Acne thread

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

I've had acne vulgaris, aka your basic acne, for 6 years. Every now and then it borderlines cystic acne (aka severe, eww acne), but I always manage to keep it under control before it becomes that bad. For years I didn't really care about skin care, doing what my parents told me (wash face twice a day with warm water and soap, then use cold water to close the pores), but things just got worse. I started using over the counter cleansers my mom picked out two years in, which, again, didn't help. Finally I started seeing a dermatologist around the same time, and was prescribed a bunch of wonderful antibiotics and other topical clearing agents.

Nothing seemed to work, but as I later learned it wasn't because the products were horrible, but because I was careless. When I started college I really hunkered down and started working on clearing everything, but in my zealotry went wayyy overboard and used a million different, powerful OTC products three times a day, wrecking my skin in the process. I'd spend at least two hours a day ensuring my skin was being cleaned and cleared, yet the acne was only getting worse. Fed up, I researched other alternatives and discovered Accutane in March 2010.

Per the intense persuasion on my part, my dermatologist finally started me on the drug literally one year ago today, May 14, 2010. I was on the drug for 4 months, during which time my skin went from 4 on the oily scale (Very Oily) to 1 (Dry), along with a number of common side effects, including lips peeling like no other, etc. But after those 4 months my skin was looking better than it had in 5 years, and I was feeling confident again....though everything wasn't completely gone.

A few months after I finished the drug, November/December of this past year, and my skin was back to its old self: 4 on the oily scale and breaking out as per usual. Needless to say I've been rather disgruntled with how things have turned out, but do not regret going on Accutane since it's common for some people to have to go on it twice for real change to be made (though that being said, I'm never going on it again. Too much to watch doing, like drinking, giving blood, etc.).

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.