I have always struggle with not having perfect skin my mom has scars from all the acne she had so I understang is genetic.

I read and read all I can, from, home remedies (that I have tried!) to over the counter products (from the cheapest to the most expensive like a tiny little face cream that cost me 85 dllrs!)

I have visited a dermatologist, when was 14 I develop a red rash on my right cheek, she sat across from me and right away said "5 sessions of peels each session is 500 dllrs" there was no way I could afford that. That was about 2 years ago.

It wasn't 'till 5 months a go that, that red rash with tiny pimples started to spread. It seemed it expanded to the other side of my face and chin. so now mt face looks bumpy, red, irritated, pimples are immflamatory and some of them hurt to the touch not to mention my large nasty pores! I have oily T-Zone and very flaky,dry skin on the rest of my face.

I moisturize everyday, 1 to 3 times a day but nothing seems to help. Yesturday was the worst! I woke up to a huge immflamatory (sorry I'm forein so I can't spell very well) pimple on the left side of my chin.

I tried to pop it since it was all yellow looking and I had to visit some friends. It was hard but I did it and it was actually three pimples right next to each other so now it looks HUGE! it's red and it looks like it will scar bad.

Everyone keeps suggesting ask a Doctor, see a dermatologist and I agree! I want to see one, I want this acne to leave my face! I'am hopeless!

but I'm buried in debt and I am only a temp at my job so, I have no insurance and I'm broke but I'm thinking of getting rid of my cell phone bill to be able to get
an individual health plan but I don't know how to go about it!

Please someone help me!!! i am crying as I am typing this I don't know what else to do and i hate being so poor! i feel like a beast i am affraid to be around people now im 26 years old and this acne is worst then ever before!
HELP!!!!!:(

:( no ideas at all? No help?? :confused:

I'm so sorry to hear about your problem. :(

Please do not pick on the spots. That will most probably cause a scar.

It appears you have combination skin. Dry in some areas and oily in others.

What could maybe help is use a mild soap (that you use and your skin doesn't feel tight after you have washed your face).
Use a rich moisturiser but only apply it to the dry flaky areas. At night, apply olive oil to the dry areas and massage it in.

Do you use a facial scrub? If not, try it out. Gently massage it over your face.

I suffer from acne too but found that glycolic acid toner helps me. But it seems your skin might be sensitive. There is a glycolic acid toner available for people with sensitive skin. It's by a company called Alpha-H and the productis called "Liquid Harmony". Perhaps try that out too?

Going on birth control pills can help clear up acne. Also, I have a friend that saw a huge difference when she started using Pro Active products.

I don't know what your weight is or what your eating habits are, but change in diet can definitely help this to go away as well.

My parents have SEVERE acne, and I used to think I was doomed to a lifetime of embarrassment and unattractiveness also, until I read a great study that shows that DIET not genetics may be the most influential in whether you have acne or not, here it is for your reference:

Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization. [Arch Dermatol. 2002] - PubMed Result (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12472346)

It basically shows that cultures around the world NEVER had acne even when they don't have the "luxury" of buying $85 dollar creams you were talking about.

For all I know, their faces are probably dirtier than all of ours being outdoors in the wilderness all the time. But when they started integrating unhealthy Western fast foods, they started to see an acne epidemic in their people.

Anyway, after reading that, I follow three simple things that keeps my acne off to a bare minimum (remember my parents had severe acne also)

1. Avoid milk based products (cheese, pizza, etc.)
2. Eliminate refined carbohydrates from my diet (sugar, soda, white bread, candies, etc.)
3. Eat whole foods (whole wheat bread, fruits, veggies)

And for added protection you may want to check out a supplement I use to make sure I get all my nutritional need filled. If you're wondering here's what I take: AcneRX - Naturally Clear Skin Without A Prescription! (http://www.clearskinsecret.com)

Breakouts for me are now kept at a bare minimum... not bad for not using ANY prescription, benzoyl peroxide washes, and having parents with severe acne!

Do you know anyone that sells Mary Kay? I had the same problems that you had mentioned, with the combination skin and one of my friends used to sell Mary Kay, so I started using the Timewise products for combination to oily skin and I haven't broken out since. It takes a couple weeks for your skin to clear up, but I finally just signed up to be a consultant so I could buy my own products. My sister-in-law used to also have a lot of acne at 27 and she started using Mary Kay. She used to use the ProActive but it would dry out her skin. It's worth looking into though if you go to Cosmetics: Makeup and Cosmetics by Mary Kay (http://www.marykay.com) The 3-in-1 cleanser and the moisturizer are what I'm referring to. There's also other products they have for acne prone skin.

:)HI there. Well I suggest you stop picking those pimples cause that will become worse and you will get more scars. I'm 16 and have had bad skin on my face and my back these last couple of years. But I went on the pill (Estelle) for my back and my mum researched and found AN AMAZING MIRACLE! IT CLEARED MY BACK ITS CALLED ERYACNE. PUT IT ON TWICE A DAY AND THE PIMPLES STOP COMING BACK. YOU ONLY PUT IT DIRECTLY ON THE PIMPLE AND IT CLEARS. MY SKIN IS NOW CLEAR THANKS TO THE PILL AND ERYACNE!

I had bad acne on my forehead and benzoil peroxide did OK but it only did so much..

Then I went on birth control and my acne completely cleared up.. (except when I'm on my period I get some here and there) but it works great..

Also, I hear Acutain work really well. It's really harsh but I heard it works

My acne-plagued teen son started taking zinc (one 22 mg. tab three times a day), gradually increased the dosage and then readjusted the dosage depending on how his face was doing. The most helpful dosage was three or four 22 mg. tabs three times a day.

Please research zinc for skin health.

Same problem here 26 years later and I get severe acne. I tried more water, more washing my face, moisturizer, exfoliating, alcohol swabs. Next best thing to try is birth control. *Fingers crossed*