Weddingbee boards

I'm also allergic to Proactiv (which I found out the hard way...), and I've found that anything gentle works really well for me. I think I have the same sensitivity to other products with acne-fighting ingrediencts as I do to Proactiv, and therefore the products designed to clear acne just make things worse for me.

I use Pond's Cold Cream (the classic variety), and it works really well. It's way more emollient than you would think would be good for acne-prone skin (which mine is), but as counter-intuitive as it sounds the acne-fighting stuff just makes my skin worse.

Good luck!

My former dermatologist recommended Cetaphil, but I never liked it.  My current dermatologist recommends plain ol' Dove beauty bars.  I love it!  

Cetaphil is awesome!  If you have sensitive skin - type breakouts it rocks.  I agree that the liquid regular formula takes a bit of getting used to.  Your face doesn't feel squeaky clean.  If you like that squeaky clean feeling their formula for oily skin, or  their bars will do the trick. 

I use Dermalogica products, and the Special Cleansing Gel for my normal skin type. I also use a daily scrub (Clean&Clear). I went to Esthetician school and was taught to wash twice, every morning and night. So I start with my Special Cleansing Gel - to get rid of the dirt, oil, other debris, and then end with my daily scrub to "clean" my skin.

I've heard mixed reviews about the St. Ives Apricot Scrub. It seems that people LOVE it, but one esthetician told us that it's long term effects on your skin is bad - that it is leaving tiny scratches on your face because the beads are rough.. but I dunno if that is true. Either way, I don't use it. Instead, I use scrubs with beads that are non-abrasive. 

I am a huge fan of Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser. I find it to be really gentle and it even takes of eye make-up.

I find a gentle cleanser is best for acne as you do not want to use abrasive scrubs that will damage the skin even further. The best thing to do (in my experience) is to use a gentle cleanser and your fingertips and massage it in really well - for a couple of minutes. Then rinse off with fresh water and pat dry with a clean face towel. Then moisturize any areas which are dry and use a benzol peroxide solution on any areas which are broken out during the daytime and a AHA or BHA (Salisylic acid) solution over acne-prone areas in the nighttime. Instead of using a scrub I would recommend using a clean facecloth and buffing the skin after it is clean. Because the areas where you have acne are very sensitive you may end up damaging your skin with an abrasive cleanser.

It doesn't have to cost a lot of money - just a little time and care!

Good luck :)

I use Dr. Ci Labo's charcoal cleanser: http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Ci-Blemish-Control-Cleansing/dp/B000RHXCB0/ref=pd_sbs_bt_19

I love Philosophy's Purity cleanser. First I use baby oil (SO much cheaper than eye makeup remover) to get the mascara off of my eyes so I don't have to scrub them to death. Then I use the Purity to get rid of my makeup. Then I use the Clarisonic skincare brush with their Gentle Hydro Cleanser. This is the only product that has ever made my face feel super clean! Then about once or twice a week I'll use Philosophy's Microdelievery Multi Peel Pads. After that I use Philosophy's When Hope Is Not Enough face serum, then follow with the Hope in A Jar moisturizer. Since I've started this routine...pretty time consuming...my face has never felt smoother. And the only time I get the occasional small blemish it's usually because it's that time of the month.  The Clarisonic brush isn't cheap by any means and I would have never bought it for myself, but my SO's mom had bought one and loved it so much that she bought me one for Xmas. 200 bucks sounds so ridiculous for a face brush! But I think if you have problem skin it's totally worth it. Plus, I also think that if you're pores aren't getting completely clean then what's the point of buying other products to use on halfway clean skin. It would seem like you wouldn't be getting the full benefits of the products.

As a testament to how good this works....I washed my face with the Purity and didn't use the brush after. I then used the Microdelivery Pads and you would not believe how much make up was still on my face! When I use the pads after I have cleaned my face with the brush it's completely clean!

I had truly awful skin a few years back, and it ended up being more a hormone thing rather a product-specific problem. I used Accutane, but a year later, the acne came back, and now I'm on birth control (Yaz) which seems to work.

Anyway, all that to say that before I used Accutane, the only product that cleared up my skin was Clean and Clear Continuous Control Acne Wash. It's in a purple bottle. I think it has something like 10% benzoyl peroxide solution, so it's a serious face wash that shouldn't be combined with anything else other than, of course, a good, simple moisturizer with SPF 15 or higher. One mistake I made was thinking that the oil on my face was caused by the moisturizer but it definitely isn't. ALWAYS keep your skin moisturized. For me, astringents just made my skin worse for some reason- too harsh, perhaps. Best of luck to you!

I've always struggled with Acne, and still do (it doesn't seem fair, into my mid 20's). However it's really been controlled really well with Aveeno face wash. However I've found that the Arbonne line of Acne wash- it's made from natural materails and feels so nice- not harsh or stinging but cleans everything up like a dream.

I like Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash. I have oily skin, but it also tends to get dried out and flaky when I use anythign too harsh. The Bliss stuff is pretty gentle and I don't have problems with it. I've also tried some samples of Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel and that seems like it might be pretty good too!