One that is a little perplexing though is that it was reported that out of respondents who admit they have shared or are sharing prescription medications, about six percent of them claimed they have shared or are sharing acne medications with someone else.  This could mean they are sharing the less dangerous and side effect laden ones like antibiotics, but it could also mean they are sharing something like Accutane, which we all know must only be used under a doctor’s careful supervision and can have serious side effects if not monitored by a doctor or taken correctly by the patient.

Another baffling one was that patients will also share their birth control pill prescriptions.  Not only is this strange, but it also seems like the people sharing wouldn’t be getting adequate dosages to keep themselves from getting pregnant, so I’m not exactly sure why anyone would want to share a prescription for birth control knowing that they are only getting a partial dosage of hormones that they know will keep them from getting pregnant, so maybe there’s something I’m missing on that one. 

Also, the concern with sharing acne antibiotics is that if one is sharing a prescription for that, they may not get the dosage or length of treatment they need for optimal results, so it may render their acne treament with antibiotics totally ineffective if they do not take the full course of treatment because of sharing pills.   

One of the worst ingredients that can be found in foundations and other makeups that might cover the entire face, such as primers for foundation or heavy powders like pressed ones that really grind into the skin’s pores, in my opinion, is mineral oil.  Now don’t get me wrong, mineral oil can be ok when it’s found in trace amounts in makeup today, but mineral oil used to be used as a heavy base for many of the foundations and makeups of yesteryear, and I always found that not only did it feel cakey and heavy going on, but it also caused me to break out.

Not only did it cause the smaller irriation-type bumps of acne, but it also would cause periodic lesions that were more serious and took more time to heal, and of course I couldn’t put two and two together until my dermatologist told me that I had to stay away from makeups that had a lot of mineral oil in them because it was a comedogenic substance that was not good for those with acne, but instead was really an ingredient that was meant for totally clear skin or aging skin.

Mineral oil should not be confused with the light mineral powder makeups of today like Bare Minerals though.  These are in powder form and are much lighter and are supposedly made to be noncomedogenic because they are so light and airy that they do not absorb into the pores and clog them like mineral oil can in it’s liquid form. 

However, there are some readers who have shared with AcneMagazine that they have not had good experiences with mineral powder makeup and in fact have broken out from it, so there may even be some truth to the fact that some of us cannot even use minerals in their powder form.  When reading the labels of your foundations and other makeups that stay on the face all day and inhabit the areas where you typically break out, look for water based makeups, and if mineral oil is in the list of ingredients, it shouldn’t be listed toward the beginning. 

Neutrogena is one product that comes to mind that is noncomedogenic, but there are also several other foundations by L’Oreal and other top names that have lines that  are made for sensitive and acne prone skin that still have good coverage but also keep the pores clear of debris and irritants that lead to breakouts. 

I’ve had some lately that are downright disrespectful, and I will not tolerate that, because I believe we can all talk to eachother like adults here on this blog and share our views and opinions without name calling or plain rudeness.  It’s a world where only people who use common sense on the golden rule and how to treat others gets you ahead, so I firmly believe we should all observe that golden rule in every facet of life, even if it is just some “stupid blog”. 

Anywho, I wanted to share with you that I recently gave the cream form of cover up another go, and has lousy results again.  Not sure if anyone else has had the same experience, but for me, it seems the best kind of cover up for covering blemishes and healing acne bumps, or even old faded scars that you want to blend in with your skin better, a stick form of cover up works better.  If anyone has any reviews on cover ups they want to share or any other tips on how to find good, effective and non irritating coverups, please share!  Thanks! 

However, I wanted to include some information here on recent health benefits that have been confirmed by research recently, which confirms that drinking coffee actually may reduce mortality rates (make us live longer), and has shown in women to be a beneficial prevention measure when it comes to heart disease.  Other health benefits are bound to follow, since the mechanism by which they think coffee, both caffeinated and decaf, works is because it has a high antoxidant count.

So, for those of us that are sensitive (our skin) to coffee that has a lot of caffeine, it may be an option for us to drink half caffeinated ( a new hybrid that contains only half the caffeine of regular coffee), or decaffeinated coffee to get the health benefits.  However, my choice would be to go for things like green teas if you’re looking to get an antioxidant power punch, or maybe the stimulant drink yerba mate, which also has a lot of antioxidants. 

Remember though, anything that has a lot of stimulants in it, regardless of how natural it is, may cause you to break out, so if you are concerned about that, then you could always just take a few sips of acai juice a day, which is a highly concentrated source of antioxidants, and I must say a very tasty and satisfying drink. 

The thing is, tobacco in itself is not so much carcinogenic (cancer causing), it’s the fact that we smoke it and pollute our lungs with tar and smoke inhalation that causes it to be carcinogenic, and it’s the nicotine that’s added to cigarettes that is what makes it addictive and so hard to quit for those who have been doing it for any length of time. 

But what about what smoking does to your skin?  Of course, smoking also may appeal to our vanity because many people see it as a hip or cool thing to do, and as a way even for some to control their weight since it can both reduce appetite and even speed up metabolism for some (this does not always work this way).  However, it also appeals more greatly to vanity to quit smoking or never pick up the habit, because the habit actually does more harm than good when it comes to your skin.

Smoking constricts the passageways that carry oxygen throughout the blood stream, and that means that the skin does not get enough oxygen.  This accelerates the aging process in a big way, and many times even gives the skin a sallow and unhealthy appearance.  It can also aggravate acne because it does not allow lesions to heal properly and makes the skin a slower healer because of the lack of circulation. 

Shiny face definitely doesn’t look good in pictures either, so you should always keep you blotting sheets handy in your purse or on your person, or you can just visit the nearest bathroom and use a piece of toilet paper or a piece of a toilet seat cover (my favorite backup) if you don’t have any blotters handy.

Now that we’re smack dab in the midst of summer weather, and the humidity is starting to creep up on us, it’s especially noticeable, since humidity condenses on our faces and even those with dry skin or combination skin (part dry, part oily in the t zones), may have to blot once or twice a day.

For me personally, I have to blot about 3-4 times on a hot and humid day, and once (at least) or twice on cold winter days since my oil glands don’t know the difference between hot and cold weather, and I’m convinced they will be producing as much oil (sebum) when I’m eighty as they do today!

It begins as a red irritation bump, and once in a while one of them will fill with puss and act like a whitehead.  I’m thinking they are actually acne, because perhaps the pore got infected, just like it can happen to varying degrees on other parts of the body but only where acne can be normal there, like the back and the chest, which women often get and men as well.

I’ve started using an epilator, which rips the hair out by the root, and it just seems to compound the pore irritation problem, and it seems that because it clears the pores of the hair completely, it might leave it more open to infection and dirt getting trapped in there, and will be more subject to becoming an acne bump.  I’ve found that the problem starts to subside after you’ve been epilating a while, but at first my legs were nothing but bumps.

You can use aloe vera gel (I recommend an organic one so it’s not filled with alcohol, but most aloe gel itself), and that does seem to help with the acne-like irritation bumps on the legs, but you may also have to let your legs adjust to, once again, getting shaved or epilated weekly, whereas in the summer ladies, let’s admit that we like to slack a little in the hairless legs department.  Or maybe I speak for myself there too

Hi,

I’m from Australia and am using a product from South African that I’m finding very successful. It is called Environ and my using it for my acne. My acne is hormonal and I’m 23 and over it! I’ve only just had this outburst of acne so it is quite devastating and depressing having gotten through my teenage years with little more than the occassional T-zone break out.

I’m finding that this South African product is helping control my sebacious glands and the consequences my hormones are having on my skin. They have a website, enter Environ into google. There are articles on the website about the products that are interesting. The rest of my skin surrounding my breakouts is so pretty, I can’t wait until my entire face looks like these patches of beautiful skin!

Remember to be patient and focus on the small good changes that continously happen and know that you will have good skin if you follow a good skin care regime designed for you acne, a good diet (if you want good skin, you have to cut down on the carby sugary stuff….am sorry but this has to stop if you want clear skin), low stress and lots of sleep….and of course water, water, water! There is no such thing as a quick fix, but the better you stick to the above the quicker the results will be and will last a life time!

I’m using this skin care with a weekly-fortnightly Environ facial. If you email them and see if there is a distributor of their product near you (don’t got to a beautician unless they are trained really well, otherwise it will take twice as long to fix you acne as most of them just don’t get it. You may know someone who is very knowledgable but on the most part, beauticians just regurgitate information that they don’t thoroughly understand themselves.

They need to know the answer to your every question thoroughly not just regurgitate information to you they learnt from a 5 hour training day). I see the rep for Environ that trains beauticians around Australia. She is extremely knowledgable and this is so important. You need to understand what exactly is going on with your skin and why this product my be helping it. She is educated about the workings of the skin and the effects of the product on your skin.

Hope this helps. If you are in Australia and want the mobile number of the lady I see, email me at tashigye@spin.net.au. Read the articles on the website and try and understand them as much as possible. Any questions, email them, they are very helpful.

Tashi.

The simple idea that sugar - just regular, granulated sugar like you’d put in your coffee or on your unsweetened cereal in the morning, mixed with a little fresh lemon juice from a freshly squeezed lemon, may help soothe and smoothe the skin is definitely one that makes sense.  Sugar possesses an exfoliating ability due it’s granular form.  Not only that, but it also does have some beneficial compounds that can help smoothe out the skin.

The lemon juice is pretty obvious, since lemons have a high concentration of Vitamin C, which is one of my favorite topically applied vitamins for helping even out the skin tone and helping to make sure the skin turns over at a rapid rate, which is the key to maintaining that fresh look that so many people associate with youth and vitality.

Lemon juice is also a natural astringent, meaning it can help tighten and clear pores, as well as help kill harmful surface bacteria.  You can use the sugar and lemon juice gentle exfoliant as an occasional cheap exfoliant, but don’t expect any serious exfoliation from this if you are looking for a something akin to a home microdermabrasion system for acne scarring or something to that affect.  This would just be a nice little in between treatment to help pep the skin up and give it a little kick in the pants toward looking fresher and more vibrant, without doing a full on treatment. 

Question (she posted this in response to the original post on this issue before)

hi. I am having the exact same problem!!!! I am really interested in this product and you say you have had no trouble with acne at all with this product?

Thanks for your post thats great to know someone feels the same way as me.

Answer :

Hello, and thanks for reading AcneMagazine.com - we love when people share their experiences with products, techniques and skin care regimens, so it’s always great when one of my personal experiences can help another reader.  As far as the Sublime self tanner from L’Oreal, I did not have any problems after using it several weeks in a row (applied a couple nights apart of course, to avoid that orange look).  It did not cause any breakouts or any smaller bumps, and did not appear to clog my pores.

Further, it did go on nicely.  It’s consistency is a bit thick, which concerned me as far as it being possibly pore clogging, but I had no problems, and I tend to have somewhat sensitive skin on my face to new products sometimes.  Hopefully it works the same for you!