( 1 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 8 2009
I'm 48 years old and have suffered from persistent acne since my teens. At first I tried to fight it, but then for 20 years just gave up and lived with it. I cringe when I see old photos of my pockmarked face. 10 years ago I was browsing an acne book in a bookstore and decided to finally do something about it. I now have a beauty regimen (more in a moment), but it's a little trouble to keep up with it. My regimen does keep the acne away, but I still get the occasional outbreak. Also, if I skip any part of my regimen, I will get an outbreak like clockwork. I got a free sample of this soap with some Oxy pads and it really made a difference. I no longer got any acne at all, I didn't get those occasional outbreaks. Also when I skipped some of my regimen, I get lazy sometimes, I didn't get an outbreak. So, I give this soap 5 stars. The secrets that I learned from the book that I read were: * Beating acne is all about prevention, not cure. Once you get a pimple, it will take 10 days to heal and there's nothing that's going to fix that. To beat acne, you must prevent any pimples from forming at all. It sounds obvious now, but with all of those products that claim to "heal acne blemishes," I was confused. * Acne is caused by oil and bacteria, and a dirty face contributes to both of those. It's that simple. This is in contrast to all of the info that claims that "no one knows what causes acne" and that "acne is not caused by dirt." For me, when I beat the oil, I beat the acne. * Acne medications need to be used anywhere you might get acne, that is, the entire face. The instructions usually say "apply to the affected area." Many people take that to mean "apply to any acne you see" but a better interpretation is "apply to anywhere you might get acne." From my own regimen: * Find a facial soap that works for you. One that does not cause acne for you but seems to help with the oil and acne. Once you find a soap that works, use it at least first thing in the morning (to cleanse ASAP the oil and bacteria that form during the long night's sleep during which you probably perspire and sleep with your face against a humid fabric and during which you don't use any oil fighting toner), and last thing before bed (to remove as much oil and bacteria as possible before the sleep period). A third use during the day would also be helpful. For me, this was a change of personal habit and made a big difference. I sometimes get lazy and fail to wash before bed. When I do that I almost always suffer an outbreak 2-3 days later. * Use an oil fighting toner to fight the oil. When you feel that oil forming on your face, reapply the toner. I found that I had to use the toner a lot more than the 2-3 times per day in the instructions. I had to use it more like hourly. For me, this was the main key in beating my acne. There are a few toners from which to choose e.g. salicylic acid and witch hazel. Find one that works for you. Overapplication runs the risk of excessive drying of the skin, but I didn't have that problem. You can get it in premedicated pads, or a more economical way is to buy the toner in a bottle and apply with a cotton ball. * Use the benzoil peroxide 10% acne cream, use it over the entire face. Best of luck!
