Acne Magazine

So, I’ve been having some new acne breakouts lately (yes, I’m 31 and still deal with this nonsense), probably because I’ve had no choice but to load up on caffeine lately due to long hours and a hectic schedule (oh yeah - add stress to that too), so I decided to go looking on the internet. 

I was actually thinking about giving Proactiv another try (I tried it several years ago), but then I came across an ad for the Murad Acne Complex, and looked at their website. 

I was impressed with several of the before and after pictures of people who’d used the Murad Acne Treatment Complex, and I liked the fact that many older people were pictured in the before and afters, as well as the fact that many people have remarked on the fact that it did not dry out their skin yet cleared acne effectively. 

The pictures ranged from severe acne to moderate and lighter.  I’m really not at all severe as I used to be in my teens - I pretty much get the acne breakouts localized on my chin area.  Nevertheless, one of them was pretty bad and showed up very obviously, so it’s embarrassing to say the least. 

You see, when I break out, it tends to be the hormonal type where you get one big one that you almost cannot cover up any way you try.  So, in an effort to clear up my chin, I’m trying the Murad Acne Treatment . 

It comes with a cleanser, a toner and some sort of cream or moisturizer - I have to get it in the mail and start using it to give you a full review, but trust me - I will!

Proactiv has been around a long, long time, especially in the relatively short lived skin care world, where acne products can be all the buzz and trend one year, and gone the next.  Proactiv has been touted as one of the most effective acne skin care systems (which strictly treats skin on the outside). 

The latest celebrity spokesperson, as I just saw on TV, was Lindsay Lohan, who they showed in various celebrity photos wiht some acne on her chin.  She said that, like everyone else, she breaks out too,  but ever since using the Proactiv acne treatment system, she has not had any problems with her skin or breakouts. 

She further goes on to say that she loves the ease of using the Proactiv system, which consists of a grainy cleanser, a gentle toner, and a moisturizing cream.  They also look like they’re still offering the pore refining mask too - which I am a fan of - it’s the last “leftover” that I have of my Proactiv experience, and I like to dab a little of the mask on any acne lesions to help them dry up quicker. 

Yeah, right some may say “acne shouldn’t affect the way someone feels or their psychological health - it’s just skin”.  Well, it’s not “just skin”.  Let’s face it, everyone is judged by their appearance, at least as a first impression, right?  Why else would we have certain dress codes at jobs, and why else would people be so interested in aesthetics? 

The truth is, good skin is equated with beauty, not just in the American culture, but in most other cultures as well.  Good, clear skin is a coveted asset, especially in our earlier teen years and on into our twenties, thirties and forties, when acne many times can still persist, in both adult males and females. 

Some of the social and psychological impacts of the acne skin condition can include, but are not limited to : depression, anxiety, social shyness, self consciousness, embarrassment, tendency to stay at home (agoraphobia), awkwardness, and even can expand to other areas of our lives, such as difficulty in associating with work associates or even getting promoted (yes, studies have shown people with acne tend to have a harder time getting promoted), and other critical areas of our social and professional lives.

Some teens with acne tend to have feelings of inadequacy, and a severe lack of self esteem and self confidence. Some have even had suicidal thoughts, in a domino effect that having severe acne can cause (self esteem and social awkwardness is often linked to depression and suicidal tendencies.) 

So I would definitely say that yes, acne does have a psychological and social impact.  Would you agree?

Did you know that many dermatologists combine more than one acne treatment for their patients with acne vulgaris, both young and old?  The reason for this is usually that they want to catch the internal reasons (via an oral acne medication), as well as help open and cleanse the pores, and dry up acne spots on the outside (skin). 

Many dermatologists may pair a popular acne medication, like tetracycline, with a topical acne medicine such as Retin-A or erythromycin gel or cream.  This is a typical two pronged approach to treating acne that most dermatologists take to ensure they get all angles of the acne problem at the root. 

This targets the reasons for the acne manifesting itself from the inside of your body, and also the cream or gel attacks the external issues like clogged pores and inflamed skin.    

The Murad system of acne treatment products seems to have gotten some fairly good reviews from its users, and it seems the Spot Treatment is no exception.  The spot treatment is just a little tube of a cream that you dab on acne trouble spots when you need a quick fix.  It is by no means a whole treatment, it’s just for those times when you are having a trouble spot or two, to quickly dry out the area and get the sebum “mopped up” so the zit can heal better. 

Some users say their blemishes are gone in 1-2 days, especially if they can catch it early on with the Murad Spot Acne Treatment, and people seem to really like the fact that it is clear and people cannot see it, unlike some other creams which have a tinted color or are opaque and can be seen when put on in a thicker coat. 

Also, other pluses are that reviewers say it treats the pimple without leaving the area dry and scaly, unlike some OTC zit creams which can leave the area more red and dry than it was before, and make the area look even more unpleasant than when you started. 

The Murad acne spot treatment seems to work as both a day and night time acne treatment, since it is mild on the skin.  The price tag?  About $16 for a smaller tube. 

I of course, always recommend a full on acne treatment attack, complete with an herbal acne supplement, and the right acne skin care products to go with it, to fight acne both inside and outside of the body for full recovery and clear pores, with permanent benefits.

It’s official.  Diet Red Bull - at least a couple days in a row - makes me break out.  I’m currently battling a giant zit on my chin, which has subsequently broken, crusted and reddened a couple times already because I can’t seem to keep my darn hands off of it. 

Sometimes I just can’t help but drink highly caffeinated drinks, which always make me break out - because I’m really dragging at work.  If anyone has any gentler, non stimulant ways to wake up let me know! 

Obviously this means I have to cut Red Bull down drastically  - this is the second time Diet Red Bull has made me break out, so I don’t think it’s a coincidence!

Hmm…. good question. Does the fact that you have well water, as opposed to treated, chlorinated city water, affect your acne, if you have it? Well, it really depends on your well. Take for example our well water that my parents had when I was going through my worst phases of acne, ages 13-18.

Did you know, I was reading the most fascinating article the other day, about how your socioeconomic status affects the health and longevity of your skin, and can also accelerate or decelerate the overall aging process.

I talked a little about good old Noxzema Face Wash, that minty, Halls-smelling cold cream cleanser that every one of our mom’s probably used in her youth, and probably some of us too. 

I talked about why acne products like this, which make the skin tingle, heat up, or whatever the gimmick may be, can actually sometimes irritate our skin if we have acne and make our acne flare up even worse. 

Noxzema is a perfect example of this type of skin care product, at least in the way that it affected my skin when I tried it, then retried many times in my teens in an attempt to cheaply remedy my problems with acne. 

All it did was make my face worse - way worse.  I remember being disappointed too, because I thought that since it made my face tingle when I slapped it on, it had to be doing SOMETHING! 

The problem with Noxzema acne face wash is that the primary ingredients in it are all oils - which is a huge no-no for acne.  Not only that, it does not take your makeup or dirt off of your face.  As a matter of fact, I remember having to wash my eye makeup and foundation off with regular old soap because the Noxzema simply would not do it right.   

Well, first of all, I kinda think this acne face wash may be somewhat of a gimmick, designed to make you think you are “infusing oxygen” into your skin simply due to the tingly, fresh feeling it gives your face when you rub it in and it froths up. 

But, I’m not quite sure that any face wash can actually oxygenate (deliver oxygen) to your facial skin pores, making them suddenly breathe a breat of fresh air and do the proverbial “ahh, that feels good”.  Trust me, I’m not a pessimist, but I’ve used enough products to know the gimmicks. 

Take for example, Noxzema Face Wash, the traditional, cold cream consistency face wash that smelled like eucalyptus that we all used once or twice in our youth.  It had much the same effect.  You thought your face was getting clean, simply because of the “minty fresh” cool feeling it gave your face when you washed with it, right? 

The Clean and Clear Oxygenating Fizzing Face Wash says that it works best if you use it on your face before you get it wet, as it will “fizz away” any impurities.  The ingredients in the fizzing face wash are : Water, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Methyl Perfluorobutyl ether, Methyl Perfluoroisobutyl ether, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Chrondrus crispus (Carrageenan), Dimethicone PEG 7 Phosphate, Fragrance, Sodium Cocamidopropyl pg-dimonium chloride phosphate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Benzophenone 4, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Copper Gluconate, Blue 1

The product does say that it is infused with oxygen, and gets your skin super -deep clean.  It is in gel form and it does have a cool, light blue look to it, so it’s ultra appealing to many consumers I am sure. So, maybe it does work.  I was able to find a review on the product that said the person liked the way their skin felt.  It’s only about $6-$7 most places, so I guess it couldn’t hurt to try it. 

Just be careful for these types of products because while they may feel like they’re working because of the special feelings the product gives your skin, some of them may actually irritate your skin.  Just buyer beware!