So upset with my skin

[Jennifer]

since november or so, i've had the worst zits. about 3 at a time or so, no biggie, but my skin remained even and smooth. i've always had such nice skin and even though i'd get the occasional zit, the look and feel of it was great.

now, i'm so fed up with my skin, i wanna cry. it upsets me so much because it's almost june and it's still not cleared. it's just gotten worse.

i haven't switched things really and i don't OD on products. i use differin, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, etc. of course, not at the same time and give them time to work themselves. i never mix products like that and i wash twice a day with dove beauty bar and i don't touch my face, etc.

i'm convinced it's stress-related, but still. this is just so upsetting because i HATE looking at myself in the mirror because not only the zits are there, but my skin all together looks horrible.

i don't smoke, so it can't be that. i HAVE been drinking a lot of coffee and it's caffeinated, which dehydrates your skin, from what i've read, so i'm gonna downsize on that big time or just drink decaf.

oh, and it can't be makeup, i don't think. i haven't worn makeup in about 3 weeks and it's not getting any better at all.

anyway, this is more like a vent and i'm curious if anyone else has gone through it.

here are some pics. i took them in bits and pieces because i don't wanna post my whole face up

believe me, it's A LOT worse than this. if you see my face in whole, it's just covered. i have some above my lip, by my hairline, chin, nose, etc.

(don't mind my brows. growing one of them out to match.)

 

[Tesia]

I know exactly how you feel. lately my skin has been breakin out also. I would get the occasional pimple but now i get a pimple a day. This has been going out for a few months now. I did not know caffine does that to your skin because I started to drink tea more often. But i still drink alot of water. I tried changing my diet. I added more fruits into my diet. It helped a little but then i stopped.

 

[KISKA]

I remember I broke out like that when I exfoliated my skin too much. I would cut down using those products on your face and maybe get a more natural cleanser, I use Vitamin C by Avalon Organics and it tightens pores so it should make your pimples look better. Also I drink beer(like 3 cups a day) if I break out and it clears them off right the next day.

 

[girl_geek]

I think acne can be caused by stress.... because after I graduated in December and no longer have the stress of grad school, my skin has cleared up amazingly even though I haven't switched products or changed anything about my diet or lifestyle! And in November and December, I had the worst breakouts I'd had in years -- I'm assuming because I was really stressed about finals and finding a job! And I always seemed to break out around midterms time too....

So I'm not sure I have any advice for you, unless you can do something to get rid of the stress, but I do understand how you are feeling!

 

[NYShopgirl]

i also had the same experience....my forehead broke out like crazy...i never broke out that much for 27 years of my life but few months ago was the worst for my skin...so i tried pro active and it help clear some of the blemishes..i just have few left...but it's almost completely gone. I'm also using glycolic peel and epidermx to help heal some scars. I hope you will feel much better you are not alone sweetie. Some of us feel the same way too.

 

[Andi]

I´m so sorry Jennifer. I understand how you feel!!! Luckily my skin has been under control since I started taking birth control pills at age 18, then I only had cystic pimples around that time of the month and now that´s going away too. since you said you always had clear skin your breakouts can only have a stress related hormonal reason

on a positive side your pimples don´t really leave marks, right? so at least you won´t have to deal with that once you get rid of the breakouts. are you seeing a dermatologist? maybe he/she can help, but I´ve heard about so many people going and trying products back and forth and it´s an endless search till they finally find something that works for them.

but all I can say so far is that all of my friend´s skin has improved since they got on the pill. on the long run it should keep most of the natural hormonal imbalances under control. would that be an option for you?

 

[KellyB]

I'm sorry your having a difficult time with this and if it is stress, this isn't helping to decrease it, I'm sure. Stress can wreak havoc on every part of your body. have you tried to add a vitamin. I have been taking a stress pac I picked up from GNC and I can't make you any promises of course, but it's worth a try. I hope it gets better for you. I did want to let you know that I drink coffee alllllll day long and it has never affected my skin that I know of, but of course everyone is different.

 

[ivette]

jennifer, i know what you're going through. i've had these kind of

problems myself. i'm not a dermatologist, but i think maybe, you

are having a bad allergic reaction to something. it could be any

of the situations listed below:

1. food- anything new or different you've been eating?

2.shampoo/ conditioner- anything new?

3.laundry detergent and/or fabric softeners- are you using the same brands as before or switched to something different??

4. clothing- some people (like me) are allergic to certain

fabrics. for example, i can't wear anything that is 100% cashmere, or wool. my body get all itchy and irritated. its horrible

5. work environment- anything at work can trigger an

allergic reaction. do you work with any chemicals,cleaning agents, or stuff like that?

also, too you can "develop " an allergic reaction over time. something that never gave you a problem before can become

a problem later on.

i would say that your best bet would be to see a dermatologist

and find out what going on

hope this helps and good luck

.

 

[Marisol]

I am sorry Jennifer. Like you said, it might be stress related. Also, make sure you drink a lot of water. Perhaps going to a dermatologist and they might be able to help.

 

[girl_geek]

Originally Posted by ivette jennifer, i know what you're going through. i've had these kind ofproblems myself. i'm not a dermatologist, but i think maybe, you

are having a bad allergic reaction to something. it could be any

of the situations listed below:

1. food- anything new or different you've been eating?

2.shampoo/ conditioner- anything new?

3.laundry detergent and/or fabric softeners- are you using the same brands as before or switched to something different??

4. clothing- some people (like me) are allergic to certain

fabrics. for example, i can't wear anything that is 100% cashmere, or wool. my body get all itchy and irritated. its horrible

5. work environment- anything at work can trigger an

allergic reaction. do you work with any chemicals,cleaning agents, or stuff like that?

also, too you can "develop " an allergic reaction over time. something that never gave you a problem before can become

a problem later on.

i would say that your best bet would be to see a dermatologist

and find out what going on

hope this helps and good luck

.

That's a good point, some allergic reactions can look a lot like acne! It could also be a bacterial infection -- for example, I had a friend in high school with terrible acne and no medicines would treat it. Finally, the doctors realized that it wasn't acne, but a bacterial infection from her loofah sponge which was not fully drying out in between each use! Once she quit using loofahs, her face cleared right up!

 

[Leony]

Ohh sweetie, now I understand why you mentioned about the acne pills.

But, don't worry I had that once before. Here my story and some advices I could give.

I went to a dermatologist and the doc told me to get enough sleep and try to release the stress and depression I have. (You know I lived with my SIL and FIL). I've managed to make myself happier and took the sleeping pills and it worked! My skin gets better after I finally able to get at least 7-8 hours a day.

So my acne skin problem was stress related. I'm not sure about you, but sometimes we didn't realize that we're under a lot of stress honey. You might want take a look on your diet. Stop drinking coffee, maybe you can change it with some fruit juices or tea with honey/a bit of sugar if you can't stand the taste. Eat a lot raw vegetable and don't forget to drink enough water everyday. Also, avoid eating sweets/junk food until you can manage to get your skin back to normal.

I don't think makeup that cause the acne, but you still need to be careful and cleans your skin properly after you wearing makeup. But remember don't overzealous cleans your skin. Usually, it will make things worse.

For treating pimple/acne product, you might want to try tea tree oil product.

I use Acne barrier, contains tea tree oil that diluted with other essential oils and it's been my savior to fight acne/pimple. Just get the spot treatment and use it one drop on each pimple. The next day the acne gets better and it's fade away in no time.

Now, remember, get enough SLEEP, take care your DIET and your SKIN CARE REGIMEN last, always try to THINK POSITIVE and be try to be patient

Trust me, the acne will stop and gone in no time.

 

[xkatiex]

Don't feel down Jennifer!. The best thing you can do for your skin is don't use to much products on your face, trust me.. its worked for me, my skin is almost clear!. Get a simple skin care regieme, heres mine:

- Wash my face with a gentle mild facial soap

(clinique facial soap: mild)

- To give the skin moisture, but not using heavy creams

(a small amount of emu oil, trust me it helps your skin loads!!!!)

- For the eye area...

(again use a dab of emu oil)

Thats it!

As emu oil is anti-inflammerty it should help heal those spots really quick for the summer! remember Less is More for skin care!

Hope you can get it sorted soon... xxxxxxxx

 

[Maja]

Oh Jen, I'm sorry you're skin is going crazy.

It can be stress related, my skin always breaks out (and my stomach hurts) when I'm under stress.

You were given some great advice. lol I'll try to follow it myself

I hope your skin will clear out in no time.

 

[Becka]

Hang in there honey, it'll get better. I think stress prolly has a lot to do with it. Are you taking a daily multi-vitamin too? sometimes that can help

 

[charish]

i know how frustrating and upsetting that can be. after having my first son, the birth control they had me on made me break out. once i got off i was fine. stress can cause it, not keeping makeup brushes clean,so many other things. if it continues i would see a dermatologist. hopefully you'll figure out what it is. i like using neutragena pore refiner toner. it has alpha and beta hydroxy acid in it. it really smoothes my skin and keeps it clear. i don' know if that would be too much for yours. is your skin oily? cutting down on caffine is good also sugar.

 

[Brownshugaz]

Try taking zinc supplements. They help speed up the healing. Puritans Pride even has a zinc for acne supplement

 

[Little_Lisa]

I'm sorry Jennifer and I totally know how you feel. My skin has been breaking out horribly from stress. I have had some painful cysts on my neck and jaw line that will not heal for the last few months. I finally went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago and he gave me an antibiotic gel called Clindamycin for spot treatment. I've been using it and some of the cysts are finally starting to shrink but I know they will leave terrible scars since they were so deep and i've had them so long. A few days ago I had a few new ones pop up and the clindamycin seems to be drying them up so hopefully they won't last as long. It's so embarrassing, painful, and depressing. It seems like the more I worry about it the worse it gets sometimes. I'm going to the improv tonight to watch one of my favorite comics so hopefully that will be therapeutic for me. Try not to worry about it too much, sweetie. You are a beautiful girl!

 

[4getmeNot]

i'm sorrry. i know how you feel too..most of us have been there. really cleaning up your lifestyle helps! after increasing my water intake and sleep, changing my diet, getting a good skin regime, and adding a multi-vitamen, my face cleared up soo much/ multi-vitamens contain anit-inflammatories that fight the redness and the infection. hope you feel better sweetie.

 

[Mac@40]

I know how you feel because I've seen my sister breakout real bad - meaning her pimples were big / cystic pimples here and there. My sister's problem was hormonal and her periods were not regular. The only way it would clear was going on birth control pills. Like in the case of Arielle, birth control pills had helped. So it could be hormonal and / or stress that may be causing you to breakout.

 

[SkinCareJunky]

Aww..it will get better. I'm kinda going through the same thing here..I've broken out everywhere on my face..and the usual stuff isn't doing the job. So, I'm just taking it real slow..I wash my face with Goats Milk Soap and have covered my face in aloe vera gel.. real thick..and plan to sleep with it on my face. Coffee ALWAYS makes me breakout..so that may very well be the culprit. I also noticed that I have not been eating real well (weddings, parties etc). So today I made sure I drank loads of water and green tea..cut out carbs..and had some fresh fruit. I've also started to take my flaxseed oil vitamins + Skin, Hair, and Nails Vitamins again. Anyways..I'm sure this will subside..just be patient and be very gentle to your skin.