Trainergrl

I used to have such bad acne after I graduated High school it was ridiculous, and the fact that my first Dermotologist was an idiot didn't help. I tried everything, soaps creams you name it and it all added to the problem. It turned out that I had hormonal acne. Going on birth control drastically changed my skin. But when I didn't have health insurance anymore I had to find another way to keep my hormones balanced and my skin clear... There are natural ways to balance hormones for both women and men, it's just a matter of looking online to find what's best for you (as well as consulting your doc about what's ok for your body). Drinking soda (and other products high in sugar), ingesting foods high in salt (especially deli meats) spicy foods, and over-eating all contribute to bad acne. One with acne should look into hair, skin and nail vitamins, minerals like zinc, amino acids (since they help your body repair cells including skin!) like methionine which is aimed at disorders of the hair and skin (best broken down with vitamin B and available at Vitamin Shoppe), certain herbal combinations (Dragon Herbs explains different combinations and what they are used for) and Collidial silver. It also boosts your immune system so you really can't go wrong (and available at Vitamin Shoppe too). Stress and lack of sleep are detrimental to skin health! Don't squeeze your pimples, it breaks bonds under the skin and around the pimple which forces pimple matter into new areas under the skin and makes it bigger! (And not to mention more inflamed!) Remember beautiful skin comes from the inside!!! Drinking lots of water helps too!

As far as washing my face goes I have found that Dawn and Palmolive dish soaps that "cut grease" (not the Palmolive oxy clean line tho it's too strong) have worked the best for me. At first it does dry out your skin but after your skin becomes accustomed to the soap, you don't need lotion right away to keep your skin soft. Speaking of which, I don't use any special lotions either... Just baby sunblock or any other non-greasy suntan lotion (Banana boat products have been the best for my skin) For on the spot pimples I use a half of a bottle of water that I mixed with fine Sea Salt crystals (available at any grocery store). I dip a Q-tip into the extremely salty water and put the Q-tip onto the pimple. I hold it there until that spot is numb. I do this at least twice daily until its gone. Usually if I take care of it early enough it's gone by the next day or at least smaller. Good luck and hopefully what has worked for me can help you!