pimples and spots + update

taltal

How do you get rid of pimples and the left over pimple spots ?

TIA

teachermrw

A lot depends on your skin care routine, and the products you use. It also depends on physiology. A lot of one's physical and emotional well-being is reflected in the skin.

I have found that a combination of diligent at-home care, combined with monthly salon treatments, have gotten me to achieve good results.

Perhaps I haven't answered your question, but, perhaps what I have written here will give you a starting point.

Jaqi

to get rid of an existing pimple you'll need to apply benzoyl peroxide which is 'a mild drying and peeling agent which keeps pores from clogging' (taken from acne.org). you'll have to go through the products you use & throw away anything with oil, perfume, etc. if you wear make-up go for a hypoallergenic brand (vichy do a great make-up for people prone to spots).

cut down on dairy, drink lotsa water & green tea.

i had a break out not so long ago so i joined acne.org & it helped me out a lot -- i tried their products which i still use & i haven't had a break out since.

good luck!

bethstassia08

Taltal,

It would help you, I think, quite immensely if you knew if your skin is sensitive, oily, dry, normal, or combination skin(which means your oily in some places and dry in others). There's some kind of face washing test you can conduct on yourself to find out if your not quite sure. Just type in the question to google, "How do I know what skin type I am?") Knowing what skin type you are will help you in finding what products to purchase for your skin.

Anywho, I went through an innumerable amount of products trying to find the correct regimen for myself. It took me years to find the right products just because I had the wrong information. My mother told me all my life that I had combination skin. She told me that because it is a common skin type among people. SO I was always looking for products that catered to combo skin. Nothing ever worked. Then I tried acne-prone products because I was breaking out so terribly from the usage of so many products.

To make a long story short I finally found out that I have extremely dry skin. So I use products that don't strip my face of moisture. I use a moisterizing cleanser, a spot treatment for acne, and a heavy moisterizer. Now my face is clear almost all the time!

In agreement with Missprofe and Jaqi, I too think physiology can get involved, to a degree, with acne. I know that when I'm feeling emotionally stressed out or the hormones are out of whack, I have break outs.:sad10: Just try to exercise regularly and do things you love, to release the endorphins (good hormones) in your brain and alleviate stress. I also totally think you should try benzoyl peroxide. My acne spot treatment actually contains 5% of that. FYI, in case your interested I buy it at Sephora, $28, and its called DDF benzoyl peroxide acne spot treatment. Awesome stuff! Moreover, try to increase your intake of whole healthy foods. I believe that's what Jaqi was stating as well.

Whew!!! Sorry for the long message. Hope this helps. Good luck to ya, lady. I'm sure you'll find what works best for you! :wave::hello2::thumbup::salut::toothy7: If you have more questions, don't be afraid to ask.

Jaqi

i agree 100% with bethstassia08!
sorry if my reply seemed a little vague & rushed, it was late & i was half asleep.

i'd also like to add that if you're passed your teen years & you notice pimples appearing more on your jawline & neck than anywhere else, that you should go & see your gyno as this can be, but not always, a sign of your hormones being outta wack! a lot of women get pimples in the said areas during & after pregnancy, i think it has to do with the body making too much estrogen.

acne/pimples are not an outward issue, they don't form because you have dirty skin, the pores get infection because your body is making too much oil for your body to process, which is why drinking water can help a lot as it will flush out any extra hormones that lie in the kidneys that produce the body's natural oil. also, green tea is a great anti inflammatory which is essentially what a pimple is. you can apply it topically or drink it.

what some people don't know is that when dealing with acne it is VITAL to have a balance between the drying agents that will kill the pimple making bacteria & dry the spot out & getting enough moisture! some people will douse their skin with BP which does dry the skin out & then not use a lotion as they think the extra moisture will produce more oil -- when you use BP if you do not also use a good lotion you body will quickly send more oil to that spot to get rid of the dry skin....but if you use lotion the body will not over do the oil. that's a very important part of the regimen!

the owner of acne.org produces & sells his own products via his site & they're great! i highly recommend them ALTHO the lotion is a little too thin for my liking, so i use cetaphil instead (for oily, sensitive skin).

i hope this helped, i hate hearing about people dealing with pimples, as i know how frustrating it can be...good luck!

Eilonwy

Retinoids can really speed up the disappearance of post-zit spots.

murrrcat

I don't know they suck! If you're on birth control I hear the spots are from that.

taltal

Thank you all for your replies.

Bethstassia08,
Thanks for the suggestion. I've always thought I have combination skin type but now I'll check online to make sure.

Jaqi, thanks for the green tea tip. I actually love Chinese green tea, I always have some at homw but haven't thought of using it for pimples. I'll try it to see how it works.

Eilonwy, I was given a retin cream which I used three times. I read some good reviews on it , but after the harsh effect it had in just three applications, I decided not to use it any longer. It's extremely drying, and very irritating.
I later on checked and found out it is recommended for use in severe cases of acne after other treatments had been tried and did not work. I prefare to use natural methods first.
So if you think of using it, use it with precautions as even though it is derived from vitamin A, it is a very strong chemical
Again thanks for all the replies.
I'd appreciate any more advice you have.

Eilonwy

taltal wrote: »

Eilonwy, I was given a retin cream which I used three times. I read some good reviews on it , but after the harsh effect it had in just three applications, I decided not to use it any longer. It's extremely drying, and very irritating.

There are all different kinds of retinoids. Some do nothing but dry my skin out, but one has gotten rid of my acne almost completely :dontknow: Also, your skin may tolerate it better after a few weeks.

taltal

Ok, I've discovered something that works and is natural as well. Tea tree oil !
A little drop applied on the pimple overnight clears most of them (only on the pimple itself, remember this is not a face cream or a carrier oil, but an essential oil which should be used with care) . Check skin sensitivity to tea tree oil by doing a patch test first !
For the spots, unrefined shea butter. It takes a few weeks to clear them up but eventually works for most of them.

I hope this helps some.