Some Helpful Acne Tips, and an Update on My New Regimen
September 30, 2009 by Karissa
Filed under Info You Want to Know
I figure it is a great time to update you! Last week my skin was a WRECK. I have no clue what it was, if it was the whole “getting worse before better”, hormones, or what! But I also admit, one spot was from me picking… But in my defense, I had a non inflamed white head, that has been sitting there forever (months) and saw that it was closer to the surface… So yes, I cleared it, but got a icky ol scab from it. **dout!**
I had not previously been using my Clarisonic, but I added that back to my routine. I use the sensitive/gentle brush, and I use it at night with the Clear & Smooth Natural soap
only. It really seems to help give me a more even exfoliation. The problem I noticed with my Carley’s Clear & Smooth Kick A** is that it doesn’t seem to give an even exfoliation. I have never been a fan of walnut shells for exfoliation, and I really wish this formula used jojoba beads instead.
I have continued using my Alaskan Glacial mask once a week, or even twice if I seem oily, but I am also using the Carley’s Acne Mask once a week too. I really did find that it helps the old stuff go away. I am thinking this might be week 4? It can take up to 2 months for a blemish to appear, so who knows!? I have also started doing my Clarisea Soaks twice a week.
My skin does look a lot clearer right now. And i an almost get away with just throwing on my 100% Pure Tinter Moisturizer alone. I just need a couple spots concealed which is not a huge deal, since I am prone to dark circles under my eyes anyways.
(forgive my zombie like look, these were taken at 5:30am…) Overall I would say I am having a pretty good success rate with Carley’s. He did tell me it might take 6 weeks to really see results, so I no complaints here!
A few random, but important Acne Tips!
One quick tip for pregnant women if you are starting to break out, beware of what Pre-Natal Vitamins you are taking. Most of them contain a lot of Iodine, and you want to beware of that! here are a couple you can talk to your doctor about.
- Duet DHA – Rx only along with Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements
- Stuart Natal Pre-Natal Vitamins (which are over the counter).
I am not sure if this is true for all vitamins, I checked mine, and they do not contain any iodine. But check yours too!
Not just for pregnant women:
Going along with the whole Iodine thing…. Watch the peanut butter. Or find a peanut butter that is salted with Sea Salt. Ack, this has been hard for me. And watch what you salt! If you are a major salter, switch to sea salt! Not only does it contain better nutrients, but it doesn’t contain Iodine. I think this may be the reason people think fried foods cause acne. think about it, when was the last time you had anything fried with out salt on it? 
I know you have heard about taking Zinc for acne? Well yes, this is true, but the problem is that you need a specific form of Zinc, and it is not the Zinc that is contained in most supplements. The one I have found is by Source Naturals and is called OptiZinc
OptiZinc
OptiZinc
Take Fish Oil
L-Lysine. I have taken this Amino Acid off and on for years, but never for acne. I always took it for pesky fever blisters that I would get on the inside of my mouth. Usually from stress or eating too much citrus/tomatoes. Take 500mg twice a day. It helps to repair old acne. I am not aware of whether it helps to keep acne at bay, but whenever I have a nasty blemish, I take this, and it seems to make them go away twice as quickly. You can get this pretty cheap at most drugstores.
L-Lysine
I don’t support the products at this site, but this sheet telling us about what level of pore clogging/comodegenic ingredients is invaluable!
Oh, and the last thing…. Not sure how I feel about this one, but did you know that what you think are blackheads on your nose, are really just sebaceous filaments. They will never go away. They are basically oil glands, and are meant to be there. Now don’t ask me why the lord did this to us, but an actually blackhead is raised up off the skin.
I guess I believe it, since no matter how clear my skin has ever been, I have had them. Although I do think they can get worse depending on what products used.
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[...] with Carley’s. I think partially because she just had a baby. But don’t forget to read my acne tips too! Oh, and here is my first post on the whole [...]
Great. Now i can say thank you!,
I want to say – thank you for this!,
Thanks for the update. Glad that you seem to be making progress.
I am glad you said that Andrea! yes, you should make sure you get some Iodine!
I am glad you skin was clear today! i hope it still is tomorrow. You might want to do what I am doing and adding a basic clay mask a couple days a week too.
good luck everyone!!
Wow this post is awesome! I always have acne and no matter what I do it never gets better. Of course I am also PG right now, but honestly it isn’t that much different. I’m glad there are some natural beauty solutions for acne and I am going to have to start trying some out. Now I am off to look up what a Clarisonic is.
Marianna @ Green Mama’s Pad´s last blog ..Going Green: Ditch the Bottled Water
Great post this week!
I think you and I must have had the same experiences this past week. My face was honest-to-goodness the worst I can ever remember it being before. It was bad enough that I wanted to chuck this crap out the window and go running towards the potions and lotions that would burn my skin back into submission. It has been incredibly hard to stick with it, but I have. Yay me.
Today is my weekiversary. I have been using it for 3 weeks, and today will begin my fourth (at least I think that’s right). I woke up this morning, gave myself a thorough looksie in the mirror, and decided to run straight to the computer to give you an update. Unfortunately my girls prevented that from happening, and I am just now getting to the computer. The good news is that I gave you time to post your update!
Anyway, today is the clearest my skin has been since I started the regimen. Now, it’s not clear, but there is a measurable improvement. Throughout the day, I have felt a couple of spots on my face that have that familiar tingle and itchiness that normally precedes a breakout, so we’ll see if I wake up tomorrow as clear as today.
I just started using the Carley’s mask, and I really like it. I’m going to up usage to twice a week this week. I think it really helps clear up the existing acne.
Thank you for all the advice on the supplements! I will look into taking those while I’m breastfeeding. I know L-lysine is a no-no while pregnant (it’s a category C drug), so I’ll probably skip that one. I don’t see the harm in trying the zinc and fish oil, though.
I am a big salter, and my husband has been on me for years to cut back. I have, but not entirely. I will look into sea salt, though. My parents have recently started using Himalayan sea salt that they get at their local organic store, so I may get some as well.
My prenatals do contain Iodine (GNC brand), so I will try to switch once I finish what I have. They’re too expensive to just throw away, so I’ll finish up the bottle and try the Stuart’s. I’ve used those in the past and I like them just fine.
One thing about iodine, though, is that it really shouldn’t be eliminated entirely. It is necessary for thyroid hormone production, and if people develop an iodine deficiency, they can get a nasty goiter. Everything in moderation.
Here’s to a good week for the both of us!
Wow, woman – you are a wealth of helpful information! Thank you buckets and bucketsful! And I still say you look great, even at 5:30, even without a speck of make-up. Zombie like, lol!