Looking for Recommendations for Treating Acne!

I have recently in the last two months broken out with some serious (well, to me it is) face acne. I usually have a spot or two normally but this break out has made my face look like I'm a 14-15 year old going through puberty and I am only 26!

It has brought on like small patches of pimples that don't really go away and I have already purchased and used the Neutrogena facial little revitalizer tool and it works but it's not working on the acne and I'm using a tube of medicated acne cream but it just does not seem to be working! I've been using it for a while so it's not like I've been giving it some time or anything.

 I was wondering if there was some kind of home rememdy or something that you have bought and have had some positive feed back on.

I will appreciate anything  but of course I am on a small, small budget and so I can not afford anything expensive like Proactive. Any other ideas?

Thanks.

I use TheraNeem soap. But, if you are planning on more children soon, I wouldn't use it. Neem Oil was a birth control method in the old days. I'm not sure DD should be using it, and might make her stop. Not sure what the long term is.

I bought some Clean and Clear the other day, in a pump.  It has Lemongrass and fruit extracts in it. Seems good.  My Neem Oil soap has lemongrass in it.

The Clean and Clear in the pump, I got at Walmart, and it is a green gel.

What really is needed, is to treat the root of the problem.  When I was married, I still had acne bad, and tried many things, including prescriptions that didn't help much at all.  While working at a health food store, we had many customers who swore by a simple herbal pill.  It was made of dandelion root.  I think it might have been called Ac Ne or somthing similar.  It costed $11 for a bottle.  I figured what the heck, by that time I had spent hudreds on other products.  I didn't hold out much faith at all for this product.  But by the time I was done the bottle, I was noticing a big difference!  Infact, I stopped using it, and havent used it since!  What it is is a liver (?) cleanse thing.  Instead of trying to stop them from coming on your face, by using things that may really dry out your skin (like I had done) this will treat the root problem.

Best of luck, I know how uncomfortable and embarrasing this problem is!

Thanks for recommendations Catmint. I certainly plan on having more kids, so the first idea is not good but I'll check into the second idea.

I am not sure what is going on, like I said, I don't have bad acne, never had it and I'm not sure if its the heat, I'm not eating greasy foods or anything. It's just really frustrating because my face looks awful!

I have use alot of foundation or powder to cover most of it up.

Both my DD's (mid to late 20's) started having problems with breakouts lately. They had beautiful skin when they were younger. They wanted to try ProActiv, but couldn't afford it. As one of their Christmas gifts, I bought them the little starter or sample set. I think I paid $26 for each one. It was amazing how nicely their skin cleared up.  

I am a bit older than you and still break out sometimes.  I never had bad acne but now that I am older the pimples make me crazy.  I read somewhere to put milk of magnesia on the outbreak and it would help.  I have done it the last two times I have broken out and it really helps.  You just rub the liquid on your spots and they seem to dry up and go away in a few days.  It also seems to reduce the redness just a bit. 

Hope this helps you too.

Sue

BTW M-O-M also helps with canker sores if you suffer from them.  You gargle 1 teaspoon 2 times a day and they go away really quickly.  Make sure you spit out the M-O-M after you are done gargling

 go see a dermo doctor first......could be something else all together.....and ones home rememdy might be best for your skin type....

I second the motion to see a doctor.  This could be hormonal, or it could be rosacea.  Whatever the cause, the doc can suggest the best treatment, whether OTC or prescribed.  It may be cheaper in the long run to have it looked at so you can use the correct treatment right from the start.

Other things to consider:

Have you changed laundry detergent or dryer sheet brands recently?  I discovered I was sensitive to something in Bounce, so we don't buy that anymore and my face doesn't break out as much.

Likewise, are you using a new soap, shampoo, or hairspray?  I have to wash my face immediately after applying any kind of hairspray, gel or mousse, or I break out along my hairline.

Is it time for a new pillow?

Summer74:

I second the motion to see a doctor

A third from me!

Because it's such a dramatic change for your skin it could be something entirely different then acne.  They put my son on an antibiotic for three months because of his acne.

it could be hormonal.....I have PCOS and that is one of my symptoms.....you might want to go to the doc. to make sure...

Hey, I'm 39 and I still have occasional breakouts!  What I have found that works for me is to wash good twice a day with a deep cleanser, and use a toner with salycilc acid.  (that may not be how to spell it!)  I think mine is 2%.  I also use mineral powder makeup instead of liquid and I think it has made a big difference.  When I do get the breakouts, which I think are hormonal because they usually happen right before my cycle and during ovulation sometimes, I will use a medication from WalMart that is just in a little bottle that has benzol peroxide in it.  I tried the Proactive and to tell you the truth I didn't see that much of an improvement.  I had acne so bad at one time that the dr. put me on acutane and it did help a lot but it came back, just not as bad.

DD was using Proactive for about a year and it worked great for several months,but then just seemed to stop. I bought her the Clean & Clear Advantage stuff. There are 3 different things she has to use. Cleanser,a moisturizer,and a "fast cleaning spot treatment". It was $17.00 at Walmart. This stuff seems to be doing a great job.

Maybe the reason for the outbreaks is stress related?

I was told that this works, I haven't tried it so can't say for sure...but it's natural so I'm sure it can't really hurt unless you're allergic.

PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping a nd wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

Thanks for all the suggestions you guys. I'm going to check a couple of the remedies out and see what happens.

I haven't noticed anything different and nothing out of the ordinary. We'll see what happens.

Thanks again.