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.

Anti-wrinkle care for oily, acne prone skin??

For every woman, anti-wrinkle care is essential. Yes, even for those that have acne prone skin. Those that still have moderate to moderate severe acne should not buy any anti-wrinkle products until most of your active acne has been taken care of. However, those with oily or acne prone skin that have their conditions more or less under control should get some anti-wrinkle care products.

So, what is most essential? Anti wrinkle eye cream is the most essential. If you don't know already, the skin around your eyes are the most fragile and sensitive. You should take care of this area well because wrinkles around your eyes are going to show your age or make you look older. This area is usually not affected by acne. From what I have seen, even for people with the most severe acne, the area around the eyes remains clear. You should use an anti wrinkle eye cream as soon as you turn 25 if not sooner.

What about the rest of your face?? Fortunately, those that suffer from acne problem do not have the same problems as other women when it comes to wrinkles. Even though oily skin over lubricates the skin, it tends to keep it young as well. Most people with oily skin tend to look younger. So, do we still need any anti wrinkle anti aging products? Yes and no. For those that are moderately oily, you can use a very light (water based) moisturizer to keep the wrinkles away. No need for those expensive anti wrinkle cream that most brands sell. Those really expensive creams that target wrinkles are for those with dry skin.

Your neck is an important part that you should not neglect. Your neck can show your age as well. You should apply moisturizer daily to your neck to take care of it well. This area is more prone to aging because this area is not as oily. You should use a generous amount of moisturizer on this area to keep it moist. Keeping your skin hydrated is the best way to avoid wrinkles.

Acne scar before and after retin-A (Tretinoin) treatment

I have some acne scars from years of suffering with acne. No surprise, most people have a lot more scars than me. I am lucky because my skin healed pretty well. However, I still have scars on my face that I am aware of. I had a very bad acne episode almost one year ago and you should take a look at those pictures because they are horrible (but I recovered, so there is hope for everyone). Since I had that episode, my family doctor prescribed Tretinoin for my skin.

Not only does it help with acne, it also helped a lot for my scars. It is amazing that most of my rolling scars have disappeared. I have a before and after photo to showing you the difference. My prescription is Tretinoin 0.025% gel. I am sure there are different concentrations of this stuff on the market. This drug works by making your skin peel.

I suspect that this drug will only help with the rolling scars because my little ice pick scar did not look any different. I guess I will just have to deal with that small scar on my face. Anyways, I have already used this drug continuously for about 3 to 4 months. My rolling scar in the picture on the side of my face were there from 7 to 8 years ago. I am very pleased with the results because I haven't seen anything that worked so well with minimal cost and side affects. You should give this treatment a try if you haven't already.

Last thing, when using retin-A products (Tretinoin), protect your skin well from the sun because it makes the skin more sensitive to UV-rays. Use a SPF 30 sunscreen for your face at all times even indoors because even short exposures have bad effects on your skin. I hope everyone can get rid of all their acne scars because acne scars are even worse than acne itself. It constantly reminds us of how much we suffered in the past.

Will keep you posted on other information I know about acne and acne treatments, check back often!!

Before (not a very good picture of the scars because I didn't believe anything can get rid of them, didn't want to take photo of these bad acne scars, however you can see a little bit of rolling scars beneath the acne itself).

After (note the better texture, looks like it's from different side, but it's the way the photo is taken).

My current situation with acne

My acne is more or less under control. It is not possible to get rid of it for good but it is largely under control. I stopped the birth control pill because having light to moderate upset stomach at night is very bothersome. I will only get on it if it's absolutely necessary again.

My cheeks are clear. My jawline is clear. My nose is clear. I have occasional small pimples on my forehead. However, my forehead is always a problem area for me in the past. So, I am pretty satisfied with just a few zits here and there.

My current products, tretinoin gel 0.025% on acne, erythromycin tropical gel USP, 2%, Bare minerals moisturizer and makeup and Neutrogena deep clean cream cleanser. No oral medicine is taken at this point. I must say that this routine works pretty well for me. For the first time in years, my skin is actually very soft to the touch. Almost unbelievable to me!! This is especially thanks for daily applications of the Bare minerals moisturizer.

Here are a few pictures of my face from different angles. Note the redness is due to spider veins.

Neutrogena Transparent Bar Acne Prone skin Formula Review

Used the Neutrogena Transparent Bar for Acne prone skin for many years in the past. I am not currently using this (replaced with Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser, better for my more mature skin). When I first started using this almost 5 years ago, it was recommended to me by a dermatologist.

Benefits: good for teenage or very oily skin. Tends to get rid of oil and keep it at bay. Did not cause any irritation.

Side-affects: Leaves skin very dry and sometimes flaky.

Best for: teenager with very oily skin or adult with very oily skin.

Overall recommendation (out of five stars): 3 1/2 stars. I will only recommend this product to you if your skin is so oily it is almost unmanageable. This product will definitely help you get rid of some of those unwanted oil on the face.