Hi I'm new here and I have a problem. I'm 15 and have so many pimples it's awful. I hate them so much. I've heard all the facts-80% of kids have them and it affects everyone at some point in their life. The problem is that I feel like I have no control over them. I wash my face twice a day, and use an oil-free moisturizer. I never touch my face and don't rub too hard when I wash it because that can make your pores swell and cause pimples. I've used proactiv for months, and didn't change my skin. There's red dots on my face that have been there for a year and sometimes get really big, and then get small. I don't know what to do. My mom won't take me to a dermatologist because she says everyone gets acne as a teenager. I like my face to be clean and with acne I feel like everyone's staring at it. I don't like makeup, and I try to let them heal on their own. I feel like I'm doing everything everyone tells me to, and still they are here. Please tell me some way to get rid of it. Benzoil peroxide creams haven't helped, they just dry out my face and leave the pimple behind. It's like the pimples don't heal, they just stay there and won't go away! I'm begging someone to help me. If anyone has any tips that helped them, please share, I'm willing to try ANYTHING. Thanks so much for reading this long list of my complaints :) but I wanted to make sure you knew how much I wanted to get rid of this. Thank you SO MUCH. :)

I don't know if this will help, but I noticed that when I started exercising regularly (meaning working up a sweat) at least 5 days a week - that my skin cleared up dramatically. I am 40 and still get breakouts and although I have never had acne I have always had impurities like tiny lumps on my face. I think the sweat helped flush out the pores and the increased blood flow didn't hurt. My skin is clear with only an occasional breakout.

Have you tried the Clinique line of soap, toner and mosturizer? They specialize in skin with issues. I know it is little help now, but once you get through the heavy hormone teenage stage, it does get better.

Yes I've tried the 3 step clinique system. I liked it but it didn't do anything dramatic. But I think I'll try working out more. I used to run, but stopped for some reason. I think it'd be good to run again. Thanks so much!

Try different soaps. That happened to me, and I just tried tons of soaps. I also used mosturizers of all sorts. Do look around online and see if you can find websites with soaps and stuff you can order. That helped me.

Just do your best to keep your face clean. I'd say try Proactiv, but it's not really different from all the other such products.

Eat healthy, exercise and keep your skin clean.

Thanks so much for answering me. I already eat very healthy, but I'm going to start exercising more. Any other tips?

I especially like the advice concerning the exercise and you wanting to start running again.

Also, it would be good to make sure that you have clean sheets and pillow cases on your bed. The oil from your skin gets on them and builds up on them. So, after awhile, you may be sleeping on your own oil. And, you might want to see if the detergent that is being used to wash them may be causing any irritation to your face like maybe even an allergic reaction.

Make sure that your skin is not allergic to all the different kinds of products you try b.c Im sure you it could make it worse you don't really want to mix different thing; it sounds like your skin is really sensitive... I know this might sound silly but Im not saying it works for everyone or anything like that but when I go tanning my face tends to really clear up the more I go tanning the clearer my skin is... Good Luck

You guys thanks so much for helping me out. I change my pillow case every other day, and yes my skin is sensitive, so I'll try to watch out what I put on my face. I used to go tanning before a wedding I was in, but it didn't improve my acne. When I'm outside in the natural sunlight though, it seems to help dim them, but then they just come back when I go inside. It's weird. When I was in france for 10 days about 2 weeks ago, my skin cleared up amazingly and I was using the same products. Now that I'm home though, it came back. Very strange. Thanks so much for the tips and keep 'em coming! Hehe thanks so much!

This is just another suggestion since you mentioned going to France. The water would be different there. Maybe try using water that you purchase in a bottle when applying any water to your face?

Just a thought.

When I was a teen I suffered from terrible acne. I had it on my face, neck, chest and back - most of them were cysts and lots of them were infected. I wore a shirt over my bathing suit. I felt so ugly! Anyway, my mom and grandmother sat me down one day and asked me for 3 weeks to prove they could get my acne under control, BUT I had to do everything they said without fail. I agreed, because anything was better than I had!

Well, I followed their "rules" for 3 weeks. Guess what? My acne decreased a lot! So, I will now pass on what they told me and I hope it will help you. Some of the rules you already know and follow, so it shouldn't be too hard for you.

1. No picking, touching, squeezing, etc.
2. No makeup, or cover ups (ie: shirts over my bathing suit).
3. I must go out of doors every single day for a minimum of one hour, preferably two or more. Fresh air and sunshine was key.
4. Get plenty of exercise, preferably out of doors like walking, running, etc.
5. I must pick one hypo-allergenic soap and only use it. I was to use no other acne products for the 3 weeks.
6. I had to eat more than 4 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
7. If I was stressed (mad, upset, hurt, etc) I had to write a journal until I felt better. No held in emotions allowed! I WAS allowed to talk about my feelings, cry, etc.
8. No perfume or perfumed products on my skin.
9. Do something nice for someone every single day.

I believe if you try these tips you will find that your acne will almost totally disappear. Want to try it for 3 weeks and let us know how you do?? I'd love to know if it worked.

Hugs, Didi

Another thing is that maybe the air pollution in your area is making your face break out. I don't know if that is possible, but it is a thought. But then, you cannot really do anything about that, so it would not help very much.

When I get really bad pimples, I put toothpaste on them overnight. I know that that may sound kind of gross, but it removes the swelling after about two days for me. However, if your skin is as sensitive as it sounds to be, I am not sure if you should try that.

Ooops, I forgot... 10. Get a good night's of sleep every night! :rolleyes:

Didi

hi i'm new here and i have a problem. I'm 15 and have so many pimples it's awful. i hate them so much. i've heard all the facts-80% of kids have them and it affects everyone at some point in their life. the problem is that i feel like i have no control over them. i wash my face twice a day, and use an oil-free moisturizer. I never touch my face and don't rub too hard when i wash it becuase that can make your pores swell and cause pimples. I've used proactiv for months, and didn't change my skin. there's red dots on my face that have been there for a year and sometimes get really big, and then get small. i don't know what to do. my mom won't take me to a dermatologist because she says everyone gets acne as a teenager. i like my face to be clean and with acne i feel like everyone's staring at it. i don't like makeup, and i try to let them heal on their own. i feel like i'm doing everything everyone tells me to, and still they are here. please tell me some way to get rid of it. benzoil peroxide creams haven't helped, they just dry out my face and leave the pimple behind. it's like the pimples don't heal, they just stay there and won't go away! i'm begging someone to help me. if anyone has any tips that helped them, please share, i'm willing to try ANYTHING. thanks so much for reading this long list of my complaints :) but i wanted to make sure you knew how much i wanted to get rid of this. Thank you SO MUCH. :)

Just one more from me. When I was your age, I got called "pizza face." It really hurt to be called that. In addition to the answers that I have already given you, I just wanted to share with you that I know how you feel about those zits!

Another thing that I would like to add, is that not everyone is focusing on the condition of anything on your face. If you flash them a big smile, they are going to notice that first! :)

hi i'm new here and i have a problem. I'm 15 and have so many pimples it's awful. i hate them so much. i've heard all the facts-80% of kids have them and it affects everyone at some point in their life. the problem is that i feel like i have no control over them. i wash my face twice a day, and use an oil-free moisturizer. I never touch my face and don't rub too hard when i wash it becuase that can make your pores swell and cause pimples. I've used proactiv for months, and didn't change my skin. there's red dots on my face that have been there for a year and sometimes get really big, and then get small. i don't know what to do. my mom won't take me to a dermatologist because she says everyone gets acne as a teenager. i like my face to be clean and with acne i feel like everyone's staring at it. i don't like makeup, and i try to let them heal on their own. i feel like i'm doing everything everyone tells me to, and still they are here. please tell me some way to get rid of it. benzoil peroxide creams haven't helped, they just dry out my face and leave the pimple behind. it's like the pimples don't heal, they just stay there and won't go away! i'm begging someone to help me. if anyone has any tips that helped them, please share, i'm willing to try ANYTHING. thanks so much for reading this long list of my complaints :) but i wanted to make sure you knew how much i wanted to get rid of this. Thank you SO MUCH. :)
My sister had acne and she used a sulfur based soap which helped. Also a topical lotion helped me. Though none of these are to be used for a long period as they will dry yout your skin eventually. I used nutrogena acne wash for years as soap-based products irritated my skin. Although they say foods don't give you acne, I found that cutting down on dairy products, and virgin olive oil (found in salad dressings) eased the acne. Also Wear your sunblock! The pimples produce a melanin (Same stuff that gives you freckles) mass and this can leave pigmentation marks on your skin even after the spot has gone.
Do you live in a humid area? Is there a lot of traffice?

Uhm. There's a natural way for this.
Taking Zinc supplements help a lot of people. And Yeast tablets work wonderfully.
Those are my suggestions.
Tell me if they work, they've worked for everyone I know.

Hello!
I've been gone for a while, but I have been working on this. I did everything grammadidi said, and they were all great suggestions! I started working out again, and I go to the beach to get sun, and I get a good night's sleep. I don't touch my face, and I eat tons of fruits and veggies! I assumed it would work, but about a week ago, my face broke out so horribly, the worst in my life. It's really discouraging. I know it wasn't because of the things I was doing, because those were good things, like exercising. I don't know why this happened. My whole face is pimples, and worse, they won't come to a head! They are just red bumps that sit there and sit there and don't do anything. It really sucks and I feel horrible. I'm glad it's summer right now so I'm not in school, but I don't know what to do! Can someone please help me? I feel like this is so bad it will never go away, it's the worst thing. Thanks for listening guys, you're a big help.

Can you go to a dermatologist? Sounds like you may need professional help.

I'll have to ask my mom. What will a dermatolagist do? It's really hard with my skin because it dries out really easily, and I always have to use moisturizer, if I don't, it get's dry and flaky in just one day. In the summer my face is even dry. Yet, I have the worst acne of anyone I know. I really hate my skin, but I would just be so happy if there were no pimples. I can't even imagine how awesome that would be. I guess I'll ask to go to a dermatologist. Does it cost a lot of money?

A dermotologist knows a lot more about skin than a regular doctor. A friend of mine in high school had really bad time with his skin and he started taking an oral medication that worked very well. He had to stay out of the sun, but it cleared up his acne.

If you have insurance you should be able to get a referral, couldn't really tell you the cost because the Dr I saw was in the Military Treatment Facility that covers military dependents.

Hi! First of all, in order to help the outside we have to work on the inside. Your diet could be a consideration along with drinking LOTS of water. An exfoliator would probably not be a good idea. Wash face with warm water, rinsing with cold to close pores. Epsom salt is an excellent & cheap deep cleanser. It can be used for a # of things. Can be purchased almost everywhere, dolar store, Walmart. Put in bowl of warm water, wash face & keep splashing mixture on face. Good Luck!:)

hi i'm new here and i have a problem. I'm 15 and have so many pimples it's awful. i hate them so much. i've heard all the facts-80% of kids have them and it affects everyone at some point in their life. the problem is that i feel like i have no control over them. i wash my face twice a day, and use an oil-free moisturizer. I never touch my face and don't rub too hard when i wash it becuase that can make your pores swell and cause pimples. I've used proactiv for months, and didn't change my skin. there's red dots on my face that have been there for a year and sometimes get really big, and then get small. i don't know what to do. my mom won't take me to a dermatologist because she says everyone gets acne as a teenager. i like my face to be clean and with acne i feel like everyone's staring at it. i don't like makeup, and i try to let them heal on their own. i feel like i'm doing everything everyone tells me to, and still they are here. please tell me some way to get rid of it. benzoil peroxide creams haven't helped, they just dry out my face and leave the pimple behind. it's like the pimples don't heal, they just stay there and won't go away! i'm begging someone to help me. if anyone has any tips that helped them, please share, i'm willing to try ANYTHING. thanks so much for reading this long list of my complaints :) but i wanted to make sure you knew how much i wanted to get rid of this. Thank you SO MUCH. :)
Have you ever tried exfoiliating? I have St. Ives exfoliater and what it does is it takes all of the oil off your face. There are little beads mixed in with the cleanser that leave your face clean and healthy and not shiny. I use 3 different things in the morning, afternoon, and night and they really help my skin. Also, try to find a good quality mask. Proactive never worked for me either. But my skin is really starting to look a lot better--and exfoliating works 100% if you have oily skin, which I assume you do, since you used to use Proactive. Hope this helped!:)

I exfoliate with st. ives apricot scrub, and you're right- it really works! One would think I have oily skin, but actually I have very very dry sensitive skin. The reason I stopped using proactiv is because it dries out my skin too much, and even in the most humid weather, my skin flakes from being so dry (winter is a nightmare)! Anyway, you wouldn't think someone with dry skin would have pimples! It's crazy. I should start drinking more water though. I drink like 5 cups a day, not that much when you think about it.

I know what you mean about benzoyl peroxide, all it does is dry out skin! I would suggest you talk to your regular doctor if you can't get to a dermatologist. Your family doctor can perscribe medication for acne, and can refer you to a dermatologist (which will show your mom that it is okay to have one). Acne is a part of the lives of many people, but it isn't something you have to suffer from; there are solutions that work. Also, in terms of makeup, a water-based makeup will not clog your pores. There are even new mineral-based makeups out there which give optimum coverage without clogging pores (such as Sheer Cover). Anyway, hope my advice helps!

lollymolly,I am 26 now and started having serious acne at age 23.then a friend told me to use palmers skin success astringent.I tell you,it worked miracles.my breakouts got less and less and in about 2 to 3 months with continuous use morning and evening I stopped breaking out completely.I just use the palmers skin success fademilk lotion to get ride of the dark spots and uneven skin tone the acne left behind.it really worked.you should try it.very good.