Acne, Be Gone!

SOOO one thing which I feel a lot of people deal with is ACNE. It's almost like the silent killer when it comes to skin. Although I have never experienced intense or serious acne, a few months ago I had many tiny bumps/blemishes reappearing on my face, especially on my chin area. Typically, females have the most acne around the chin area- this has something to do with the location of hormones. I tried benzoyl peroxide creams and washes, Differin, Acne Free, Retin-A, and a bunch of other random things. I did not follow through with Retin-A because it made my skin quite sensitive (which is normal, Retin-A makes the skin much worse for a couple months before it makes it better)- I'm just the type of person who is VERY impatient and needs results fast. My Holy Grail product which really saved me was Proactive-the only downside is that you MUST keep using the product otherwise the acne will come back quickly. When I ran out I wanted to save some money (the 3 step routine costs around $50) so I tried Acne Free (supposedly very close to Proactive but it only cost me about $17 at Walmart). Let me tell you- my acne came back in about 2 days, as a result I returned Acne Free and dished out the money. Oddly enough, the acne went away in about the course of a week.
Even though Proactive has really made a big difference in my skin, I have learned that you MUST consider a couple more factors when desiring clear skin.

1. Drink lots and lots of water. I can't stress this one enough, I notice that on days in which I consume more water, my face looks a lot more radiant and healthy.
2. Don't stress! Stress will create more hormones by stimulating your glands, YOU DO NOT WANT THIS!
3. MOISTURIZE You have to keep in mind, when using products such as Proactive, your skin will tend to dry out (because of ingredients such as Benzoyl Peroxide and Salacylic Acid). I use Cetaphil, it's very common for dermatologists to recommend this even for the most sensitive skin and you don't have to splurge at a department store to buy it.
4. Eat healthy; You are what you eat. Try to stay away from too much dairy, sugar, and fatty/oily foods. If possible, add vitamin supplements to your daily regimen (either vitamin E or A).
5. Don't over do it; usually a pea size amount of product is perfect for the face (whether it be face wash, lotion, etc). Adding more product won't accomplish much aside from wasting product and irritation.
6. USE SUNSCREEN. This is essential when using acne care products, you want to make sure your skin doesn't burn and get irritated after you apply your treatment, invest in a sunscreen with at least a 25 SPF. The SPF doesn't really matter too much, it's more the amount in this case (there isn't too much of a difference in protection the higher the SPF). As long as you apply about a pea size amount, this should be enough to protect your face. Even if your makeup contains SPF, I would recommend applying a separate one because most people don't apply enough makeup to offer the protection needed (Also, it takes about 15 minutes for the sunscreen to "activate"). No matter what the SPF, you typically will need to reapply every 4-6 hours.
7. Tie up your hair whenever possible. Your hair contains many oils and dirt, to ensure that you don't break out around your forehead and cheeks, keep your hair tied up when you are at home. If you have bangs, try to pin them back as well.
8. Use a non comedogenic or oil-free foundation. In my case, powder foundations seem to work better (liquid foundation tends to feel too heavy and pore-clogging). *Tip* Although I love MAC Studio Fix, this seemed to be causing some of my breakouts. As soon as I stopped, a lot of my breakouts cleared up right away.
   

And that concludes my little intervention on Acne. Hope this is useful = ) AGAIN this is just what has worked for me personally and is strictly my opinion.

Here are some pics of my acne before and after, I know I'm wearing makeup in all three pics BUT hopefully you can tell the difference especially with the bumps (Pic 1 is before and 2/3 are after).

Where to buy proactive: http://www.proactiv.com/