How do you get "movie star" clear skin?

Originally Posted by Taxler

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What's a good dermatologist do that a bad dematologist wouldn't also do? They all prescribe a few basics, tell you to keep your face clean, and stress staying out of the sun.

My sister had gone to numerous dermatologists around the NYC who did exactly what you said, preserbied the same stuff, and none of it ever worked. Through word of mouth my mom found out about this one lady, who actually diagnosed the cause of my sisters problems and her face has been clear ever since.

Originally Posted by why

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Erm, no.
Erm, I heard that lots of actors use a low dose of prescription accutane to keep their skin clear. Shhhhhhh.

Makeup and flattering lighting. In real life, celebs have about the same level of skin problems as most people, which suggests that cosmetic dermatology isn't all that advanced yet.

foundation, lots of

Activated charcoal (carbon) tablets taken moderately during one week can help with clearing the skin. A tip given to me once by a friend dermatologist. Drinking still water is important too. And eating healthy food.

Have awesome genetics, like me.

Somehow I lucked out into having flawless skin, well 99.9% of the time. Don't think I ever had acne, maybe like a pimple once a month... I don't even really wash my face regularly. But I do eat healthy and work out and take vitamins.

Drink lots of water, take zinc supplements, and spirulina if you buy into it's health benefit claims (I do).

My skin cleared up once I started shaving. I use no product on my face other than Family Dollar generic Cetaphil cleanser, and I only use it to wash my T-zone (forehead and nose area).

As far as cleaning and exfoliating the rest of my face, I let the shaving soap and double edge razor take care of that. Haven't had a breakout in years.

lots of drinking water sure do help....

I was told to try on vaseline ... (yea, vaseline) at night when you go to sleep...
it actually did work for me....

Tea! I find the more white and green tea that I drink the better my skin is! I've actually cycled on and off drinking tea to see if there was any noticeable differences and my skin is definitely not as clear as when I'm drinking lots of tea. So I looked it up and it turns out there might be some truth to this...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0130081227.htm

Originally Posted by Jessica C

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Steaming the face is the best way to thoroughly deep clean your pores. Steaming the face once a week for example is very important to loosen debris that may be embedded into the skin. When steaming the face you widen any clogged pores and soften the skin in order to cleanse more easily the impurities, the traces of makeup, the dust, the sebaceous secretions as well as the dead skin cells.

Boil a pan of water with herbs ( for oily skin you can use thyme, peppermint or lemon; for sensitive and dry skin use chamomile or lime; for normal skin can use rosemary or lavender) and steam your face for approximately 10/ 15 minutes.

All of this is bs...all you're promoting is aggrevating the skin with skin irritants and high temperatures.

If you want clear(er) skin, use a gentle cleanser, exfoliate chemically with a beta-hydroxy acid (salicylic acid), and wear sunscreen with high UVA protection daily. If you have serious acne issues, see a doctor.

Originally Posted by Dane

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All of this is bs...all you're promoting is aggrevating the skin with skin irritants and high temperatures.

If you want clear(er) skin, use a gentle cleanser, exfoliate chemically with a beta-hydroxy acid (salicylic acid), and wear sunscreen with high UVA protection daily. If you have serious acne issues, see a doctor.

Are you suggesting that acid is less of an irritant than steam?

I've read articles that 'older' skin can't be treated the same way as younger skin for good results.

Teenage acne can respond well to salicylic acid and a moisturizer containing urea for exfoliation two or three times a day while older individuals should take it easier. That **** is harsh and the amount you can use without making the problem worse depends on the rejuvenation capability of your skin - influenced by age and genetics.

If anything, I've read to avoid scrubbing your face too harshly. One should even pat themselves dry, not wipe.

Regardless, my skin is not good and I'll be following the thread.

Originally Posted by Taxler

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Are you suggesting that acid is less of an irritant than steam?

Yes. Salicylic acid at a reasonable % with the proper pH will provide gentle exfoliation....I'm not talking sulfuric acid or anything.

(edit)

If anyone's interested in why chemical exfoliating is a better option than manual, here's an article:

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/skin-car...xfoliants.aspx

(I'm not endorsing the author or saying she has every answer, but this particular article is informative.)

I also exfoliate chemically with a chemical peel once a week. I use both glycolic and salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is oil soluble whereas glycolic is water soluble. My skin is a little oily so I do two weeks of the salicylic peel, one week glycolic. The salicylic seems to target oil/pores moreso than the glycolic which seems to have more of a uniform effect on the entire face.

The peels can definitely irritate the skin but if done properly (i.e. you don't leave the peel on for too long) they're fine. I just takes a little experimentation at first to figure how long to leave them on (this is not straightforward as it is a product of both the strength of the solution and your skin type). Start slow and work your way up to be safe.

I highly recommend the chemical peels. They're effective, quick and very cheap (I'd less than $0.50/peel). If you're looking for a good source, I recommend Skin Laboratory: http://www.amazon.com/s.html?ie=UTF8...n%20Laboratory