MY SKIN CLEAR

BRINGING IN A CASUAL FEELING

2012-07-14T14:28:00.001-07:00

When I started this site, I wanted to keep it very professional as I try to share as much information as I can with you guys. As time goes by, my urge to bring in a more casual and approachable atmosphere was getting more and more overwhelming. I can only winder what that says about my professionalism - I have none maybe. At this point I've decided to throw that internal argument to the wind and just go with my gut.

So, from here on, I will be posting about a lot of different things of interest. Don't go playing the violins just yet. This site will still remain an acne site first and foremost, but that doesn't mean we can't have some along the way.

So here's to a fresh start (kinda), and I hope we all have some fun while we're here and leave a more informed human.

Preventing Summer Acne

2012-07-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing and for those of us who trouble with acne, this is the worst time of the year. The excessive heat and humidity can cause annoying breakouts. This happens when all the dirt and bacteria gets caught in the excessive oil and sweat that's produced by our skin as a result of the summer heat and humidity. When this happens, our pores get clogged and the breakouts follow.

So here are some quick tips on how to beat the summer heat and acne all together.

1. STAY OUT OF THE HEAT

I know this one sounds like a no-brainer but it is absolutely important. When the environment is hot it's a double-danger. Not only does it make you sweaty and sticky, but it also increases you stress level, both of which will promote an acne breakout.

Whenever it's possible, try to keep in cool areas. If your home is air conditioned then that's the best place to be as much as possible. For those days when the temperature gets past 85 degrees, turn on your AC and close your windows to keep the hot air out and the cool air in. Portable AC units are also very inexpensive and will truly benefit you in the long run.

2. TONER! TONER! TONER!

A toner is one of your best friend during the summer when trying to stay acne free. As we all should know by now, toner helps to balance out the PH level of the skin to help prevent the excess production of the natural oils of the skin.

Make sure to start your day begins by cleansing you face with a great cleanser (check my previous posts about cleanser) and follow up with applying your toner to balance you skin's PH level and finish off with a gentle, oil-free moisturiser that's NON-COMEDOGENIC. Do this twice per day, once in the morning and once in the night.

3. DRINK LOTS OF COLD WATER

This tips is generally for everyone during summer heat. As we all know, during summer it's very easy to get dehydrated. This can lead to breakouts and also a lot of serious health issues and in some drastic cases even death.

Drinking lots of cold water will keep your core temperature down and keep you cool and hydrated and eliminate heat stress.

4. KEEP SWEAT AND EXCESS OIL OFF YOU FACE

Since we can't constantly wash our face (this will only lead to skin irritation and over-production of natural skin oils), what I advise is to carry a clean rag with you and pat your face clean of any sweat and excess oils at regular intervals. This will dramatically reduce the chances of the sweat and oils to collect dirt and clog your pores.

5. TRY TO KEEP YOUR STRESS LEVEL LOW

Remind your self that a little sweat in the summer is normal and in most cases won't cause acne. Once you can accept this you won't have to feel so self conscious and worried. If you can achieve this, you can drastically reduce your stress level which we all know can lead to a breakout, so try your best not to get caught in the acne-stress loop (where you stress about something and you breakout, then you stress even more about your breakout and you breakout even more).

I hope these tips help you get through the summer that much easier.

Best Cleanser And Moisturizer For Acne Skin

2012-07-07T06:58:00.002-07:00

I'm doing this post because I have some really great information to share. This one is really big and I'm really glad I found it. As you guys may know by now, I'm one to always try new skin care products (especially products aimed at acne prone skin).

A few days ago I found this great skin cleanser and moisturizer from a company called EQUATE. It was their Daily Renewal Cleanser and their Oil-Free Ultra-Gentle Facial Moisturizer.


equate Moisturiser and Cleanser

4th Of July came and I decided to take a trip to Walmart to do some shopping. In the the craze of everything I decided to grab some cotton pads from the pharmacy section to use with my toner. As I was going through the isles I came across some products that caught my attention. The thing that actually caught my attention on these products were some little yellow stickers. On these stickers the company was making some brave statements asking customers to compare their products to products from some of the biggest names in skin care.

Read Yellow Sticker

I decided to give these products a try and I must say I was absolutely stunned. I want to keep this post as professional as possible, but it's really hard to keep myself from acting like a giddy school girl proclaiming how good these products are. What really sold me on these products was the instant results that I saw. When you use this product I assure you, you will love the results you see the very next day.

equate DAILY RENEWAL CLEANSER

Lets start with the facial cleanser. It uses a "Beta Hydroxy Complex with Gentle Microbeads" and when they say gentle, they mean gentle. The exfoliating microbeads in this cleanser are so fine you barely feel them as you're cleansing your face. It's such a smooth and gentle experience, it's hard to believe that it's doing any exfoliating at all but trust me, it works amazingly well. Along with that the Daily Renewal Cleanser has some great ingredients that makes it so great for acne prone skin and all skin types in general. Ingredients like GLYCERIN and SALICYLIC ACID among others. This cleanser works amazingly well at exfoliating and cleansing your pores while killing acne bacterias to prevent breakouts, and it does all of this without drying out the skin.

equate OIL-FREE ULTRA-GENTLE MOISTURIZER (Non-Comedogenic)

The moisturizer was another winner. As anyone would tell you, moisturizing is one of the most important steps in proper skin care. At the same time it can be very tricky. Some moisturizers can clog your pores and leave your skin feeling and looking oily which then leads to breakouts or more breakouts. Some moisturizers seem to work great when you apply them then within a few hours your skin is back to being dry and ashy. This is absolutely not the case with the equate Oil-Free Ultra-Gentle Facial Moisturizer. When you apply this product you face feels soft, smooth and fresh all day without clogging your pores and making your skin oily and this is something I can attest to.When applying, use a generous amount on your face and work it in gently. It may take a few minutes to do this but you will love the results.

If you are someone that's not fully satisfied with your current cleanser and moisturizer, I strongly recommend these products. What's more amazing is how inexpensive these products are. Where as most cleansers and moisturizers from the big skin care companies can cost you upwards of $15 the equate products are far cheaper. You can get get the cleanser for anywhere between $3-$5 and the moisturizer for anywhere between $7-$12 depending on where you buy.

I have a link here for the equate Daily Renewal Cleanser but unfortunately I was unable to find the equate Oil-Free Ultra-Gentle Facial Moisturizer online so will most like have to pick that up in-store (you can find it at Walmart).

Equate Daily Renewal Cleanser

Best Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatments

2012-06-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

With all the acne treatment products out there today, it can be very hard when you're trying to sort through all of them to get to the products that really work.

In this post I will provide you with my pick for the three best Benzoyl Peroxide acne treatment products out there today. I also know that acne products vary dramatically in terms of how they fight your acne and the ingredients that are used in each product to accomplish this task. As a result I will be providing you with information on the products and and information on how benzoyl peroxide really works to treat your acne

In this article I will be focusing on Benzoyl Peroxide acne products. Benzoyl peroxide products tend to get lots of praise on one hand for it's effectiveness at treating and preventing acne. At the same time it can have some side effects for some people. For some people benzoyl peroxide causes dryness and itching. The degree of these side effects vary from person to person and for a lot of people, there are no side effects at all.

In case you are wondering, Yes I will be trying them all, either on me or friends and family members that are suffering from acne .

I will also be providing you with information on where you can get these products at the best price and even some deals.

How It Works

Propionibacteria acnes, or P. acnes, are the bacteria responsible for acne breakouts. They cannot live in an aerobic (oxygen-rich) environment. Benzoyl peroxide works by introducing oxygen into the pore, thereby killing P. acnes. When the bacteria population is reduced, the number of breakouts on the skin is reduced as well.

Another factor that makes this treatment so effective is its ability to help rid the follicle of excess dead skin cells. Clearing the pore of cellular debris will lessen the chance of pore blockages, or comedones. So, benzoyl peroxide helps prevent breakouts before they start.

Even after acne clears up, you'll probably still have to use your treatments. If you don't, those pesky bacteria can increase and make acne come back. So, think of benzoyl peroxide as a long-term treatment.

ACNE FREE

When I started doing my research on benzoyl peroxide for this article, I came across this product. It's called Acne Free. I truly never heard of this product before but during my research I started hearing lots of great things about it. For my trial I want to buy one off the internet but thought the delivery would take too long so I decided to go over to my local Walgreens (wrong move but more on that later)

What first caught my eye about this product is that it came with Retinol (that small tube you see there lying down in the second picture). If you're not aware, retinol is used to renew skin and greatly helps with acne scarring.

I was amazed at how well this product worked. The thing is, this product has a new way of using the benzoyl proxide. The benzoyl peroxide is processed so fine that the repair lotion and and facial cleanser feel rich and smooth, like a creamy lotion and leaves none of that visible particles of the benzoyl peroxide on the face and does not seem to dry out the skin. It also uses a continuous release system that gradually and continuously releases the benzoyl peroxide medication all day into your pores to fight the acne bacteria.

It's a four step system but only three of the four steps are used at a given time (Day and Night treatment)

Step 1: Antibacterial Cleansing Wash
Step 2: Corrective Toner
Step 3: Maximum Strength Repair Lotion
Step4: Retinol Complex

Day Treatment: Step1, Step 2, Step 3
Night Treatment: Step 1, Step 2, Step 4

Now remember above I mentioned how I picked up my kit of Acne Free at my locall Wallgreens which was a bad move. Well, I paid $37 at Wallgreens for the kit. I later went online and found it for $21.87.

The one that I picked is recommended for severe acne which I don't have by a long shot but I decided to go this route for best results. At first I thought it would be too strong and harsh but it's not so I would recommend you go with that one. I saw great results in just two days.

You can get it here

CLEARASIL ULTRA

Clearasil Ultra is an excellent acne fighting product. It works really well at clearing up acne and with continual use it's keeps them away. I know of a lot of people that use this product and heard lots of testimonials of how great this product works. I have family members and friends that I asked to use this product with great results. I have also used this product to personally check it's effectiveness and can firmly say that Clearasil Ultra really works. The thing is I am one of those people that suffers from side effects from benzoyl peroxide but to a lesser degree. What really surprised me with this product is how fast it works. Within three to four days I saw great results.

You can get Clearasil Ultra in both Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid forms.

You can get it here

PROACTIV SOLUTION

If you have acne, you most likely have heard of Proactiv. It's the #1 selling acne treatment in America. I think a large part of this has to do with great marketing. Personally, I don't think it's the best. I have used this product before when I first started having acne and it worked really well but I think this acne treatment is aimed at people with mild acne. I really don't think it's that good for moderate to severe acne. With all that said I still think this product is great depending on the level of your acne.

For research with this Proactiv, I convinced my cousin to use try it for his mild acne and he I saw great results in about seven days.

Another reason Proactiv is not more up on my list is because it offers less bang for your money. It has about 50% less content than Acne free and costs more. It comes in a 3 and 4 step treatment kit.

For the best deals check here

You can also find all these great products and more under the PRODUCTS tab located at the top.

The Best Anti Acne Products For Your Skin

2012-06-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

With all the acne treatment products out there today, it can be very hard when you're trying to sort through all of them to get to the products that really work.

I will also be providing you with information on where you can get these products at the best price and even some deals.

How It Works

ACNE FREE

You can get it here

CLEARASIL ULTRA

PROACTIV SOLUTION

For the best deals check here

You can also find all these great products and more under the PRODUCTS tab located at the top.

Preventing Menstrual Acne

2012-06-03T04:17:00.000-07:00

As most women and young ladies will tell you, when mother nature comes for her short monthly visit, she really over packs: moodiness, bloating, cramps and for most women, a little something extra called acne (menstrual acne).

Menstrual acne is a sudden breakout every month that coincides with menstruation and it's really common. According to a study published in the Archives of Dermatology, 63% of acne-prone women experience these premenstrual flares. They usually start about 7 to 10 days before the onset of a woman’s period and then usually subside as soon as bleeding starts. Even some women that are not acne prone tend to have some level of breakouts during this period.

What Really Happens (WebMD)

The average menstrual cycle is 28 days, and each of these days is different hormonally. “In the first half of a woman’s menstrual cycle, the predominant hormone is estrogen; in the second half, the main hormone is progesterone,” explains ob-gyn Elizabeth Gutrecht Lyster, MD. Lyster is part of Holtorf Medical Group in Orange County, Calif. “Then levels of both hormones fall to their lowest levels of the month as bleeding approaches,” she says.

Meanwhile, the male hormone testosterone (made in smaller amounts by women) stays at a constant level all month. “This means that before and during menstruation, testosterone is relatively higher than the female hormones,” Lyster says.

These behind-the-scenes hormonal shifts do all sorts of things to a woman’s skin. For one, the mid-cycle progesterone rise stimulates the production of sebum. Sebum is a thick, oily substance that acts as a natural skin lubricant.

“And as levels of progesterone increase, skin swells and pores are compressed shut,” explains dermatologist Audrey Kunin, MD, of DERMAdoctor.com. As a result, pores never looked so minimized. “But this tourniquet effect also causes sebum to build up beneath the skin’s surface.”

In addition, higher testosterone levels around menstruation further activate the sebaceous glands to make even more sebum.

Sebum yields different effects in different women. “For some, it produces a healthy glow; for others, it creates a chronic oil slick,” Kunin says. The oil provides food for the bacterium P. acnes. This bacterium causes increased breakouts and inflammation around the time of women's periods.

Unfortunately, you can’t change the relationship between acne and hormones. But there are some things you can do to make those breakouts less severe.

“Menstrual-related acne is not a matter of hygiene; it is an internal effect. However, women still need to take special care of their skin around their periods in order not to make things worse,” Lyster says.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR MENSTRUAL ACNE (WebMD)

For acne closely related to your period, you may need to do something hormonally to intervene. An ob-gyn or endocrinologist can help. Treatment options include the following:

Birth control pillsBirth control pills may help women who see a clear link between their acne and periods. “Anything that raises estrogen levels will lessen the effects of testosterone in women,” Lyster says. Birth control pills work by increasing a protein called sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) in the blood. “SHBG acts like a sponge, soaking up the free testosterone in the bloodstream,” she says. “This means there is less testosterone available to cause acne.”

Birth control pills also work by slowing down oil production. Some pills are specifically approved for the management of acne. These pills include Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Estrosten, and Yaz.

If you start using birth control pills to control acne, be patient. When some women begin taking the pill, they experience increased acne for the first three to four months in response to the change in hormones. This should subside as your body adjusts.

SpironolactoneIf acne doesn’t respond to birth control pills alone, your doctor may add medication to lower testosterone levels. This medication, called spironolactone, curbs testosterone-related oil production in the skin. Side effects include breast tenderness, irregular periods, headaches, and fatigue. Spironolactone is not appropriate for all women; be sure to discuss its risks and benefits with your doctor.

For those who are obese, weight loss.
“Anything that lowers SHBG may lead to increased acne,” Lyster says. One major factor that reduces SHBG and increases testosterone is obesity. “Therefore, eating a healthful diet and maintaining a healthy weight will help control acne breakouts around the time of menstruation.”

In addition, you can try the following non-hormonal remedies:

Practise good skin hygiene
Any extra bacteria you introduce to your face will worsen menstrual acne. To keep your skin as clean as possible, New York City dermatologist Francesca Fusco, MD, suggests the following:

Avoid touching your face; your hands introduce dirt and bacteria.
Clean your cell phone regularly; phones breed a lot of bacteria, and you hold them against the most vulnerable area to hormonal acne: your jaw line and chin.
When you work out at the gym, cover all mats with a towel; don’t put your face in other people’s germs.
Don’t smoke; smoking is a contributory factor to all types of acne.

For menstrual acne that is more severe, see a dermatologistA dermatologist may be able to prescribe one of the following medications to help:

Accutane. “In people with severe cystic acne or who have tried other remedies without success, isotretinoin (Accutane) can be a real skin saver,” Fusco says. Accutane is a natural derivative of vitamin A. The drug comes with a number of side effects and potential drug associations, including a possible increased risk of suicide and birth defects in pregnant women; discuss all these risks with your doctor before using it.
Low-dose antibiotics. “If you have deep-seated pimples, ask your doctor for a prescription for low-dose tetracycline,” Fusco says. “Take the antibiotic for five days, starting a few days before your period.”

In addition to prescribing oral and topical medications, a dermatologist can ease menstrual acne by performing some in-office treatments. Treatments may include cortisone injections, acne surgery, laser therapy, or a chemical peel.

DILUTING TEA TREE OIL FOR FACIAL USE

2012-06-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

I have been recommending Tea tree Oil (TTO) for a lot of people for many different reasons, the main one being acne and skin care. However, a lot of people have been coming right back asking how exactly to dilute TTO for their personal use.

The thing is TTO is a very strong natural oil with great anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties which makes it great for fighting acne, but in most cases it tends to be too strong to use as it is directly on the skin and as such needs to be diluted first.

In this post I will share with you some of the many ways of diluting TTO for your personal use.

DISTILLED WATER

The best substance to use to dilute tea tree oil is distilled water. You can either do the diluting in the ratio of 1:1 or 3:1 of tea tree oil to water. When mixed in the ratio of 3:1 it results in a seventy five percent concentration while 1:1 gives fifty percent concentration. In cases of really sensitive skin I recommend diluting it further by a ratio of 1:4 (one part TTO to four parts distilled water) which will gives you a 20% concentration. Diluting tea tree oil with distilled water is good for treating acne, warts and thrush.

OILS

To dilute tea tree oil with oil, you'll need to use carrier oils. Various oils can be used for these purpose and these include apricot, avocado, olive, jojoba and almond oils. You should mix two tablespoons of tea tree oil to half a cup of the carrier oil. This mixture will produce twenty percent concentration. The mixture of tea tree oil and carrier oils is ideal for any anti-fungal treatments. It also works great for acne, however I would not recommend this for people who already have oily skin. If you really want to use it with a carrier oil for acne, in my opinion almond and jojoba oil would be best.

CREAMS

Creams are good diluting agents for tea tree oil. This sort of mixture is ideal for preventing cold sores, yeast infections and scabies. The mixture of creams works best in ratios of 1:19 of oil and cream. If mixed in that ratio one will be able to yield 5 % tea tree solution. With the ratio of 1:9 a ten percent concentration will be achieved. You can vary these ratios a lot to achieve a good concentration for you since everyone has different levels of tolerance. All in all if you intend to cure scabies and cold sores a five percent concentration is recommended.

Also remember mix your TTO in non-clear bottles (preferably brown) as direct light will cause TTO to loose it's potency over time.

If you are having a hard time finding Tea Tree Oil, head here:

THE BENZOYL PEROXIDE PREDICAMENT

2012-06-02T02:43:00.000-07:00

Benzoyl Peroxide In Solid Form

In my early teens, when I started dealing with acne benzoyl peroxide acne products seemed to be the common thing. I can't remember finding any product back then that wasn't benzoyl peroxide based. Everything from Clearasil to Clear-Zit were all based on this one ingredient.

For me benzoyl peroxide was not a good option but yet it seemed like the only option. For some reason these products would dry and burn my skin. Even if it helped clear some of my acne the way my skin looked after was not a sight to behold. Where ever a pimple was you would know, cause that area would be charred and dark. I have since tried to stay away from products with benzoyl peroxide.

A lot of people think that this is one of the best methods to treat mild to moderate acne, while a lot of people will say a clear and resounding "no". Over the years a lot of companies started moving away from benzoyl peroxide as the main and active ingredient in their acne products and started using Salicylic Acid (more on this in another post). Even with this change a lot of people and some companies still swear by benzoyl peroxide as the better option.

In this post I want to look at Benzoyl Peroxide a little closer to see how it really works and the side effects.

HOW BENZOYL PEROXIDE WORKS

Benzoyl Peroxide is a long term treatment method, as is the case with most over the counter treatment. If you stop using the treatment it's most likely that those bacterias will return and so will the acne.

Most treatment methods call for a thin layer of benzoyl peroxide lotion to be applied over a thoroughly cleansed and dried skin. It can be used once or twice daily. Apply thoroughly over all areas affected by acne. Don't use just as a spot treatment. Benzoyl peroxide must be applied to all affected areas of the skin, as it's intended to stop pimples before they erupt.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS

The most common side effects are dryness and flaking. They are generally mild and can be reduced by using an oil-free moisturising lotion daily. Other side effects include excessive dryness and flaking, redness, and burning.

You can reduce the chances of experiencing side effects by following all directions on the product package, or those given to you by your dermatologist. If unwanted side effects occur, you may want to reduce your application to every other day, or a lower strength treatment.

Rarely, severe redness and peeling, extreme burning, itching, swelling and/or rash occur. IF this happens, you should discontinue use at once and contact your dermatologist.

Why Benzoyl Peroxide Is Considered Bad

Dries out most skin types, and in some cases excessive dryness and flaking.
Stains your towels, even after you’ve washed and rinsed your face and hands.
Can bleach your eyebrows and hair.
Can cause increased redness and irritation.
Removes the top layer of skin, which also decreases the sun protective effect (roughly SPF 3), making you more susceptible to sun damage.
Benzoyl peroxide used to be labeled as a category 1 acne treatment product by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), then they changed it to a category 3 product which means the safety is unknown. As of 2010 this has been changed again.
Repeated sun exposure or BP use generates free radicals that damage the skin’s structure and cellular DNA, resulting in premature aging of the skin.
Because BP generates free radicals it interferes with and slows the healing process. The red and brown marks that are a part of the acne healing process may last weeks longer when BP is a regular part of the daily regimen.
The product is tested on animals.

GETTING CONNECTED

2012-06-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

I've added an email subscription tab at the bottom of my blog so that you guys can easily get my tips and info directly to your email and keep up to date with what's happening on MY SKIN CLEAR. So just enter your email address and click subscribe and you'll be well on your way. I've also added a google+ tab to share what you think is good.

You can also share via facebook or twitter which posts you enjoy or find very informative by simply clicking the tabs below each post.

Thank you guys.

TEA TREE OIL

2012-06-01T09:42:00.002-07:00

In my previous post I mentioned Tee tree Oil as one of the major factors of why I recommend CLEAR SKIN MAX as my favourite acne treatment product. Most of you guys may have heard something or the other about Tee Tree Oil. In this post I hope to share with you some more information about this amazing oil that you may not have already known.

Tee Tree Oil has a very long history of traditional use. It comes from Australia and the aboriginal people of Australia has been using this herb for skin infection, skin cuts and burns. They would crush the leaves and apply them to the area that's affected.

Tee Tree Oil has consituents called terpenoids. The terpenoids have been found to have antiseptic and anti fungal activity. The compound terpinen-4-ol is the most abundant and is thought to be responsible for most of tea tree oil's antimicrobial activity.

Tee Tree Oil is use commonly for:

1. Acne
2. Athlete's Foot
3. Head Lice
4. Cuts
5. Infections
6. Burns

ACNE
A blind randomised test by the Department of Dermatology at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia compared the effectiveness and tolerance of 5% tea tree oil gel with 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion in 124 people with mild to moderate acne. People in both groups had a significant reduction in inflamed and non-inflamed acne lesions (open and closed comedones) over the three month period with little to no side effects .

WHAT WORKS FOR ACNE

2012-06-01T09:01:00.003-07:00

FYI This Is Me Now

Over the many years of dealing with my acne, I have tried countless acne products in hopes of ridding my acne for good. After a magnitude of "failures" I realised that there really is no silver bullet for acne. There is nothing that will completely rid me of acne forever. This is an ongoing battle which for some will naturally get better over the years as the skin changes. For some people, as they get older their skin's oil levels balance itself out and as a result their acne gets better naturally and for some that's not the case.

Which ever category you fall into, you are still stressed about the current state of your acne and like any person with acne would, you want to do something about it now. Not wait a few years hoping that it clears up. We all have lives to live and we all know how much having acne affects the life we live. It's hard to socialise, it's hard to go to work and be amongst people, it's hard to look at your self in the mirror. We have all been there and we all hope for better.

As mentioned above, I have tried countless acne products over the years and have had varying results. I tried everything from Clearasil to Pro Active to Neutrogena and beyond. Even though I have had some amount of results some of these products really didn't do anything significant and none of them were actually stuff that I could stick with for one reason or the other. They either over dried my skin or burnt my skin amongst other things. Don't get me wrong, for some people these products may work well and as such should continue with them.

A little over a year ago I found this product called CLEAR SKIN MAX. It's a complete six piece system, which i really liked and it's all natural so I had none of that over drying or skin burn. One of the main reasons I recommend this product to people is for the fact that it's made from Tea Tree Oil (I'll talk about this more in another post). Although this is a six piece treatment, my favourite things from the package are the Tee Tree Oil based facial cleanser, the mask, the Tee Tree Oil emergency repair lotion and the anti acne tea. If for nothing else, I recommend you try this product for these four items in the package.

If anyone decides to try this product, after two weeks of using it and following all the tip in my other post, please come back here and let me know your results.

WHAT CAUSES ACNE

2012-06-01T07:51:00.001-07:00

With this post I want to share some information on what technically causes acne. People tend to have many different reasons as to what causes acne or what triggers acne, but in most cases the underlying cause remains the same.

Acne is a condition of the skin. Even though you may sometimes feel like you're the only with this condition, it's actually experienced by most people at varying degrees.

Your skin has pores which connect to oil glands located under the skin. The glands are connected to the pores via follicles - small canals. Small hairs grow through each follicle. Sebum, an oily liquid, is produced by these glands. The sebum carries dead skin cells through the follicles to the surface of your skin. Pimples form when the dead skin cells, the hair and sebum clump together and block the follicle. It's then infected with bacteria and starts to swell and breakdown.

For some people, there are different things that factors into this. Some people will swear that the things they eat has a lot to do with their acne. In cases like this it's often a situation where a certain type of food will cause excessive oil production in the skin.

Which ever way you slice the cake, it's clear that when battling acne one of your main goals will be to balance the oil (sebum) level of your skin while keeping your pores clear to prevent new pimples while using a good acne product to take care of your existing pimples.

I hope this post have been of some help in giving you and idea of what you need to focus on when fighting your acne. In my next post i will share some of my favourite products for fighting acne and overall skin care.

TIPS TO REDUCE ACNE

2012-06-01T06:31:00.002-07:00

We all know that a lot of what affects our acne is how we treat our skin during the day and night. It's very easy to get frustrated with our acne and go on an all out rampage on our skin in hopes to make things better, which often only make things worse.

Over the many years battling my own acne I have come to realise that less is a whole lot more. forget about all the countless products to try and take care of every little issue. You only really need the basic things and fight one thing at a time and everything will start to fall into place.

The basic things that we all need when fighting acne are face wash, acne medication and moisturiser.

Over the years I found that one of my biggest errors was thinking that putting too much moisturising product on my face would only cause me to break out more. The thing is leaving your face dry will only cause you face to produce excessive amounts of oil trying to counter act the the dry skin. This will then lead to clogged pores and as a result more acne. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to tell you to go out and start buying moisturisers like crazy. What I am really trying to tell you is that you should find a very good moisturiser and stick with that. When using your moisturiser, be generous.

Over washing your face is another big factor in causing acne. Most people think that the oil on their skin is bad for their acne. That is true to some extent but what I have learnt is that you need moisture on your skin to keep it acne free. Like I mentioned above, dry skin is not good in the acne fight. Most people tend to wash their face as soon as they start seeing some shine. This excessive washing tends to only irritate the skin and cause excessive oil production, so you're actually doing more bad than good. At one point in my acne battle I started washing my face only once per day and believe it, it actually helped a lot in clearing my acne. I would wash my face in the night during my bath and then apply my moisturiser. The next morning I would take my bath without using any product to wash my face, just water so that the good oils won't get stripped away. However if this is not enough for you, I do advise that you don't exceed two times per day.

MORE TIPS:

1. Drink a lot of water
2. Change your bedding as often as possible (especially your pillow case)
3. Keep your hands away from your face
4. Stay in cool environments as much as possible

WELCOME

2012-06-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

This blog is created to share information on acne. I want this blog to be an information forum about acne and overall skin care.

I am 24 and have been battling acne from about the age of 13 until now. My skin is a whole lot better now but the acne battle is never over. I think we all know that for people with acne there is no miracle fix. There is no one product that we can use and within three months and our acne is gone forever. It is something we have to always pay attention to so as to keep our acne at bay. It is my belief that with the right products and the right daily practises we can very much keep our acne at bay.

Over the years I have had a lot of ups and downs with my acne and I am very happy to say I finally have my acne under control. With this blog I hope to share all the things I learnt over the years and all the tips and secrets that I know of to take care of our skin.

The thing about acne is that no one method will work for all and everyone may have to do things a bit differently to get the results they want.

I do hope that this blog can be a discussion room about acne and skin care. I do believe that if we can all share our knowledge about what works for us we can help someone else. I greatly appreciate your input and information.