Beauty advice, please!

Avatar for cl_shywon
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Beauty advice, please!
25
Tue, 10-18-2005 - 10:46pm

I'm getting kind of frustrated with this.


Since May, my face has been breaking out like a teenager's.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-10-2005
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 12:00am

stacy, I use body works makeup---Best stuff! I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for....fastest way for my skin to break out is to use the cheap (which is not that cheap!) stuff at the drugstore...

shywon---do you find that you get the breakouts in the same spot over and over again? or that you have scaring? are your breakouts more of a cyst than a zit? did your mother breakout well into her 40s?..this is just a partical list.... it may be time to visit a dermatologist. Your regular health insurance will most likely cover the visit(s)...and usually they will cover the medications too.

For years, I broke out and saw my regular General practice doctor who gave me no good advice. Finnally at 32 I said enough! I called my mother asked her when she stopped breaking out. Her anser was menopause! (yes it can be heriditary) I went to a dermatologist. She gave me options. Like using antibodics to clear up the acne... I went with a little more drastic of an option but it has been 6 months and on most days I don't even wear foundation...

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-13-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 12:44am

I just want to comment on the astringent aspect because I have oily skin, too. You should always buy a three step process that includes astringent, no matter what yout skin type. Skin products that are designed to treat oily skin will still have an astrigent(especially for oily skin). It isn't over-drying. It actually acts as an exfolliant. I also think it is best for people with oily skins to wash twice a day. Hence the feeling of your skin dripping of oil at the end of the day. It really is......and can clog your pores. The key is to find a gentle cleanser that does not dry your skin. Sometimes harsh soaps added with astrignents will over dry. Plus, it is okay for an astringent to dry your skin a little. That is what the moisterizer if for. It adds back in the moisture, to clean skin. This is why it is so important to buy three steps within the same brand.. It makes it easy for you.

I think, no matter what you do to your face, if you are stressed out, then it seems there is nothing that will completely clear. I am in the same boat. I work in a very demanding industry, plus I am so going to grad school. I am starting over.......at 30. Yuck! I guess the key is to try and eat healthy, which is difficult for those of us that are single and very busy. And to try to drink lot's of water. Easier said then done sometimes when all I want in the morning is my Starbucks with sugar!!!

Good luck. I hope you find something that helps!

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 8:51am
No, using a washcloth doesn't count as exfoliating. The apricot scrub will help to remove the dead skin cells but a proper exfoliating cleanser will have salicylic acid which also helps to exfoliate. YZinc gluconate also helps with sebaceous oil production. You need both the scrubby nubs and the chemicals to properly exfoliate. Not all toners have alcohol. When you buy a product, ask what's in it. That's part of the reason I will spend the extra bucks and buy at a department store - the salesgirls are pretty knowledgable. As for the Lancome Pure Focus line, you can buy it at department stores or Sephora or Filene's Basement.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 8:55am

When I clean my brushes, I use a brush cleaner sold by Japonesque which works wonders and is not too expensive - it lasts forever. They sell it at Ulta. Your hair will leave natural oils on your pillowcase even if it is clean.

One last thing - I use Clean & Clear oil absorbing sheets about halfway through the day. I start to feel my skin getting oily around then and I just blot my face with one of the sheets (they don't take off your makeup which is great) and it removes the surface oil. I tried the ones made by The Body Shop but they were more expensive and did not work nearly as well. Of course the Clean & Clear stuff is available at any drugstore.

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Registered: 07-21-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 9:48am
LOL

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 9:53am

I have those from the Body Shop, too.

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Avatar for cl_shywon
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 10:58am

I do tend to break out in the same spots- usually along my hairline.

Avatar for cl_shywon
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 11:01am

Actually, anything with alcohol in it will stimulate oil production.

Avatar for cl_shywon
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 11:05am

The stuff I was using does have the acid in it, but I don't know about the other stuff.

Avatar for cl_shywon
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 11:06am

I do have those Clean and Clear sheets somewhere....I wonder where I put them...