Acne stuff

hey all...I've had a really bad acne problem in the past week or so (only three big ones, but they're rather large and obvious)...I've popped one (stop reading here if you just ate/are about to eat) pretty much continuously for the past three days (with a cloth, so nothing goes back under the skin), and it's mostly clear, sticky fluid, sometimes accompanied by blood. It's been getting pretty gross and the area around it has been getting pretty red. I went to CVS today and got some clearasil cream which is 10% benzoyl peroxide. I read on the label that it drys out the skin pretty badly, so I also got some nivea moisturizing lotion...I'm wondering which one to use first, or can I combine the two creams? Should I use the clearasil at night and the nivea in the AM?



Thanks, calvin

I don't know exactly what the instructions read on the Clearasil, but generally those types of creams are applied twice a day: once in the morning and once in the evening after cleansing. I personally moisturize only in the morning as a part of my cleansing regimen. I advsie against popping your pimples (even with a cloth) as scars or keeloids may develop, the latter only removable by cosmetic surgery. Blood vessels are very close to the surface of the skin on your face, which explains why blood sometimes accompanies the pus.

If that stuff you're using doesn't work out for you and you want to move on to something more potent, read my post in the following thread regarding other products:
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=36196

Yes, use the benzoyl peroxide at night. The sun will not only cause it to irritate your skin, but it will become even more discolored.

I am out of the woods with the acne but I had to deal with it for a decade back in the day. I made mental notes from my experience for my children, who may or may not have the same problems fifteen years from now. One, it is much easier to prevent an outbreak than it is to treat an outbreak. Do not touch your face. This is a nervous thing some people do and a habit I had to break. Wash your hands often. This will also cut down on colds. If your hands are clean, you are less likely to rub something into your pores when you do touch your face. Two, do not touch your zits. They go away the quickest if you let them run their course. Steal or borrow a girlfriend's cover-up stick if you have to do something in public when you have a huge whitehead. The business of lancing and draining zits is a bad one for your skin ... learn not to do it. Not touching your zits will help you not look at them so much. This will also help you learn they are not such a big deal. And not touching the gonkers will help you learn not to touch your face when you do not have zits. There's never a good time to be touching your face much. Last thing. Three. For me, outbreaks were totally related to diet. There were certain kinds of junk food that caused them. Stuff like chips. Clean up your diet to expedite the healing of big gonkers. Eat a lot of oatmeal, vegetables, body-cleaning stuff if your diet is bad. And make sure you get a lot of good protein or whatever you skin needs to heal itself. I learned that drinking milk would do wonders for my skin. It may or may not be the case with you, but if I drank a half-gallon in a day or two, problems would solve themselves. The benzoyl peroxide stuff is nasty. It's much better preventing than treating. Do not belive the zit ads on TV. No nasty **** is going to make them disappear. Use make-up if you want that result. I found that it was effective if I felt that tenderness or swelling feeling in a place where a big gonker was about to rise up and bust out. I found that it was not helpful but hurtful for treating the damaged skin. Just drink a bunch of milk and leave it alone. Acne can be a tough thing to manage psychologically and physically. I feel for you brother. Good luck. It will all be OK soon. Do not sweat it. Talk to older siblings if you have them and other people who appear to have skin like yours.

The spot treatment does dry you out like hell, thats why it works. Also, thats why it's a spot treatment and you should only stick it right on the zit its self, not over a larger area.

However, for me, the best way to clear it up was better shaving stuff and better face cleaning stuff/moisturizer. The stuff I used to use would dry my face up like crazy, then way over oil it, so it would end up being all bad.

If clear fluid is coming out, or blood is coming out, stop messing with it no matter how you pop it. When I'd get pimples that really hurt I'd just pop it with a sterilized needle (heat and alcohol) and that would usually relieve the pressure. Popping, no matter how you do it, will do more harm than good since no matter what there will be some transfer of gunk. Lancing at least provides an easy egress for the gunk, reducing that problem.

http://www.danielkern.com/

I use the 2.5% benzoyl peroxide at night; it's inexpensive, and at 2%, you use it all over your face, and it doesn't dry it out like 10%. It's basically the only thing that keeps my face fairly clear.

I regret ever using any topical acne medications, including benzoyl. I feel that if I didn't, my skin wouldn't be has as scarred. If you have persistant acne, don't even bother with topicals, ask your dermatologist if Accutane is right for you. But by persistant, I don't mean every three weeks you break out, I mean you break out in long cycles. Talk to a derm.

Originally Posted by fg0d

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I regret ever using any topical acne medications, including benzoyl. I feel that if I didn't, my skin wouldn't be has as scarred. If you have persistant acne, don't even bother with topicals, ask your dermatologist if Accutane is right for you. But by persistant, I don't mean every three weeks you break out, I mean you break out in long cycles. Talk to a derm.

he's had acne for three days and you're telling him to ask about Accutane?

I swear by Triaz, which is a prescription Benzoyl Peroxide. It can be harsh but rarely so.

bp 10% dosent work on acne, it just roast the zit, reducing the size but leaving marks, the best thing for you to do is go to the dermatologist they'll prescribe you either retin-a differin or tazorac (the strongest), if you dont have dermatologist money get a Salyicic acid cleanser, but 10% BP would be the last thing i would use, i learned the hard way!

Dermatoligists i've talked to say the 10% is unecessary and don't produce any noticeable difference from 5%(i think that was the % he said was basically the most you'd ever need, maybe 2.5). More isn't always better.

I've used a mild prescription antibiotic with great results. It's called Clindamycin 1%. My acne has been nonexistent for over 5 years

Originally Posted by chronoaug

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Dermatoligists i've talked to say the 10% is unecessary and don't produce any noticeable difference from 5%(i think that was the % he said was basically the most you'd ever need, maybe 2.5). More isn't always better.

+1 i've heard the same. To keep my face clean I use a moisturizer with slycilic acid...2.5%

I also use this tea tree thing from body shop for spot treatment...doesn't damage the skin

also, drinking lots of water and less sugary stuff works for me.

Originally Posted by migo

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+1 i've heard the same. To keep my face clean I use a moisturizer with slycilic acid...2.5%

I also use this tea tree thing from body shop for spot treatment...doesn't damage the skin

also, drinking lots of water and less sugary stuff works for me.

less sugar dosent do anything about acne, thats a acne MYTH!

Accutane Info: Information on the development, history and legacy of accutane.

Accutane Info: Learn about Accutane, its dangerous side effects and the alternative treatments available. Information on the development, history and legacy of accutane. Read more on development, history and legacy of accutane.

Accutane Info:
http://www.accutane-info.com

Provide information on Accutane. Isotretinoin (the generic name for accutane) is used to treat the most severe and disfiguring cases of nodular acne. Most Doctors would only recommend this treatment only after all other forms of acne medication have been tried and proved unsuccessful.

Accutane Information and History
http://www.accutane-info.com