frugal acne treatment

[marla]

Does anyone know of a good acne treatment that doesn't cost a lot of money? It's for a niece. She doesn't have really strong acne, but enough that she is self conscious about it. I think if she had a good cleaning regiment most of her acne would clear up. Are their certain foods that tend to make people break out too?

[pyotr]

tell her to thoroughly clean her face with a drying bar of soap (like the Neutrogena regular without oils) or the non-lotioned Lever2000 - 3 times a day - morning, mid-day and before going to bed. It will do wonders for clearing up her acne. If this doesn't work after a few weeks, go to a dermatologist to consider erythromycin therapy.

[gakline]

I've tried many different things. None really seemed to work well, or I didn't stick with them long enough. I did hear of one once, to take egg yolk and put that on your face with a cotton ball. I did try it and it seemed to work, but I was on medication at the time and countered it.

Also if she goes to a dermatologist, there is a generic drug out there that works well and I believe it only cost $5 or less without insurance. I'm taking Doryx right now, and that's the time-release version and expensive. At my next visit I'm going to request that I be put on the generic of that (non-time release).

[miclason]

Tell her to wash her face 3x day, as was recommended above...once a week do an oatmeal mask (just oatmeal and water) and put it on her face for 20 min....As for foods to avoid: chocolate, cream, anything with oil and fat in it really (it does make SOME people break out...I never had any problems with acne, but my niece does, and, we can tell whenever she's been eating chocolates or cream...)
***
oh, I forgot...is aloe available in your area (the plant, I mean), because the gel from the leaves is great!! - smells awful, but it's great for your skin!

[abowers]

I haven't had actual acne problems, but using Noxema's oil free Triple Clean Antibacterial Lathering Cleanser (Triclosan medicated). Using this along with getting enough sleep every night has given me a nice complexion! Also for the occasional break out I like Neutrogena's "On The Spot" Acne treatment - it's a benzoyl peroxide formula. Neither of these require a prescription and are available at the grocery store. The Noxema face wash is around $5 for a container that lasts a couple months. The On The Spot stuff is a smaller tube, and is also around $4 or 5, but you just dab that on the problem spots as needed.

[abowers]

Make sure she doesn't wash her face *too* much because that can overdry her skin, increasing oil production leading to more breakouts!

[Tree0164]

St Ives makes an ance wash for less than $5.00

Also if you dab tooth paste on a big pimple it dries it out.

[Moi?]

Get on medication, as someone mentioned Doryx is pretty good. I went on the pill for my acne, and it was the best thing that I ever did. For some people pimples are hormonal and in these cases, soap and egg yolk and all that will not help the slightest bit.

[PrincessPerky]

I have a mild case of adult acne, I think the most useful thing I did was have a routine. Most kids react to acne, instead of prevent it. Hormones do have an effect, but clean skin wont hurt.

I wash with JandJ head to toe baby bath, it works
then I moisturize with olive oil (just a few drops)

I also scrub with sugar(yes white sugar) a couple times a week.

keeps it all to a minimum, better than ever before in my life, and incredibly cheap.

[cercis]

My pimples (in my 30s I have more pimples than I did as a teen!) get worse if I eat more refined sugar. It seems I can have 2 dr peppers in a week (the big ones - 24+ oz), any more and I start getting pimples.

I used to have those funny little dry, skin colored pimples on my arms. I went on south beach and they cleared up in the first 2 weeks. They've never come back, even though I eat things I shouldn't.

I suspect everyone has a different food trigger. I don't know how committed your niece can be, but a great way is to have an elimination diet and see what food makes them come back. I know someone above said they can tell with chocolate and cream, and that may be true, but it may also be that she eats something at the same time as that chocolate and cream.

[BillsGirl]

I gave up on everything... I have tried almost it all and nothing works... so I resort to a bar of soap!

[sharonhr]

Baby wipes works great for acne. I've written about this lately. Babywipes (used nightly) really helped to clear up two cases of teen-aged acne and middle-aged pimples in my house.

Think about the logic: baby wipes have to be strong enough to clean up a baby's diaper mess, but gentle enough to coddle delicate baby skin.

Here's another tip. I read about this in First magazine. It's an instant cure for pimples.
Materials: 1) an ice cube 2) cotton ball soaked with eye drops. Steps: 1) Hold an ice cube on the pimple for 30 sec. 2) press the soaked cotton ball onto the blemish for three minutes.

This really worked with a RED pimple (ugh) on my nose: Here's the rationale: the ice and eyedrops solution constrict the blood vessels under the skin, which make a pimple seem to shrink and appear less red.

[whaskins09]

for a *quick* zit/pimple treatment, put toothpaste on it. my uncle learned it in medical school, told me about it, and it works very effectively. usually what i do if there is a pimple or zit, pop it (ew) then put a small dap of toothpaste on it for an hour, wash it off and repeat and 99% of the time its all cleared up the next day

[jnsaver]

All over the counter acne medications have the same amount and same type of active ingredient in them. They are all either 2% Salicylic Acid or 10% Benzoyl Peroxide at most. More expensive treatments like proactive do not give you any more or less of these active ingredients. Natural cures some times involve quite a bit of tea tree oil, which is supposed to be antibacterial, but isn't regulated by any specific industry.

A dermatologist will probably put her on anti-biotics or birth control, give her a bunch of drying ointments containing 2% Salicylic Acid or 10% Benzoyl Peroxide at most, or give her Acutane (which makes people suicidal) . A dermatologist will also inject cortisol into her face to lessen inflamation and swelling, sponge her face with a dry ice mixture and perform "blackhead surgery" a bogus procedure whereby a medical professional uses a sharp pointy tool to pop zits.

As you can tell, neither of these worked for me. However, using sunscreen, taking a good multivitamin, getting enough fiber, and avoiding msg, refined sugars and harsh cleansing have worked.

[flash]

First and foremost, it depends on the acne.

If it's little bumps, could be SENSITIVE skin or an allergy. In this case, many things can make it worse.

If it's a blackhead, exfoliation, cleaning, do help.

White heads. Ugh.

Two BEST things are commercial products. Household equivalents would be dabbing hydrogen peroxide on the specific problem with a Qtip or cotton ball. This is more drying than benzoyl, but has the same oxidation effect. Should see a bit of bubbling. Dab on antibiotic ointment like neosporin and rub in. Keeps the bacteria out and provides enough moisture/seal to minimize scaring.

Second thing is a 50:50 mixture of alcohol and sulfur powder. Dab it on, the alcohol evaporates, the sulfur continues to dry out the zit. This is the basics of egg treatment, but concentrated enough to work.

Salyclic acid is great. Eucerin and Noxema both have introduced new wonderful products.

[gakline]

I just changed from Doryx to the generic Doxycycline. I called the pharmacy and it will only cost $1.65/ 30 pills. Gotta love generic.

[CJsoccerchic]

Wow what great methods everyone!
I must say what I have used...
If you are in need of a birthcontrol or are taking it, then most definently go with the birthcontrol method, surprisingly, the after effects (besides a good percent of NOT getting pregnant) is A CLEAN FACE! I've been taking the ortho tricyclin from the doctor!

[tesing]

These are all good ideas. I will try some as my acne is bad and makes me feel self conscious. I hope something works.

I wash my face twice a day. At night I use Noxzema 2 in 1 Astringent. This treatment keeps me break out free except for the occasional pimple. I works very well for me. In the mornings I use Noxzema Exfoliating scrub and at night I use Noxzema triple clean citrus scrub. I used to use expensive treatments like Clinique, Estee Lauder,etc. Those made my skin break out.

[Saving in So Cal]

I am a 40 something and have acne since I my early 20s. I have tried most everything available over the counter and by prescription. There is no cure or perfect solution, not even birth control pills (though they have other more obvious benefits).

I currently use the AcneFree regimen and am very happy with the results. This regimen is similar to Proactive, but with a slightly higher percentage of benzoil peroxide (3.75%?). It is available at WalMart and Costco. In addition, I believe either Boodle or Smart Source currently has a $5.00 off coupon. While not cheap, it is cheaper than similar products and certainly cheaper than the thousands of dollars I've spent on other less effective products.

While a good cleaning regimen will go a long way to helping moderate acne, it is important to eliminate those things that aggravate it. For me, hair care products, particularly hair spray, were a major source of aggravation. The only hair care product I use on a regular basis is a gentle shampoo - Nutrisse. It was tough giving up the rest because I don't have cooperative hair. However, I saw no point in having great hair and an irritated face.

Makeup is also a prime source of aggravation. Less is more. Stick to non-comedigenic versions. I have had the best luck with Almay products. Prescriptives is okay.