My current skin care regimen

I'm 29 years old and female. I have combination skin ever since puberty. However, I didn't get a lot of acne during my teenage years. It was like a few at a time and they would always heal somewhat quickly. After I went to college, that's when the bad acne first started. I had three separate episodes of bad breakouts from 20 to now. So, my bad skin has been with me for about nine years. During these years, I have changed my routine a few times. Now, my skin care regimen is perfect for my mature acne prone skin type.

I wash my face twice a day with the Neutrogena deep clean cream cleanser. Long time ago, I heard that for oily or combination skin, you should wash your face two times a day to remove all the dirt and oil build up. At one point, I was washing my face three or four times a day. That actually made me even more oily because the skin would compensate for lack of moisture by producing even more oil. I have been using Neutrogena deep cream cleanser for three years now and I really like it.

I use St. Ives apricot scrub about twice a week. This product seems to work better when I use it in the morning. Not only it deeply cleans my pores and exfoliates my skin, it also gives me a boost of energy to start the day. One of the main reasons that I use the St. Ives apricot scrub is that it clears up my blackheads temporarily.

In the morning, I use makeup to prep my skin for the entire day. It really helps me with my acne condition in addition to giving me confidence. I have been using the Bare Minerals brand skin care and makeup for three years. So, I have lots of confidence in this line and its compatibility with my skin. Here are the steps of my morning makeup routine if anyone is interested. I use the Bare Minerals eye cream around my eye area to keep this sensitive patch of skin hydrated and free of wrinkles. Follow up with combination / oily skin moisturizer all over my skin. This light moisturizer is ideal for my skin because it keeps me moist without leaving me feeling heavy. I now firmly believe that a moisturizer is essential for acne prone skin. I let the moisturizer soak into my skin before putting on the oily skin primer. This product helps absorb excess oil production and acts as a shield between my skin and the makeup that goes on top of it. I give it a minute or so for the primer to completely dry. My foundation color is called golden fair and the formula is matte. It is so important to get the matte foundation vs the original for oily skin. I have first hand bad experience with the original formula. After that I contour my face with my bronzer. I finish the look with mineral veil for its added SPF protection.

After I clean my face at night, I just want to let my skin rest for the night. However, I do use prescription medicine on active pimples that I might have at that moment. I use an antibiotic cream called Clindamycin to speed up the healing process. On top of that, I use Tretinoin gel to peal that part of the skin and help it heal faster. Whenever you use Tretinoin, you should always protect your skin against the sun because this medicine makes your skin more sensitive to UV damage. My morning makeup routine already has sufficient SPF protection.

I hope this routine gives you a good foundation to develop your own skin care regimen. Next blog entry, I will post pictures of what my skin looks like with and without makeup.

What are all the problems associated with acne – it's not just the pimples

A lot of people that are not affected with acne will say things like, what is the big deal with acne? Well, there are many bad things associated with acne prone skin. Let me explain all the problems that are related to acne in details. For those of us that suffer from this condition, we are all too familiar with the following things that I'm going to talk about. Get ready, this will be long!

Oily / combination skin – Acne is a condition due to oily or combination skin. There are excessive oil production on our faces, pores get clogged and pimples pop up on our skin. The oily or combination skin is usually inherited from your parents. For most cases, it's genetics and you can't really get rid of the problem from the root. When your parents have acne prone skin, you have a higher chance of inheriting the same type of skin. For example, I got my oily skin from my dad. Oily or combination skin is not all bad. Due to excessive oil production on the skin, we will not age as fast as other people.

Dull complexion and large pores – Those of us with oily and acne prone skin also have dull complexion and large pores. We will constantly develop blackheads on the nose; I haven't found a way to permanently get rid of them. It may not be possible for all I know. This is again due to the nature of our skin and excessive oil production.

Scarring – This is one of the worst things associated with acne. We might be very embarrassed with a big red pimple and made the mistake to pop them. Depending on your skin, you might end up with a scar. Some people will develop severe acne and scars may not even be preventable. These scars on our faces will forever remind us of the damage that acne did to our appearance. With various laser treatments and chemical peals, we might be able to get rid of scars with hundreds of dollars.

Emotional damage and other people's reactions – Acne damage our skin and self esteem. Lots of people look at our skin. We feel it and know it even if you don't say anything. Some people will say something to us like why don't you take care of your skin better?! We try lots of things to make our skin better. But not everything works and some medicine actually make our skin even worse. There are other things people say that are even more rude. Can you just wash your face? If it's simple like that, we will gladly do it.

Flare ups and we don't know when it will get worse again – Most acne sufferers experience sudden flare ups that are very hard to predict. You might have very clear skin the day before, and suddenly your face erupts with two big pimples. That will just ruin your day and your appearance for a while. Some big pimples take a long time to go away and you will just have to cope with it. For most people, popping a pimple is bad thing because it might leave scars. So, you can't even touch it!

Cover up – While women can conceal their active acne and scars with makeup, men do not have the same option. It is generally not accepted for men to wear makeup. It makes it hard for men with acne because your face is exposed for everyone to see and judge.

Now, I hope everyone understands a little bit of what a acne sufferers go through on a daily basis. I'm not talking about just the puberty years. Some people suffer from acne for 10 or more years. Next time when you see another acne sufferer, hopefully you won't be mean!

Bare minerals original vs matte for acne sufferers and acne prone skin

About two months ago, I made a mistake that irritated my skin horribly. I purchased the Bare minerals original foundation instead of the matte formula that I always use. Without even realizing this mistake, I started using the original formula and noticed a slight sheen on my skin. I suddenly realized that I bought the wrong foundation. So, I thought no big deal plus I don't want to waste the money. Big mistake.

My skin started to slowly but surely get worse. I noticed lots of tiny bumps on my forehead. But I am so cheap that I didn't even think the Bare minerals original formula is the problem. I guess I just didn't want to waste the money by throwing it away. Being stubborn is a bad thing! So, my skin got pretty bad with about 10 inflamed whitehead pimples on the forehead and a few on my chin.

Long story short, I finally decided to stop using the original foundation and went back to the matte. My skin is now healing and most of the pimples disappeared from my face. It's just amazing to me that original bare minerals foundation irritated my skin that much. On the other hand, the matte foundation was just perfect for my acne prone skin. I wanted to write this post so that you guys should stick with the matte formula if you have oily or acne prone skin.

Tea tree oil and acne treatment

Many acne sufferers are familiar with benzoyl peroxide. Some love it; others hate it. This active ingredient works extremely well against mild to moderate acne. I have used it in the past and it accelerates acne healing by killing the acne causing bacteria. Lots of over the counter and prescription medicine have benzoyl peroxide as the active ingredient. However, it seems to irritate skin in a very unpleasant way. In the past, I have used this as a spot treatment. It feels burning when I apply it on the skin and leaves me very itchy. A few years ago, I got another prescription topical medicine for acne treatment with benzoyl peroxide as an ingredient. It it very effective but burned my skin. So I can't use it because of its horrible side affects. I'm sure lots of you are familiar with my experience.

According to some researchers, tea tree oil works similarly to benzoyl peroxide but without the harsh effect on skin. So of course I want to try it. I went to my local Target and got a bottle of pure tea tree oil. I was very excited to find a natural alternative to benzoyl peroxide and tried it out on my acne immediately.

The smell? Tea tree oil has a very strong smell that other people can definitely pick up if you use it during the day. It's not really unpleasant to me, but just very strong. I actually don't mind it at all. It's hard to describe the smell. Some people actually like it. So, it really depends on your personal preference.

Did it irritate my skin? Surprisingly, no. My skin is extremely sensitive and very easy to irritate. However, the pure tea tree oil did not really irritate it. But most people recommend diluting it with olive oil to get your skin use to it. I was too impatient to do that!

How well did it work against acne? That is the most important question. It does work similarly to benzoyl peroxide because it dries out the acne and kill the bacteria. But not as fast. I did see improvements with this treatment. My pimple shrunk in size. It is a natural treatment for acne so don't expect it to work as fast as benzoyl peroxide.

In conclusion, I really like pure tea tree oil. It is a natural treatment for acne which is always better than harsh chemicals or prescription drugs. The part that I really like was that it didn't irritate my skin at all. I am very happy about that! I think you should definitely give it a try because it's inexpensive and readily available in many stores.

Acne Treatments Review

Over the years, I have tried quite a few acne treatments. So, I have decided to write a comprehensive list of everything that is available to acne treatments. I will then try to give you my opinions on how it works, estimate percentage of people that it actually works, cost, difficulties in obtaining it and all other information that I can think of. Again, I am not an medical expert on any of this. I am simply giving you my personal experiences and what I have seen with others. And I am quite observant of my surroundings.


Neutrogena (OTC) - This is one of the best OTC cosmetic / skin care brand that I absolutely trust. I have been using their products for years.

Biore pore strips (OTC) - Seems to work at first, but your blackheads will come back. Causes irritation for some people with very sensitive skin. Overall, not recommended.

Proactiv (OTC) - Only works for some, but all. Expensive treatment that uses benzoyl peroxide. You can actually buy benzoyl peroxide of different strength at the store.

Murad (OTC) - Uses salicylic acid as their main ingredient for acne treatment. Those that tend to have irritations with the use of salicylic acid should not even give this a try.

Birth control pill (prescription) - tend to work extremely well for some. Those that have acne on the cheeks and chin right before their period will benefit a lot from the right kind of Birth control pills. See my review on my experience with birth control pill.

Accutane (prescription) - extremely effective for the most difficult to treat acne. Last defense against acne and very hard for the dermatologist to give you a prescription. Last chance for those that exhausted all the options.

Antibiotics (many different kinds, prescription) - tend to work at first and with long term use, effectiveness will go down. Bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotic.

Benzoyl Peroxide (OTC) - works wonders for a lot of people that are tolerate of that stuff on the face. For those with sensitive skin, this will only irritate your skin even more.

Benzoyl Peroxide / cladmyin phosphate (prescription) - very effective combo gel, however will only benefit you when you don't have irritations with benzoyl peroxide. Most doctors can prescribe this one for you.

retin A (prescription) - Effective for a lot of person. Has to be used constantly, everyday to begin to achieve results in a week or even longer. Acne may get worse before it gets better. Your skin will be extra sensitive to the sun. So make sure you stay out of the sun and use a very good sun screen. My sunscreen is in my makeup so that I don't have to put any greasy sunscreen on my skin.

Topical antibiotics (prescription) - somewhat effective. Although, exactly how effective is hard to measure. I don't see the acne lesion getting better or worse. It just seems to be under control somewhat.

Visit to the Dermatologist

So, December 14th is finally here and I got to see the dermatologist. I couldn't sleep the night before I was kind of anxious and worried at the same time. What if he prescribe me Accutane? Is it going to permanently solve my acne problems? What if not? What am I suppose to do if he will not?


I went there and told him about my situation. Also, showed him my pictures at the worst time in the month where my forehead was full of red pimples. Then, he asked me to tell him my history of all the drugs/treatments I have been doing for acne. I told him all the over the counter and prescription medicines that I took; which included many face washes, different antibiotics, gels/creams and Accutane. He specifically asked me about Accutane which I told him I only took it for one month on low dose (10mg) per day. He said it's not enough to get rid of my acne. So, naturally I asked him for Acctuane. But he refused; instead gave me more gels/creams that I have used in the past. So what a waste of time!
My mom said I should not fill the prescription, which I agree. My mom suggested that I go see my primary care doctor again and see if he has anything else that will help. So we went on December 18th to see him. I waited over an hour to see him because he had so many patients. Well, it was good after all because at least he didn't say anything about it's going to go away and give me more gels/creams. He said that he thinks that birth control pill, more specifically Ortho Tri Cyclen is going to help with my problem. Come to think of it, my acne does tend to flare up significantly around the time of my period. Other times, my skin tends to heal and there are less acne. So, I got the Ortho Tri Cyclen the generic one Trinessa. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will have a beneficial effect on my skin. I will write another post on exactly how it is affecting me so far.

Acne coming back @ 26 years old

So, my acne was pretty much under control once I turned 25.  I had almost no acne except for the occasional breakout every month around that time.  However, this year October, I had some extra stress and my acne came back full force.  I had lots of small red pimples all over my forehead; they almost look like they are angry and screaming at me.  Why??  I was so frustrated that I almost wanted to end it all.  I am already 26 with acne for almost 8 years.  This is so unbelievable.  Why would I still have this problem when I am an adult?  I inherited my dad's bad oily acne-prone skin which makes me feel like I am a monster practically all the time.  I am sure all acne sufferers would relate to that.  I never felt beautiful in my life and I know it's because of acne.  My mom says so and so has acne but she is still happily married.  She doesn't know how I feel or how people with acne feel because she's never had acne in her life.  I am just so tired of hearing it will go away eventually.  OK, like when is it really going away??  Never.  Anyways instead of going on and on about how miserable I am.  Let me give you some update on the situation, I saw my doctor and he prescribed me bunch of medicine, Benzoyl Peroxide (5%) / Erythromycin Gel (1%), erythromycin tablets and retin-A.  The benzoyl peroxide / erythromycin gel is pretty effective however I am super allergic to it.  It made my face tomato red for several days plus I was itchy.  If your skin can tolerate the benzoyl peroxide, you should definitely get this mixture cream, works very well for my hundreds of forehead acne.  Erythromycin tablets was prescribed to me as well, but I couldn't take it because every time I took I felt really sick.  The retin-A just peels the skin and I didn't feel it had an effect at all.  So with that, I felt pretty hopeless.  My primary physician said that I should get my blood / urine tested so that I can get ready to take Accutane.  He gave me a referral to a dermatologist who can actually prescribe the medicine (as my primary physician cannot).  I will be seeing him on Dec, 14.  Don't know if he is willing to prescribe me that stuff as I imagine that he will say that my situation is not that bad. 
Oh, here is a little bit of background on my acne history.  I took Accutane before for just 1 month on 10mg per day.  It cleared up my skin beautifully.  It worked almost right away.  My skin was feeling normal and the acne never came back as severe as before.  Thinking back, I should have taken Accutane for at least 3 months 20mg per day for a longer lasting effect. 
OK, my fellow acne sufferers, I will update you on the situation once I see the dermatologist.

Pimples that scar

Scarring is one of the worse things in the world of acne because it can affect your skin and appearance much more than acne itself. Those with scars on the face are most likely caused by acne in their youth. A lot of scars are very visible and is sometimes hard to cover up with make up. It is important to understand by scarring occurs and how to prevent it from happening in the future. Even though there are cosmetic procedures for treating scars, it is still not that effective because it cannot get rid of all of them completely.

There are many different types of pimples, see a complete list here. Moderate to severe acne has a tendency to scar. Scarring varies for each person and the location on the face. It is very hard to whether a pimple will scar based on its appearance. But as we age, our skin tends to repair itself slower and less effectively. You might have lots of moderate to severe pimples in your youth and it might not leave any scar behind. But five years later, it is another story. Even moderate acne will have the possibility of leaving some types of scar.

Pimples on the forehead tend not to scar even when they are relatively severe. Most teenage acne occurs on that part of the face at an earlier age. Pimples on the nose have a moderate to high tendency of scarring especially when you pick at it. Pimples on your cheeks have the highest tendency of scarring even when you don’t disturb it. That’s why you see a lot of post-acne sufferers with many visible scars on the sides of their faces. Pimples on the chin usually do not leave scars but redness can be there for many months.

Pimples that are not inflamed, with no red around it will usually not scar on any part of the face unless you disturb it by squeezing. When you hands are not clean and touched the pimple, the acne itself can get infected and takes the skin longer to heal. Anything that takes a lot time to heal is more likely to scar than a minor little pimple.

Most people believe that picking an acne lesion when the white head pokes through can accelerate healing. While it is true when done right, it does have the risk of making the problems worse if you don’t know how to properly squeeze your pimples. Here is why, if you squeeze the pimple when it is not “ripe”, acne will get into deeper layer of skin which will increase the chances of scarring. Whiteheads are the only type of acne that you can pop when you have lots of experience.

Other types of acne especially severe acne (nodules & cyst) shouldn’t be disturbed. They are already really severe and picking it can cause a very noticeable scar on the face. You should see a dermatologist and ask for a cortisone injection to heal it fast.

The best way to avoid scarring is to treat your existing acne and prevent new ones from forming. For most people, acne is the worse in their late teens and sometimes early twenties. A few that are unfortunate can experience breakouts even in their thirties. There are so many ways to treat acne and lots of daily routine skin care methods to try out. What works for one person might not work for another. Acne prone skin is all about trial on error.