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| Left: My painful, acne ridden face.This is a GOOD day. Right: Thank God for amazing make up. |
It was a short term solution, as when I came off of it, they came back. Fast forward through more years until late last year, when I was 22 and just simply fed up of it. No matter how much water I consumed, how much I followed a good diet and kept to a skincare regime, nothing worked. So this time round with my doctor, I made it clear how much it was having an effect on me. It wasn't like I was a spotty teenager anymore, I was now a fully fledged adult and having 10+ years of acne was finally starting to take it's toll. I was prescribed the antibiotic Doxycycline and the topical solution Zineryt to use together. Within 2 weeks my skin was flawless, I had a few minor scars but they were easily covered. I was so pleased that I finally had amazing skin! I was on the medication for three months but as predicted, as soon as I came off of it, they were back with a vengeance. I was then put onto another six month course which helped a bit more, but three months in I was fully immune to the antibiotics and this time around, I started getting very painful cystic acne all over my face, mainly on my chin. These horrible, sore, massive, hard red lumps just forming in massive clusters everywhere which took a good 2-3 weeks to heal. Still dealing with the scars now, whilst also battling the ones that are popping up.
My doctor finally gave in and referred me to a dermatologist, still waiting for the appointment to come through, but in the mean time I have been trying to find ways to control the acne whilst waiting for my referral to come through. So i'm going to list a few of the products that have been tried and tested by myself which may assist other acne sufferers out there!
So in no particular order...
1. Medimix Ayurvedic Herbal Soap (£1.40 from Yogamatters)
This soap was recommended to me by a friend who also suffers from bad acne, Medimix is a value for money, completely herbal soap which is very popular out in India. Upon more research and reviews, it is very good for dealing with skin problems such as pimples, prickly heat, boils, body odour and other problems. It has been clinically proven, but it probably hasn't been put up against serious acne. However, I thought I would give it a go, as my skin probably doesn't appreciate being cleansed with chemicals all of the time. It is a green bar of soap which lathers up very well, with a nice herbal scent. Some people do not like the smell, but I rather enjoy it. I use it twice a day, morning and before I go to bed. Within a week I was starting to see a difference, my skin seemed much cleaner and clearer than what it ever did with any other cleanser I had used. Obviously I was using it in conjunction with a skin lotion/gel for my spots, but the overall look of my skin was just so much better.
I will say with Medimix is that if you have dry skin, I probably wouldn't recommend it so much as it is quite drying. After washing in the morning I always apply moisturizer once my skin has dried off. Also at night, I always remove as much make up as possible first and then use the soap to cleanse. Personally I always use a flannel with hot water too, just to ensure any stubborn traces are taken off. No need to rub vigorously with the flannel either. The steam from the hot water will help open your pores. Medimix isn't a miraculous cure, but I have definitely seen an improvement in my skin since using it.
2. OXY 5/10 Spot Treatment Gel (Various prices on Ebay)
You may remember the skincare brand OXY over here in the UK many years ago, but it has since been discontinued over here, which is a shame because their products really were effective. The same friend who recommended Medimix to me also told me about this OXY gel she uses. She uses the OXY 10 Maximum Strength gel. The magic ingredient in this is Benzoyl Peroxide, which for the most part, is a very effective treatment for acne. This gel comes in two strengths 5% BP and 10% BP. My friend uses the 10% max strength version and has had great results from it. 5% BP is the limit allowed in any product over here in the UK - any stronger and it has to be obtained online.
I was really excited to receive this and use it because my friend had such fantastic results from it, and from reading reviews, many people have had brilliant results. However, it turns out I can't use it as my skin is too sensitive to benzoyl peroxide - after two days of using the product, I woke up one morning to one half of my face effectively burnt, which was all down to the OXY gel. Turns out this product is er, very potent to say the least. My face was bright red, itchy, and started to slightly swell. I had to cease wearing any form of make up to avoid aggravating my skin even more. After a few days the itching stopped but I had very dry, flaky, rough skin where the product had reacted. My skin healed fine, and I done another 'test' of using it just on my chin where most of my current acne is, and again, after 2 days of usage, my chin has reacted in the same way. I do not know if it is because the 10% is too high of a BP percentage for my skin, so I may buy the 5% and see how I fare with that. The sad thing is that in the two days where my skin didn't react, the difference was mental. This stuff really does work. Big, cystic spots that were big and bulging were reduced to nearly nothing overnight.
As this product/brand is unavailable in the UK, it can only be bought on selected places online from other countries. Ebay is the best place I have found - but you will have to wait a week or two for delivery. It is relatively cheap, ranging from £4-£8 depending on what size tube you buy (I would recommend the smaller one until you know it works for you and then move up to the 25ml tube.) and normally free delivery.
I would advise not over applying this product, you only need a small amount on areas that have active acne. If you encounter ANY reaction with this product, I would stop using it. It is not worth damaging your skin over. As I found out, benzoyl peroxide is NOT for everyone. It may be your godsend, it may not be.
3. Alpha H Liquid Gold (£33.50 from Cult Beauty)
This is one of the more pricier products that I own, but it has been amazing for my acne scars. This night serum has glycolic acid in it, which overnight, helps boost cell activity and the skin renewal process, to get to the point of it basically. There's a lovely in depth description on the product page, but this stuff really is liquid gold. I saw a difference within a week or so of using it. At first it is best to apply it with a dampened cotton pad once a week for 2-3 weeks whilst your skin gets used to it (it is an acid after all) and then you can apply it neat up to 3 times a week.
It really does help reduce scarring and gives skin a nice, healthy glow. I find it harder to use now because my face is full of active acne and I prefer to use it when I have no active spots going on and when my face is smoother/flat. You have to be patient with it though and stick at it to see the best results.
4. Freederm Gel (£5.19 for 10ml £9.80 for 25ml from Boots)
This product helped me out back in my later teenage years. It's probably not the most effective product for stubborn, cystic acne like I have now, but it does help the healing process become that little bit faster. You can buy this from any supermarket/chemist and you simply apply it to the (cleansed) areas that need it. It is a bit drying, but that is the point of applying it to the spots, to help dry them out and kill the bacteria. I'm using this at the minute whilst I find an alternative to my crushed OXY dreams. It isn't super effective, but it does help my acne a little bit more. Freederm is perfect for people suffering from less serious acne, as it will definitely do the job. Freederm also have their own skincare range ranging from the gel to face washes, face wipes, etc.
So they are my trialled and tested products for helping with acne - here's hoping my derm appointment comes through soon! If you have any dream acne busting products, let me know!
xoxo
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