How I got rid of blackheads.

[tumblewieds]

I've always struggled with blackheads across my nose, on my cheeks and chin. They weren't bumpy, but I did have congested pores. Lately, I've been breaking out with big cyst type zits along my jaw line. They were huge and left bumps and scars that would last months. I tried a lot of stuff, and it would get better, but never go away. About a month ago, I remembered what Loopy said about Paula Begoun and went to Barnes and Noble for her book, which I read there as I was too cheap to buy it. It convinced me to try her products, and I ordered a skin care set. It wasn't too expensive- about $91 for the whole setup. I would have paid that much to get started on a Nuetrogena program I'd been using. Anyway, in the past 3-4 weeks I've been using her products, my skin looks amazing. The blackheads are just about gone, my skin glows, and I am not really wearing makeup, just tinted moisturizer that I ordered from her. I haven't had skin this nice since my teens- no kidding. What really bowled me over was that the scars on my face from the cystic pimples are GONE! I can't even see where they are any more. I had someone stop me in the restaurant last night and tell me how awesome my skin looks.

So, that's my long winded way of saying I think this lady knows her stuff, and anyone who thinks their skin issues might be hopeless should check her out. I've switched Hanna's skin care routine to one she recommends (all purchased at the drugstore, cheap!) and her skin has improved as well. Gee, she should give me some free product- I sound like a damn commercial! www.paulaschoice.com

[Ali]

I've switched Hanna's skin care routine to one she recommends (all purchased at the drugstore, cheap!) and her skin has improved as well.

Where did you get the info for Hanna, from her site or the book? :)

[Sarah]

So, that's my long winded way of saying I think this lady knows her stuff, and anyone who thinks their skin issues might be hopeless should check her out. I've switched Hanna's skin care routine to one she recommends (all purchased at the drugstore, cheap!) and her skin has improved as well. Gee, she should give me some free product- I sound like a damn commercial! www.paulaschoice.com

Wow, I just spent an hour at the site. Thanks, Sarah!

[tumblewieds]

The book. Her basic premise is that you need to first really know your skin type, then choose products from there. She says to use a very gentle cleanser that will remove all your makeup (we chose Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser adn toner), then an alcohol-free toner. Follow with a great exfoliant, with beta hydroxy acid, and a lotion with the same. Her website has a pdf file of all the best drugstore products from 2007 if you want to check it out.

[sarahrose]

Good to know. I don't have time to browse right now but I'll go back this afternoon.

I use cetaphil as a cleanser, then benzol peroxcide (2x a day) and I'm still getting breakouts (ususally cylical) along my jaw line. ANd they are the big hard cysts. Although since I've been on the pill it's been less. But syill it sounds like your skin is very similar to mine...and it sucks to be almost 30 and still deal with acne.

I may look into getting a exfoliant and see if that helps clear me up. Thanks for the info. :)

[tumblewieds]

You're welcome! I wanted to post this pic of my face, no makeup and on very little sleep (sick little boy over here kept me up all night). I forgot to mention earlier that I also used to suffer from a lot of redness on my cheeks. I also had some red birthmark lookng things that have all but faded (see the one on my cheek?) The picture doesn't do a great job of showing how vibrant my skin is, but it does show the smoothness and clarity.

Oh, and see my cool fire engine red highlights? :P
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2297775523_b5faa7174c.jpg

[ADDled]

Your skin does look great!

I just posted before I read this about my skin. I went over to the website you linked just now, and it totally overwhelms me. Plus, I (a former Mary Kay saleswoman LOL) totally balk at the idea of having to put tons of crap on your skin just to keep the zits away! Why wouldn't you just be able to keep it clean and moisturized, and leave it at that? Plus, I have ADD LOL. That said, I'm pretty desperate so I'll probably try some "regime."

[tumblewieds]

I wash, rinse, use toner (a step I think you could skip, honestly), throw on the BHA lotion, and then use moisturizer. A tinted moisturizer skips a step as you're putting your makeup on at the same time.
Also, when I'm feeling lazy at night, I wipe my makeup off with those Neutrogena face wipes. They do a good job and I just keep the tub by my bed.

Your skin does look great!

I just posted before I read this about my skin. I went over to the website you linked just now, and it totally overwhelms me. Plus, I (a former Mary Kay saleswoman LOL) totally balk at the idea of having to put tons of crap on your skin just to keep the zits away! Why wouldn't you just be able to keep it clean and moisturized, and leave it at that? Plus, I have ADD LOL. That said, I'm pretty desperate so I'll probably try some "regime."

[Sarah]

You're welcome! I wanted to post this pic of my face, no makeup and on very little sleep (sick little boy over here kept me up all night). I forgot to mention earlier that I also used to suffer from a lot of redness on my cheeks. I also had some red birthmark lookng things that have all but faded (see the one on my cheek?) The picture doesn't do a great job of showing how vibrant my skin is, but it does show the smoothness and clarity.

Oh, and see my cool fire engine red highlights? :P
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2297775523_b5faa7174c.jpg

Your skin looks GREAT. I'm seriously impressed with this woman's site. What is your skin type, if I may ask?

[tumblewieds]

I'm normal to dry, prone to blemishes.

[Sarah]

I'm normal to dry, prone to blemishes.

I'm flat out dry and my issue is more lines and sagging skin (weight loss, I think, spurred that on) than break outs, but I want to thank you again for the link. The product reviews are cool!
:yeah::yeah:

[sarahrose]

I wash, rinse, use toner (a step I think you could skip, honestly), throw on the BHA lotion, and then use moisturizer. A tinted moisturizer skips a step as you're putting your makeup on at the same time.
Also, when I'm feeling lazy at night, I wipe my makeup off with those Neutrogena face wipes. They do a good job and I just keep the tub by my bed.

What cleanser do you use? I use Cetaphil (which is what my derm recommended) because it isn't a soap. When I was going to the derm he put me on an antibiotic. While it worked and my skin looked better I stopped because I'm very hesitant to use an antibiotic for that long. The pill has made my day to day acne a bit better but my pms cysts are still pretty bad an I almost can't resist popping them even though i know I shouldn't.

Do you think that the main difference for you has been the bha lotion? Cause I'm pretty sure that that's the step I'm missing and just may need to do.

btw your skin looks fantastic. I've had issues with mine since puberty and I really just want it to look normal. And to just use a tinted moisturizer would be incredible!!

[tumblewieds]

Do you think that the main difference for you has been the bha lotion? Cause I'm pretty sure that that's the step I'm missing and just may need to do.

btw your skin looks fantastic. I've had issues with mine since puberty and I really just want it to look normal. And to just use a tinted moisturizer would be incredible!!

I also think the gentle cleanser I am using helps. I use the one for dry skin from Paula's Choice. I realized I was scrubbing too much and doing more harm than good with harsher cleansers and alcohol-based toners.

[sarahrose]

Thanks. I think I may just have to get some. :)

[bumblebee]

I have a product recommendation, too, so I will just tack it onto this thread.

I've been using Aveeno's Ultra Calming Foaming Cleanser for a few weeks now (about $6-7 at Target), and my hyper-sensitive, red, dry, irritated, itchy skin feels and looks better than it has in a couple of years. (To give you an idea of how sensitive my skin is lately, Alba's Coconut Milk Cleanser, Philosophy's Purity, and Cetaphil all dry out and kill my face.) So I highly recommend Aveeno--and it cleans off makeup better than almost every other cleanser I've tried, plus it's soap-free!

[madsmom]

Thank you for posting this. This is great info! I recently started using Aveda's Tourmaline line and I *love* it. This is the first line I've used where I've actually noticed a difference in my skin tone, it's so much healthier and brighter. It was good to see that she rates the products I use highly. That said, I still have occasional problems with the jawline cystic acne too (though my inability to keep my hands off that area doesn't help!) I suspect that I should add a BHA product to what I already do. Thanks for the tip!

I'll also have to look more at the site/book to help with DS's acne (he's 14). Although I don't know why I bother because the biggest culprit for him is that he simply doesn't do whatever routine I give/show him. Grrrr.....