I'm getting yet another break-out. It's embarrassing. Obviously, if I pop the zits, new ones grow nearby, and if I don't pop them they grow huge and look like warts or some kind of deformity.

I've had acne on and off when since I was 12 (it went from extreme to just every now and then when I was 21). Tried the regular medicines and stuff.

Honestly, the only remedies I've tried that seem to work are taking lots of hot showers (steam) and having lots of sex. I always break out when I haven't gotten laid in a while . . . which in turn makes it harder to get laid . . . vicious cycle.


Anyway, do you know of any interesting acne remedies?

There must be something I haven't tried yet that might work. I'm sick of these ugly zits!!

I heard Proactiv was a good face wash. But the way it works is that it makes your acne go extreme so your body gets rid of it, and then your skin is clear afterwards.
I don't get acne, but I get blackheads like crazy. Does anyone have any tips for that?

Don't eat chocolate. At least not too much.

It really happened with me a lot of times when I ate chocolate again after a long period without eating it.
Maybe it's different for everyone... but I'll trust my experiences.

my sister has great results with cetaphil face wash, but it makes my face oily.
i had cystic acne for a few years on my face, neck, breasts, back.. finally i got to see someone about it who listened. my mate took me to a walgreens clinic. i told the RN there that i'd tried all the creams, tried so many things and there were really just three options left, the anti inflammatory, the anti biotic and accutane since i refused to try anything topical again. he prescribed me an antibiotic called tetracycline. i was taking a large dose, a 500mg pill two times a day. and it worked. now my skin is clear until the monthly and even then it's just a zit or two. i still use tea tree oil products, and i don't know if i should use something else because i'm afraid it will come back. i'd love to get rid of the scars someday.

birth control is what caused the mild acne i'd had through my teens to go cystic. it really depends on the individuals body. in general i respond well to antibiotics, yet haven't been able to tolerate a single hormone. i thank fuck that i was able to get the iud.
i also just remembered that the only over the counter ingredients proven to "fight" acne is benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid which are typically the only effective ingredients in proactive and the like. if you go to acne.org there will be a plethora of information on any product and it's all rated about the same. when i was researching accutane i came to three conclusions of the people who said it was ineffective or not worth it. 1. that they did not have severe acne, 2. that they expected to have perfect skin and were let down by reality, 3. that they were too young when they originally took it. you'll have to find out what your body responds to and go from there.

I had it quite severe a few years back also, i tried lots of things (that eventually ended up making it worse since i didn't know what i was doing).

For my severe cystic acne on my chest and back I was given various medications before i was put on a drug called Isotetrinoin (basicaly accutane) that is a very potent drug that dries out the skin by stopping the production of sebum (oily stuff on our skin of which the overproduction causes acne). It cleared up almost completely in a matter of weeks.

For my face i found an extremely effective regime from this site http://www.acne.org/. the regime is basically as follows

In the morning:
1.wash face lightly (just use water, or a tiny bit of soap. DONT use a flannel as they are harsh on the skin and make it more inflamed. Hands are plenty abraisive to clean face
2.apply a layer of Benzoyl Peroxide Cream
3. then apply moisturizer

In the evening before bed:
same as above.

also, if you shower in the morning or evening, this supplements for washing your face in the sink, just put your face under the shower head.

Sorry for wall of text, but i had a big problem with this a few years ago and it did contribute to my reclusive nature in part so i know a bit about it.

Edit: oh i see mask identity already put some information about it, ah well, there is a little bit more xD

I am so lucky that I never developed an acne breakout as a pre-teen/teen. But my skin is not perfect- I may not have "acne" as in pimples, but I do get blackheads that don't really go away. About the only thing that seems to help is this Clean & Clear oxygenating foam stuff I have...

I feel you, bro. I've got blackhead problems too and not acne.

I have oily skin, so when I break out, I get whiteheads. Usually that's only around my menstruation cycle, though. Other than that, I just have stretched pores from a childhood full of not washing my face.

I second Proactiv - my brother and I both use it to prevent hormonal breakouts. It works like a charm.

I have never bathed regularly, and as a result, I got more than my share of acne. By the time I got to college, I ended up with that cystic bullshit, which SUCKS. It not only looks terrible, but it hurts like a sore that won't heal. I ended up having to take 6 months of Accutane pills (I'm not a fan of pills), and it made it all go away finally. BUT, I was left with a lasting side effect: Nose bleeds. But I'd rather have a nose bleed than that painful shit any day. I have a few scars, but I'm okay with that. Just glad it finally went away.

Face scrub is essential. More important than what cleanser/face wash you're using.

Different people have different rates of producing dead skin cells. Some people who get acne get it because of invisible layers of dead skin. Nothing will help against this except for face scrub/peeling on a regular basis and occassional sauna bathing.

I have no acne and no blackheads either, but if I don't scrub my skin and use careful wet shaving immediately after showers, I can easily get problems too, especially around the area where facial hair grows.

My Anti-Acne Battle Update: Well, what seems to work best is getting plenty of sleep (I nap in the afternoon when in doubt), and taking a hot steamy shower every day. Now that I'm napping and taking long hot showers every day, my acne is "in remission", haha.

Eating lots of garlic and having sex every day are even better acne prevention methods in terms of what works for my body. Since I haven't had access to garlic or sex lately, I'm glad the showers and naps seem to be working.

Also of Note: I used to use the OTC acne remedies like benzoyl peroxide. For me, they kind of work temporarily (as in the zit shrinks and then another one pops up nearby). I have to apply that kind of stuff about 3 times a day to each new zit in order to just get the thing to shrink and die faster than if I had done nothing. And if I use OTC acne meds long-term, they make my skin so dry it gets flakey and reddish, which is about as unattractive as acne if not more.

Also, the birth control pill that I've used on and off over the years seems to have no affect on my acne whatsoever.

Very true that everyone's body is different.

Differin works wonders for me. Alternatively, any product that contains salicylic acid like St. Ives Apricot Scrub.

I've had mild acne for a while now, being a recluse it hasn't bothered me that much, not enough for me to go out of my way to try and get rid of it atleast. It seems to flare up when I shave using my electric shaver, maybe that means I have sensitive skin, I don't know. Anyway, I haven't really got any tips other than wash your face daily.

I had pretty bad acne when I was 12-13. Drinking less soda and eating less food like chocolate made it go away.

I wish I had an acne problem, I have a blackhead problem and it's much worse than acne. It's way harder to get rid off efficiently.

drink lots of water to keep your skin hydrated and flush out the crap out your body

any zit i have gets shaved off every morning.

pop does the same thing.

Remember that old joke about what a doctor told the man who's arm hurt whenever he moved it a certain way?

I say take more showers and have more sex.

Tretinoin (Retin-A) is supposed to work well for acne, blackheads, and pretty much every other kind of blemish, but it can take a couple months before you start to see the results.

I get acne when i eat greasy food, sugary food, get stressed out, and forget exfoliate like a mother fucker.

Lately i've been using a St. Ives Apricot Scrub Blemish Control (stfu, it's not girlie). It's got these little hard bits in the cream that you when u rub on your face it helps scrub out some of the dead skin and and blackheads. The dash of benzoyl peroxide contained in the cream also helps keep red/white heads to a minimum. Leave it on for like 5 minutes then scrub the shit out of your face with one of these super washcloth-exfoliaters and you're good to go. Only problem was getting adjusted to how painful these washcloths are.

Hmm... also i almost completely stopped eating sweets, drinking soda, and keep greasy-food goodness consumption down.

What else... what else... uhh my acne seems to get worsen when i get really depressed so... don't get depressed! Lately I've been feeling pretty good so i imagine i'll swing into depression within the next week or so and the acne will come back with a vengeance.

Exercise also helps... well, to be specific, sweating helps. If you do something that requires loads of sweating (i.e. sex! or running), it seems to help clean out that bullshit in your skin, just take a shower and scrub like a sonuvabitch because otherwise it might have reverse effect.

#1 cure for acne for me: sunlight/tanning salon. I actually used to goto a tanning salon because i got acne on my upper arms since i was about 10. If i get enough sunlight i will usually get no acne at all on my face or arms. Luckily, for the past couple years my acne on my arms has seemed to of magically gone away so i no longer need to medically goto a tanning salon


My question:
How do you get rid of acne that has gone away but left a mark? Like if you get a big ol' white head and it goes away but weeks or months go by and the residual pimple is still there, how do you expedite this?

Cface, do you mean acne scarring? If so only time will make it go away, or you could tryBio-oil
I don't know how well it works, but it's for scarring.

If you don't pick your pimples and it isn't scarring, I don't really know what you are talking about sorry

Well if i get a bad pimple it'll leave a red spot with slight bump weeks after the bastard has receded. It's not from picking it's just from any pimple i get it leaves a red spot that can last for weeks/months. People say it's the skin still healing but it seems to take an inordinate amount of time for me.

EDIT: kind of like the chick in this photo:

Cace, I can't see the pic but I think i know what you mean. I get those occasionally when my hormones are being screwy, and they are usually more painful than usual . I don't know how to get rid of them either, since mine seem to be located deep in the skin rather than on the surface like normal whiteheads. But mine go away in only a week or two, so you're right in saying yours seem to stick around for ages.
I just read what you were saying about tanning. My skin is usually better in summer, don't know why. I would think it was because the sun dries the oil out, but in winter the wind dries out my skin and makes it worse, so it can't be that. Be careful about tanning though, I used to literally sunbake everyday in summer when I was a teenager and have so many bad sunspots. The sun here is really strong, and we have a really high rate of skin cancer. I would think Hawaii would be the same? also tanning salon's can be just as bad

The acne on my back went away when I was on the Pill, but it didnt really help my face. I have also found that putting toothpaste on a pimple helps dry it out, though I always forget to do this.