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witty_nameTo begin, I had the worst acne you have ever seen. I can say that without knowing anything about you because it was really that bad.
At times the acne went from my chest up my neck, across my face into my ears and nose, onto my scalp and then down my neck and upper back. Giant, painfull purple welts.
Most times the acne was more of the whitehead and tender red bump variety with at least a dozen eruptions at any time. Started age 12 and continued daily until my early 30's.
In my early 30's I had a good job and decided to do a round of spa facials and skin care products. I had tried many products before this (department store, pharmacy, doctor's advice, hippie stuff). Nothing had helped and many made it worse. The spa promised that their products and treatment would clear up my acne.
I did everything as directed: facials on time, products used daily, and completed the entire course. The result was obvious and two fold.
1) I had just as much acne as I did before, and
2) The spa treatments and products had thinned the skin on my face.
The thinning was most pronounced on my nose, cheekbones, and brown line. My skin was thin as paper. The texture was smoother, but the overall effect was not healthy and gave me a sallow and sunken look.
Done. I have not had a spa treatment or used any commercial face cleanser or moisturiser in eight years. The skin on my face grew back after a few months, thank goodness, and is healthy again.
So how did I clear my acne? A combination of A. home made and very basic cleansers + B. removing excess bacteria from my sleeping environment + C. eliminating inflammatory foods from my diet.
A. The skin on your face regenerates quickly and is perfectly capable, for most people, of hydrating and moisturising itself. If you do not wear face-covering product then the only thing you need to clean with is water and a soft washcloth. Use cold water (the best temperature) if you have no product on your face. Use warm water (never hot) if you need to remove light sunscreen. Always wipe clean in a downward motion, like smoothing the feathers on a bird.
Make up or heavy sunscreen? Mix 2 parts olive oil to 1 part castor oil, gently apply a small amount to your face and then gently wipe away downwards with a warm wet washer. I sometimes rinse the washer and wipe a second time.
That's it. Healthy skin does not need a moisturiser. There will be a transition period, similar to if you go off shampoo, where your face learns to balance its own oils for about a month. Then you have normal skin - not "oily" or "dry" or "combination".
B. Is about bacteria awareness. Change your pillowcase twice a week if you suffer from constant acne and this will remove an unseen irritant. Launder your blankets and other bedding more often and use a light or fragrance-free product in your wash (irritant awareness).
C. Yes, I know that there are scientific studies that say food does not cause acne. I have over a decade of empirical evidence to the contrary. Right now I have three pimples that I got for my birthday because I ate chocolate and refined sugar for a week. For me, length and combinations are the dose that make the poison. If I eat one bit of good-quality chocolate every few months no acne will apear. But if I keep eating it, or eat the cheap stuff, the acne will start in earnest. Combining chocolate with other sugary foods makes it worse, and adding alcohol (another inflammatory) will make the acne erupt everywhere. If you can learn how your diet affects your acne, you can control both.
FAQ
Q. What if my skin is still dry after a month?
A. Then you have an irritant to manage. Look for cold winds, chemical burn from a sunscreen (yes, even "face" sunscreens), dehydration caused by low water consumption, make up, the products you wash your hair or bedding with. If you're washing your face with water only, try the oil wash while managing irritants.
Q. What if my skin is still oily after a month?
A. Wash it more often, but stay gentle. If you're using the oil wash, do a water-only wash before bed or in the morning before you apply your make up or heavy sunscreen.
Q. Will the water or oil wash reverse the signs of ageing?
A. Nothing reverses the signs of ageing. NOTHING. You can prevent the signs of ageing by wearing sunscreen, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, drinking plenty of clean water, and not wearing make up as the removal pulls on your face and tests its elasticity. Commercial products that claim to reverse the signs of ageing are actually thinning your skin to reduce lines, but this weakens the skin tissue and the long-term effects of these products are unknown.
Q. WIll this work for teenagers?
A. Depends. Because your hormones are shifting into reproduction mode your skin (and other body parts) will be more sensetive to stimulation. If you can keep your face calm and protected then this care regime should help, if not completely cure, your acne.
Combine this face care regimine with the hair care regimine in my first post and you can save yourself quite a bit of money every year.
Thank you for reading! Please let me know how you go and if you have any questions.
At times the acne went from my chest up my neck, across my face into my ears and nose, onto my scalp and then down my neck and upper back. Giant, painfull purple welts.
Most times the acne was more of the whitehead and tender red bump variety with at least a dozen eruptions at any time. Started age 12 and continued daily until my early 30's.
In my early 30's I had a good job and decided to do a round of spa facials and skin care products. I had tried many products before this (department store, pharmacy, doctor's advice, hippie stuff). Nothing had helped and many made it worse. The spa promised that their products and treatment would clear up my acne.
I did everything as directed: facials on time, products used daily, and completed the entire course. The result was obvious and two fold.
1) I had just as much acne as I did before, and
2) The spa treatments and products had thinned the skin on my face.
The thinning was most pronounced on my nose, cheekbones, and brown line. My skin was thin as paper. The texture was smoother, but the overall effect was not healthy and gave me a sallow and sunken look.
Done. I have not had a spa treatment or used any commercial face cleanser or moisturiser in eight years. The skin on my face grew back after a few months, thank goodness, and is healthy again.
So how did I clear my acne? A combination of A. home made and very basic cleansers + B. removing excess bacteria from my sleeping environment + C. eliminating inflammatory foods from my diet.
A. The skin on your face regenerates quickly and is perfectly capable, for most people, of hydrating and moisturising itself. If you do not wear face-covering product then the only thing you need to clean with is water and a soft washcloth. Use cold water (the best temperature) if you have no product on your face. Use warm water (never hot) if you need to remove light sunscreen. Always wipe clean in a downward motion, like smoothing the feathers on a bird.
Make up or heavy sunscreen? Mix 2 parts olive oil to 1 part castor oil, gently apply a small amount to your face and then gently wipe away downwards with a warm wet washer. I sometimes rinse the washer and wipe a second time.
That's it. Healthy skin does not need a moisturiser. There will be a transition period, similar to if you go off shampoo, where your face learns to balance its own oils for about a month. Then you have normal skin - not "oily" or "dry" or "combination".
B. Is about bacteria awareness. Change your pillowcase twice a week if you suffer from constant acne and this will remove an unseen irritant. Launder your blankets and other bedding more often and use a light or fragrance-free product in your wash (irritant awareness).
C. Yes, I know that there are scientific studies that say food does not cause acne. I have over a decade of empirical evidence to the contrary. Right now I have three pimples that I got for my birthday because I ate chocolate and refined sugar for a week. For me, length and combinations are the dose that make the poison. If I eat one bit of good-quality chocolate every few months no acne will apear. But if I keep eating it, or eat the cheap stuff, the acne will start in earnest. Combining chocolate with other sugary foods makes it worse, and adding alcohol (another inflammatory) will make the acne erupt everywhere. If you can learn how your diet affects your acne, you can control both.
FAQ
Q. What if my skin is still dry after a month?
A. Then you have an irritant to manage. Look for cold winds, chemical burn from a sunscreen (yes, even "face" sunscreens), dehydration caused by low water consumption, make up, the products you wash your hair or bedding with. If you're washing your face with water only, try the oil wash while managing irritants.
Q. What if my skin is still oily after a month?
A. Wash it more often, but stay gentle. If you're using the oil wash, do a water-only wash before bed or in the morning before you apply your make up or heavy sunscreen.
Q. Will the water or oil wash reverse the signs of ageing?
A. Nothing reverses the signs of ageing. NOTHING. You can prevent the signs of ageing by wearing sunscreen, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, drinking plenty of clean water, and not wearing make up as the removal pulls on your face and tests its elasticity. Commercial products that claim to reverse the signs of ageing are actually thinning your skin to reduce lines, but this weakens the skin tissue and the long-term effects of these products are unknown.
Q. WIll this work for teenagers?
A. Depends. Because your hormones are shifting into reproduction mode your skin (and other body parts) will be more sensetive to stimulation. If you can keep your face calm and protected then this care regime should help, if not completely cure, your acne.
Combine this face care regimine with the hair care regimine in my first post and you can save yourself quite a bit of money every year.
Thank you for reading! Please let me know how you go and if you have any questions.
