about green tea. I heard frozen green tea bags will get rid of undereye bags. So I boiled two tea bags, froze them and then put them under my eyes. I also heard green tea is good for your skin so I rubbed the tea bags over my face. My skin felt fantastic. I then went to the grocery store and only realized I had green skin when I came home. Do you get a green tinge from the green tea spritz?

Hahahaha! Ohhh that made me giggle

No, I never get a green tinge. If anything, it evens my skin and makes it brighter.

 

[LowThudd]

I just wanted to add, the dollar store will typically have green tea bags for cheap.

 

[Pheisty]

Same here Best moisturizer I've ever used is "Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturizer"

Me too! Gosh, are we ALL Italian???

 

[Automaton]

Thanks LowThudd. You know what I like.

Man, sure looks like it. Where's the American Italian social group, eh?

 

[Automaton]

So I thought I'd come back to this with what I've been doing lately. Other broke people, or anyone, may like this...

So as I said, I stopped the gel I was originally using with BP in it. It was just too drying, and I didn't seem to ever get used to it.

I hit the 4-month mark, still having acne, and just got tired of it. I'm not that vain, but c'mon. 4 straight months? Getting really tired of it. Started reading.

Stopped exfoliating so much. Apparently that's not good for your skin.

And I started looking at products. I didn't want to have to buy stuff, but I was getting sick of it. I don't ever wear make-up, I wash my face twice a day, I stopped scrubbing it to death... what else was I doing wrong? Ugh.

What I found is that reviews were all over the place. It didn't seem like anything had consistent good marks.

Except, surprisingly, the cheapest 2 things of all, which you probably have in your fridge and medicine cabinet right now.

Asprin facial masks, and egg masks (as per Panini ).

The asprin facial mask is just 2 or 3 tabs crushed or dissolved in a tablespoon of water (some people also add honey). Put it all over your face - looks weird, but whatever. Wait 10 or 20 minutes, and rinse it off. It kind of exfoliates since it's a bit gritty. It's not recommended to do this more than twice a week, as your skin will adjust to it and it may stop working.

It's fairly strong, and for people who have break-outs with periods of clear skin in between, you can apparently try asprin dissolved in vodka as a very strong spot treatment - but this is NOT recommended for your whole face!

My skin feels a lot better after doing that, and zits that were getting ready to form seem smaller. It's a tiny bit drying, but not bad. It's actually less drying for me than the Neutrogena acne wash was.

The egg mask also had consistent high marks. Once I realized I could just eat the left over egg (egg and toast makes a great snack), I realized it really isn't expensive - it's actually pretty close to free!

So I'm going to try doing that as well. You can also apparently use the yolk of the egg as a natural moisturizer, after doing the egg white mask. 2-in-1!

...And just make some scrambled eggs with the left-overs after. Waste not, want not.

 

[Vagablonde]

steps in for the Norwegians
since quitting smoking..I have had the skin blahs as well..something I have never experianced in my life
and while there might be greater concernes in life
this .......ing sucks