Teenage Acne

[earlene]

Not sure if you saw my last reply here, somebody keeps deleting them

I think I saw it. I only noticed that one is gone, though, so I can't be sure.

 

[asmita]

Also, when I was a youngster, my mom had severe psoriasis and I watched as a kind neighbor rubbed rock salt right into her psoriasis. It went away. Forever. I'll never forget that. Sometimes I think Old Fashioned remedies are the best.

Hi Zany,

Do you remember the type of rock salt? Black salt/Himalayan salt or some other variety?

 

[dixiedragon]

I have adult acne and so far I'm really liking this:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/deep-cleansing-oil.69671/page-3 I made mine with 2 oz grapeseed oil and 2 oz avocado oil. I also added some lavender EO to mine.

My other suggestions include salt bars, sulfur bars and pine tar bars. Mix 'em up.

One of the best things for my skin was swimming - in a regular chlorinated pool.

I also recommend against exfoliants. I tried Clinique's exfoliating facial scrub for about a month and mine got so much worse!

 

[lenarenee]

This reminded me; my sister (who had moderate acne) used a specially made solution of calamine and witch hazel from the dermatologist which worked well for her.

 

[amd]

I had cystic acne from age 11 to age 37-38. Just before my 38th birthday I switched to homemade soap - I'd been using it before then on everything but my face... not sure why other than the old "soap is bad for your face" mentality. The other change I made was switching from a lotion moisturizer to argan oil. My acne is pretty much non-existent these days, and it started clearing up within a week of switching to the argan oil. When I stop using it, my face shows it. I mix it up with some essential oils depending on my mood. My night time bottle currently has jasmine and orange in it, because I read that jasmine is good for treating acne and both are good for anxiety aromatherapy. My day time bottle has spearmint and eucalyptus in it, it's a nice refresher in the morning. When I first started using argan oil I added frankincense to it because I had read that it helps reduce the appearance of scars. I also tried tea tree in it, but discovered I'm allergic to tea tree oil. My first bottle I picked up at iherb.com for maybe $12 for 2 oz... now I buy bigger bottles from NDA. Anyways, all this just to ask "Is she using a moisturizer?" I didn't start using one until I was 33 and got a spa facial, the technician told me I have dry skin. I started using a lotion moisturizer and it did help but not "cure" it. I wanted a cure, lol. Argan oil is the closest I've gotten. Also, on a side note, if she is near a cosmetology school, they may offer facial services at 50% the cost of a spa. There is a school where I live, and I've gone twice in the last year for $20 each time. A quality facial may "reset" her skin so that you can evaluate if it is dry, oily, combination, and plan an at home regimen better.

*I am not a doctor or esthetician. My only qualifications are that I have skin and used to have very bad acne. I wish my mom/grandma had been half as invested in helping me with my skin problems as you are, Earlene.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Do you remember the type of rock salt? Black salt/Himalayan salt or some other variety?

Oh gosh, this was waaaaaay back in the 1950's. It wasn't anything fancy. I remember that it was chunky white so my guess is it was probably Morton's rock salt used in making ice cream.

 

[asmita]

Oh gosh, this was waaaaaay back in the 1950's. It wasn't anything fancy. I remember that it was chunky white so my guess is it was probably Morton's rock salt used in making ice cream.

Oh. I have seen large rock like crystals of alum also. My dad, at one time, had used it after shaving as it has astringent properties. Alum is extensively used in India for its medicinal properties. Could it be Alum?

 

[Snowbell]

My boys (19, 17, and 14) use a dyi after shave cream from fellowfellow.com. It has 1/2 cup witch hazel 1/2 cup aloe Vera (boys like after sun) 1 tbsp glycerin. Youngest (11) uses it as a boo boo cream. Oldest calles it his Franks red hot sauce

 

[shunt2011]

I have adult acne and so far I'm really liking this:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/deep-cleansing-oil.69671/page-3 I made mine with 2 oz grapeseed oil and 2 oz avocado oil. I also added some lavender EO to mine.

My other suggestions include salt bars, sulfur bars and pine tar bars. Mix 'em up.

One of the best things for my skin was swimming - in a regular chlorinated pool.

I also recommend against exfoliants. I tried Clinique's exfoliating facial scrub for about a month and mine got so much worse!

I'm with you on this one. Working on the cleansing oil soon. Love my salt bars

My boys (19, 17, and 14) use a dyi after shave cream from fellowfellow.com. It has 1/2 cup witch hazel 1/2 cup aloe Vera (boys like after sun) 1 tbsp glycerin. Youngest (11) uses it as a boo boo cream. Oldest calles it his Franks red hot sauce

I make something very similar as a toner. Works great.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Oh. I have seen large rock like crystals of alum also. My dad, at one time, had used it after shaving as it has astringent properties. Alum is extensively used in India for its medicinal properties. Could it be Alum?

No, I believe it is regular ole sodium chloride, only not yet ground down to the fine texture of table salt. Interesting about the Alum stone.

 

[earlene]

I had cystic acne from age 11 to age 37-38. Just before my 38th birthday I switched to homemade soap - I'd been using it before then on everything but my face... not sure why other than the old "soap is bad for your face" mentality. The other change I made was switching from a lotion moisturizer to argan oil. My acne is pretty much non-existent these days, and it started clearing up within a week of switching to the argan oil. When I stop using it, my face shows it. I mix it up with some essential oils depending on my mood. My night time bottle currently has jasmine and orange in it, because I read that jasmine is good for treating acne and both are good for anxiety aromatherapy. My day time bottle has spearmint and eucalyptus in it, it's a nice refresher in the morning. When I first started using argan oil I added frankincense to it because I had read that it helps reduce the appearance of scars. I also tried tea tree in it, but discovered I'm allergic to tea tree oil. My first bottle I picked up at iherb.com for maybe $12 for 2 oz... now I buy bigger bottles from NDA. Anyways, all this just to ask "Is she using a moisturizer?" I didn't start using one until I was 33 and got a spa facial, the technician told me I have dry skin. I started using a lotion moisturizer and it did help but not "cure" it. I wanted a cure, lol. Argan oil is the closest I've gotten. Also, on a side note, if she is near a cosmetology school, they may offer facial services at 50% the cost of a spa. There is a school where I live, and I've gone twice in the last year for $20 each time. A quality facial may "reset" her skin so that you can evaluate if it is dry, oily, combination, and plan an at home regimen better.

*I am not a doctor or esthetician. My only qualifications are that I have skin and used to have very bad acne. I wish my mom/grandma had been half as invested in helping me with my skin problems as you are, Earlene.

Thank you, amd. I just saw this last night (back pain has had me immobilized a few days last week & I could not even tolerated the seated position, so very little computer action) but was too tired to reply.

I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. The Argan oil sounds like it is really worth a try. I wish I had seen this before leaving home. I could have brought some with me. But when I can I may just order some for her and have it delivered while I am there (after Hawaii.) I will also look into a cosmetology school for a spa facial.

 

[earlene]

Update on granddaughter's acne issues, which is what this thread was started to address (as per post #1).

She really liked the salt soaps and they seemed to make quite a difference, at least on her face. Her make-up removal regimen was Noxzema when I shared mine with her and she realized how well it worked to remove make-up. Now all I have to do is convince her not to thin down the Noxzema with water (something her Mom does due to frugality.)

However, salt soap doesn't do much good on the back, as she really can't see or reach her back with soap as well as she can her face. And sometimes the acne on her back would be quite uncomfortable when straps are involve. But, this won't matter so much anymore since she just started on birth control pills. The acne will probably be much less by the time we go to Hawaii in July. I'll know for sure then, since we are planning lots of swim suit time.

 

[dibbles]

earlene, I'm glad your granddaughter's acne has improved. Have you looked into a charcoal based liquid soap or cleanser for her back? It might be easier to use in the shower. I also think the birth control pills will help - at least I hope so.

 

[Cellador]

When I had the really bad cystic acne that would spread to my back, I used aNeutragena Body Clear Body Wash. It didn't smell as good as other washes but it worked. Also, I washed and conditioned my hair first, then washed my body. This way, I'm not leaving conditioner residue on my skin.
I hope the BC pills help...I am in my 40s and still struggle with hormonal cystic acne. I found a med that really works for me now (Spironolactone) but I'm not sure if it can be prescribed to teenagers.

 

[BattleGnome]

Wonderful to hear an update, especially a positive one. They do make loofa straps to help exfoliate your back and I’ve seen what essentially a sponge on a stick to do the same.

Birth control helped my acne but certain ones had horrible side effects. Switching brands helped me, same % of the same active ingredient but a world of difference.

 

[amd]

A shower brush, the ones with the handle, are wonderful on the back, and easier to clean compared to loofah straps. They have a different feel though so in the end, I think she may have to try a few things to find what works for her. That said, I use a shower poofie with my bar soap to wash my back. Like Cellador, I also wash and rinse hair first, then wash my body so I'm not leaving any residue. Also, when is she showering? Just thinking out loud, but maybe laying in bed at night without showering is causing/encouraging some of the body acne. I switched to night showering and that helped my body acne a lot.

I'm glad you reported back, I have thought of this off and on over the last few months, wondering how things were going.

 

[earlene]

Wonderful to hear an update, especially a positive one. They do make loofa straps to help exfoliate your back and I’ve seen what essentially a sponge on a stick to do the same.

Birth control helped my acne but certain ones had horrible side effects. Switching brands helped me, same % of the same active ingredient but a world of difference.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will look for one. It's a great idea. Or maybe one of those long interlocked poofy-like things. I looked for one last year for her and couldn't find any. Maybe I'll check Amazon.

 

[cmzaha]

I used to make a bum butter for my grandkids that helped them tremendously. In fact I have tweak it for lip balm and dog paws. My daughter's oldster dog gets very sore paws from chewing on them. According to my girls the stuff works amazing (at least for their girls). My youngest granddaughter would get severe diaper rash as soon as she just wet a diaper, won't talk about the condition with a messy one. My daughter tried everything the doctor prescribed with very little improvement. When I put this together she told me it would clear her up around 75% the next day. It will do the same for severely sore lips. The main ingredients are Argon and Avocado Butter. Pure Avocado Butter not the AVO Butter blends. I did use some waxes to help leave a protective layer. I am thinking maybe this could be made thinner to use as a makeup remover. Sending you a PM

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I purchased the colloidal silver I used from a lady who made it fresh in a rather simple contraption. It worked for me. But I stopped taking it after reading some research on a type of plant that worked even better. For the life of me, I can't remember what it was just now... if I can find that research, I'll start another thread. LOL

I remembered! The plant is Stevia

WHAT IS STEVIA?

Inflammation of the sebaceous glands causes the formation of acne on our skin, thankfully the leaves of stevia plants possess antiseptic and antibacterial properties and can be applied to the skin to reduce the presence of acne and can help prevent it from coming back. Feb 13, 2020

 

[anokea]

I

earlene, I'm glad your granddaughter's acne has improved. Have you looked into a charcoal based liquid soap or cleanser for her back? It might be easier to use in the shower. I also think the birth control pills will help - at least I hope so.

I started on birth control when I was 14 for problems with my period. My skin was absolutely clear until later on in adulthood when I stopped taking the pills. Now I'm a 42 year old woman with acne. Go figure... However, using my goat milk soap and then salt soap later has helped tremendously.