STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

I'm on Jolessa too .  Do you like it?

I scar terribly, terribly from every little thing.  I find that discoloration scars are easier to minimize yourself than pitting scars are, which I think only maybe microdermabrasion will take care of.

My regimen for reducing scars (and clearing whiteheads) works pretty well for me as long as I'm consistent, and I'll list my day-to-day regimen as well.

Treatments
Glycolic Acid peel - once per week
Aspirin mask - every other day, beginning day after peel

Daily
Proactiv cleanser (am)
Proactiv toner (am)
Neutrogena anti-stress gel (SA)

Cetaphil w/baking soda mixed in (pm)
Neutrogena anti-stress gel (SA)
Clean&Clear Persa-Gel (BP) applied over anti-stress gel

I'd start doing the aspirin mask ASAP because it's so easy and cheap and gives great exfoliation results.  Put 3-4 plain aspirin in your palm or a small container and drop just enough hot water on them to get them to dissolve.  Smoosh around until dissolved and then mix in a squirt of cetaphil for each aspirin you used.  Apply to face and leave for a few minutes, then gently scrub with moistened fingers and rinse away.

If you still need something else, I'd go for the glycolic peel.  It blasts right through clogged pores and leaves you kind of red and flaky for a day or so, but I really notice a difference if I slack on using it for a few weeks.

In all honesty I've never had great results from Rx stuff, just seems like they deliver on the side effects and not the the desired result!

HTH!

YES! okay, I've been on everything, seriously. and let me tell you, my derm. recently put me on the percription strength benzoyl peroxide face wash and it is awesome. strong, ut awesome. its about a $12.00 perscription, which is very cheap compared to some of the creams. I cant tell you how happy i am i tried this.

zeitgeist4 wrote:

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I haven't used it yet, but I just ordered MaMa Lotion.  It's supposed to lighten scars and skin in general.  I've heard raves about it on Makeup Alley.

http://skincarerx.com/mama-lotion.html

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so does this stuff make you pale or does it give you a glow of sorts?

I would steer clear of benzol peroxide bc I believe that is best used for pimples (the red ones). It kills bacteria. Whiteheads arent caused by basteria, but by dead skin cells and oil. Retin A basically lets you slough off the skin easier, and less abrasively than a scrub. Def go for that bc it is proven to slow the signs of aging and clear skin which is a plus!

In the meantime, look for gentle, exfoliating products like a scrub, aspirin mask or glycolic peel (all mentioned above). These will also help with your scarring as well. I used a Neutrogena Spot Fading cream once and results were pretty good.

Thanks for all the advice ladies!

Beauty.com is having a 20 off of 100 sale so I bought these products: DDF BP 5% with Tea Tree Oil, DDF Glycolic 10% Toner, and DDF Fade Gel 4.

I got the glycolic toner for the whiteheads and the BP because I occassionally get the red pimples, and the fade gel got really great reviews on MUA. If that one doesn't work, I'll try the Mama lotion.

I'm also going to go and buy Philosophy Purity cleanser (which I've heard is great) or Cetaphil and a new moisturizer, because the one I have now (MAC) sucks, and I'll need it for the BP and glycolic toner.

Xtina & jrhampt - I'm going to ask my Dr. for a prescription for Retin-A. I haven't had good luck with prescription acne stuff in the past, but it can't hurt. Plus, I'm 22 y.o. and I want to start the fight against wrinkles.

Collegegirl - I'll inquire about that BP face wash, since I do get the occasional red blemish.

Elle - thanks for the breakdown of your routine! I love love love Jolessa. I switched from Quasense to Jolessa about two weeks ago. I was worried my body might not like the switch, but so far it's good. I can't believe it took me this long to ask my Dr. about it. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to have such awful periods.

HB & z4 - thanks for the Mama rec. If the DDF doesn't work, I'll try that!

And, sort of related to this post, I woke up this morning to a red spot on my eyelid, which I think is a broken capilary. Very weird.

-- Edited by wetbandit42 at 19:34, 2007-12-04

Look into a food allergy/sensitivity too. A lot of people are allergic to the factory-created version of citric acid, which has a lot of mold in it. It can create white heads and cysts, as well as upset your stomach. It's an ingredient in a LOT of packaged foods, and a lot of foods that don't have a label, so it can be hard to make a connection, too. One day you get sick because you drank juice, the next day it's because you ate twizzlers.

If you can, maybe cut out packaged foods or look up citric acid for a while, see if that helps. It sounds like it's more than a surface problem, if the surface treatments aren't working consistently.