zits
i’m 28. i’ve had acne since middle school (so, like 11 or 12?). for a few years in college i had really horrible cystic acne that i had to take prescription drugs to treat. i still get the occasional cyst, and while they bother me and look hideous, at least it’s just one or two, and not a whole face of ‘em (they covered my cheeks and chin and a bit of my forehead. it was horrible). i figure i’ll probably get cysts the rest of my life because that’s how my body is.
but why, WHY, do i still have a forehead full of whiteheads and a bunch of “traditional” zits on my cheeks? we were told this kind of acne was a “teenage” thing and it would go away once we “grew up.” i know now that’s a lie, but when does it go away? will i EVER have clear skin? i’m just so sick of it. i’m embarassed about it because very few of my friends have acne like i do (they may have a zit or two).
i use the right cleansers. i moisturize. blah. i don’t wear foundation/powder anymore because it makes my face feel gross and it never really hid the zits anyway. i just wish i knew what was causing my face to look like a 14 year old’s. is it the food i eat? pollution? stress? using the same pillowcase more than one night in a row? what?!?!?!
ugh. anyone else have this problem?
posted by sarah on 05/12/2008 at 01:37 PM
As a general rule, I have worse acne than my students. Although lately it’s coming under control. I think because I switched moisturizers. I always used the “acne prevention” kinds of things. But then I changed to a more substantial moisturizer (ok, it’s anti-aging… I don’t want zits AND wrinkles!) and somewhat counter-intuitively that seems to be making a difference. And I’m being religious about face washing. So you might keep trying new things… perhaps the right combination of cleansers and moisturizers? That’s all I’ve got though… but adult acne sucks.
on 05/12/2008 at 07:09 PM
i have problems whenever i’m not on hormonal birth control. my chin is full of blackheads, my forehead breaks out, occasional breakouts on my cheeks and temples, but what’s worse is my scalp, my upperarms and back. it’s gross. it’s definitely hormone-related b/c it gets worse right before red high tide.
i haven’t figured out a good solution yet either, but i do know all that anti-acne stuff makes it worse, so i use a gentle cleanser on my face and sometimes my face seems to get better when i only wash it once a day. . my back and arms, i pull out the salicylic acid wash.
yours could be diet-related - i know years ago i gave up milk (switched to soy) and that helped clear it up. i’m not sure what other food triggers there are, but i’ve read several articles about milk products.
Yeah, so I know this isn’t much consolation but .... It sounds like you have the same problem I do and if that’s true, I’m very sorry because it’s genetic. Nothing you can do about it.
I think we should get to tennis-racket people in the face because of it. I’m just sayin.
