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Acne thread - Haseo - 2011-05-13
What do you guys do to prevent your pimples? :f6: Or tell us about your worst pimple-related experiences.
For me, I've had this damn thing on my nose for three days now. On the first two days it was just a large pimple, but I rinsed it in warm water and on the third day it became this whitehead with four separate white globs underneath (it was possible to count them, they were distinct). So I went to sleep, and this morning when I woke up, the four white globs had FUSED into this horrible greenish-yellow thing under the skin of the monster pimple. I don't know what to do, using warm water got me here, and my parents tell me not to use toothpaste.
Right now it looks like someone took a ball-bearing sized ball of pus-coloured play dough and stuck it on my nose. I have no idea how to get rid of it.
Acne thread - Panacea - 2011-05-14
I used to just wash my face and stuff, although that never kept them at bay very well. Then I went to a Derma. and took Accutane for six months. I wouldn't recommend it, though, since apparently it's extremely harmful and can cause stomach issues.
I already have IBS, though, so I didn't really care about the stomach side effects. Can't get much worse than that. It worked pretty well, honestly, because my originally extremely oily face was manageable after the six month period. About six months later, I get a couple zits here and there, but they're usually gone in two or three days.
Have you considered something like ProActive?
Acne thread - Haseo - 2011-05-14
Eh, never tried that before. Mom just bought a tube of oxy-5 and told me to use it.
Acne thread - FrozNlite - 2011-05-14
Oh my god. Don't even get me started. Acne is my #1 area of self-conscious embarrassment, and considering it has been for 6+ years now, I've tried tons of products and done more research than I care to admit. If you have any questions feel free to ask me anything.
My experiences, in a nutshell
So where am I now? Living with very oily skin and acute acne, which I constantly monitor every day and treat responsibly day in and day out.
I could go on and on, but I've already said a pomegranate ton, and don't want to be giving walls of information that may not be relevant. Instead, like I said earlier, please feel free to ask any questions you may have, and I'll answer them as promptly as I can.
For now, I'll answer your query about the massive whitehead on your nose: my best recommendation would be to perform a safe, carefully monitored extraction (term used in skin care for removing whiteheads, blackheads, and other components of clogged pores). Essentially it's just "popping" the zit, but it's done much more carefully than that, under conditions that promote healing as opposed to spreading acne bacteria and making the situation worse, potentially scarring your face.
Begin by using a gentle facial cleanser on your face with warm water, to open up and clear your skin. When that's finished, place an index finger on either side of the pores clogged by the whitehead, and slowly, gently, apply steady, increasing pressure to the pores on either side of the whitehead, in the direction of the blemish (not the sides of the blemish itself). If done correctly, all of the pus the whitehead is consisted of should push out fairly easily, with little pressure and pain. The key is to be smart, using only the pressure necessary, applied at the appropriate angles and locations. You know you've gone too far if the blemish starts to bleed, so when the pus is all out, stop.
When you're finished, rinse the area with warm water, and, as I'd recommend, a tiny amount of cleanser appropriate for that one area, just to kill anything that may be trying to reinhabit the now gaping stretched pore. Depending on the size of the open pore, it may be wise to put a bandaid over the area for a few hours (meaning I'd recommend doing this all at night before going to sleep). Everything should be better in the morning.
Sorry for the gross descriptions and wall of text, but hope that helps! And again, any more questions, feel free to ask.
Acne thread - AzureKite - 2011-05-14
Toothpaste works well. Just leave it on overnight.
Acne thread - LashhxD - 2011-05-14
[SIZE="2"]Poor mortals and their acne
But your story reminds me of my friend. He had this huge horrible thing in his nose for like a month, everyone called him Rudolph
[/SIZE]
Acne thread - Haseo - 2011-05-14
@FrozNlite: Maybe it's stress or the environment? At my old school we'd get yelled at and screamed at by teachers every day for the smallest thing, and the canteen was humid, hot, and filled with pooping birds (epic unsanitary environment). I'd never get enough sleep thanks to teachers and classmates continuously procrastinating and dragging things past midnight hours. Before that I never used to have acne, but then suddenly the pimples wouldn't stop coming out. Maybe try a change of environment, it might work out. Pimples haven't been as invasive since I switched schools, it's just this one enormous green one today and one or two scattered beneath my hairline.
LashhxD Wrote:[SIZE="2"]Poor mortals and their acne
But your story reminds me of my friend. He had this huge horrible thing in his nose for like a month, everyone called him Rudolph
Rudolph the green nosed reindeer?
But eh, it burst by itself when I was in the shower. Didn't feel a thing. Now I have no idea what to do with it. The spot's still red with a little flap of shrivelled skin hanging out over it. I was told to put powder on it.
Acne thread - 2147483647 - 2011-05-14
I squeeze then out before washing them. Washing them tends to make them grow.
After squeezing them out, the acne tends to become flesh wounds, which are easy to heal. Don't listen to anyone who claims that this method leaves holes in your face. It doesn't. As long as you wash your face every day.
Acne thread - Alley - 2011-05-14
Accutane got rid of all my acne. Even at the most stressful times I don't get acne any more. I did go on it too late though, I was left with scars on my cheeks.
But I think those can be reversed with BioOil.
Acne thread - Connor - 2011-05-14
I washed my face with Spectro Jel before bed. Also Spectro has cleansing pads and a cream that comes in a little bottle to apply over certain areas of your face that are breaking out. All of them helped really well, and you can just buy them at the store like Shopper's Drug Mart. I used to have mild acne on my forehead and it eventually disappeared after I started using Spectro. Throughout high school the only pimples I got were whiteheads that I could usually get rid of before I had to go out in public. Now I don't get many pimples at all anymore (I'm almost 19 now if it matters).
Acne thread - Turtally - 2011-05-14
Basically, FrozNlite's story. I had really bad acne about a year ago, and hated it. Tried different cleansers, medication, creams, etc. Eventually ran into Accutane, prescribed by my doctor. I took it for 4 months, which was really bothersome because I had incredibly chapped lips the whole time. I finished my 4 months in November.
Since then, my face has somewhat gone back to being oily. Not as bad as before, but it's manageable. Only thing that really bothers me now is that my face is covered with acne scars, which makes it look like I have more pimples than I really do. They're like, permanent acne tattoos. Ughughguhguhguhgh.
Acne thread - 2147483647 - 2011-05-14
Do you guys like not take showers every day or something?
Acne thread - Panacea - 2011-05-14
2147483647 Wrote:Do you guys like not take showers every day or something?
Something you seem to not realize is that people are not the same. What works for you isn't the universal solution so you should stop acting like it is.
Just because they get acne doesn't mean they don't take showers.
Acne thread - 2147483647 - 2011-05-14
Acne arises when oils get blocked or trapped in follicles under the skin. (This is the the reason acne occurs most frequently on the forehead area, especially under the hair, or around the sides of the face.)
The most common ways this trapping can happen:
1. People failing to wash their faces after sweating a lot
2. People going to bed and waking up without washing their face
3. People not taking showers every day or not using soap when they shower
It's rare that people who shower regularly get severe, unmanageable acne. By that time, it's too late. I'm not saying this to offend people. It's just something I've observed.
Acne thread - Panacea - 2011-05-14
2147483647 Wrote:Acne arises when oils get blocked or trapped in follicles under the skin. (This is the the reason acne occurs most frequently on the forehead area, especially under the hair, or around the sides of the face.)
The most common way this trapping can happen is people failing to wash their faces after sweating a lot or going to bed and waking up without washing their face. It's rare that people who shower regularly get [B]severe, unmanageable acne[/B]. By that time, it's too late.
Point made.
Acne thread - DeanNim - 2011-05-14
i guess i have a moderate acne. it annoys me especially when nothing works. I get huge ones which swells and hurts like a peach :'< . Blackheads too, if i dont know about them and dont squeeze em' out its gonna swell up and form a huge pimple. And i just popped one that was swelling to the extent of my left eye looking like it was bruised. alot of pus came out and it literally just shot into the mirror. i guess ill just wait until im actually done with 'growing' and see if it goes on, if not, im definitely looking for a dermatologist.
Acne thread - Corn - 2011-05-14
I don't give a crap about my acne. My parents really urge me but I just say "Meh" and it wears disappears in a week or two.
Acne thread - FrozNlite - 2011-05-14
2147483647 Wrote:Do you guys like not take showers every day or something?
...
2147483647 Wrote:It's rare that people who shower regularly get severe, unmanageable acne. By that time, it's too late. I'm not saying this to offend people. It's just something I've observed.
While it may sound hypocritical saying you don't know what you're talking about as much as you think you do, but I do, it's actually not, because (and this will sound pretentious, even though it's the goddamn truth) I do know what the hell I'm talking about, having been obsessed with skin care and acne relief procedures for the past four years. You have no idea how much I've been around the block with all of this, so please, step off.
It's more uncommon than rare that your second quoted post above occurs. But unlike what you said, it's severe, but manageable, and can be treated. It just requires a lot more diligence and product specificity than the average person.
I've literally used products perfectly, twice a day, and even changed my diet to include foods beneficial for acne reduction (basically anything high in Vitamin A and other antioxidants; Accutane is synthetic Vitamin A, so large quantities of foods high in the natural vitamin do help somewhat), including a Vitamin A supplement once a day in addition to multivitamins and aforementioned foods. And yet I've still had bad acne.
The reasons?
1.) Most commonly with people like me, in that aforementioned "uncommon" percentage, we got the unlucky skin genes. A lot of skin health is genetic, so even if you do the right things most of the time you can still have severe acne between the ages of 14-24 thanks to having bad genes. My father had horribly oily skin when he was my age, and broke out a lot too, having to use topical retinols (another source of Vitamin A) to combat his blemish breakouts. I inherited those lovely genes.
Ultimately it's actually genetics and age that have the strongest effects when it comes to skin, beyond proper daily hygiene. Puberty and post-puberty ages of 14-24 are the most screwy hormone level years for any person (though things go crazy for women during menstruation, pregnancies, and menopause), and considering overactive sebaceous glands are really to blame for those of us with severely oily, super blemish prone skin, sky high hormone levels that control sebum production are what drives this whole cycle of blergh that is acne. Genetics, again, plays into this as well with people being predisposed, like myself, to very oily skin and acne. But ultimately between the ages of 20-24 for most people, even those of us I've mentioned, hormone levels start to calm down and lower, and final biological changes in the maturation to adulthood all combine to make skin less oily and less prone to break outs.
2.) The second biggest issue I've had, and honestly the reason I still have acne in the first place, is consistency. People like myself who are in the uncommon percentage who may or may not have bad genes and/or crazy hormone levels NEED to be taking care of their skin twice a day, once when they're getting ready for the day, and once before they go to bed. If they even miss one night here or there I can speak from VERY good experience that it can throw everything off and erase a good deal of progress with new breakouts in the morning.
What's important to understand is that these people shouldn't be criticized for failing to take care of their skin perfectly 730 times a year. It's tough! Who knows what every day and night of every day for the rest of one's life may bring? There are times when people genuinely forget or simply don't take care of their skin like they're supposed to, and it's those times you want to minimize the most of. However, criticizing people for a few every now and then is ludicrous, because I can tell you that people with normal, average skin can miss washing their face even every night (ex. my roommate and several other good friends who only wash their faces once a day), and still have perfect complexions.
tl;dr: IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR SKIN. EVERYONE'S SKIN IS DIFFERENT.
Final recommendations for people with bad skin like myself and others in this thread: (1) look into getting facials once a month. Yes, they may sound girly and feminine, but they're actually very good procedures to indulge in (and many men do), as they are performed by professional estheticians who focus on revitalizing your skin and rebalancing it for optimum health; (2) like I said earlier, work on your diet. Though its been proven foods, like the notorious chocolate, do not have a direct effect on your skin, foods do have an effect on your hormone levels, including those that affect your skin. Work on eating healthier, as foods weighed down in junk are more "toxic" (using the term very loosely for effect later on in this sentence) for your body than healthier foods, and to help clear the toxins your body alters its biochemistry, including changes that can produce more sebum and other products that are detrimental to your skin; (3) WORK OUT. Sweating and physical exercise opens up your pores and helps your body get rid of wastes and toxins. Just make sure, like Harrison said, that you wash your face and body right after you're done so you don't have the sweat and grime sit and clog your pores instead.
Hope that helps!
Acne thread - Turtally - 2011-05-14
FrozNlite Wrote:-snip-
Thanks, for 1. Great info, and 2. Shutting down Harrison's bigotry.
Acne thread - 2147483647 - 2011-05-14
FrozNlite Wrote:What's important to understand is that these people shouldn't be criticized for failing to take care of their skin perfectly 730 times a year. It's tough! Who knows what every day and night of every day for the rest of one's life may bring? There are times when people genuinely forget or simply don't take care of their skin like they're supposed to, and it's those times you want to minimize the most of. However, criticizing people for a few every now and then is ludicrous, because I can tell you that people with normal, average skin can miss washing their face even every night (ex. my roommate and several other good friends who only wash their faces once a day), and still have perfect complexions.
Oh look, the classic nature vs. nurture debate, except only here, people blame the former because they refuse to claim responsibility for their decisions.
If you have this "genetic problem" that causes you to have acne, then you should wash your face more than twice a day. It's not that hard to feel when your skin is oily. Your face is just as washable in a sink as your hands are. You know... just apply a little bit soap on your hands, rub it across your face, and then get rinse it off with water; it's not tremendously difficult.
Almost all people get acne. It's just that some people wait until it grows into some severe disease before they decide to do anything about it. Then, they blame it on genetics because they're too conceited.