Skincare recommendations

[Method]

Thought it would be worth mentioning my experience with accutane. I'm on month 3, results are finally kicking in after a dosage increase; my face is the clearest it's ever been for the past 6 years. I use to have a very oil face but no longer. I know people harp on how serious of a drug it is (and it definitely is) but I would agree that it's dangers have been vastly exaggerated by the media. The only real side effects I've had are dry lips and minor rashes, and occasionally nose bleeds due to dryness (fixed by a humidifier). 

 

I actually get a lot of shit from people asking me why I would put something as toxic as accutane into my body. My acne is not SEVERE but it's bad enough that people recommend I do something about it; but most people only recommend accutane as a last resort effort. But the problem is, over the last 6 years I've gone through multiple other treatments and routines and the results are always the same. A few weeks after finishing a treatment, or a few days of skipping my routine, and the acne is back. Got really tired of it tbh and I was looking for a more permanent solution. It's a PITA to have to think that if I skip out on even a day or two of cleansing+moisturizing, I'll break out while I know there are people out there who haven't showered in days and don't have a single pimple. 

 

Definitely not for everyone, but if you do your research right and are considering it I would recommend it. Only shitty part for me is not being able to drink while on it. 

[aymerikmd]

Thought it would be worth mentioning my experience with accutane. I'm on month 3, results are finally kicking in after a dosage increase; my face is the clearest it's ever been for the past 6 years. I use to have a very oil face but no longer. I know people harp on how serious of a drug it is (and it definitely is) but I would agree that it's dangers have been vastly exaggerated by the media. The only real side effects I've had are dry lips and minor rashes, and occasionally nose bleeds due to dryness (fixed by a humidifier). 

 

I actually get a lot of shit from people asking me why I would put something as toxic as accutane into my body. My acne is not SEVERE but it's bad enough that people recommend I do something about it; but most people only recommend accutane as a last resort effort. But the problem is, over the last 6 years I've gone through multiple other treatments and routines and the results are always the same. A few weeks after finishing a treatment, or a few days of skipping my routine, and the acne is back. Got really tired of it tbh and I was looking for a more permanent solution. It's a PITA to have to think that if I skip out on even a day or two of cleansing+moisturizing, I'll break out while I know there are people out there who haven't showered in days and don't have a single pimple. 

 

Definitely not for everyone, but if you do your research right and are considering it I would recommend it. Only shitty part for me is not being able to drink while on it. 

lol chill you are on month 3, normally the bad things come after.

i did a 40mg 4 months course, 40mg was way too much, i had barely any acne just persistent, all went good, and dont worry

YOUR OIL WILL RETURN, maybe not as bad but will return for sure lol.

i went on a second course cause i was scaring of zits coming back / that shit make you paranoiac when you see just a single little zit , after one month i stopped, i was dead red sunburn face.

stopped gradually to 10mg a day, was stil too much.

2 months after stopping i still have sometime the flushing which can occur but its rare, but one month after i stopped was the worst my face would turn beat red like rosacea if i was stressed and with the hot heat. it would happen every single day.

pretty sure its a sign of my body telling me it was enough.

enough to say that these flushing left  me with some kind of permanent redness on the cheeks. hopefully they will fade with time and proper care.

Edited February 4, 2015 by aymerikmd

[Method]

This is exactly the kind of thing I mean when I said you have to do your research. From your post I can already tell you were either poorly informed or didn't take the time to really understand what you were getting yourself into.

40mg is not that much, and the recommended guidelines are .5-1.5mg : 1 kg. If 40mg seemed like "way too much" to you while you were taking the treatment, like I said it's not for everyone, you should of stopped. I don't know what reasons you have for thinking that's a lot but if your body was reacting poorly to it then by all means stop. But 40mg is pretty much the bare min prescribed in the US. Low dosages also have much higher rates of relapse, and just because it happened to you doesn't mean it's going to happen to everyone. You really can't gaurentee that my face will get very oily again to the point where acne will become a problem post accutane. I know 3 people personally who haven't had any issues for 2 years after Accutane.

Also the fact that you went onto a second treatment of 10mg a day makes no sense at all. If a 40mg dosage didn't work the first time around, I don't know what doctor would recommend a 10mg regime. Since your body couldn't even handle that, seems pretty clear Accutane didn't sit well with your body.

[aymerikmd]

dude believe me i was well informed ahah, ive read every fucking thing everywhere for 2-3 straight months

you dont understand lol

the 40mg first course worked fine i was clear crystal for 3-4 months.



i just had a couple zits reapparing and i was scared for a comeback, i took the second round myself and asked the derm, it was my own fault, cause the first treatment was perfect !  when i mean oil return i dont mean acne.... you can have oily face and dont have acne at all dude lol. but mostly all peoples get oil return, not as but still have oily skin

and in that second round i went 40mg again since i had a superb first course, but heeeh after a month of 40mg, flushing and other redness thing. thats why i stopped.

actually a lot of doctors prescribe 10mg even 5mg, that call low dose accutane, its pretty much safer then big dose. and less side effects.

do your research ahah

Edited February 5, 2015 by aymerikmd

[Method]

Low dosage regimes are effective if you do it for a much longer period of time, but STILL have very high rates of relapse which is why they are not often recommended. They are only for people who react poorly to accutane or have pre-disposed health issues that may worsen due to taking accutane (poor liver health, IBS, etc). It makes very little sense that you were fine on a 40mg regime then, on your second session gradually lowered to a 10mg dosage. At that point it seemed very clear your body was not handling the drug well which i clearly already stated, the drug is not for everyone. 

 

If you read "every fucking thing everywhere for 2-3 months straight lol" you would know a 40mg dosage is not considered high. You completely ignored my statements of explaining why you thought 40mg was high, because ideally you should be at 1mg:1kilo ratio and unless you weigh 40 kg, a 40mg daily dose is simply not enough. It's not uncommon for people to go on 60mg (average) up to 80, or even 100mg. 

 

I'm not going to take your sarcastic, anecdotal story seriously since half the shit you're saying is either blatantly wrong or exaggerated. Accutane is a serious drug. It's not for everyone. But it's dangers are often misunderstood due to people like you who run around spewing " dont worry, YOUR OIL WILL RETURN LOL". 

[aymerikmd]

edit; took that in private message

Edited February 5, 2015 by aymerikmd

[Fycus]

Accutane is great stuff, cleared up my back very fast in the past. I think it has a bad rep but if it works it can be a godsend. I don't recommend taking it forever though.

[Poonti]

I got folliculitis (acne-looking infection, mostly flat red-ish dots) after trying waxing back on June 1st. It's been a struggle trying to get it to go away, been to the dermatologist many times and tried many different antibiotics. It was close to all being gone but over the break I went to the Caribbean and it managed to come back fully.

 

Now my derm decided to put me on low-dosage accutane, 80mg once a week which is good because I'm not seeing any side-effects except slight dry skin. It's gotten better after 2 weeks but we'll see how it is in a month. Need this shit gone by summer-time, been too long.

Edited February 6, 2015 by Poonti

[aymerikmd]

this is weird, gettin on accutane for that.

shit man i wanted to get back waxing soon too, lol idk if i feel like it anymore

Edited February 7, 2015 by aymerikmd

[Lowk]

What's a good daily regime & simple products to use for day & night for normal/semi-oily skin?

 

Right now I use:

Day:

Thayers alc free toner

Neutrogena spf 15 ultra gentle moisturizing lotion

 

Night:

Neutrogena ultra gentle face wash

Thayers alc free toner

paula's choice 2% bha liquid

Neutrogena spf 15 ultra gentle moisturizing lotion

[aymerikmd]

throw away that neutrogena moisturizer, its trash, i mean i used it too before, but spf 15 isnt enought and the oither ingredients arent skin repairing, its a ok moisturizer

[frankie_four]

For me:

 

day

Dr. Hauschka melissa / qunice day cream

 

night

Dr. Hauschka Clarifying Toner

[fredokin]

+1 for accutane. Took the 40mg regime for 6 months back when I was 14 and had moderate acne. Skin was super dry for the first 3 months and then acne started to go away before flaring up at around 5 months. Face cleared up pretty dramatically after that and whenever I had it flare up just used any spot treatment. 4 years later I have pretty normal skin and get maybe 1 or 2 pimples/week. I use neutrogena 2 in 1 gel and neutrogena sensitive skin moisturizer after I wash my face with this bioré charcoal blackhead wash(only worked for like a week) Btw I woudn't recommend neutrogena moisturizers with spf in them. I tried the oil free spf 15, it seemed to dry out my face more and caused some fucked up peeling/irritation/breakouts

[Lowk]

Whats a good acne scar/dark spot treatment?

[gettoasty]

ingrown hairs

 

what to do about them?

 

Scrubs?

 

Laser therapy? 

 

help

[aymerikmd]

ingrown hairs

 

what to do about them?

 

Scrubs?

 

Laser therapy? 

 

help

 

you probably dont shave good, get a proper shaver / razor, use maybe cleanser soap as cream if you shave with classic razor, and apply moisturizer or after shave to reduce problems after.

 

Edited February 11, 2015 by aymerikmd

[gettoasty]

I get it not around my shaving area. My shaving is fine.

 

It occurs along my lower cheek where I pluck my hair. Every now and then I get bumps and they grow sore. After picking at it I discover its a hair follicle buried beneath. iT'S REALLY ANNOYING...

 

It's actually something I don't understand...I have whiskers but cannot grow a full beard. fml

[Fycus]

As long as your skin is well moisturized, you exfoliate, and you shave with a non-electric shaver, and do not pull your skin while you shave, you should be fine. Ingrown hairs can happen for the following reasons:

-Touching your face (I cant stress this enough, depending on the study its been reported that people touch their face 400+ times a day on average. This is horrendous for acne, ingrown hairs, blackheads, getting sick, etc etc) Even if something hurts or is sore don't touch it until you can sterilize your hands.

-Shaving with an electric shaver

-Dry Skin, ie you do not moisturize enough or use the wrong moisturizer

-Failure to exfoliate (Removes dead skin cells)

-Acne is inflammatory and infected follicles may lead to ingrown hairs. Keeping skin clear should also help prevent them 

-Genetics (Curly or coarse facial hair)- this is literally the only thing that is hard to correct, generally speaking the best way around this is to never shave too close. Following the other best practices should help prevent this as well

[gettoasty]

Probably point 3,4 and 6 apply to me.

 

I shave with a wet badger brush with cream (damn, so soft and smooth to apply). Non-electrical razor, short/small strokes. I don't get bumps anymore above my lip or chin. It is the uncommon areas that I do not shave, which is bothersome. Why would it even happen I do not know. 

 

When you say exfoliate do you mean an actual scrub? 

 

My only regiment right now is Paula's Choice face wash and BHA liquid exfoliate 2% that I use for both day and night.

 

No lotion (too heavy, cannot find a right one that is clean ingredients), and no sun screen (I work in a office and bring my own lunch, and between commuting and weekends, don't get out much)

 

I've been told I have curly hair that is also course (former is from my dad, latter is from my mom). I can see that my problem has more to do with hair follicles curled up. 

[aymerikmd]

word, i dont really get ingrown hairs, but ive recently bought a really good electric shaver on sale, philips 3D sensotouch,  and i though to myself some time after, why did i bought that, normal blade shaver is so much better for the skin, less irritation and more good as a matter of exfoliating the skin.

im dumb

Edited February 13, 2015 by aymerikmd

[Fycus]

No lotion (too heavy, cannot find a right one that is clean ingredients)

 

This is probably 50% of your problem. You need to add a lotion to your regime, even if you don't think you need it. Try something light like malin and goetz vitamin e lotion and applying less than a dime to your face. I literally put the smallest amount on my finger and rub it in, usually gets enough coverage to keep my skin moisturized. 

[gettoasty]

Thanks, will try it out.

 

I always feel like I need a lot b/c my skin is that dry. If I put dime size, it looks like I have to reapply a few hours later. That looks when your face is shedding... =S

[aymerikmd]

i would prefer my face dry then the combination oily thing i have atm

[gettoasty]

^You ever try changing up your diet? 

 

I avoid eating out nowadays b/c it is hard to tell what ingredients there are. I end up being that one guy who asks for the binder at The Counter to make sure what's what when I put my burger together. It's kind of bad especially with friends and colleagues.

 

I've basically cut dairy out for about 3+ years and have seen my skin much better than when I was younger. But perhaps the latter had a lot to do with puberty, too. I also avoid greasy food. I had Bon Chon for the first time on Super Bowl Sunday with beer. I immediately had a big red bump on my chin for 2 weeks (it is almost gone now as of today).

 

If my diet gets messed up, which IMO causes irregular bowl movements, I can tell when I breakout. If I have normal bowl movements usually it's fine. I think it's pretty simple idea; your body has to dispose of the poison and waste. Otherwise, your health is going to react in some way.    

 

Granted, nowadays stress probably has some part in this all in place of puberty. Just got to be mindful if you got sensitive skin like me. If you slip up, prepare yourself for a few bad days/weeks.  

[aymerikmd]

i have sensitive skin but i dont have any acne, and rarely breakout.

i just have oily skin, and yeah ive eat good since long, cut out dairy since like a year. still have some cheese sometime but really rare. no milk at all. and i never really eat at fast food or anything, and try to eat my veggies/ fruits everyday.

and i drink 2 green tea a day.

it didnt decrease my oil production.

Edited February 14, 2015 by aymerikmd

[gettoasty]

You think it is hormonal? 

 

Been thinking about it for awhile since getting into lifting, about my own hormones and whether it is main cause of my skin problem, too.

 

The thing is I choose the cheapest health plan @ work every year and have not done the research yet to see how expensive it would be to see a good endocrinologist. 

[conqueror]

I get it not around my shaving area. My shaving is fine.

 

It occurs along my lower cheek where I pluck my hair. Every now and then I get bumps and they grow sore. After picking at it I discover its a hair follicle buried beneath. iT'S REALLY ANNOYING...

 

It's actually something I don't understand...I have whiskers but cannot grow a full beard. fml

 

...why are you plucking hair on your cheek?

[gettoasty]

I have whiskers 

 

Like I said I can't grow a full beard like this:

 

It's literally a small region on both sides of my face the size of my thumb. I think I am scared to shave it b/c of ingrown hairs. Area there is sensitive. Plucking is cleaner and removes the entire hair follicle. 

Edited February 15, 2015 by gettoasty

[wahwho11]

which gives more ingrown hairs; shaving or plucking?  i thought plucking is a pretty good chance for ingrowns while shaving against the grain is why most get ingrowns.

 

anyways you should really moisturize.  i started adding it to my simple regimen and it definitely improves the look of my face.  and what fycus said; try not to touch your face.

Edited February 15, 2015 by wahwho11

[gettoasty]

I purchased the moisturizer already. Should arrive soon.

I stopped touching my face awhile ago throughout the day. I don't use napkins or handkerchief at restaurants (I try not pig out and take smaller bites).

I thought plucking would actually alleviate ingrown hair. More so, if done long enough would eventually stop the hair growing. Shaving you're not getting at the root but just the surface. I only shave with the grain. Tried against before and though it was smoother caused more bumps :/