A question about acne

Hi all,

I'm posting on this forum as I've had VSG but this is a topic not related to my surgery; just want some advice from my fellow folks about how you've dealt with acne.  I still have the occasional breakout mainly on my chin area though I'm 40 years old I've always had problems.  My teenage daughter has horrible chest and back acne...I suffered from this too when I was her age on up into my mid 20's there was nothing that ever really helped other than time & slathering on some acne cream which is what I've started her on.  I may have to find her a dermatologist but I got turned off by one in my youth because I was given expensive creams or ointments that didn't work.  I'm sure times have changed and there's got to be something better out there to help with this.  What did ya'll do or use to help with your acne?  I even did proactive back in the day and it didn't really work for me either...I still have some of their astrigent that I'm going to get her to use as well.  I'm sorry this isn't WLS related but I am just needing some info/advice.  Her regular Doc told her to use a puff loofa thing to bathe with and gave her some type of ointment that didn't help at all.  Thanks for any info. you can offer and please don't be angry with my posting an acne question that's not related to WLS, I am just searching for some advice.

Have a great day

I have bad black heads and I'm gonna be 40 on y birthday. I too used proactive and didn't do well with it. I use cleaeasil ultra rapid action face scrub and the pads too. It works pretty good I still get  few but not as bad. you can buy at Walmart. hope this helps.

My boyfriend and I both suffer from acne and recently discovered the magic of tea tree oil after going through thousands of brands of acne wash. I am completely pimple free on my face now (It works on other parts of your body too but I don't suffer from acne there). Here is what I do twice a day:

1) Wash face with everyday acne wash from the drugstore (I currently use nutrogena grapefruit in the morning and st.ives scrub in the evening to get rid of dead skin cells that clog pores). Dry.

2) Use a q-tip and get a few drops of tea tree oil (you can get it at walmart in the pharmacy section) on it. Rub it on any existing pimples and once those clear up, rub it on problem areas. You will feel a slight sting for a few minutes, which is because tea tree oil is a natural anti-septic that kills the bacteria in there.

3) Use an over the counter oil-free moisturizer that is also non-comodogenic. I am currently using aveeno, but I've used netrogena naturals in the past.

Finally, just make sure your makeup is oil free if you use any, and when removing it, make sure your remover is as well!

It's a really cheap regime and is faster than it sounds. Believe me, I am not a total naturopathic hippy, just a regular girl. I thought tea tree oil was complete BS for the longest time, but you can actually feel it work on your skin... and its fast!

The best help I got was at acne.org.  The guy that runs the website has a system you can purchase called "The Regimen" and I think it works GREAT but he also offers a list of stuff that you can buy at the drug store.  The best part is the directions about how to wash your face.  He says that because we are rough with our skin the irritation and therefore the acne gets worse.  It really makes a lot of sense.  I haven't read much about back or chest acne but I'm assuming it would be the same.  I've had horrible acne for a long, long time and when I use his stuff faithfully (that is the key!) it clears up no problem.  My skin did get a little dry so I pulled back on the treatment and used more moisturizer.  Just be forewarned, the stuff can discolor fabric.  My pillowcase looks like it was bleached.

Is your chin acne whiteheads/blackheads or cysts? I have the cysts and they are hormonal. So there is nothing you can do for them short of seeing a dermatologist for an extraction or steroid shot, and who can afford to do that every month? No topical treatment will work. You can try hormonal therapy, but I didn't b/c I have a family history of breast cancer.  I think I'm getting them more frequently since WLS because of hormone dump.

But if it's normal acne tea tree oil has worked for me, and I had a friend with bad back acne who swears by it too. So annoying to be fighting wrinkles and acne at the same time, lol. Good luck! 

I still get acne too at 33. The best face wash I have yet to use is Merle Norman clear complexion gel cleanser from Merle Norman cosmetics. I'm on my third bottle in a year and a half.

I had terrible acne in high school and so did my son and daughter. I am 50 now and still break out like crazy. I thought it was supposed to get better as I get older, but nothing doing!