BlogHer - skin care - Comments

Proactiv fan for many years -- it just works

slyons29 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:08:13 -0600

I too have had a love-love-sorta-hate relationship with Proactiv. I was signed up in the crazy every other month club. Who can use that much mask in 60 days? It's actually available at a Kiosk in my local mall so I just go in and buy exactly what I need now instead of having so much left over of one or two products. It works, plain and simple. At 41 whenever I stop using it for a month I end up with breakouts in my jawline, on my nose and forehead and around my chin. Agree on the sunscreen too! I also had to chuckle at the Philosophy/Sephora comment because I do the same thing. My new obsession is Bliss' YouthAsWeKnowIt line. I may just have to break down and get Botox, but I'll never give up my Proactiv.

I think Retin-A misses the mark

Cellulite_Analyst — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:10:27 -0500

I have to agree with Jennifer. I struggled with adult acne my whole adult life. I tried Accutane in college and then used Proactiv and other benzoyl peroxide products throughout my twenties. While these products might work to stop the acne (a symptom), they won't heal the underlying problem.

Retin-A works by decreasing the amount of oil emitted from the oil glands. But why is the body producing all that excess oil in the first place? I didn't find a real cure for my acne until I consulted a lymph drainage specialist (I recommend the Upledger Institute if you are in South Florida). She helped me figure out that the root cause of my adult acne is fluoride! It's a condition called fluoroderma, and I suspect it is much more common than we think.

I'm sure not everyone's acne is caused by fluoride, but I do think that we miss out on a chance at real healing if we rely on acne medications that treat the exterior symptom instead of the interior cause.

The Cellulite Analyst http://www.CelluliteInvestigation.com

proactiv USED TO be my BFF

Cellulite_Analyst — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:56:52 -0500

You're not kidding about that sunscreen warning. I LOVED Proactiv until I studied abroad in Tunisia, North Africa. where my normal sunscreen routine was no match for the Tunisian summertime. I never burned, but I developed a condition that was even worse than my adult acne: melasma. It's a skin pigmentation disorder. It looked like a dark shadow on my upper lip. Very Hitler-esque. Not the most flattering look for me!

Thankfully, the melasma went away when I stopped using benzoyl peroxide (after several heavily make-uped months). Now, if I even think of putting a bp product on my face, I start to see that familiar shadow. But my story does have a happy ending. Forced to abandon my proactiv ways, I discovered the real source of my adult acne is that I have fluoroderma, or cystic acne caused by flouride ingestion.

I know I'm not the only one with this condition, either. I just started blogging several weeks ago and I already connected with a couple of readers who suspect they have the same problem (and trust me, i don't have that many readers at this point so it must be more common than we think).

If you've tried everything and your cystic acne is worse than ever, you might want to start researching halogen acne (iodine and bromine can cause acne, too). It worked for me! Let me know if you have any questions about it. I would love to help if I can.

The Cellulite Analyst

http://www.CelluliteInvestigation.com

Thank you for the tip

schmutzie — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:48:31 -0500

I have had problem skin since I was 7 or 8 years old, and at 36 it has headed into the deep pressure-cooker acne of my high school years. I have recently been using a Clinique cleansing bar, but it had the opposite desired effect and has more than doubled my usual state of outbreak. I have been this close to shelling out for Proactiv, and I think I might give it a go now.

A gentler cleanser that I like to use at night, because it is entirely non-drying, is Cetaphyl. I am also a huge fan of the Cetaphyl moisturer, which is hydrating without being greasy. They both leave my face looking five years younger, I swear.

I can be found at Schmutzie.com, Grace in Small Things, and Five Star Friday.

Recently Changed

JennaHatfield — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:59:22 -0500

I prefer Neutrogena's new Skin ID to Proactiv. It's much gentler on my skin. (And it smells better.)

@FireMom from Stop, Drop and Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land

thank you for...

Leighbra — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:47:10 -0500

reminding me that I'm not alone in the battle against adult acne. It really freaking sucks sometimes, add to that the fact that my 2 closest friends have NEVER ONCE IN THEIR LIVES had a zit.

(bitches)

*ahem* sorry. I haven't tried Proactiv, because of the cost (and Jessica Simpson was an anti-sell for me). Oddly, it costs far more to go to the dermatologist every 3 months and get prescriptions, but my insurance will pay for that, so here we are.

Since I've been fighting my skin all of my life, I just took my daughter to the dermatologist last week when her skin wasn't responding to witch hazel and the other natural remedies that we tried. She's 11, and if we can find what works for her skin NOW, instead of at 30, then I will be a happy mama.

Will have to try that Neutrogena mask, Debbie. Thanks for the recommendation!

Benzoyl Peroxide products are harder to find

DebbieB — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:45:07 -0500

Proactive always seemed too costly to me but I searched for Benzoyl Peroxide alternatives and had a hard time finding one -- most products for acne seem to be salycylic acid which does nothing for me at all. I finally found Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask from Neutrogena. I wash my face with it morning and night and it really keeps things under control for the most part. And yes, my pillow cases are faded and I am not wild about it but I still have freckles and dark spots all over so how bad can it be? As for sun screen, I use Eucerin Everyday Protection SPF 30 on the weekends when I am outdoors quite a bit and a lighter spf 15 from Avon (Anew) during the work week. After years of the dermatologist's creams, potions, pills, etc. this routine seems to finally be working -- could be I'm finally outgrowing my acne -- only took half a century.

SPF for every day

Susan Wagner — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:53:32 -0500

Agreed -- I use an SPF 50 every day, rain or shine, INCLUDING the days that I never leave the house.

And don't rely on foundation with SPF in it as your only coverage; you don't put enough on (if you're doing it right) to completely protect your skin.

That is all ;)

Friday Playdate

No jars

Kelly Logan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:23:53 -0500

My dermatologist said I should avoid buying the fancy department store creams that come in a jar, since those allow light and air to get into the product, which ruins the potency of many of the ingredients, and especially the antioxidants.

Kelly

I blog about my search for the perfect pair of women’s jeans and about trends in women’s shoes.

Skin Care

AnExtendedVacation — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:22:32 -0500

Great advice! I've been doing just about all of these since I was in high school and dealing with troubled skin. I figured out that the better I treated my skin (ie not using acne medicines) the better it looked. I now turn to Korres for just about all my skincare needs and plan to continue to baby my skin into old age!

The only thing I would add is you really need an spf of 30 for most peoples daily wear. My dermatologist strongly suggested I buy my normal moisturizer (no spf) and then apply spf.... I use 55 on a daily basis. The key is to let your moisturizer dry before putting on the spf.

Now lets just hope it all pays off in fifty years!

Skin Care Basics

Abby Winters — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:19:37 -0500

These are some very basic and great pieces of advice. You make a great point for the saying "less is more." Thank you for sharing what we all should already know. I wish someone would have taken that time with me when I was in my early 20s. The things we learn over the years. webwork

Adult Acne

palomitica29 — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:22:26 -0500

Jennifer Rafferty, GlutenFree Inspired

I suffered from adult acne for many years until I changed my diet. Believe it or not, as soon as I removed gluten from my diet, my skin miraculously cleared up. No joke. I took all sorts of medications (both topical and pills) for years to control the acne (hormonal) issue. It seems as though the gluten-intolerance I had was stressing out my hormones and I broke out as a result.

I used retin-A years ago, but I don't really believe in it. In fact, most of the dermotologists I saw didn't look at my issue holistically so it never occurred to them that I had food sensitivities. They just treated my problem by treating the symptom, not the root cause of the problem. I would suggest visiting a naturopath to get more perspective on why you have adult acne. It may very well be tied to food intolerances or some other imbalance in your chemistry.

For skin care now, I highly recommend using a quality brand of topical vitamin C in addition to an anti-aging cream. Vitamin-C isn't cheap, but I notice big differences if I am consistent with a daily application in the morning.

Good luck,

Jennifer R.

Thanks for commenting...

Catherine Morgan — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:41:55 -0500

Thanks for commenting. I'm glad to hear the Retin-A worked for you. My doctor did recommend the pump, and that is what I got. My face has been feeling a little over dry, so I'm taking today and tomorrow off of the Retin-A, then I'll go back. But my face is clear...dry, but clear.

:-)

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Thank you!

Beth Engel — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:31:42 -0500

I suffer from adult acne too and was told Retin-A would help, but just like you, the price was a huge turnoff. Thank you for the tip on Canadian pharmacies!

My mame is Beth Engel. I've been running my own online business, Epic Merchandise, where I sell personalized, engraved gifts, since 2003.

Yep, Retin-A worked for my adult acne too

ynnej — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:39:50 -0500

I was prescribed the exact same product - mine was the Retin-A Micro (it is in a pump that distributes less so you need less, might try it to save money?). My dermatologists' skin care specialists had me use SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel (also only need a VERY SMALL amount) which I put on before regular drugstore Cetaphil. It completely counteracted the drying!

When I got pregnant I had to stop using Retin-A, but oddly, the acne did not come back. While this could be part of the crazy pregnancy hormones, I think it is also possible that the Retin-A "healed" me enough for me to have regular skin now! You might try using less and less of it to see if it has actually "fixed" your skin too. That would be awesome!! Good luck!

http://www.ConscientiousConfusion.com

http://www.afamilyis.us