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I can totally sympathize... my skin was ok during my teen years, but seems to have taken a turn for the worse now that I am in my early 20s. Have you tried ProActiv? It didnt really work for me, but I have friends who would sell their first-born for it.
Also, are you on birth control? I am told that it is really helpful, too!
I hope this gets better for you! Hugs!
harmonyee - can you tell us what products you're using? there are a lot of us acne brides out there so we might be able to help you improve what you're doing.
facials "make it worse" b/c they remove the topical dirt. everything that is underneath will come up to the surface so people usually break out the week after a treatment. I think facials/chemical peels are very helpful but since you're a month out from your wedding, I wouldn't recomend doing something so drastic right now since you don't know how you're skin is going to react.
I started using Tazorac 0.1% gel on my face each night about 6 weeks ago. I had a really bad initial breakout, but its starting to improve. I wash my face morning and night with Cetaphil Gentle skin cleanser. I haven't been wearing any foundation to let my skin "breath." This combo (plus a month of oral antibiotic pills and topical antibiotic cream during the day) is what worked so well for me as a teen...but my skin was much oilier then.
Also, i switched to yaz bc about 2 months ago.
For awhile I was using witch hazel as a toner, but since Taz is so strong i figured less irritation was better. I was also using an Aveda shammy to exfoliate a few times a week cause the Taz was making my skin peel at first...but that proved to be too much and made me break out worse. I know i've been trying lots of new stuff lately, so i'm trying to keep changes to a minimum to avoid any bad reactions. but suggestions are much appreciated 
are you moisturizing?
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oh yeah, forgot that!
I use kiehls PCA Oil Free Moisturizer morning and night and love it! It's the only non-comedogenic and/or oil-free moisturizer i've used that doesnt leave me dull OR shiny and greasy looking.
Well, you would not benefit from Accutane in a month. Long term, yeah, but it builds up and takes 6 months or so. Try getting peels at the dermatologist every 3 weeks until the wedding day.
I don't know what sort of acne you get, but when I was about 20, I started to get really nasty big, isolated zits (my mom calls them UGZ (Under Ground Zits))- if you've had one, you know what I'm talking about- the really painful ones that take a week to "surface" and then leave big nasty scars. Anyways, I started using a topical anitbiotic called Clindagel (clindamycin) and it has completely gotten rid of the problem for me. I now use it preventatively in my "problem areas." My derm said that sometimes the "delivery" mechanism for the topical antibiotics makes a difference- so some people respond better when it is a cream, others to a gel, others to a liquid that is applied with a sponge-tip applicator. You might look into that? I hope you find something that works! It's so frustrating.
Oh good, you had me worried there for a sec! Ha.
OK first off I'm not a medical professional but I have had acne forever so my advice is based purely on my experience.
It's possible you are over drying your skin with both the yaz and the tazorac. Try using the tazorac every other night (esp if you are still flaking). Exfoliating will help but you need to use something mild/slightly moisturizing and I would suggest only doing it once a week. I'm not familure with the Aveda shammy but I use Kiehl's pineapple scrub and love it. It is mild but still gets the job done.
It's also possible that your moisturizer is clogging your pores but that's a really hard thing to determine b/c the only way to find out is to switch to another kind. You might not want to do that so close to the wedding. Even if a moistizer is oil free it doesn't mean it won't clog your pores since everyone's skin reacts differently to different brands (ie philosophy hope in a jar is super popular but it reeked havoc on my face).
I would dial back on your tazorac use and see if that helps first.
Hi! Harymonee, I'm not sure where you live, but I went to see an ethnic dermatologist in Chicago, for the very same problem. She specializes in skin issues for women of color. If you are in a major city, I'm sure you can find a comparable doctor.
My doctor put me on Duac and it has been working great. This past month I only got one annoying bump during my cycle, and I do notice the dark spots going away. She also suggests wearing at least 30spf daily. Which as a darker skinned female I honestly never thought we needed to wear a daily spf that strong, but the sun make spots from the acne worse.
Also, I gave up soda for lent and I think that is helping my skin too :)
If I can find her original plan, I can email it too you.
I totally feel you! I've struggled with skin problems as long as I can remember, and remedies like Proactiv and even prescribed meds from the dermatologist only made things worse (I think I have a senstivity to the active ingredients or something).
Like you, my breakouts are often hormonal and even though my skin is pretty fair, it also scars and marks very easily from breakouts. It's so frustrating and I completely understand where you're coming from! One of my biggest worries about the wedding (even bigger than how we're going to pull off paying for it all) is what my skin will look like.
But I've had some great luck with a product recently, and I'm really hopeful. After seeing the Clarisonic giveaway that Weddingbee did the other day and then reading up on the product, I went ahead and bought one from Amazon. It' was a little pricey but
TOTALLY WORTH IT.
After only four days of using this skin brush, my skin looks beter than it has in as long as I can remember. It is soft and smooth, and any marks I have have already noticably faded! I would recommend it to anyone.
Check out the consumer reviews through Amazon and Sephora -- they'll convince you! There are hundreds of reviews on both sites, and in both cases the product receives 4.5/5 stars overall. The best part is that you can get a full refund if you're not happy with it. This kind of thing definitely wasn't in my budget (as a poor grad student), but I'm so glad I splurged.
I thought I'd chime in with this recommendation since our skin problems sound similar. Best of luck to you! :)
omg thanks to everyone for your kind comments and suggestions! it feels great to know that i'm not the only one (except...i wish none of us had to deal with it, of course)
the peeling from taz stopped after the first 2-3 weeks but i think i may actually switch to every other night for a bit and see if it calms down some. taz is super strong - when i have gotten bumps in the past few weeks, its like the taz zaps them and i end up with little scabby wounds :( i assumed thats part of the healing process, and that they'll smooth out over time, but clearly gentle is the way to go. i assumed my skin could just take it after all these years of products that didn't work, but i guess things change.
i live in atlanta and dont have a derm here yet (i just moved from DC) but i'll def be looking into one that specializes in "skin of color" i know i need to find an spf that works for me too.
harmonyee - this is a great SPF (its expensive but it lasts forever b/c you need so little). it has Niacin in it which is great for dark spots and other things I can't remember. I've been using it for a month now (after moisturizing, morning only) and my dark scars are visibly lighter (I have an olive complexion so I also scar very easily). My skin care specialist recommended it to me:
I totally understand how you feel.
I've had horrible acne since I was 12, and it jsut won't go away. Nothing worked! But, finally I got an IUD, and that has cleared my skin up like you wouldn't believe!!
habibi - did your skin care specialist mention why SPF30 is good, as opposed to just SPF15? i always assumed i didnt need much SPF cause i'm dark-skinned, but the older i get the more i see the difference.
not really, just that you need more than SPF 15 b/c it isn't strong enough. Also, look for products that are approved by The Skin Cancer Foundation (their logo should be on the back of the bottle - Nia is approved). I try to use only approved SPF b/c then you know it works. A lot of common SPF's are filled with a lot of useless junk.
have you tried using a glycolic face wash isntead of cetaphil? for me, that made all the difference. I use Jan Marini glycolic wash and moisturizer. it is strong, the moisturizer makes my face itch when i first put it on. but it has done a good job of preventing pimples, instead of just treating it when it's already there. I was using Retin-A before but I don't even need it anymore.
Accutane is a miracle drug!!!
I used it years ago. However, I have considered doing it again but we are planning for children 12 to 18 months from now. This means that I don't take birth control (we aren't have sex until after marriage) and I don't take sleeping pills or any of that because I always thought I would have the most pure body when it comes to conceiving.
But birth control can help with the hormones and you will be required to prove use of two forms of BC in order to get Accuntane. That is you will take a BC pill and you will need to use condems or a diaphragm. You will be required to take pregnancy tests monthly as well as periodic blood tests to test for liver function. Okay, all this seems scary but I took it for 9 months. and my skin got so much better. In fact a doctor can tell that I've taken it because my skin is so smooth under the few acne scars I have remaining. But now I am doing microdermabrasion for the treatment and prevention of acne.
BIG FAN!!!! it sucks the blackheads right out of the pore and then refinished the skin to look so much more fresh. I wished I could have them once a week for the rest of my life.
I think Proactive is good at preventing major breakouts but I think it causes a lot of blackheads.
I am investigating Obagi, I hear it is really amazing. A friend that is a plastic surgeon recommended it and says that he encourages his patients to use it because prevention is key and it is the best. It is also expensive. However, as you know, it's your face and you are willing to do anything to help it.
Maybe look into Isolaz. It seems like the treatment I've sorted out are about the same as microdermabrasion.
Best of luck.
Hmm... Accutane screwed me up big time! I had teenage acne.. and it was sooo bad! I had to resort to Accutane and although it cleared me up completely, the drug caused my cholesterol levels to increase and I developed hypertension, as well. These are just a couple of the long list of side effects.
I was very clear for a few years until I started developing hormonal acne. Luckily, my parents allowed me to have laser therapy for my skin, so that kept it under control and kept my skin super smooth and it burned off all the leftover scars from my teenage years.
Laser is a good way to keep your acne under control, but nowadays with the wedding to plan I can't spend that much money for skin treatments. Thus, I've resorted to Proactiv which, I must say is a wonderful product! It totally clears me up and leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth. I highly recommend it!! It's inexpensive and the supply lasts for months! Good luch! :)
I used Accutane when I was a teenager and it cleared my skin up like nothing else. I was also on a contraceptive pill that helped control breakouts (think Diane 35) and Proactive. Just recently I moved to Australia and unlike the UK I have to pay for the pill and the ones that help my skin are too expensive for me. Unfortunately this has meant that my acne has started coming back. I'm still using Proactive but it's not doing much good.
I'm also getting those UGZ!
this product i use is not specifically for acne but it totally works for clearning up my skin. it's neutrogena visibly even skin polishing treatment. it works wonders.
I have been on every acne product since I was 12....my last treatment was accutane about a year ago....After the first six months my skin was crystal clear, and now....It's terrible and I am freaking out that my skin is going to be terrible for the day of my wedding. I was wodnering if anyone had any suggestions or experience with laser treatments. My skin is really sensitive to any product I use and I have not had much luck with anything Ive tried. Right now I'm just washing with dermalogica and moisturizing with Clean and Clear andor cetaphil.
This might sound crazy, but it works for me -- spend a lot of time in the sun! Whenever I go to the beach, spend time outside gardening, etc., my face clears up!
I read somewhere that it works because UV rays kill the bacteria that cause break outs. Obviously you wouldnt want to use the sun as your only method of acne prevention, but it could be something you use to safeguard your skin before the wedding.
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ProActiv is wonderful.. at least for me it works very well. What does your skin care regimen currently consist of?
Accutane these days is a lot less strong than it used to be.
However, it is not for everyone and especially not if you plan on having children in the next year.
If you haven't seen a dermatologist, you might look into it.
There are so many products out there. Not everyone responds well to one brand. But I think the less you do to your skin the better. Find a program that works and stay with it.
I will say that in my early to mid twenties I really liked Bioelements. The decongesting cleanser is amazing and less than $30, lasts for months. The oil free moisturizer is also excellent.
A little sun can also be great. But now at 31 I worry about premature aging. I went from oily to dry and still have a few breakouts so now I am doing microdermabrasion and it exfolliates and sucks the debris from your pores. But I also hear great things about the Isolaz.
I wished I could make it easier for you. Best of luck. Let us know what you decide.
I completely understand! I have struggled with acne for what seems like an eternity.
I wonder what kind of makeup you are currently wearing to cover your acne while you are out and about during the day. I realized that a lot of my hormonal acne was exacerbated by the makeup I was using to cover up my acne. While bare minerals didn't cover as much as my cream foundation, it didn't cause as much new acne.
Maybe a makeup change would help?
i had been using iman foundation stick and matte powder for awhile, but stopped about 3 weeks ago AS SOON as it started to improve a little bit to give my skin a break.
I have had bad skin off and on since I was in high school. It is worth it to see a Derm for it. I use perscription creams now and they really work.
I also take omega suppliments. They are really good for your skin, heart annnd they help keep you level headed :)
good luck!
I've never heard of omega supplements...hmm...I could stand to be a little more level headed.
Also, I have the Clarisonic system now, and I love it! It's fantastic! I can't stop touching my face. Also, I get ingrown hairs around my chin (unladylike, I know), and the Clarisonic does a good job of clearing out any dead skin or oil around them so that they are easier to pluck.
i have only gotten acne as an adult. my dermatologist prescribed a 5% hydrogen peroxide gel, clindamycin lotion, and an antbiotic. it took some time, but my skin is much clearer now. i also use cetaphil to wash my face and no moisturizer. good luck!
Yaz can take several months to start working, and things can get worse before they get better. It completely cleared up my hormonal acne after 4 months and it hasn't come back since! So stick with it... it should help soon.
I used ProActiv for a while and it worked pretty well too. I second trying the Clarisonic brush.
I also used UV rays (tanning) as a periodic skin treatment to help clear the bacteria that causes acne. It doesn't work quite as well with hormonal acne though.
has anyone ever used the oil cleansing method? its a method where you massage a mix of 25% castor oil (cleansing agent) with 75% EVOO or jojoba oil (mimics sebum and moisturizes) into your face, and then do a series of steams to cleanse your pores. ive read a lot of raves about it from acne-sufferers, but the thought of putting oil on my skin makes me cringe...
ive always consider myself to have oily acne prone skin. but the more and more i use products - prescription, over the counter, proactive, etc. - the more i think removing the oil and drying my skin is stripping it of all the good stuff it needs to glow and be healthy and i end up with dryiness, irritation, AND oiliness!
during the years i had clear skin (early 20s), i did very little to my skin and only used 1 or 2 products. at this point, my skin looks pretty washed out and uneven, and even when its oily/shiny, i often have dry patches or peeling in different areas. i think all the drying and stripping is making it over-produce oil...
i want an approach that will heal my skin and allow it to be healthy on its own. i really shouldnt be trying anything new just one month before my wedding huh? i just wish there was something that could work before my wedding...
Harmonyee,
Putting oil on your face is not as bad as it souds. And when you think about what happens when you mix oil and water, it totally makes sense as to why oil might be good.
I have used used both Yonka and DHL, which both use this idea of oil cleansing. My skin felt great with both programs, nice and moist as with lot of anti acne programs I end up with dry skin.
Extractions and microdermabrasion are much more effective with moist skin.
I do believe you have the right idea about using very few things on your face. After the microtreatments, I just wash and moisturize. The mositurizer I now use (skinceuticals) has won me over and it has oils in it.
I don't know what the answer is for perfect skin all the time, but I think I am getting better at understanding what works for me. Microderm seems to make my daily skin care routine much easier.
I really wish you the best and CONGRATULATIONS!!! your wedding is just around the corner.
Perhaps what you really need is stress relief. Get a massage and relax, you are loved for you, and as far as the wedding day goes, most brides wear a fair bit of make-up. Easy for me to say not to worry so much about the program now, but maybe after the wedding stress dies dow you can focus on finding a program that works for you. And when you do, please post.
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thanks for the encouragement mizunoheaven!
its all such a delicate balance - drinking enough water, eating the right foods, getting enough sleep, exercising, AND using the right products. i guess its best to focus on the bigger picture as im finding out what works for me.
I wanted to add---in addition to all the great advice you've received about acne treatments (and I totally feel ya there!), talk with your photographer about retouching too. I'm not talking about extensive work on every photo, but if there are a few photos you love, you can have him or her zap any errant zits completely! So no matter how bad your skin might decide to look on that day, there's no need for you to ever fear looking back and hating all your photos.
I hope it looks great though! At the end of it, your happiness will shine through anything your skin will throw at you :)
Chelseamorning -
Great suggestion.
This should make us all relax and feel a little better. Perhaps this will eliminate some stress and therefore some breakouts.
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i've had acne on and off since i was 12. the moment i hit puberty, i was a mess. later in my teens, i started seeing a derm and after a few months of a pretty aggressive topical treatment, my skin was perfect for years.
recently, my acne has returned (i'm 26). mostly hormonal breakouts before my period, but very persistant and many leave scars (i'm african american and my skin scars pretty easily). i've avoided using accutane because the possible side effects scare me and i didn't want to risk doing something drastic in the few months before my wedding (i'm definitely considering it for after though...). 2 months ago i went back to some prescription topicals and am not totally satisfied with the results yet...and my wedding is exactly ONE MONTH away!
i'm so nervous about what my skin will be like on my wedding day. i want to feel beautiful and not shy away from the spotlight cause of my skin...i just want to look back at my photos and see and feel like the natural, beautiful woman i see myself as...not a makeup-y bumpy mess :( i know the worst thing i can do is stress and worry over it...but its really hard not to. i drink as much water as i can handle, eat a pretty balanced diet, exercise a few times a week, and stick to my skin regimen. i've heard that facials can make things worse (especially if you're using strong topical stuff).
anyone else with worried about their skin on their big day? any suggestions for how to deal with this???
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