Now everyone reading this is probably thinking 'Okay, why are you telling me this?' I'm telling because I'm sick of all the fake market research with people who are paid to say crap works. Those over enthusiastic 'real users' are actors. ACTORS!! But what I can say is that I have found something a little more effective than washing your face three times a day and it's easy and very simple to do.
Tip #1: Stop caking on makeup.
Even if you have Bare Minerals like I do, this is possibly one of the worst ways to refresh your makeup. This is what causes your pores to be clogged, not what your makeup is made of. While there are several kinds of makeup out there that have carcinogens and other chemicals you just don't need to put on your face, this is the number one problem. I've had some girlfriends tell me that they saw an increase in their acne levels after having to wear makeup for an extended period of time. The best thing you can do to refresh your makeup when you have an oily skin problem is to blot with rice blotter papers or use body powder. It not only gives you a nice matte finish that you can work wonders with, if you use the medicated body powder it actually helps to take that redness out of your face and helps alleviate the pain in those really hard and painful pimples that you don't want anyone to notice.
Tip #2: Watch what you're putting on your face.
For as long as I've ever had to deal with looking great all the time, there has been one simple rule I've always followed. If you can't pronounce what is in the product, you probably don't want to be putting it on your face. Like I mentioned before, there are actually carcinogens and other kinds of nasty preservatives in makeup to help keep that colour in the bottle. There is are a number of reasons why they say to keep those kinds of products away from your eyes and lips. Haphazard makeup on your skin can and probably will make you sick. These chemicals can lead to anything from an eye infection to poisoning if you accidentally ingest some of it. While I'm not going to condemn all makeup, some of it works really well for people, but you have to admit, some of them eventually end up looking like they've spent way too much time in the tanning bed and look like they're in their seventies when they're only in their fifties.
Tip #3: Treat the problem.
I think this needs to be said right off the bat. THERE IS NO CURE FOR ACNE. There are products out there and books and all sorts of bullshit experts saying that they've "Found the Cure for Acne" and whatnot. They are lying to you. There is absolutely no way that one product can treat all the causes of acne like there is no one way to combat weight gain. Acne is usually a combination of several factors. Even my dermatologist told me this and had me taking all sorts of topical and internal medicines to try and fight my acne when it got seriously out of hand. Most commonly though acne has about four notable factors. There is your stress level, your diet, hygiene and genetics. Most people don't ever consider their genetics when it comes to their acne. You've got to remember that you had to get your skin chemistry from somewhere. It isn't just unique to you most often. It's better to know your causes than to just blindly treat something. A good example of targeting the problem is when doctors run tests to try and figure out what's wrong with you so they can prescribe the proper type of medication. They don't really do the whole 'take two Asprin and call me in the morning' much anymore do they?
Tip #4: Your diet is important.
I'm not going to say stop going to McDonald's or something and ordering their food. Junk food is quite delicious when you've had a terrible day. I will say however that you need to limit your intake of cow products and other over processed food like the white flour buns they put on the burgers. This, in fact, will not only help you end your acne issues, but it will make you feel better about yourself and actually aid you in losing weight. We all know that America is a cow nation. Not that I'm trying to offend anyone, but most of our farming goes to Cattle ranches and corn production. In fact, a lot of the corn that goes to feed the cows in the cattle industry could go to help the hungry. A lot of these cows have artificial hormone development that is meant to help protect the cows and make them bigger. Unfortunately though, these hormones are throwing your system out of whack. A doctor might say otherwise, but when is the last time you had a doctor give you a straight answer? Limiting your intake of beef and even pork product (That includes Milk and Bacon) definitely helps acne and will make you feel better.
Tip#5: Size matters.
Now that I've said something about the food industry, I think it's proper to mention that how much you eat also influences your body's production of acne. When your body has something it doesn't like inside, what does it do? It tries to get rid of it, Right? It's the same way with overeating. That's why you get that bloated and sick feeling when you've eaten too much. While there is a lot of stuff nutritionalists like to BS us about, portion size isn't one of them. With all the goodies that go into our processed food to keep it safe for us to eat over an extended period of time, your body will want to get rid of the stuff it doesn't need. Eating too much puts a lot of those not-so-wonderful goodies in our body and it will try to expel it in any way it can. Our skin is actually one of those ways it tries to get rid of those waste products. Controlling how much of what you eat is another one of those things that has more than one benefit. It'll help with making your skin nice and pretty while also helping you build a better lifestyle.
Tip #6: Don't sweat the small stuff
This one is what I consider the most important since it was the main kicker for me in helping me rid myself of the painful acne I was afflicted with. I should explain first that there are two kinds of stress. There is Eustress and Distress. You don't often hear about the distinction but there is one. Eustress is a good kind of stress. Feeling good about accomplishing something, like meeting a physical goal or just being happy about anything, is Eustress. I know it's a little goofy sounding, don't blame me though, blame my psychology professor for teaching it to me. Distress, on the other hand, is exactly what it sounds like. Being unhappy, feeling sick or even just being hungry is putting your body into a distress mode. When anyone talks about just 'stress' anymore, they're talking about distress. Letting little things get to you, like a petty argument, not having enough toner to print a project that isn't due for another several days or in some cases (like mine) having someone you live or work with having Explosive Anger Disorder (Someone who gets mad for absolutely no good reason) is a really bad place to be. I know the last one can get a little nerve wracking, but eventually realizing to take a step back and just absolutely relax and realize that sometimes things are either completely out of your hands or you can fix something easily on your own is far better. In most situations, being a controlling person is the Worst thing you can do for your health and more importantly in this case, the worst thing you can do for your already pretty tortured skin.
Tip #7: Mama said take your vitamins a for a reason.
Getting away from the darker side of your social life, there are several other ways to manage and possibly rid yourself of your skin condition. A great place to start is taking a vitamin supplement with the vitamins E, B6 and B12 in it. I take a vitamin supplement that I bought from the local natural grocer literally called 'Vitamin E'. It comes in little salmon pink capsules that you take twice a day. You can easily find the same kind of product in the grocery store in the vitamin isle. Personally, if you don't need it of course, I actually recommend staying away from the multivitamins. An American's diet really isn't lacking enough to need to take a multi vitamin. In fact, you don't really need multivitamins at all unless you're completely vegan, which your body would need the multivitamin to help combat your acne because you're not getting the full range of vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy.
Tip #8: Caffeine is great.
I know this sounds a little hypocritical of me after all those mentions of carcinogens and such in the other paragraphs, but Caffeine is a double edged sword. I only recommend it in moderation. In fact, at worst, you should have three cups of coffee for the whole day. The reason I'm suggesting this favourite narcotic is because it speeds up your heart and blood flow to your body. This gets the needed Oxygen, vitamins and infection fighting white blood cells up into your face to combat the inflammation and infection that acne is from the inside. In fact, my favourite is to drink a 5-hour energy in the morning. Not only does it have a decent dose of Caffeine, but it also has Vitamins B6 and B12 in it. Just beware, just as I mentioned before, if you have too much of something, your body will try to get rid of it and beyond 3 cups of Coffee a day, your acne could very likely get much, much worse.
Tip #9: Wash you face, don't scrub it off.
As I've already complained about the Proactiv system, I think it needs to be done again. It tries to 'exfoliate' your face. Most Dermatologists will tell you this too, don't scrub your face and don't try to exfoliate it. It will irritate your already irritated skin. In fact, I actually caution against facial masks you have to wash off, like the infamous Queen Helene Mint Julep mask. Nothing made my skin worse than that product. There is no way to get that stuff off of your face without scrubbing it off. You don't have to go straight to a clay mask to get the same pore shrinkage that you can get from tons of other products. I actually use anti-aging face wash even though I'm just barely out of my teen years, but it works very well in getting pores to shrink. I prefer some of the Biore products for that, it smells great and it doesn't dry out my skin like Olay products tend to do to me, that's what causes your skin to flake in the first place.
Tip #10: The sun isn't always your friend.
I live in the mile high city, and just being outside for half an hour can easily result in a sunburn. It's not only something that'll prevent against wrinkles in the future, it also starts to combat acne. As it goes, Acne can also be caused by a build up of toxins from your skin. Those toxins can be caused by the dead cells the sun creates from getting a sun burn. Always, always ALWAYS use a moisturizer with a sunscreening content to it. A lot of actually quite good moisturizers out there have a light feel to them when you put them on and don't feel quite like sunscreen when you put them on. Usually at SPF 15, though the factor isn't terribly important (Nor does it make a huge difference if you have SPF 15 or SPF 1000 ), it will protect your skin from the break downs that harm you in the overall length of your life and will keep you looking great for a while. Personally, the stuff I like to use, and was actually stolen by my mother for a little while, is the Neutrogina SPF 15 tinted moisturizer. It does the same great work as a foundation with half the side effects of the drippy mess that is liquid foundation and it is really hard to tell you have it on. It's easy to use and it makes a great base for makeup.
Disclaimer: I am only sharing my experiences with acne and the horrors of trying to fix it. I am not a medical professional, only a student of anatomy and physiology. If you have something that needs to be solved by a doctor, GO TO THE FUCKING DOCTOR. I do not endorse any products mentioned nor have I intended any sort of defaming of any products mentioned. These are opinions, some are well researched and lived through facts. Nor am I your mother, if these don't work, don't complain about it. I tried to help you.
