How to Clear up Acne?

[Tom62]

I'm a HUGE fan of Lush products. Lush is based out of the UK but there are several stores in the United States. The products are all hand made and all are animal free! I have annoyingly sensitive skin and Lush products are the first I've EVER tried that seem to help.

Love them as well. Their soaps, bubble baths, hand creams, etc. are wonderful.

[danny boy]

I have rosacea, which is similar to acne except that there's more facial redness and less bumps. For the first few years, all of my doctors thought it was acne. I have a good knowledge of both conditions and I think they're pretty comparable in symptoms and cures.

It took me about 5 years to get rid of my rosacea.  I have to say that living natural and healthy was definitely the best cure for me. Here's my advice: eat lots of fruit and vegetables, make all of your meals, try to exercise daily, drink lots of water, get enough sleep, give up hyfructose corn syrup in all forms (especially soda), take a daily multivitamin, and most importantly don't stress out over it. Stress is the number one aggravator for acne/rosacea.

I recently started taking high-quality omega-3 pills, which has also helped a lot. Omega-3 fatty acids are an important part of the human diet that most people don't get nearly enough of (at least in most American cities.)

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm

[SlangWitch]

The only thing that ever worked for me was Accutane. I look awesome now and it worked fast, but the side effects while taking it were pretty uncomfortable and I really only got a lot of dryness (I had none of the more serious side effects, in other words). So, it's a gamble.

[terranus]

I tried everything to clear up my acne when I was in middle/high school. Nothing worked, even the prescription strength stuff. Eventually around 10th grade I just gave up all hope and stopped using everything I had been trying, besides washing my face once a day.

1 week later, my acne mysteriously vanished. Conspiracy?

[YaarghMatey487]

@Tom- Yeahhh I've spent way too much money on Lush in the past year. I recently purchased... oh what's it called...it's one of the soaps that smells like vanilla and sandalwood. It's very lovely. I tried a sample of the beer shampoo. It's really the only product that I haven't absolutely loved. Then again...my hair is generally very stubborn and unmanageable.

[Crow]

I tried everything to clear up my acne when I was in middle/high school. Nothing worked, even the prescription strength stuff. Eventually around 10th grade I just gave up all hope and stopped using everything I had been trying, besides washing my face once a day.

1 week later, my acne mysteriously vanished. Conspiracy?

My ex-girlfriend only ever washed her face with water and she had the most amazing skin I have ever seen, i gave it a go but it really didn't work for me. What worked for me was cutting out dairy and wheat from my diet (after doing allergy tests) and after about 6 weeks my skin was sorted. I use Aesop skin care products which i have found to be the best I have used as of yet, far superior to lush which was an old favorite of mine.

[jkaands]

Accutane.   I wish I had had been able to take it centuries ago when I had acne.  Mine did clear up when I was 15, after a summer of eating European chocolates  

My girls both had acne, one had bad deep acne on her back--both went on Accutane and both cleared almost completely.  Acne has nothing to do with diet; I think this was proved decades  ago.  Or masturbation.

[Will37]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'm kind of chubby -- I definitely need to start eating healthier and exercising more, but bad habits are hard to break.

Do or do not, there is no try.  God willing this will be the only time in my life that I quote Star Wars.  Just get in the habit of working out and eating right.  Before long you'll feel shitty and fucked up if you don't eat well and exercise. 

When I told my mom that homeopathic remedies aren't medicine, she told me to try it anyways and see. No thanks mom, that sounds like a waste of time, and if I started to think they were working it would be because of the placebo effect.

Who cares, as long as they work?

[Crow]

  Acne has nothing to do with diet; I think this was proved decades ago.

Acne can actually be a sign that you have an allergy in your diet (as with me), but there isn't really enough research done yet to precisely determine whether or not certain diets contribute to acne. However we do know that by eating a healthy balanced diet it does improve the overall quality of skin, hair and nails.

[Whitney]

Acne can actually be a sign that you have an allergy in your diet (as with me), but there isn't really enough research done yet to precisely determine whether or not certain diets contribute to acne. However we do know that by eating a healthy balanced diet it does improve the overall quality of skin, hair and nails.

I swear that my face has broken out more now that I'm trying to eat correctly than it did when I was eating whatever...makes me wonder if there is any smidgen of truth to the body detoxing itself.  Though I can't rule out stress because that's the number one reason I break out....and teenagers think it's just a teen problem that they'll grow out of soon....

[Buddhasansocie]

I would be very suspicious of almost all "herbal" acne medications. The important thing to remember is that everyone is different and therefore has different skin types. I have known people who had very dry skin and yet had acne all over there face and body. On the other hand, there were teenagers who were large and only ate pizza for most of their lives and looked great. I would suggest asking your doctor about the lower strength benzoyl peroxide creams/lotions. You can actually ask your pharmacist first, because many products are over the counter. I personally have found that using lower strength products with a very little amount of non-perfume/scented creams, to counter act the harshness, work well. I do agree with trying to change your diet/lifestyle for the better. Just because it will make you feel better about yourself and, secondarily, may help you acne. Be aware, prescription medications can have serious side effects such as teratogenic effects on a fetus and life threatening effects when taken with other acne/antibiotic medications.

[Crow]

I would be very suspicious of almost all "herbal" acne medications.

Why? If you look at the ingredients in most of the more expensive facial products the majority of those are herbal or derived from a herbal source.

benzoyl peroxide vs tea-tree oil
Here is a study of benzoyl peroxide vs tea-tree oil, the results showed 5% tea-tree oil is just as effective as 5% benzoyl peroxide with the main difference being benzoyl peroxide works faster whilst tea-tree oil has less side effects.

There are loads of herbal products that have proven medicinal benefits, and is pretty easy to find out which have been tested.

[The Magic Pudding]

This thread goes away, but it keeps coming back.

Here is a study of benzoyl peroxide vs tea-tree oil, the results showed 5% tea-tree oil is just as effective as 5% benzoyl peroxide with the main difference being benzoyl peroxide works faster whilst tea-tree oil has less side effects.

Tea tree oil is good for insect bites, the actual tree can leave you itching if you scrape against its foliage.

[ThinkAnarchy]

It's so sad Acutane (sp?) is no longer on the market. That was a miracle drug the litigation lawyers destroyed. It cleared my acne, permanently, in six months.

[Will]

What?