What really got rid of my acne?

With more than 8 years of experience with this terrible condition, I can say a few things about which products are most effective against acne and acne reoccurances. My acne is for the most part under control. I still have one or two bumps right before my period which I have learned to accept. With my skin, I have come to terms with very light acne that I am having right now. Here are a few products that I believe have amazing effects on acne in general.

Tretinoin gel - active ingredient is Retin-A (most familar to most). This definitely worked for my acne prone skin. However, it is a prescription medicine that only a doctor would be able to prescribe for you. You usually apply it at night on the acne directly and go to bed afterwards. It works by making the skin peel and making the turnover much faster. For some reason, acne won't be able to grow if the skin is in that fast turnover state (that was what I was told by my doctor). It makes your skin more sensitive to the sun so make sure to wear a good sunscreen.

Birth control pill - this stopped my horrible acne episode several months ago. I looked hideous (have pictures as proof, see my previous posts). Within the first several days, I noticed a difference in the texture of my skin. It mainly works through the hormones which is the root of acne problem. There are specific birth control pill that works for acne so make sure you get the right one from the doctor. I had bad side affects from this and am currently not taking this drug. I will only go back if my skin is out of control.

Accutane - this is a powerful drug for acne that cleared up my first worst episode of acne. This is when I was 22 (just out of college). I was desperate because of all those red bumps all over; I don't have pictures from that time. But believe me, it was horrible. I only took a month on low dosage but it started to clear up my face after one week of using it. The drug is amazing but with lots of different side affects. Nowadays, in the United States, only a dermotologist can prescribe this drug to you.  This is the last acne treatment drug that is prescribed after everything fails to work.

Dryness is not good for acne sufferers

For years, I kept my skin very dry with my facial cleanser and the no moisturizer policy on my face. I thought that dryness is essential for keeping acne at bay. Sure enough, those years I had very few breakouts. And each time I used a little moisturizer, I felt like my skin is breaking out. That routine lasted for years.  You can still see the dryness of my skin by looking at some of my old breakout pictures.
I remember about 2 years ago before my most recent breakout that a coworker of mine said that, your face is so dry, it's peeling, why don't you use moisturizer? Of course, I stood by my theory that dryness is essential to keep my skin from breaking out.

It was around last year in September that I started getting bad breakouts. I was so shocked by this and also just feeling very helpless. This is when I decided that I need makeup to cover it up. I did some research on the Internet and decided on Bare Minerals makeup. It was not only good at coverage, it didn't irritate my skin at all. I was relieved; please note that I am not associated with them at all.

With the bare minerals makeup that I purchased, the sales lady gave me a small sample of their moisturizer to try. I used only a little bit at first because I was afraid that it would give me another breakout. But it didn't and I kept using it even now. It's made my skin a lot more softer than before. I would totally recommend this to anybody.

About four months ago, bare minerals re-did their skin care line. Now the lotion is re-packaged and I haven't tried the new one yet. Once I run out of my current moisturizer, I will be purchasing the new one. I am excited to see how that will work out. Will keep you posted.