Acne Magazine

I have a really good suggestion for those that may have skin like mine which is a person in their early thirties who needs to address not only breakout and acne concerns, but also needs to address their anti aging concerns.  You may be able to go through a somewhat transitional phase with your cleansers and moisturizers, which is what I have felt I’ve been able to do as my skin has aged. 

It used to be that I had to use a certain kind of cleanser with no moisturizing agents or anti aging ingredients in it to get my skin to stay clear, and I find that now that my oil production has died down a bit (barely, but it has a little so I can tell I’m aging lol), I can use products now that feel great on my skin and don’t leave it dry at all. 

One such product I’ve recently purchased and really like is by BWC, Beauty Without Cruelty.  It’s a very reasonably priced product, I think it was like eight bucks or maybe even seven for this face wash, and it is gentle and has great, organic ingredients in it.  It is also a pretty generous size, and the cleanser is a clear liquid, which is best for acne prone skin in my opinion - far better than solid bar soap and colored cleansers with additives and colors, but that’s from my personal experience.

It’s BWC Vitamin C and CoQ10 facial cleanser.  It comes in a pump bottle which is great for ease of use, and it holds up fine in the shower, although I have found a bit of leakage around the rim where the pump meets the bottle, but no biggie, and it leaves my skin refreshed and not dry or tight at all, yet it thoroughly cleanses it.  Best of all, it’s anti aging in nature and has not broken me out at all, and my skin does tend to be sensitive to vitamin c sometimes, so this is a good sign as well.

I had talked about a Neutrogena anti blackhead product several months back - heck, maybe even a year ago now, it’s so hard to keep track of time these days. It’s called Neutrogena Warming Blackhead scrub and cleanser, and it comes in a tube that if you use very little with every use, it could probably last you a really long time.

I decided it was time to again try a new face wash, and yes, I’m still not out of my last one that I tried, but I just can’t seem to stick to anything lately since I love to buy and test out new products, as you well know.  This product, I’m very pleased to say, I love.  I’m pleased to say it because it’s from a well respected line of organic beauty products and facial skin care called Beauty Without Cruelty. 

It means that they make, test, and sell their products without harming a hair on an animal’s head, which is not something that many cosmetics and beauty companies can claim since the majority of cosmetic safety testing is done on animals.  The face wash I purchased is one that contains some very powerful topical antioxidant nutrients that are used in cosmetics and skin care, as well as oral supplements that help to make skin clear and glowing, kind of like the antioxidant approach that the Acnezine herbal acne pill uses.

The two antioxidants that it uses are Vitamin C and CoQ10, which is an enzyme that has received a lot of just praise in the world of beauty and skin care for it’s skin tightening, antioxidant abilities.  The cleanser is a clear solution, and it’s not too thick.  It comes in a pump, which is very convenient to use (I hate to have to squeeze a face wash out in my hand, it seems more messy and more of a pain), and it has a very clean scent too it that is not overpowering in the least like some other cleansers, especially cleansers especially formulated for acne, as I’m sure you’re all too aware. 

I’ve been using it now for about four days, and I love the way it makes my skin feel.  It’s never tight or dry after I use it, and best of all, it’s not an “acne cleanser”, and yet it has not caused me to break out since I’ve been using it.  I love the fact that it has two very powerful antioxidants in it as well, but I’m not sure how much that really matter for something you have on your face for maybe one to two minutes all together before you rinse it off.  It’s price is very reasonable, I think it was just a little over seven bucks online.   

Well, I never thought, being a lifetime acne sufferer on and off, that I would cut down to washing my face only once a day, but here is the day it happens!  I must confess, for the past week, I’ve cut down to washing my face only once per day, and that happens to be at night so that I can get all the foundation and makeup off of my face and eyes well since washing is the only thorough way to do that, and then in the morning, I just run a swab with a good toner over it a few times to make sure any extra grime and dirt is out of my pores, and I apply my makeup.

I thought when I first started to try this that my skin would be too oily or it would react by breaking out, but it didn’t.  It actually felt smoother and looked more radiant, and did not feel so tight after washing in the morning, so I didn’t have to apply a gob of moisturizer and let it soak in before I applied my SPF foundation. 

Now, I’m not saying this is good for everyone, I  just decided it was right for me because I am now in my early thirties and have to start taking precautions for areas of my skin that are more prone to fine lines, like under my eyes and on my forehead, and decided that washing twice a day was too drying for me personally.  I skip the under eye area in the morning with the toner, and it’s made it look a lot smoother and has less of the crepe paper look that fine lines can give under the eyes.

If you’re in your thirties and are starting to have to make decisions that benefit both you oily tendencies and your aging skin, this might be right for you, or it may not work for you.  I think it really depends on your skin type.  I alternate between a gentle tea tree toner (tea tree oil is supposedly one of the best natural acne treatments, but I only like it in a toner personally, all the other forms tend to irritate my skin) and a soothing botanical toner without alcohol and it works just fine. 

By the way, you will start to feel lucky that you have oilier than heck skin when you get to be my age, it really does make a difference in your resilience when it comes to wrinkles and aging, and maintains the suppleness a lot better into later age.  It may seem like a real pain and a curse when you’re younger, but believe, your skin will stay more youthful into later years than those that have naturally drier skin and produce no oil. 

They had it good in their teens due to a probable lack of acne and breakouts, but when the later years come, they will have a harder time maintaining moisture in their facial skin and keeping wrinkles at bay.  There are pros and cons to both! 

Well, I think I’ve reviewed this one before, but I’m thinking I like the regular Neutrogena Deep Clean gel cleanser a little better.  True, the creamy acne wash feels a bit better while you’re washing with it, as though it may be a bit more moisturizing to the skin, because it is a creamy cleanser instead of a gel which usually means it’s more emollient (moisturizing), however, it seems that the Deep Clean actually is a little better of a cleanser.

For instance, the Deep Clean actually washes my makeup off of my eyes as well, which happens to be a huge pet peeve of mine.  I always wonder, if a cleanser isn’t good at washing my makeup away, then how well is it cleansing the daily buildup of oil, grime and dirt that automatically adheres to my face each day away? 

That’s just my take on it though.  You could also go from the angle that if you get a cleanser that takes everything off, it could also be taking off precious protective layers that are there for a reason.  However, we are talking about me, and I have very oily skin, even though I’m now thirty something, so I’m still looking for a cleanser that actually deep cleans my skin, without overdrying.  It still seems like Deep Clean by Neutrogena is the better product out of the two….

I was using this olive oil soap on my face for a while - actually quite a few months, because I happened to be going through a very dry period with my skin, and thought more of an anti-aging, anti-drying regimen would be better for my skin which also was beginning to show lines around my eyes, rather than focusing on acne treatment solely.

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!
 

I remember when I was about 14 years old and went to the dermatologist for my increasingly bad acne.  The dermatologist prescribed me to first start washing with liquid antibacterial Dial soap.  Now that I look back on what I used to wash my face with for about a year, I cringe. 

I was washing my face with the same stuff that many restaurant employees wash their HANDS with!  Ech.  I remember how awful and dry my face felt all the time after using the stuff. 

I’m not really sure why she wanted me to use that, because I clearly had combination skin at the time, and the areas where I wasn’t as oily as I was on my chin were an absolute peely, red mess. 

I remember just scrubbing and scrubbing the red, raw areas to get the permanent dryness off of it.  I also remember the horrible antiseptic smell of the soap, and the tightness in my face after I used it. 

Later she switched me to either Basis or Neutrogena, which was a little better, but even these traditional acne soaps kind of dried me out!

Clean & Clear acne products have been around for ions, at least in my book they have. These cheap acne products, specifically geared toward teens with acne who do not have a lot of money to spend on acne skin care, were one of my first forrays into the world of acne skin care.