hey guys
i was just wondering what do all of you use on your skin to get rid of blemishes and impurities, i use some products such as clerisil but im not happy with these at all and other products dry out my skin i was just wondering what you have found works best for you.
thanx

[Californian]

Hello,
My husband introduced me to the greatest blemish killer I've ever come across. You don't need a prescription for it. It's available at Kaiser Permanente pharmacies. I have NEVER EVER tried anything that works as good as this. It blasts everything else out of the water.

It's in a white tube that is 56.7 G (2.0 oz). It reads "Benzoyl Peroxide 10%, Hydroalcoholic base, acne treatment gel"

I do not mess around with anything else!! This zaps blemishes in three days or less. Gone, dead, non-existent. It is THE BOMB. The cream is white in color and you rub it into skin once a day or so. It dries on skin but does not completely disappear so either use it at night or conceal it with a bit of moisturizer or makeup.

Click here for a location if you are interested.

[allisong]

I Use Beta Hydroxy Acid by Paula's Choice every other day to keep my pores clear,Asprin mask once every other week works great.. but if one sneaks past my radar I spot treat with Benzoyl Peroxide

Originally Posted by blinkz_gurl

hey guys
i was just wondering what do all of you use on your skin to get rid of blemishes and impurities, i use some products such as clerisil but im not happy with these at all and other products dry out my skin i was just wondering what you have found works best for you.
thanx

[SusieQ]

Hi there! I use a beta hydroxy acid to keep pores clean and if theres a breakout, over that I also use a blemish fighting solution. Actually both products come from the Cosmetic Cop website.

It's weird, I thought my skin was irritated by salicylic acid, so I was always using Benzoyl Peroxide acne lotions (like clearasil), but I just started using this drying potion, called D'arcy, I've seen it in fashion magazines for a long time- a lot of celebrities were swearing by it, and I decided to finally try it- it seriously dries up your pimples overnight- 2 days max! I know it sounds like I'm advertising- but I got it at www.skinstore.com- which I love. If you register, they'll send you a coupon for like 5% off- I think. Anyway, hope that helps. The link below goes directly to their page for the D'arcy product line.
http://www.skinstore.com/store/category.asp?catID=397

[GR8FISCH]

Fanie White Oak Bark gel cleanser; diluted hydrogen peroxide; tea tree oil (diluted for sensitive or neat); lavendar essential oil, 1-3 drops, in 3-4 oz. witch hazel as toner; seasalt scrub with fresh squeezed lemon juice; steam face with Swiss Kriss herbs; clean up liver/diet: cut out all the white stuff...if it's white, it ain't right; if it's fried, it ain't alive; Master Cleanser 3-day Fast; lymphatic skin brushing; drink 8 10-oz glasses of water/day; add green tea; if it's soda, it's cellulite, get over it; use skincare & color that's right for your type; less is more - of anything you put in & on your face; Mary Kay acne gel w/salicylic acid; rhassoul clay cleansing bar.

I totally agree that less is more! When I use a ton of different products- it's like I freak out my skin and it gets worse. When I stick to a minimal amount of products (usually the same brand) my skin looks its best. For me it's better to spend a little more on a skincare system than to buy a bunch of random products at the drugstore. But everybody is different, this is just what works for me. www.skinstore.com has some great skincare systems for acne prone skin= http://www.skinstore.com/store/category.asp?catID=336

[Californian]

Originally Posted by allisong

I Use Beta Hydroxy Acid by Paula's Choice every other day to keep my pores clear,Asprin mask once every other week works great.. but if one sneaks past my radar I spot treat with Benzoyl Peroxide

Asprin mask? Explain, k?
Thanks,
Ry

[Laura]

I use the aspirin mask, i mix 5 uncoated aspirin with a small few drops of water & pat it on my face & leave it for 15 mins..

It totally calms any blemishes, zits or redness on my face.. LOVE it!! Best thing EVER

[Californian]

Originally Posted by laura127

I use the aspirin mask, i mix 5 uncoated aspirin with a small few drops of water & pat it on my face & leave it for 15 mins..

It totally calms any blemishes, zits or redness on my face.. LOVE it!! Best thing EVER

Thanks Laura, I never would have thought of this. I'll have to try it out. Will I smell like aspriin? Heheh. Thanks much!

[allisong]

Originally Posted by Californian

Thanks Laura, I never would have thought of this. I'll have to try it out. Will I smell like aspriin? Heheh. Thanks much!

Ry..Asprin masks are Da bomb! Helps clear up blotchies,minimizes poors and helps reduce the size of those big mama zits that pop up unexpectedly.

[Laura]

Oh Californian, you don't know WHAT you've been missing!! Its BRILL!

My skin type has always been very very oily, with breakouts predominently on my cheeks and as a result I have enlarged pores and minor shallow scars on my checks from all those years of mis-handling the problem. My forehead, nose and chin are oily, but very rarely breakout. I use to get huge cystic acne on cheeks that would sit for weeks and tried derms, and tons of different brands, diets, whatever, with no good result. I am in my early forties. If this sounds like your skin, then here are some tips. I have just in the last year finally achieved glowing, clear skin. In my opinion, the most important things for me to maintain good skin are:

1. using an AHA/BHA gel morning and night. I use Nancy K. Brown Exfoliant
(5% glycolic acid 2% salicylic acid) twice a day. The salicylic acid penetrate into the pores and "cuts" through the oil and keeps it flowing rather than clogging. I found that there is nothing I can do about my excess oil productions, it's in my genes and cannot change that; however, I can use stuff that will help keep the extra oil fluid so that my pores don't get clogged. Salicylic acid does just that. The glycolic acid helps to exfoliate the skin on the surface so that always getting a quick turnaround on the surface. Thus, you get two important actions with one product: declogging and exfoliating.

2. using a low ph toner after every wash in order to restore skin acid
mantle (if the skin ph is not lowered immediately after washing, it remains
a breeding ground for the acne bacteria for those of us who are acne prone).
I actually purchase ph strips to test toners before i would buy. I found
that even though some toners marketed as "ph balanced" or "low ph" there
were really not. The best ph level for a toner is between 3.5 - 4.5 ph. I
persoanlly have tested the ph of two toners that I highly recommend: Reviva Glycolic Acid toner is an inexpensive, low ph toner that immediately lowers skin ph and
restores acid mantle. I like this because it is inexpensive and effective
($10 for 4oz at most health food stores). I also really like Physicians
Choice Phaze 5 Nutrient toner, but it is a lot stronger and more potent and
also more expensive ($32 for 4.4 oz). If you have a strong, stubborn, cystic acne, the physicians choice would be better. If you have mild to moderate acne, then the Reviva. I find that the Reviva is great in the winter because more gentle and less drying whereas the physicians choice is better in summer, because need the extra strength for that extra oiliness I experiece in summer heat/humidity. If
you choose to use another toner, I strongly suggest you do your own ph test as
this is a critical component for acne skin -- restoring the acid mantle by
lowering the ph after every washing.

3. using benzoyl peroxide once a day, every day -- I use a 5% gel every night. The key to this is to make sure the other ingredients in the formulation is not pore clogging. BP kills the acne bacteria and must be used ALL OVER FACE daily in order to prevent new breakouts.

4. using sunblock every day. Period.

Some other things I do that might be helpful:

-use cool to cold water always, never very warm or hot. I use to use very
warm water and this is simply not good for acne skin. Trust, me, cool to
cold will do the job nicely without damaging skin.

-I use a clay or sulphur base mask every night. I find that masking once or
twice a week is not enough for my skin and so, I do it every night. I like
Borhese Fango original mask because only need to leave on for 2-5 minutes
then wash off. But use what you like so long as it is sulphur based or
clay based (Queen Helen Mint Julep is my cheaper alternative -- $5.99 for
10oz) The borghese is kind of expensive ($55 for about 10oz, it I think).
Also, if masking every night, no need to do the full 10-15 minutes. Just
leave on 2-5 minutes and you'll be fine.

-I try to wait between product layering so that each product has chance to
absorb before putting another on top. At least 2 minutes or so.

In other words, my battle with acne is on all fronts: AHAs, BHAs, benzoyl peroxide. If you're interested in my routine/products, let me know and will post.

Blessings,
OB