pimple madness

Hi beattheband, I’m 32 years old and have been using Benzac since my teens (first the gel, now the wash) also because it was prescribed by my dermatologist.

PPP is right, it won’t normalize the skin, once I stop the pimples come back. It’s drying and makes my skin sensitive. Why am I still using it? Because for SOME people, like me, acne will not get better as I age. I’ve tried changing my lifestyle, eating better, exercising, detoxing, etc and I still break out. My parents and most of my relatives are zit-prone way past their middle age. I’m GENETICALLY inclined to have it for probably the rest of my life.

Everytime I stop and try a gentler or popular product I get zits again. Everytime I stop using it to check if I’ve finally outgrown zits, I break out again. I always fall back to what works for me, Benzac, tretinoin and contraceptive pills.

My skin is not leathery. I have become sun-sensitive. I counteract this by using a good sunblock, which should be the case whether or not you’re sun-sensitive anyway.

Benzoyl peroxide (Benzac, Proactiv) is NOT for EVERYONE, but for SOME people it’s the holy grail. Teenagers should start with gentler products before using Benzac, but if all fails, see a dermatologist first and she might probably put you on Benzac. I’ve studied the protocol and benzoyl peroxide is one of their first-line drugs for acne. If it works for you, then by all means continue using it. I certainly have.

ahhaha sounds just like my skincare routine

its true that drinking heaps of water, a healthy diet and exercise will really help clear your skin

in the meantime i find there are some products that help, i suggest using a gentle cleanser such as cetaphil (it might not clear your skin but it certainly wont make it worse) and using products that contain either benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or glycolic (only benzoyl peroxide works for me)

a cleanser on its own wont clear your skin, its also important to moisturise with an oil free moisturiser such as the ones by neutogena or olay complete. if you want to use a toner, use an alcohol free toner

Lalisse Anti-Spot Skin Serum No. 1 is fantastic for those hard to rid pimples and spots. It’s even a great product for blemishes or red spots on the skin. I’ve only been using the serum for 1 week and I’ve already noticed results on my face.

Lalisse is only available in selected pharmacies, nationally and internationally.
Check out the website for more details and more products.
http://www.lalisse.com

Thanks mel 🙂

Beware of products that actually CLAIM to be natural you will be surprised to find out that labeling in Australia is very missleading and you may think you are using natural products on your skin when in fact it is either a product that is mainly water or is loaded with nasties, remembering that alot of nasties are not only chemicals, these can be natural as well. You should really chek out the cosmetics database to find out if the products you are using are actually as natural as you think, I think there are some other sites around that also give you that kind of info but this is the only one I am aware of:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php

It took a few weeks for the new cleanser to kick in, but it is pretty much cleared now.

The skincare routine I have picked is pH balanced, alcohol free, 95% added chemical free and is all found in Priceline. I have noticed a HUGE difference, and I reccommend going au naturel with skincare.

BQxx

I’ve heard some pretty bad things about Proactive. Most people say that it feels like your face is burning and that it never cleared up their skin. Im just thankfull that i have really nice skin but i do look after it extremely well. My partner had bad skin when he was younger and at 23 is still trying to clear it up :(.

I agree with you PPP, Benzac has really harsh products and can actually do more harm than good to the skin. I have the spot treatment at 2.5%, if i use it more than once a day it will irritate my skin.

Hopefully Elmo will read this thread and add her story, I might be able to search for it later but her experience with Proactive is defiantely a must read to all people who are considering using this stuff, she is still suffering with skin issues now years after having used it, I defaintely think everyone should just be made aware of the after effects, sure you might not care about it now but by the time you get to be our age and your skin resembles a leather boot you will care very much and there is nothing you can do to reverse the damage!!