Tip Of The Day: Adult acne (aka zits plus wrinkles) is not cool. In fact, it’s downright off-pissing. However, there are ways to treat those breakouts without creating further wrinkles or dry patches. I’ll share what works for me, if you share what works for you.
Tip For Tomorrow: I have very big news. News SO BIG I had to wait until Friday to share it with you all. You know, so you’d have the long weekend to fully appreciate and soak up its AWESOMENESS. Tune in tomorrow for the resolution of this dramatic cliff-hanger.
Further Elucidation Of My Cheap Deal: When I was a teen, my skin (on my face, my back and backne was a whole other story) was fairly decent. I’d get the occasional blemish, but nothing too terrifying, or that couldn’t be covered up with judicious amounts of makeup.
Then? I hit my mid-twenties, and my skin went to hell in a hand-basket. Nowadays, I have huge patches of discoloration – caused by the birth control pills I take to clear up my backne, proving you really can’t win – blackheads, whiteheads and wrinkles.
For awhile I used the ProActiv program. I completely recommend it for people in their twenties or younger who have stubborn breakouts, but not full-on stem to stern acne. For those of you with hardcore acne, the kind that can leave permanent scarring, you need a dermatologist and Acutane.
My huge problem with ProActiv, and one of the reasons why I stopped using it, was not (oddly enough) the price tag. Sure, it’s expensive, but it works. It also, in case you didn’t know, stains the HOLY CRAP out of every piece of fabric it comes in contact with. Pillowcases, washcloths, shirts, you name it, it will bleach the material out instantly. So BE CAREFUL. You’ve been warned.
But the staining wasn’t my huge problem, either. Once I hit the magical age of thirty, ProActiv started drying out my skin, causing redness, irritation and dry patches. I tried using it just on my T-Zone, but even those areas started suffering the wrath of ProActiv’s key ingredient – benzoyl peroxide.
Benzoyl peroxide, the active ingredient in oodles of acne treatments, is great if you have young skin, or skin that’s not easily irritated. However, as you age (and it happens to us all), you may find as I did that your skin becomes more sensitive to certain chemicals. Never fear, adult acne sufferers! There are two great alternatives that work just as well. And neither is particularly expensive.
The first is Salicylic acid. I first hear about this stuff back in the early 90’s when I read the active ingredients list in my uncle’s – wait for it – adult acne cream. Seems the Powers That Be in skin care have always known Salicylic acid works best for older skin. And as more and more folks over thirty continue to break out, finding products with Sa is very easy, and downright cheap.
Case in point, I just bought this for $3.04 at Target:
Noxzema – a classic in the arsenal against bad skin. If the smell of Nox brings you back (painfully) to junior high (as the smell of Polo and Drakkar do for me), then by all means, use another product. Neutrogena, Clean and Clear and Oxy all have gels/pads/washes/what-have-you with Salicylic acid instead of benzoyl peroxide. But the Noxzema Anti-Blemish pads are the cheapest thing going, and they have the added benefit of exfoliating your skin when you use them.
The second, slightly harder to find ingredient in the war on zits is sulfur. Yes, sulfur, the stuff that smells like rotten eggs. According to the dermatologist I saw once back in 1997, sulfur is the best at drying up zits and blackheads. You can get sulfur products from a pharmacist with a prescription, but that can get spendy.
You can also find sulfur in my all-time favorite cheap skin care product – Queen Helene’s Mint Julep Mud Masque. One huge tube will set you back a whopping $3.00 plus tax, and it will last for years. Be sure to check out the forth or fifth ingredient listed on the tube when you buy it. It’s sulfur, baby. Take THAT, overpriced acne treatments!
So now you know what works for me, share with the group – what acne stuff do you use, if any?
5 Comments
My most favoritest soap in the whole wide world, for my face, is Grandpa’s Old Fashioned Oatmeal Soap. It doesn’t dry my skin and doesn’t leave it oily either. I love it! AND it’s cheap! I buy mine at Lakewind’s, but I think Whole Foods carries it, too. Or you can get it on this website http://www.houseofnutrition.com/010486007073.html
Seriously, try it.
I’ve never tried that Noxema acne pad. I had to stop using the cream, since I started getting sick from it. As I neared the end of my 30s, my former esthetician advised me to get acne treatment products without benzyl peroxide (just as you mentioned beneficial to us “older” folks, lol). I’ve been using Clearasil’s Stay Clear Daily Pore Cleansing pads, which has 2% salicylic acid. It seems to work well for *me*, after cleansing my face. Yet, the Acne Free Repair Lotion I also occasionally use has benzyl p. Somehow, it all still peacefully co-exists on my face. Go figure. My mild acne scarring has diminished, too. I don’t know if my regimen would work for others. Maybe I’m just lucky.
P.S. Forgot to mention the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I use it often, and it adds to the war on zits! Thanks a ton to Cheap Chick for mentioning it a long while back. She may have spoken of it before then, but I wasn’t aware of the product. It SO rocks, AND is C-H-E-A-P. It’s about $4 at my local Walgreen’s. But if you buy it in a 12-ounce jar at Sally Beauty Supply, you get more for your money.
Ok, I think I’m done now.
It is good to know about that sulfur stuff, as I am deeply allergic to it.
I was visiting the State Fair today, and was reading some info in the bee & honey section of the horticulture building. It stated that honey can be used as an acne treatment! I’d never heard this before, but if it’s true, then it would definitely be a cheap and natural solution. I’ve been looking around the internet to get more info– like does it need to be raw honey or just any honey? But I’m intrigued!