I have no clue what to do!

Jul 1, 2016

Emma K.

I have struggled with acne for the longest time and about a year ago I decided to go to a dermatologist. I have been put on many creams and pills and nothing has stopped my acne from occurring! I now have scares from it all, I know to some people this is not a big deal but because of my acne I have a difficult time being completely confident with myself. I'm tired of trying to hide my face when I talk to people, I just want to find a way that I know will help get rid of acne and scares without it being a guessing game! My skin in fairly oily and I have most of my scares and acne under my cheek bones on the side of my face. If anyone has and advice it would be very much appreciated!! thanks Emma :)

Jul 1, 2016

Kara S.

I love this series of videos on the Paula's Choice YouTube channel - they often discuss issues like acne scarring and the best skin care solutions available, avoiding irritation, etc.https://youtu.be/sXzQFFyErRY.

Jul 1, 2016

Emma K.

Thank you I will definitely take a look

Jul 1, 2016

Ashley D.

Ask your dermatologist about Accutane. I struggled with acne for 6-7 years until I was prescribed it. I was only on it for 4 months, my derm took me off of it because my weight..., and it worked wonders.
Paula's Choice products are also worth looking into. I'm using their AHA exfoliaters to reduce scarring

Jul 1, 2016

Emma K.

I heard some bad things about accutane which makes me scared to try it! One person lost a lot of hair and now that they are off their hair is really dry, although it worked for them! did you gain wait from using it? (I hope you don't mind me asking)thanks for advice Ashley I'm going to look up the exfoliaters

Jul 1, 2016

Riley O.

You may have already tried this but I have the same problem. Fairly oily face and most of my acne is under my cheekbones. I use Mary Kay botanical effects cleanser and moisturizer and I use Mary Kay acne treatment gel. I also use a rotating face brush to scrub in the cleanser. I also use the cleanser and moisturizer in the morning when I shower but I don't use the acne treatment gel in the morning so I don't dry out my skin. Hope this helps you!

Jul 1, 2016

Riley O.

I don't know if it will help with scars though.

Jul 1, 2016

Emma K.

I haven't tried anything from Mary Kay! I'll check it out thanks.

Jul 1, 2016

Naomi K.

Accutane is your best bet I was scared to try it for years and I went on it and didnt have ANY side effects except dry lips and I had the best results after only like 3-4 months! It was an amazing experience and I'm so glad I went on it!

Jul 1, 2016

Naomi K.

For scars gycolic acid (I don't know how to spell it lol) helped a lot! The mario badusecu gycolic acid toner is amazing! $18 at ulta

Jul 1, 2016

Riley O.

You're welcome :)

Jul 1, 2016

Ashley D.

I didn't gain weight but my dermatologist didn't like that I was plus size and kept telling me to go to a nutritionist, she eventually just stopped taking appointments with me.

Jul 1, 2016

Emma K.

Thanks Naomi I'm going to talk to my dermatologist about it next time I go

Jul 1, 2016

Emma K.

Oh okay Ashley, I'm hoping my side affects won't be too bad

Jul 1, 2016

Elizabeth I.

I use Mary Kay as well! At first I tried out Proactive, but it was very harsh on my skin. Now, I use the Clearproof Acne System and its worked so well and its much gentler on my skin. I use it twice a day, once in the morning once at night. I used to have terrible skin but now its so much clearer and smoother too. Also some other things I do: drinking water a lot, eating fruit at least 2-3 times a day, changing pillowcase once a week, and once in a while splashing water on my face. Water keeps skin hydrated. I do still have some scars, so I don't know if the Clearproof will work to clear up those scars.

Jul 1, 2016

Logan C.

I personally have used accutane but I do know a friend who like you had pretty much tried everything creams pills tons of different brands and was frustrated that nothing would clear her acne. She went on accutane and her skin is flawless now! Her only side effect I believe was dryness her skin was really flaky while she was on it and she constantly had to apply Chapstick I remember. But in the end it was definitely worth it.

Jul 1, 2016

Ashley D.

The only side effect I really had was DRY skin. It's normal/dry now, way better than the oil slick it was before, but in the first few weeks it was really flakey and gross.

Jul 1, 2016

Logan C.

I personally have NOT*** used accutane

Jul 1, 2016

Emily B.

Tbh I was on accutane, and I was led to believe it would help with my acne scars. It helped with my breakouts which is great, but it didn't help with scarring at all. So I don't really get breakouts but I still have my scars

Jul 1, 2016

Ashley D.

Emily. When you clear ance scars/red marks are still left behind. They should fade in about a year or so but you can help the process by using AHAs, BHAs, and Vitamin C. Paula's choice has a good selection of products that help fade ance scars.

Jul 1, 2016

Emma K.

I heard you have to be on birth control, and you have to take a pregnancy test and blood test every month

Jul 1, 2016

Lisa S.

Yes, you have to be on birth control and do the blood test. It is just to ensure that you are NOT pregnant while on Accutane, because it can cause really bad birth defects. I have never been on Accutane but I have had friends and my cousin was on it. It does have some side effects but typically its just dry skin or dry lips. Since you have tried so many other things, I think it would be your best bet to try it. And if you are worried about the birth control part its not that bad, most of the time they don't do physical exams (unless you are older), they just put you on the pill or whatever form you are wanting and go about your business.

Also have you tried a Clarisonic? It has completely transformed my skin and I have had one for about 4 years now and will never not have one! Its not going to completely get rid of acne but it helps so much! You just have to figure out what brush head works for your skin type (I use the delicate) use whatever soap you like, and make sure you use it consistently for it to help improve your skin. If you get the wrong brush head it (like if its tok rough) and can cause some irritation. And you have to make sure you aren't pressing too deeply because it will also cause some irritation; but don't worry there is no need to press it deep because it will do all the work for you! Some people are afraid to use it daily but it is designed to be safe for daily use. Its expensive but worth every penny and I don't use nearly as many products as I did before because it made my skin so much better! I don't need all those toners, spot treatments, mask, exfoliators, etc. because of it.

Jul 1, 2016

Ashley D.

I had to take a pregnancy test when I first started and then wait a month. After that I went in for monthly blood tests, but since I signed for abstinence as primary protection I didn't need to be on birth control. You just need a primary and secondary form of birth control, blood tests, and too take a quiz. It's 100% worth it in my opinion.

Jul 1, 2016

M J.

I really recommend you check out Brianna Stanko of premium look on YouTube. Obagi products are really good.

Jul 1, 2016

Emma K.

I've never had a blood test which makes me nervous lol but I am going to ask my dermatologist next time I go because y'all have convinced me that it's amazing!! I'm definitely willing to deal with side affects for my skin to be much better!