So here I am, 31-years-old and still dealing with acne. It's not the junior high/high school acne I used to have (Praise Jesus!) but it's annoying considering that I feel I should be past it. Of course, having a baby and making a drastic climate move didn't help much. Add working out and daily make-up application to the list and my skin isn't great. I mean, it's ok skin. You'd probably never ID me as actually having acne, just little blemishes that pop up once in a while.
4 months ago I started using Proactive in an effort to get clear skin for the wedding. I figured that it gave me enough time to stop using it and hopefully rectify any issues that popped up if it didn't work. You should know, before I tell you how it worked, that I have combination skin and that my forehead gets super oily as the day progresses. Like, wipe it off with a tissue, blinding you with the glare oily. I hate it. Conversely, and not helped by the Proactive, my cheeks and the areas around my eyes are dry.
Proactive worked in a way but also didn't work. It worked in that it mostly stopped the appearance of pimples with white heads. But it caused me to get painful, cyst-like pimples that hang out under the surface and refuse to go away. I've got a cluster (cluster F) of them on my jaw line currently that have been hanging out for at least 3 weeks. They don't hurt anymore but they will not GO AWAY ALREADY!
The other issue I had with Proactive (and this is common if you read the boards) was painful dryness. The skin around my eyes would burn it was so dry. And I moisturize, believe me. Morning and night.
After 4 months, I decided it wasn't really working. It should have been enough time for things to clear up and I just felt like things should be better than they were. Rather than dumping even more money into the acne world I decided it was easier to just go straight to a doctor. (Though, I briefly considered dumping $200 into a Clarisonic system.)
So off to the doctor I went. I told her it was vain but she told me that it's not vain to want to take care of your skin and to look your best. (I love my doctor. Like, I would hang out with her outside of the office because she's SO cool. But she's my doctor and she's been all up in my hoo-ha and well, it's not going to happen.) She and I spent about 20 mins talking about what I was using, what I had used, what worked and didn't work, what kind of skin I have, etc. She made me 2 prescriptions that I plan to pick up tonight and start using. We're going to give it a month and then evaluate. I don't even know what they are (one is benzoyl peroxide I think?) but I trust her.
The other tip she gave me was to make a sea salt paste (handful of sea salt, just enough water to make a paste) and to rub it on my face, chest, and back. And rinse of course. She said it will do a great job of exfoliating and clearing out the pores. I actually want to make a batch of it and just scoop some out in the shower.
So there you go! My review of Proactive (not for me but lots of people love it) and a tip for a homemade scrub. What beauty regime do you follow??
I have never and will never think of you as a vain person. I just can't. As for the cystic acne, that yes, is so painful/ridonkulous, try this.... an electric toothbrush (think Crest/Colgate spin brushes) and a paste of aspirin/honey. Its great for exfoliating, a hell of a lot cheaper than the Clairsonic and it shrinks those painful bugaboos in no time. You take 3-4 aspirin, sprinkle a couple drops of water on them, and then mix it with a lil bit of honey. Wet your skin first with some warm water and then dip that toothbrush into the mixture and apply where necessary. I usually hit my chin pretty hard because that's where the occur most on me. Honey is a natural antibacterial that works famously on acne, doesn't dry out your skin and ah, its love. The asprin helps shrink the blood vessels so it doesn't feel like your skin is going to explode underneath all that pressure. Another thing people tend to miss when it comes to skin care is changing pillow cases often. Your face is on that pillow 6-8 hours a night and the oils can build up there too. I hope this helps you be that beautiful bride I know you'll be! :)
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