Acne Help Please. Thanks

[xAsh]

I'm a 17 yr old (nearly 18 in december) male, and i have quite bad acne around my chin area and down my neck not to mention a few other places facially.

I was wondering if anyone has had the same problem and how you overcame it? I mean, i am generally a clean person, i wash my face regularly with cold water at morning and night, so i don't understand what's going on, they same to get marginly better then the next day, they're totally bad again.

I've had them since i was about 12 and through medication, and everything i can't get rid of them.

Can anyone suggest any washing routines or anything else that might be of help and MAYBE might clear my spots up a wee bit? And if it helps, i eat a lot of chocolate, but i doubt that's the cause of it right...

I'm going out now, so i'll check the answers (if there's any) when i get back so thanks a lot in advance.

P.s I'm new here, Hi :D. I'm 17,m Portsmouth.

Thanks a lot!!

[phae]

apart from the usual, "eat nothing but cabbage and green beans with 50 gallons of water" advice (haha).... I can highly recomend any product by neutragena. They have a two in one everyday mask which cleared my 18yr old nieces skin dramatically! she also put toothpaste on the really bad spots overnight to dry them out.

washing your face with cold water is doing no good. Our skin is waterproof! You need to get a daily (TWICE A DAY) routine of cleansing your skin thoroughly. xx

good luck x

[collywobs]

just to add to the above cut out all the chocolate

and ask your doctor about low dose antibiotics if the sugestions dont work

[jno]

I've been googling on this for a while, and it really doesn't seem that chocolate is a problem.

[shaneystar]

Bless .My son suffered from acne in his teens so I know just how you feel.See your doctor...the first step, cut out the sweeties and try to eat lots of fresh food and drink plenty of water..this flushes toxins out of your system.
Every day.. morning and night.... smear your face with a cheapo cream..take a clean face flannel..well wrung out in as hot a water as you can bear and wipe the cream off then splash with cold water.Witch hazel is a good astringent and will help to dry up any spots.Be careful when shaving and use a good gel afterwards to close the pores.

[xAsh]

Ok thanks guys. Great answers - just what i needed!

Much appreciated

[Goodsoulette]

I am 26 and used to suffer with acne. Now if you cab bear using cosmatics you cant go wrong with clinique, its pretty harsh but it uses a three step system, cleanse exfoliate moisturise. Go to boots and speak to the lady at the clinique counter they do a range targeted for men, to start you off you are probably talking 50 quid but i swear I have not had a single spot. Also pore minimiser is a must, people always suggest its to do with diet and water but some people just get acne, your doctor may want to prescribe you steroids or steroid ointment which should really be a last results as the tablets are linked to depression and bipolar disorder.

[twonk]

I really feel for you xAsh. I used to suffer really badly from acne when I was younger. There are photos of me in my early teens and they all look as though i permanently had measles or something!

I found that washes with tea tree oil in them really helped. At the time I think I used the ones from the Body Shop but there are others out there.

Don't worry - it won't last for ever - and nearly everyone goes through it at some stage or another. xx

[xAsh]

Ok Thanks Guys, great help!

[lanpingpug]

The best thing I found which dries up spots OVER NIGHT is Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion. It costs about 15-20 a bottle but it has worked for me EVERY TIME and I'm not kidding. Look for it on Ebay or on the net elsewhere.