piiiiiiimples. eww? Options

[tchotchke]

I decided to pull an all-nighter and I'm bored. So this is what I came up with.

BTW... don't ask about the all-nighter.. its complicated...


The Basics
- Don't pop them. It's simple really. Don't touch them. There is no good way to pop pimples.
- Toothpaste doesn't belong on your face. Use benzoyl peroxide instead.
- Eat healthy. Drink water. Exercise. You'll notice the difference after a week.
- Use products with salicylic acid if you have acne-prone skin.
- Tea tree oil is great. You can use it straight from the bottle (100% tea tree oil) or mixed in with products (a shampoo that contains tea tree oil)
- Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque is supposed to work wonders. It isn't sold where I live though.

Popping pimples
Yeah, I said you shouldn't. But you will anyway. Heck, I will too. Here is a technique suggested by karamelle:

boil some water. get a towel, put your face over the pot and the towel over your head, to keep the steam in. do this for about 10 minutes. (it feels so good!) Now before you do all that, get a clean wash rag and soak it in warm water. let it soak while you do your little steam bath. When you finish, and I mean as soon as you finish, get that rag, and cover your 2 index fingers with it. place your finger tips besides the pimple, not on top, and push straight into your skin. dont push towards the pimple, that can cause all the ickies to go further into your skin. So sit there and be patient with it. If nothing happens after a few tries, dont force it. Go under the steam again, and soak your rag again. come back, and use the other side of the rag. push INTO your skin, a few times more. if it still doesnt work, leave it alone. try it again tomorrow. whatever you do, dont force it. And dont use your bare hands. that just puts more oil on your face that you would have started with.

Acne Scars
- Vitamin E oil can be applied to scars to slowly decrease the visibilty of acne scars.
- Tea tree oil can also be applied to the scars. If you're using the pure oil, it's got a really strong smell to it. Most people don't like it but m'eh, I don't mind it.
- Emu (yes, the bird) oil. It's proven to help with almost every skin problem out there.
- Sea buckthorn seed oil helps a bit too.
- Scar-zone is a product used for scars. It can be found in places like Walgreens, CVS, etc.


Hair and Acne
Chances are if you have bangs you probably get pimples where your bangs are. Your hair gets oily after a bit, and the oil from the hair clogs up the pores on your face causing pimples. Try shampooing with products that contain tea tree oil.

Cleansing your face
-Make sure you clean your face everyday! Even though it may not seem dirty, it is. Be careful though, don't clean your face too much. When you clean your face, you are stripping it of oil. The more you clean your face the more oil glands will work to produce oil. Some people wash their faces so much they think that their skin is oily, when it actually isn't. They're just putting their oil glands into overtime.
-It is said you should wash your face morning and night, but if you really do have oily skin, the maximum times you should wash your face is thrice daily.
-If you have acne prone skin, use products that contain salicylic acid. It helps break down blackheads and whiteheads and prevents clogged follicles.
- Benzoyl peroxide releases oxygen to help kill bacteria. It also helps breakdown blackheads and whiteheads.
- You're suppoesd to use salicylic acid in the morning, and benzoyl peroxide at night.
- Be Gentle. Don't over do the medication.
- Make sure you MOISTURIZE after washing your face!
- Don't use bar soaps! I'm not sure why, but it's something like theres a residue that gets left on your face even after rinsing, which can lead to pimples. MAN! I wish I knew that before I went out and bought Clinique.
Try products like: Cetaphil, Clearasil, or Clean and Clear.

You can use Rubbing Alcohol also. I tried it.. it doesnt like.. make ur pimple go away.. buh it makes it go away faster in combination with whatever product you use. Just use a q-tip or cotton ball.. and put it in rubbing alcohol.. and lik jus place it on ur pimple.

This is really great. One tip: If you are willing to splurge, make an appointment at a Clinique counter.....If will help so much. The Clinique lady will give you a total make over, tell you how to take care of your slin, what skin type you are, and all that good stuff. She'll tell you what kind of facial things you need too. My package cost me about $35 dollars, and it works GREAT!!!

Moisturizing
- If you have oily skin, use a light moisturizer. (I currently use L'Oreal Hydraclear for oily skin)
- Usually moisturizers for oily skin are more like gels rather than lotions.
- If you have dry skin, use a product like Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. It's REALLY moisturizing. =)
- If you have normal skin, use a moisturizer designed for.. well.. normal skin!

Acne on the body
Unfortunately some of us have acne on our backs. Use a loofah (or something like it) to exfoliate with. Pour some medicated body wash (like Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub) and scrub scrub scrub. I'm testing this out, I'll tell you how it goes. ;)

The End
No matter what, no one will be able to help you more than a dermotologist. Look one up. I'm sure s/he'd help you a lot, and give you medication (retin-a, differin etc.) if you needed it.


P.S. I didn't write all of this, just think of me as someone who gathered information and put it all in one spot. I haven't tried all of this either. So don't blame me if the results aren't what you intended. If you have any questions, ask them... and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.

And feel free to post stuff that I can add to this.

Great. Now I need to find something else to occupy my time with....