Originally Posted by
StakeEdward /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know, I feel like my whole face needs exfoliating. The problem with my face is that my acne is pretty bad, to the point where it depresses me. It's all over my face, not just in one location (seriously - I break out on my cheeks, forehead, chin, jaw...everywhere). Thankfully it's not on my neck. I used to have great skin in high school, but ever since the summer before college started a few years ago, my acne has flared up and not gone away at all.
I wouldn't call it severe acne, but it is bad. My entire face is red and I'm never without a breakout, & I'm terrified that I'll have a ton of scarring if and when it finally clears up.
Firstly, have you seen a dermatologist? Your acne could be the result of a change within your body. A dermatologist can prescribe antibiotics and other meds that may be very beneficial to help your skin from the inside out. If you're afraid of scarring, seeing a dermatoligist will be very beneficial in helping you before you reach that point.
Don't feel down, there's still a lot you can do for your skin. There are plenty of skincare products out there, it's a matter of finding the right one, and deciding if you may need professional treatment
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Some people can exfoliate everyday or every other day, while some people can only exfoliate twice a week - it really depends on the person and the conditions their skin calls for. I have sensitive skin and i'm still able to exfoliate everyday. I can get away with this because i'm very quick and gentle when exfoliating. It's all about knowing your skin and what products work best for you.You could start your Microdelivery every other day, and if that's too harsh, then you could try twice a week. It may take experimentation to see what your skin likes and doesn't like, but even with acne, you should be able to exfoliate here and there.
I break-out on my chin, jaw and sometimes my forehead from time to time (I used to break out really bad, but switching to all-natural skincare products gave my skin a serious makeover) and i'm still able to exfoliate daily.
I use a facial buff, and use it along with my all-natural cleanser to exfoliate my face. From experience, exfoliating washes and scrubs were too harsh on my face and inflammed my acne (I have inflammatory acne anyways, so anymore inflammation is is a no-go). Using a facial buff gives me more control when i'm exfoliating and also gives the same effect as an exfoliant without the irritation (because I use the buff with just my cleanser). If all else fails, you could give a facial buff a try and see if it works for you.
Have you tried moisturizers with AHAs? The Activation Gel in the set you use has lactic acid in it which is most likely attributing to that smooth feeling you're liking so much. Lactic Acid is one of a few naturally occuring Alpha Hydroxy Acids which encourage skin cell turn-over (causes your skin to shed dead cells resulting in smoother skin).
I use a product by Kiss My Face called Peaches 'n' Creme Ultra Moisturizer at night time, when I want to have really smooth skin the next day. It contains 4% AHA from fruits and is very gentle but effective. You can use it in the daytime also I just personally don't use it in the day as it doesn't wear well under my makeup. I actually wrote a review on it if you'd like to know more about it.
I can't say i'm familiar with Philosophy Microdelivery. If it works for you, then by all means, continue using it, but if you're finding that it's drying your skin out, causing excessive redness, or making your acne worse, then i'd stop using it and experiment with other products.
