Feb

03

Tea Tree Oil

Posted by : Shelly | On : February 3, 2012

Category: Acne, Treatments

Tags:, , , , ,

Tea Tree Oil

I’ve been using tea tree oil for 2-3 years now but have only been using it to treat my acne for about 1/2 a year. I first purchased the ‘Radiance brand’ tea tree oil when I got my first cartilage piercing about three years ago in order to treat the keloids that were forming on my ear. I currently have a total of 8 piercings with intentions of getting more, so tea tree oil is a big part of my daily regimen.

What is Tea Tree Oil? Tea tree oil is an essential oil that is also known as melaleuca oil. It is a substance that is derived from the the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia, which is native to Australia. Tea tree oil can have various cosmetic uses but is toxic if swallowed. Tea tree oil contains terpenoids, which have antiseptic and antifungal activity. These are the properties that make it such a great treatment for acne. Clinical studies have shown that 5% tea tree oil gel is comparable to 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion in treating those with mild to moderate acne. In fact, the 5% tea tree oil gel yielded fewer side effects such as itching, stinging, burning and dryness.

Tea tree oil has a variety of uses. Keep in mind that no matter what you are using tea tree oil for, you must dilute tea tree oil before using it. You can either dilute it with water or other oils. It is a little difficult to dilute tea tree oil in water since oils don’t dissolve in water but you can mix it with some alcohol (such as vodka) or vegetable glycerin. I don’t know much about tea tree oil dilutions but the dilutions vary for what you want to use it for (ie: dandruff care, atheletes foot, acne, etc.). I would confirm with someone who knows about dilutions before you go about making your own tea tree oil cocktail.

Below is how I use tea tree oil and my review of how well it has worked for me:

For Piercing/Keloid Care: I generally take a small bowl or a shallow cup, fill it with lukewarm water and pour the equivalent to 1-2 drops of tea tree oil. I also stir in a teaspoon of sea salt before dipping the affected ear for about 15 minutes. On other days, I soak a cotton swab (Q-tip) in water, dip it into the tea tree oil bottle and then add 2 more drops of water onto the swab from the sink faucet. I apply this directly to the piercing site or keloid. I usually also followed this up with a drop of Vitamin E oil.

Review: This has always worked great for any keloid formations I have had. My only warning is that I used to get either crusting (maybe dried up Vitamin E oil?) around the piercing in the mornings when I applied it. Just be sure to keep your piercing clean! Also, if you are using it for the first time, know that it can cause itching and dryness (why I also used Vitamin E oil on top).

In addition, I once put drops of tea tree oil into a styrofoam cup and the styrofoam cup had degraded within minutes (a hole had formed, right through the cup). So please imagine if you were to put 100% undiluted tea tree oil onto your skin. It would do more harm than good and severely damage your skin. Please dilute your tea tree oil.

Facial Steaming: I fill a large bowl with boiling water and pour about 3-4 drops worth of tea tree oil into the bowl. This might work better if you purchase the tea tree oil that comes in a dropper bottle. I’ve never had the dropper bottle but I’ve just gotten used to pouring small amounts. I then drape a towel over my head and the bowl, making sure to keep it pretty sealed for about 15-20 minutes. I generally close my pores by applying a cold sheet mask (usually Kuan Yuan Lian NATURAL CARE Whitening Mask) and then following with my regular night regimen.

Review: I used to do facial steaming at least once a week but it really depends on whether I have half an hour to kill or not (which I usually don’t anymore). I find that this method is very relaxing and helps to clear out my pores. Facial steaming helps to open up pores and the tea tree oil can hep purify your pores to maintain clearer skin. This method is better for those with oily skin though, since it can be quite drying.

Topical Acne Treatment: I have a very archaic way of diluting my tea tree oil. I take a cotton swab (Q-tip) and wet it thoroughly in water, flick off the excess and then dip it directly into the tea tree oil bottle. I then add 1 or 2 more drops of water onto the swab before sweeping it across my face. I generally apply more than once on the active acne lesions.

Review: I am absolutely in love with tea tree oil and the wonders it has been doing for my acne. Tea tree oil does a great job bringing my nodules to surface and drying them out. Normally my nodules would take about a week to come to surface and more than a week to heal. Tea tree oil can literally dry out my nodules in 1-2 nights of usage. I must warn you however, the way I dilute my tea tree oil still makes it pretty strong. It still slightly stings when I apply it to my skin. I have a pretty high skin tolerance and pain tolerance though, so I don’t suggest this for those of you with sensitive skin. It does make my skin slightly red and when I apply too heavily, my skin will end up feeling raw the next day. It will sting like crazy to apply moisturizer the next day!

Make sure to be moisturizing well if you are using tea tree oil, since it can dry out your skin. I find that tea tree oil is less drying than my 10% benzoyl peroxide gel that I use in the mornings. While I generally use tea tree oil only at night (due to the strong smell), I will apply tea tree oil to the active lesions in the morning if I’m feeling impatient.

I’ve been using the 2 fl oz bottle of tea tree oil to the left in the image above for this entire time, so one bottle will last you a long, long time. I just recently ran out last month and purchased the new bottle you see on the right (Origin brand). I’m not sure about the differences between brands – I just make sure that I am purchasing pharmaceutical grade 100% pure tea tree oil. Also, remember to always dilute your tea tree oil before applying to your skin!

Rating: 5/5

Sources: Tea Tree Oil, Wikipedia

Jan

08

Hyaluronic Acid (HA)

Posted by : Shelly | On : January 8, 2012

Category: Acne, Treatments

Tags:, , , , , , , ,

I’ve taken a liking to hyaluronic acid recently and almost all of the products in my current regimen contain hyaluronic acid. I decided to dedicate a separate post to explain hyaluronic acid to minimize cluttering of my reviews of certain items that may contain this ingredient.

What is hyaluronic acid? Hyaluronic acid is a natural component of the human body and is a chief component of the extracellular matrix. It can also be known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate. Hyaluronic acid mainly contributes to cell proliferation and migration in the body.

In the skin, it is mainly involved in tissue repair. You can most commonly find hyaluronic acid listed as “sodium hyaluronate” or something similar in cosmetic products. Hyaluronic acid is FDA approved to help fill wrinkles because it helps to add volume underneath the skin. More importantly, it is thought that hyaluronic acid can promote keratinocyte proliferation (increases turnover for your uppermost layer of skin) and increase the presence of retinoic acid that can impact the hydration of your skin.

Hyaluronic acid can bind with water, which is what helps add volume and hydration to your skin. Hyaluronic acid can bind up to 1000 times its weight in water so the presence of hyaluronic acid in your cosmetics can greatly increase its moisture-retaining properties. It can also promote the healing of wounds, burns and skin ulcers – which is the main reason I’m introducing this ingredient on this blog. What does acne do? Damage the skin tissue. What can acne leave behind? Scarring. And what does hyaluronic acid do? Promote tissue repair and heal scarring.

I’ve recently moved to a place where it snows (I’m originally from California, where it doesn’t snow) so I’ve been very concerned about the moisture level of my skin. Especially since a lot of my acne treatments and products that I use tend to dry out my skin. The fact that hyaluronic acid can help heal and prevent acne scarring is also a plus. Acne itself can be very drying for your skin. Hydration is key to balancing the condition of your skin – your skin cells need moisture in order to function healthily. Since using products that contain hyaluronic acid, I have noticed that my skin has become more supple and less oily Your skin can sometimes overproduce oil to compensate if it is too dry. So for those of you who believe that you have oily skin, try hydrating it instead of using products to strip it of its natural oils. Even my pitted scars seem less visible, as if my skin has “plumped” up.

Reviews for products that I try and use will be up shortly. I am almost always adding and switching out products though, so just search around in the ‘moisturizers‘ and ‘toners‘ categories for reviews of products that contain hyaluronic acid.

Warning: Even though this ingredient is known as the “fountain of youth” – do know that there are speculations that too much hyaluronic acid can do more damage than good for your skin. Hyaluronic acid can break down into products that can promote the inflammatory response and possibly tumor cell proliferation. Excessive exposure to the sun can increase the degradation of hyaluronic acid. When you get sunburned, your skin cells stop producing as much hyaluronic acid and increases its rate of degradation in the body. I would be careful to wear sunblock to protect your skin when you are using products with hyaluronic acid to minimize breakdown.

Sources: Wikipedia, Hyaluronic Acid

Dec

23

Duac Review

Posted by : Shelly | On : December 23, 2011

Category: Acne, Treatments

Tags:, , , , ,

Product: Duac
Price: ~USD 150.00 without insurance (I’ve heard around USD 30.00 with insurance, but this depends on your insurance)

For those of you who have read my acne story, you’ll know that I actually used Duac several years ago in 2009. So this review is a bit delayed but I hope it’ll still be applicable. I remember I had a lot of hope for Duac because it combined two acne treatments that had worked for me in the past. Duac is a topical treatment that combines both 1% clindamycin phosphate and 5% benzoyl peroxide.

Duac comes with a cleanser as well as the topical treatment. I’m not sure what the ingredients to the cleanser was but the description just called the SFC lotion a “gentle soap-free cleanser”. It was a huge hassle to use the cleanser and I don’t think I used it for more than a week before going back to my regular cleanser at the time. From what I remember, I had to refrigerate the cleanser after opening. The cleanser doesn’t lather and really feels like some cheap soap that is offered at a hotel or in a public bathroom. I doubt that it removes makeup or even sunscreen.

Duac

Now the topical gel itself came out white. I applied it almost all over the face, mainly focusing on the largest lesions I had at the time. In terms of my acne, I do feel that the Duac helped but I felt that Duac actually almost worked just as well as regular benzoyl peroxide or clindamycin alone. It is definitely one of those treatments that didn’t stand out to me, especially not for the price. A huge problem with Duac for me was the price – my insurance did not cover Duac so it was insanely expensive. It was the main reason as to why I did not go for a re-fill after I finished with the first box/tube.

There is a lot to watch out for when you are using this treatment. The topical gel was very drying, mainly due to the benzoyl peroxide content, so I would really invest in a good moisturizer if you are using Duac. I would watch out for pilling to occur if you intend to apply make-up after using this treatment. I’m not sure if I was just applying too much but I felt that Duac would leave a film on my skin even after it was absorbed – which would pill when I applied moisturizer and BB cream afterwards. And as always, since there is benzoyl peroxide in this – you need to be careful where you are wiping your hands and things afterwards because it will bleach your clothes, pillow cases, towels, etc.

So overall opinion: I feel like you would benefit better from either using benzoyl peroxide or clindamycin phosphate lotion alone. Or what I do right now is that I have a separate 5% benzoyl peroxide gel I bought from a drugstore and then my regularly prescribed clindamycin lotion ($10). I am getting the combination at a tenth of the price!

Rating: 3/5

Sep

16

Tazorac vs Tretinoin (Retin-A) Review & Comparison

Posted by : Shelly | On : September 16, 2011

Category: Acne, Treatments

Tags:, , , , , , ,

Product: Tazorac 0.1% and Tretinoin (Retin-A) 0.1%
Tretinoin Price: USD 10.00 with insurance
Tazorac Price: USD 15.00 with insurance for a 60g tube (I was lucky my school health insurance covered it; if your health insurance doesn’t cover it, a small 30g tube can run up to USD 200-300)
Review:

Tazorac

Retinoids is about as “hardcore” as I’ve ever gone as far as prescription acne treatments. I think that if your skin doesn’t react to retinoids, the next step is generally Accutane. I’ve been on both Tazorac 0.1% and Tretinoin 0.1% before with general success so I just wanted to touch on what I thought about my experience with both – and which I thought was better. Before we jump in, if you are confused as to what a retinoid is, feel free to read up on it here.

Initial Breakout. In terms of an “initial breakout”, I actually never experience an initial breakout when I use Tazorac. Tazorac 0.1% was actually my first retinoid that I had ever used and I never had any massive increase in outbreaks during the first few months of using it. I did however, suffer from a slight “initial breakout” when I had started using Tretinoin 0.1%.

At the time my acne was so “bad” that the initial breakout didn’t look like much though – if my acne had “gotten worse” then you didn’t really notice it. In fact, my acne seemed to pop up and go away at an amazing speed, meaning the recovery period for each acne lesion was only like a day or two. My skin was very dry though – I had massive flaking going on for the first few weeks, my cheeks and jaw looked white at one point because of all the dead skin that was flaking off. You definitely would want to invest in a good moisturizer during this period and refrain from putting on a lot of make-up and products that suck the moisture from your skin.

Now, to clear the board – I didn’t switch from Tazorac to Tretinoin. I had actually stopped using Tazorac 0.1% for quite a few months before my skin relapsed back into severe acne the first year of college, for which I was then prescribed the Tretinoin 0.1%. So I can’t say much about initial breakouts if you are making a direct switch from Tazorac to Tretinoin or vice versa.

Treatment Length. The most important topic: How effective is each treatment and how long did it take before I started seeing results with both treatments? I would say that it took about a month for me to start seeing results for the Tazorac but I had moderate acne at the time. With my severe acne, it took about 1-2 months for me to truly see a difference in my skin. By difference, I’m referring to the decrease in number, size and level of inflammation of new acne that was forming. I felt that compared to the Tazorac 0.1%, the Tretinoin 0.1% worked at a slower pace and results were more gradual. My skin began to really clear up after surviving a month of the “initial breakout” (which was really just a ton of flaking for me). If I had to pinpoint a difference, I would say that the Tazorac helps new acne spots “heal” in a matter of 1-2 day. As an example: I would feel or notice a spot forming, apply my Tazorac and it would come to head the next day.

Also keep in mind that I have never used a retinoid alone – it has always been paired with a topical antibiotic in the morning. In addition, I’ve generally always been on a oral antibiotic as well, for shorter periods of time.

Both the Tazorac 0.1% and Tretinoin 0.1% did a good job with bringing down the severity and inflammation of my acne though. It should be known though: Tazorac and Tretinoin both don’t do much for blackheads and sebaceous filaments on the nose. In addition, both do make your skin quite oily because it can make your skin pretty dry. I’d invest in skincare products that moisturize your skin well and makeup products that are meant to mattify and control oil.

I think Tazorac 0.1% is supposed to be stronger than Tretinoin 0.1% so there is a bigger chance of irritation for some. My skin is pretty thick I guess and it reacted pretty well to the Tazorac.

Scars. I’m not sure if there is any scientific reasoning as to whether retinoids help to lighten the appearance of scars but it feels that it should, especially since the initial months cause your skin to flake off at such high speeds. I didn’t pay much attention to it and have no before/after pictures to confirm – but I feel that both Tazorac and Tretinoin do a pretty good job speeding up recovery time of acne scars. In the end, I would say that using retinoids (either one mentioned in this article) helps to prevent permanent acne scarring from your new, healing acne but it wouldn’t do much for any older scars you have.

Skin Texture. As your acne heals, the texture of your skin definitely improves. I just wanted to briefly comment on using retinoids as an anti-aging/anti-wrinkle treatment. Retinoids are supposed to help build collagen, fade sunspots and smooth out wrinkles since it increases the rate of cell turnover. I personally don’t have problems with wrinkles or dull-looking skin, which may or may not be due to the fact that I’ve used a retinoid for the past 3-4 years.

Keep in mind that my main concern is the acne (not wrinkles) and I’m still pretty young (22) though, so you may want to consult someone else for an in-depth review of retinoids for wrinkles.

Since I have been on retinoids for so long (and I still am!), I do feel that the visible benefits that retinoids have on your skin reach a “plateau” in a sense after the initial 5-6 months. From my own experience, my skin looked the best the first 2-3 months following the “initial breakout”. Afterwards, I’m not too sure – since I have had my skin relapse back and forth from no acne to severe acne while still continuously using Tazorac before.

Something I will stress: It is extremely important for us to only use a small pea-sized amount of a retinoid on our skin. This is one of the rare cases where less is more and I have had acne worsen simply from being careless and putting on too much on before. Below is about the amount I use for my entire face (forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, and jawline):

Tazorac

Tretinoin (Retin-A) Rating: 4/5
Tazorac Rating: 5/5

Sep

12

Clindamycin Phosphate Lotion Review

Posted by : Shelly | On : September 12, 2011

Category: Acne, Treatments

Tags:, , , , , , ,

Product: Clindamycin Phosphate Topical Lotion 1%
Price: ~USD 10.00-15.00 with insurance

Clindamycin Phosphate Lotion

I have been prescribed Clindamycin Phosphate Topical Lotion 1% several times throughout my decade-long battle with my acne. I’m currently the last bottle of my prescription and considering going to a dermatologist to request that more be prescribed for me.

Topical clindamycin is an antibiotic that is primarily used to treat acne. There are various forms of topical clindamycin such as foam, gel or liquid suspension (lotion). The gel is most commonly prescribed for those who are not on any other drying acne medications or treatments. Clindamycin phosphate lotion is prescribed as to prevent further drying and exacerbation of damage to the skin caused by treatments such as benzoyl peroxide or retinoids.

Clindamycin phosphate lotion contains an equivalent of 10 mg clindamycin per milliliter. It also contains cetostearyl alcohol (2.5%); glycerin; glyceryl stearate SE (with potassium monostearate); isostearyl alcohol (2.5%); methylparaben (0.3%); sodium lauroyl sarcosinate; stearic acid; and purified water. The glycerin in the clindamycin phosphate lotion is meant to help moisturize the skin. Please make sure to use a moisturizer after though; clindamycin phosphate lotion is not meant to replace your regular moisturizer!

In terms of effectiveness, I would like to say that Clindamycin Phosphate lotion has been an absolute godsend. Clindamycin is great at reducing my nodular acne to less inflammed pustules and papules. Despite being a topical treatment for acne, it is actually very soothing on the skin due to the glycerin that it contains. Beware though – if your skin is already pretty well hydrated, you may find that it can make your skin feel greasy or oily. I personally have very oily skin regardless of what I put on my face, so I honestly can’t say that clindamycin phosphate lotion makes my skin any oilier than it regularly would be.

I have been using this clindamycin lotion through several stages of my skin. I was prescribed it once again in November 2010 (in addition to Tazorac 0.1%) for my cystic acne outbreak in the previous year. My skin improved significantly and inflammation all but disappeared. From about January 2011 to May 2011, my skin was honestly the clearest I had ever seen it. During this time, I was still using the Clindamycin Phosphate Lotion and Tazorac 0.1% because I was afraid that if I had stopped, my acne would return. But my acne began to flare up again in large, inflammed and hard nodules underneath my skin around June 2011, regardless of the fact that I was still consistently using Clindamycin Phosphate Lotion and Tazorac.

At this time, I started to apply the Clindamycin Phosphate Lotion more generously to my cheeks and jawline. Instead of rubbing it in, I began to pat it onto my skin and let it air-dry and absorb on its own. Although you may see in my pictures that my acne is still pretty widespread – it has since “calmed” in that there are fewer painful nodules forming. As of today, there is only one nodule on my left cheek. The nodular acne along my jawline is healing and only a few raised (hypertropic) acne scars remain.

The point of my little story is to show that I really do think Clindamycin Phosphate Lotion is extremely effective, I feel that my skin often will reach a “plateau” with its results. My only advice is to apply generously and be gentle on your skin. My skin has always reacted very well to the Clindamycin Phosphate lotion.

My main concern is resistance. I am unsure of how to tell whether clindamycin is still effective against my acne since I been using it for 6 months already – and as we all know, resistance can be built to antibiotics by our bodies. I was afraid that my acne had become resistant to clindamycin in June 2011, since my acne was getting worse again despite consistently using it. But then when I began to apply it more liberally (literally almost soaking my acne in clindamycin lotion), it seemed my acne began to become less severe. At the moment, Clindamycin Phosphate Lotion seems to still be very effective for me.

After writing this review, I think I’m going to call a dermatologist to get a re-fill of this stuff. I might as well continue using it for as long as my skin hasn’t built up resistance to it (at least until I get through my current acne outbreak).

Rating: 5/5

Sources: MedicineOnline and Pubmed Health

Aug

19

Doxycycline and Minocycline Reviews

Posted by : Shelly | On : August 19, 2011

Category: Acne, Treatments

Tags:, , , , ,

Product: Doxycycline and Minocycline
Price: ~USD 10.00 – 25.00 depending on amount of pills/bottle & with insurance
Review:

Antibiotics

This is going to be a review of my experience with using antibiotics that are most commonly prescribed to treat acne. I was on 100 mg doxycycline about four years ago, during my first year of college but probably only stuck with it for about 2-3 months before stopping. I’ve been on and off of 100 mg minocycline for the past three years, depending on whether I feel like the antibiotic is helping my acne or not. Both are tetracyclines and have the same mechanism of action:

Mechanism of action: These antibiotics kill acne causing bacteria by inhibiting protein synthesis – for science majors out there, they interfere with the codon anti-codon interactions so amino acids (bound to tRNA) can’t bind to the correct site on the bacterial ribosome. I’m a science major so knowing a little fact like this makes me feel like my major finally has a purpose (LOL).

Despite all the negativity towards taking antibiotics for acne, I would say that yes, they were helpful in controlling the outbreaks to a certain extent. Both doxycycline and minocycline were similar in their ability to control my acne. I felt that minocycline worked better for me than doxycycline. While on the antibiotics, my acne was always less inflamed and tended to heal faster. Antibiotics helped to decrease the amount of painful cysts and nodules that I had. Instead, I would get a lot more papules that would flatten and heal much faster.

However, the effects of antibiotics on acne doesn’t seem to last. After about 3-months, the effects and results of minocycline would taper off and the disadvantages to taking antibiotics begin to drastically outnumber the benefits. Since it’s been so long since I’ve taken doxycycline, I’ll just comment mostly on my experience with minocycline:

I do remember that doxycycline always made me extremely nauseous, both when taken with or without a meal. I reacted pretty badly to it and always dry-heaved for a minute or two each morning or night. It was the main reason why I just stopped taking it when I didn’t see a huge difference in my skin about 2 months in. Also from what I remember, you aren’t supposed to take this with dairy.

The minocycline didn’t make me as nauseous as the doxycycline but it is recommended that you take it on an empty stomach. I know that I always still took one pill in the morning with breakfast with no problems – and one pill at night on an empty stomach. You feel the nausea more when you take it on an empty stomach. The issue is that you can’t take minocycline with any “mill” – which I think is bread or anything made from flour? A lot of breakfast food contains or is mill though, so that might be a problem for those of us trying to take it with a meal in the morning.

Other than the nausea though, I never experienced any of the other common side effects such as diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, indigestion, etc.

Minocycline and other tetracyclines can cause yellowing or staining of the teeth in children, whose enamel is still developing. Although I’m not sure if it causes yellowing of teeth in adults, I keep thinking that my teeth are also slightly yellow – it might be all in my head though because no one else around me says they look any different.

In addition, I am more prone to infections since I’ve been on antibiotics for such a long period of time – I’m usually the only one of my friends and family to ever get a UTI or ear infection after going to a pool or waterpark. Since tetracyclines are a broad-spectrum antibiotic, they not only kill the harmful bacteria (such as P. acnes) but also the good bacteria that help with digestion in your gut.

Good bacteria present in your body helps to defend against infections from bad bacteria because they “compete” for nutrients and living space. I pretty much lack all of my good bacteria (that’s why I was trying to take more probiotic supplements earlier).

Also, for women on antibiotics – we need to watch out for yeast infections! I’ve never had one (thankfully) but I know some people do have issues with that.

Overall, my acne has benefited from the use of antibiotics but they aren’t really a long-term treatment.

Doxycycline Rating: 3/5
Minocycline Rating: 4/5 for effectiveness at first, then 3/5 after about 3 months

Jul

28

All about AHAs + Review

Posted by : Shelly | On : July 28, 2011

Category: Acne, Treatments

Tags:, , ,

In the previous post, I talked about beta hydroxy acids (BHAs). I’ll take the time to touch on the similar but lesser known alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). While there was only one BHA, there are several known AHAs that are used in skincare products such as glycolic, lactic, malic, citric and tartaric acids.

Beware: You should note that products that list ingredients like sugarcane extract, mixed fruit acids, fruit extracts, milk extract or citrus extract is not the same as the actual acids. So for example, citrus extract is not the same as citric acid.

If you have ever gotten a facial peel, you will be familiar with glycolic and lactic acid. AHAs are more commonly used to help those with thickened skin due to sun-damage but can also be used to help with acne. They help to exfoliate away dead skin cells to get rid of that dull, rough or leathery appearance that can be caused by harmful UV rays.

Alpha hydroxy acids are water-soluble, so they do not penetrate deep into the pores like BHAs do. However, research shows that AHAs can help stimulate collagen production and help skin cells retain more water. The most common concentrations of AHAs you will find is 5% or 10%. It is essential that you start at lower concentrations and work your way up so that you do not burn your skin, since AHAs are often much more irritating on the skin.

Acne.org AHA+

Review: I have used some products that contains AHAs but the only AHA lotion that I have used is Acne.org’s AHA+ gel/lotion, which is 10% glycolic acid and costs about $17 USD for a 6 oz. tube. It also contains licochalcone, a licorice root extract that is helpful in soothing and calming the skin. Some people use this all over the face/affected areas while some use it just as a spot treatment. I tried using this product all over the face for about a month and let’s just say, my skin did not react well to it despite the 5/5 and 4/5 reviews that it has received on both MakeupAlley.com and on Acne.org. Areas of my back however, reacted quite well to this product and cleared up completely.

The skin on your back is a lot tougher and thicker than it is on your face. In addition, I am a long-time user of retinoids, so that probably was not a good combination to use on my face. When using it all over areas of my face, I had a burning sensation and my acne started to become cystic. My case seems to be pretty specific and special though, so unless you are already on retinoids, I believe you should give AHA+ a try. I still like to occasionally use this on my body to help exfoliate it and to prevent body breakouts from occurring though.

Rating: 3/5

Jul

25

What are BHAs?

Posted by : Shelly | On : July 25, 2011

Category: Acne, Treatments

Tags:, , , , ,

I’m in the middle of packing up my entire life to move across the US, so it’s a little difficult for me to take pictures and try new products for review right now. I’ll take this chance to touch a little more on common acne treatments!

One of the most common treatments on the market is salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is the only beta hydroxy acid (BHA), a topical treatment that exfoliates the skin. BHAs are lipid-soluble (dissolves in oil), which means that they are capable of penetrating into our pores to dissolve oil and exfoliate the dead skin cells inside our oil glands that tend to clog them. This is the main reason why they are a prime treatment for those who suffer from blackheads and acne caused by clogged pores.

By exfoliating away the dead skin cells, you provide room for healthier cells to surface. Your skin will improve in texture and color and become more receptive to moisturizers applied to the skin. The maximum concentration allowed in over-the-counter formulations is 2% – you may recognize that OTC acne treatments are 2% salicylic acid.

Forms of Salicylic Acid: In your own “acne research”, you may have come across the aspirin mask. Salicylic acid is actually derived from aspirin, so the aspirin mask that people are making is basically a salicylic acid mask that you are applying to your face. Since salicylic acid is a derivative of aspirin, it also is capable of retaining some of its anti-inflammatory properties. Certain natural products will also claim that they extract their salicylic acid from willow bark extract. Willow bark produces salicylic acid when it is broken down in the digestion process – so you must have digestive enzymes in order to produce salicylic acid from willow bark extract. It is said that salicylic acid in the form of willow bark extract retains more of its aspirin-like composition, which gives more anti-inflammatory benefits. A major downside is that it is unlikely that willow bark extract in cosmetics are as effective as salicylic acid itself.

I do have to warn you that despite it’s potential anti-inflammatory properties, salicylic acid is still very drying and can be irritating on your skin if your skin is not used to such harsh chemicals. Your skin may potentially get “worse” before it gets better, as is true with most acne treatments on the market. Most of the common cleansers and treatments used by teenagers such as Clean and Clear, Neutrogena, and Clearasil contain salicylic acid. If you are suffering from mild to moderate acne in your teens (anywhere from age 10 – 20), I would say that you should give OTC salicylic acid treatments a try.

Personal Review: Personally, my skin and acne does not react well with any product that contains salicylic acid. None of the over-the-counter medications containing salicylic acid have ever worked for my acne, despite it being comedonal acne. The aspirin mask actually broke my skin out further. Perhaps my skin is too sensitive to handle salicylic acid (which I doubt, since it tolerates 10% benzoyl peroxide pretty well). Another likely possibility is that I might be allergic to salicylic acid, as my skin usually itches after using a product that contains salicylic acid. I currently actually have some products that contain willow bark extract, so look forward to my review of how my skin handles that form of salicylic acid.

Credits: Information in this article was gathered from the Skincare Resource Center and Acne.org’s forums.

Aug

21

Info: Retinoids

Posted by : Shelly | On : August 21, 2009

Category: Acne, Skincare, Treatments

Tags:, , , ,

NOTE: I know you can probably find this information anyway by doing a little bit of Googling, but I just thought I’d help and gather it all into one place for an easier read.

What are retinoids? For those of you who have the misfortune of having to deal with acne, much like I, you will probably already be familiar with what a retinoid is. If not, then it would be in your best interest to know just what your dermatologist is prescribing you or how the cream you are using works.

The basics: Retinoids are chemically related to Vitamin A, which is why the egg yolk mask facial is good for the skin because egg yolk is very rich in vitamin A. Retinoids that I know are prescribed include tretinoin and tazarotene, one in many retinoids. Tretinoin or retinoic acid is better known as Retin-A while tazarotene is the active ingredient in Tazorac. The well-known Accutane is none other than the retinoid isotretinoin. Another prescribed retinoid is adapalene, which is also known as Differin. I have personally only used Tretinoin and Tazorac, and I can write reviews on these too.

How do they work? If you have not taken biology or chemistry classes, this might sound overwhelming and I don’t really know how to simplify it more than I have already. I’m a science major so this all makes perfect sense to me, but if you really want to learn/understand more – feel free to drop me a line and I’ll happily explain details to you. Retinoids are molecules that will bind to certain receptors in your body, retinoid receptors. Once the molecules have bound, they stimulate cellular proliferation – which means that your skin cells are being sloughed off at a higher rate, thus the characteristic peeling. Beware, this causes your skin to be very vulnerable and is “thinner” than normal, which is why you should only apply it at night and use a sunscreen when you do go out into the sunlight.

Initial Breakout? The “initial breakout” is something many of you should be aware of if you have recently begun to use retinoids. Often with retinoids, users are warned that acne will get worse before it starts to get better and this is true for a majority of users, though not all, as I will elaborate later with my own experiences. As stated, retinoids cause your skin cells to proliferate quickly, meaning cells that usually die and slough off in a month will do so in a matter of 5-6 days. There are several theories behind the “initial breakout” with a lot more scientific mumbo-jumbo – but think of it like this: Your skin is thinner and you’re simply seeing all the pimples and acne that you would see over the course of several months all at once! Don’t worry though, dermatologists will usually prescribe an antibiotic and/or another topical cream for the mornings to control the initial breakout.

I’ll be back soon with reviews of my own experience using Tretinoin and Tazorac and the regimen that went along with them. Hope this write-up helps to explain a few things!

Sources: Wikipedia.org, Acne.org forums, credits to LabGirl.

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