I have Acne which Im using Ovace for in the day and Retin A at night, and my pimples seem to be clearing up, however my face is so dry and flaky I cant stand it and makeup is totally out of the question because of this, I mean as soon as I get my flakes off my face and mosturizer on its back again, water makes it feel like my skin is going to crack.. Im going to meet my future inlaws for the first time next week, and I wanted to know if anyone knows of a good mosturizer that helps this problem without causing excess oils.. I currently use Cetaphil... Any info is appreciated.
for some reason cetaphil doesnt react well with certain people. for acne prone skin (thats me) and i think i have tried every mousturizer out there, curel ultra healing lotion is the only thing that has been truly awesome for me! it sounds like you have the same problem that i did, and when your skin is that dry it actually causes your face to break out more. im sure you have heard to never use a scrub on your face when your skin is that dry, and thats very true. however, you need to rid your face of the flakes to rid yourself of the acne. so i finally found the perfect solution to my problem(thank god!) i have been using loreal microdermabrasion scrub(but not the mousturizer that comes with it)and it leaves your face so smooth and soft and does not dry your face out in no way because it is not a cleanser. it just removes the dead built up skin from your face! there are other threads on this board about this product that you should go back and read, it really is some good stuff and i am so happy that i found it. i was scared at first to try it too, because i have had so many bad experiences with other products, but you really should try this because it sounds exactly what you need. good luck! oh almost forgot, i use this am and pm after i wash my face, then apply differin at night, and mousturizer am and pm.
The product (found in local drugstores in the red boxes) called AHA Enhanced Creme, by Alpha Hydrox is GREAT for acne AND dry skin. It totally calms the skin when you get flare up and also soothes it when it gets dry. I even use it on my hands when they're dry and cracked - its an AMAZING product.
I also use Purpose for everyday moisture - I love that too.
I have acne/dry skin too. My dry skin is what caused the acne. And guess what caused the dry skin? Skin products. Every single kind. You name it. Face washes and moisturizers and astringents and soap. For 10 years I didn't realize that my skin is too sensitive to use anything on it, including washing my face. My skin is basically allergic to everything. You should make sure that you don't have the same problem so you won't have to go through ten years of suffering like I have. Now since last summer I don't wash my face (just splash on cool water) and here lately I've been using jojoba oil and Vitamin E oil in a 4 to 1 ratio mixed in an amber bottle with a dropper. I've been seeing improvements in my skin. I have to completely heal the dry skin. Then the acne will go away. I'm almost positive this is going to be my ultimate cure with the results I've seen in the last few weeks. And never again will I wash my face or apply moisturizer.
Make sure you don't have a sensitivity to all skin products like me. Cause if you do and your skin is drying out then that is what is giving you acne in the first place.
Hi Denise98,
Ever tried aloe vera gel ? It works miracles for dry skin. As for your acne, have you tried some homemade remedies? Most people think it's time -consuming, and they maybe are, but they worked for me.
I'm worried that my dry,sensitive skin could be causing more spots.I've had dry skin since roaccutane.The thing is that i don't know how i could not use products on my face as i need to wear make-up and so i obviously need to wash it off
I have really dry skin and acne and I have used a really good product called Udderly Smooth Udder Cream. It's really cheap (less than 2 bucks at the wall mart) because it's used for cows udder parts! A dermatologist recommended it to my boyfriend. It works really fast too.
How do you know if you are sensitive to cleansers and moisturizers?
The way I knew was immediately after you wash your face it becomes tight, feels like all the moisture has sucked out, becomes inflamed and you begin breaking out worse in acne. If your face is constantly dry and flaking washing it will only make it worse, causing the skin to produce more oil to compensate ,thereby giving you more acne.
Once you stop washing you will continue to break out badly. Your skin has become used to using the harsh products and suddenly it is denied that. It's kind of like your skin freaks out for a while, not knowing what is going on. Wait 2-3 months. If you start seeing more improvements than you ever did while washing and moisturizing then you know that's been the culprit all along.
I however, improved, but then basically stopped improving. Not getting any worse of course, but not getting any better. That is because I'm trying to heal 10 years worth of damage. Once I unclog the dry dead skin from my pores and heal all the flakiness, the acne will heal too. Using the mixture of jojoba oil and vitamin E oil is definitely helping me. But I've got a long way to go. The blackheads are rising to the surface as acne, very slowly, but that's the only way to get rid of them. The acne that was already there as actual acne (pimples,not blackheads) is healing. My scars are slowly disappearing too. My skin is smoothing out. Little tidbits of skin are no longer flaking. The rest of my skin is majorly flaking like it always has, but I've only been using the jojoba oil/vitamin E oil for a week and a half. I was using just jojoba oil alone for six weeks or so. Saw some improvements. Soon as I switched to the combination of jojoba oil with Vitamin E oil I've seen immediate improvements. I use them in a 4 to 1 ratio mixed in an amber bottle with a dropper. I hope this helps for anyone who thinks their skin products are the culprit and wish to cure their dry skin/acne.
Someone else said on this board that they couldn't stop washing because they wear makeup. It is true I don't wear makeup. I haven't been able to in years because it really showed up the flaking on my face. Also I believe I am just as allergic to makeup as I am to soap, cleansers, and moisturizers.
For anyone who wants to try the jojoba oil/vitamin E cure I suggest to stop wearing makeup. It will probably only hinder you from the results. I know, easier said than done, right? But at least it will give your skin a rest and stop clogging up your pores. I would at least stop wearing the foundation and powder. Eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick should be fine.
In my case, I actually look better without makeup. That's how bad my skin is flaking wise. But at least now I don't have an oily T-zone. The jojoba oil/vitamin E oil has cured me of that.
I know exactly what everyone is talking about with the flakiness so bad that you cant wear makeup and I too actually look better without it I mean I want to wear it like the rest of the women population out there and I hate to go out because I feel I can never look as good as everyone else because my skin suck so bad.. I just hope my face will finally calm down for once in my life Im tired of fighting with it.
What do you mean by mixing jojobo oil and vitamin E in a 4 to 1 ratio? What does a 4 to 1 ratio mean. Does it mean 4 drops jojobo and 1 drop vitamin E or do you mix it with water? I too have dry skin that is flaky but have mild acne as well. When I wash my face it is red and inflamed and looks horrible? any advice is greatly appreciated.
Let's say you have an empty 1 ounce amber bottle with a dropper. For every 4 dropper-fulls of jojoba oil add 1 dropper-full of Vitamin E oil. This is how I started out: I put in 32 dropper-fulls of jojoba oil (it fills about halfway up the dropper). Then I put in 8 dropper-fulls of Vitamin E oil (be careful here because the dropper can suck up more vitamin E oil than jojoba so it will fill up the dropper more than halfway...make sure you disperse the rest back in your vitamin E bottle...basically, what i'm saying is make sure the dropper-full is at the same level as it was for the jojoba oil.
You just have to do the math for how big a bottle of this mixture you want to make. For one ounce bottle I did 32 jojoba and 8 vitamin E (because you're dividing by 4)
Now I'm using a 4 ounce bottle because I'm using the stuff on my whole body now. So I have to use a real measuring cup and pour in both liquids and mix it up in there. I pour in 4 ounces of jojoba oil, then 1 ounce of Vitamin E oil. Mix that up. Pour into my 4 ounce amber bottle, then pour the rest into a smaller bottle. Make sure you shake up the contents in the amber bottle. It must be completely mixed together.
Right now I have 2 four ounce bottles and 1 one ounce bottle at all times. I buy both jojoba oil and vitamin E oil in bulk on the internet. I also bought the bigger amber bottles on the internet. You can buy the one ounce amber bottles easily at most health food stores.
Be careful what Vitamin E oil you buy. It must be pure Vitamin E oil. As pure as possible. Some bottles will trick you. Check the ingredients. If it has other stuff added like mineral oil and other essential oils, don't buy it! Real Vitamin E oil is very thick and syrupy and clear.
I buy Jason 32,000 I.U. Vitamin E oil. The brand of jojoba oil I buy is called Now Jojoba Oil 100% pure. I get that in a 16 oz. bottle. Lasts a long time. Make sure your jojoba oil doesn't have any other ingredients added either. If you buy from the internet you can buy in bulk and save a lot of money. At healthfood stores you'll be buying very tiny bottles of jojoba oil and vitamin E oil, and you'll be spending a fortune and running out of the stuff fast. I don't use lotion anymore, even for my legs. I just use the jojoba/vitamin E and am seeing great results on my body. The acne on my shoulders and upper back is disappearing, and my dry skin is healing and becoming so soft.
My face is seeing good results too, although I've got a long road ahead of me due to 10 years of damage. But I'm optimistic with this mixture! I call it my potion!
I hope this helps you out. Let me know if you have any more questions.
I agree with everything people are saying here and want to add the caveat that you really need to fight the temptation to overdry your skin. When I was young I used to use all sorts of harsh products on my face, especially on my chin where I am particulary prone to cystic acne. I knew it wasn't good for my skin, but felt like I'd rather have wrinkles than acne. Now I'm thirty eight and I have very damaged skin in addition to cysts! Find a good moisturizer (keep trying until you find one that works) and use it religiously.
thanks for clarifiying the 4 to 1 ratio I was asking about. A couple more questions though. Is it ok to use the jojoba/Vitamin E mixture on your face if you have bumps/blemishes or some form of acne on your face? will the vitamin E clog my pores? Or is the jojoba/vitamin E mixture only good for people who have really dry skin. Because mine is dry in some spots and oily in others but I have small bumps (which I am sure are a form of acne) pretty much all over my face but my forhead is oily and very bumpy. I have tried numberous creams, moisturizers, cleansers, prescriptions etc and it either doesn't work or it works for awhile and comes back.
Also, you say you mix this mixture in an amber bottle. Can you store this bottle and use it over and over? or are the oils better when used freshly mixed? I think I am just going to buy these at a health food store and just mix a bit at a time. It will be cheaper for me this way than ordering on the internet since I'm Canadian and all those websites are from the US and I would be paying in US dollars plus all the shipping charges etc.. which will cost way too much.
Yes you can use the jojoba oil/vitamin E mixture if you have acne. I do too. The vitamin E will not clog your pores if it is mixed with the jojoba oil. Vitamin E alone will clog the pores. Sounds confusing. Do a search on these healthboards. Type in "jojoba oil vitamin E oil". There is an expert person named Marti who explains this repeatedly much better than I can. Only use the vitamin E oil if you are trying to fight dry skin along with acne. If you're just fighting acne, use the jojoba oil alone. It specifically unclogs the pores.
If you have acne because you have dry skin, then it is the dry skin you must heal so use the vitamin e with the jojoba, which is what I'm doing. Just remember, the bumps and blackheads you have will have to rise to the surface as acne if you want to be rid of them. You will see that the acne and scars you already have will slowly start fading away and healing while the bumps you have will become acne. Frustrating, I know. But that's the only way to get rid of them altogether. And they will slowly heal and fade too. Using the jojoba/vitamin e will really smooth out and soften your skin. You'll see results in a matter of days. Keep at it, and keep in touch with me so we can find out each other's progress. Are you going to continue to wash your face? Just note, that my results may be completely different from yours since I don't wash my face (or rather cannot wash my face due to skin sensitivity...which is what gave me acne and dry skin in the first place).
Yes, you can keep using the mixture in the amber bottles. I read that they keep for quite a long time. Just keep away from sunlight. And don't store them in the refrigerator. Keep them in room temperature. I just have mine sitting out on the bathroom shelf.
I never thought about the difficulties of buying from the Internet if you live in Canada. But I'm positive you'll be able to purchase good quality jojoba and vitamin E oils at your local healthfood stores. Just make sure they are pure. Definitely check the ingredients.
And best of luck to you on your healing quest!
Acne and Dry Skin.. help please 
Re: Acne and Dry Skin.. help please 
Re: Acne and Dry Skin.. help please 
Re: Acne and Dry Skin.. help please 
