Skin Care - Greensboro,NC

I had good success with Proactive. I stopped it because of the price and changed to Cetaphil at a doctor's recommendation. But I had obnoxious acne all the years that I used Cetaphil. Finally when I was pregnant and sick of feeling and looking gross, I went back to Proactive. Now at 33 I still get occasional acne with using Proactive, but not nearly as much as it could be. I thought I was doing fine with Proactive until I tried Arbonne's RE9 Smoothing facial cleanser. That worked even better!

Years ago, when in early 20s, I liked Proactive.. It was good in the sense that it seemed to clear my skin while at the same time and despite having oily skin, it didn't dry my skin out and make matters worse. Additionally, when in my teens, I took Zinc (orally) and drank lots of water. even today, when I drink lots of water I notice a different.. Although my issues are no acne, now I have gone from oily skin to dry.... :(

good luck!!

I never found a dermatologist to be helpful. Maybe it's the one I went to but all he did was prescribe antibiotics and cream that made my skin irritated and then want to put me on a very dangerous medication. Honestly, Pro-active works wonders. I don't use it during the day because it made my skin oily. But once a day at night will be enough. There are also papers you can buy that are oil blotting. They work great. Make sure she is not constipated, that used to break me out.

My suggestion is not inexpensive, but I promise it will work better than anything else, with far fewer chemicals. Go buy her a Clairsonic (you can get them at Sephora, Macy's, Nordstrom, etc). Once you try it, you'll buy one for yourself, too. Totally life-changing, the Clairsonic. My skin has never looked so great - completely and totally exfoliated, no breakouts ever, glowing, clean skin. Use whatever cleanser you like with it (I'm in love with Boscia's purifying cleansing gel, personally). I don't use toner - when you use the Clairsonic, toner is really unnecessary. For moisturizer, I use Korres Yoghurt moisturizer for oily & dehydrated skin (yes, skin can be both oily and dehydrated - which causes the skin to produce more oil... nasty downward spiral...). Anyway, Clairsonic. I promise you won't regret it. But here's the thing - if you do regret it, Sephora will let you bring it back for a refund, so it's really a risk-free purchase. I just wish I'd discovered this thing 20 years ago. Good luck!

Because she has such oily skin, you want to be careful not to over-dry it out with products because it will just make her skin create more oil.

Witch Hazel works wonders. It's very inexpensive an works as a wonderful astringent. I have a friend whose daughter was having a terrible time with her skin and the Witch Hazel made such a difference.

She can use it with a cotton ball a couple of times a day. It won't irritate any current breakouts, it's actually soothing.
The main thing for your daughter is to not be in the habit of touching her face at all without clean hands.

I believe Neutrogena makes some mild cleansers. Try the Witch Hazel. You can get it at any drug store.

Don't use anything too harsh. That will cause a vicious cycle.

Best wishes.

ive tried every over the counter facewash .and toners and lotion out there.. proactive is the only thing thats ever cleared my face and kept it that way.. the wash/toner/lotion system is definatley the way to go wether u use proactive or something else.. proactive was my last resort before going to a dermatologist my skin was reeaally bad .. id try some over the counter stuff first if shes only got a few pimples here n there but if that doesnt work proactiv should

very different, i was just about to post about adult acne... i have had MANY friends recommend the clarisonic cleaner, so i just ordered it. it's pricey though, i got the plus which is over $200 - but if it clears up my skin, it's worth it to me. i'm gonna try the cetaphil gentle cleanser with the clarasonic, and i ordered the somme regimen(also pricey @ $298, not sure how long it will last...) to use after i scrub with the clarasonic. some of hers is prob just the "normal" teenage acne, but it's never fun to feel bad about your skin :(

Has she tried washing at night with something very gentle like Noxema or Aveeno face wash? She might even be able to do that in the shower.

Or something like Stridex pads that will remove the oil at any time of the day...

I have had oily skin and acne all my life and tried everything. I finally found tracys Treats a business in Pennsylvania. I buy her Shea Butter unscented and it has helped a lot. I am away from home right now, but if you want her info you can let me know and I'll get back to you. It is a bit expensive, but I think it is well worth it. I actually use the soap for my shower also.

Good luck as I know it is a horrible thing to deal with.
A.

Hi E..
I am still battling acne along with wrinkles in my mid 40's :). I will share what I would do if I had a daughter:
1. Gentle cleanser (non soap) -- Cetaphil or Purpose were recommeded to me from my teens/20's and I am with Cetaphil since age 10.

2. Toner -- something with BHA and with no alchohol -- BHA cleanses the pore of oil. When I used a 2% BHA product by Paula Begoun--the cosmetics cop -- i did not have acne for 2 years (when I was pregnant and b-feeding I had to stop)...www.cosmeticscop.com Clinique toner for sensitive skin contains .5% BHA and no alchohol. That is a good option to start.

3. i went to a dermatologist and got clindamycin lotion. I did not want the over the counter benzoil peroxide because then you have to be supercareful in the sun. In Florida, that makes life more challenging.

4. anything you do, i would consult about a routine with the dermatolgoist.

5. lastly, a multivitamin without iodine (iodine -- which is also in some shellfish -- can aggravate acne...)

I hope this helps.

Use a cleanser that is for oily skin, use a toner then IMMEDIATELY moistureize. The toner will remove the excess oils but if you do not replace them correctly you will be even more oily because the face will over produce. I prefer all natural products and have had great success with Lush www.lushusa.com to see if they have a location near you.

Take her to a dermatologist. We did this when my daughter was 11 and no skin problems. We did it as a proactive approach to what may happen because we had seen many teens with horrid acne and she was terrified it could be her next.

She started out using Clinique Acne wash and the gel moisturizer. The Dr. did give us an RX creme for breakouts. Beware though, many insurances do not cover it and I have paid as much as $300 for 1 tube of Epi-Duo and $200 for Duac and Differen. Both work well if you have an issue but they willl stain clothing and sheets. It is worth the $ to go to a good, highly recmmended Dr. My daughter did not need antibiotics, etc. She just got a couple of cremes to help when she had a breakout, not for continued daily use.

My daughter's worst time (which was never that bad) was when she was around 12 and started her period.

Clinique is a great product with several options to help you. Many Dr's recommend it. It is a money back guarantee as well. I have used it since I was about 11 and I am now 49 and pass for early to mid 30's.

Other products Dr's recommend is Purpose Soap and Cetaphil.

Next, get into a routine that you do not break ever. This consists of washing, moisturizing, etc EVERY morning and EVERY night. Use sunscreen and drink a lot of water.Be faithful with your routine and when she is 49 she won't look it either.

Good luck

Wash your face with Cetaphyl cleanser (very mild, won't cause the skin to start making more oil which some stripping-kind-of cleaners can).
Then wipe a 0.5% to 2% salicylic acid toner or sometimes called astringent with a cotton ball all over your face. This removes a tiny layer of surface cells.
Do this daily, even when you do not have outbreaks. All products available at CVS.
Then moisturize with Cetaphyl lotion or their new Cetaphyl Restoring lotion for senstive itchy skin.
I had adult acne and used doctor prescribed meds (6 months of tetracycline, then a prescription Retinol cream) to clear up deep under-the-skin cystic acne. Now I do the above routine to keep it away and it has worked for years.
The worst thing for oily skin it to over-wash it or wash it too often since then your skin will just make up for it by creating more oil. It could not hurt to get a doctor's opinion too, but my teen uses the above with good success.

E.:

My daughter had success with Proactive. She's 25 and swears by it.

Have you taken her to a dermatologist to if there's something else wrong? Diet has a lot to do with out oily or dry our skin can be. She's a tween.

How often does she wash her face? If she washes it too much - her body will produce oils to help moisturize her face. It's a fine balance and a hard one to find in a tweens changing body.

I suggest going to a dermatologist and talking with them about her acne.

GOOD LUCK!!