JT47319
Master Don Juan
1. The Dermatologist is your Best Friend.
If you have any kind of health care insurance and acne, you have absolutely no good reason not to go to him on a monthly basis.
He can give you prescriptions to oral antibiotics and topical medication (which is really just super sized benzyl peroxide, into that later) to help you fight acne. Other more serious medication as well, but those have side effects.
Other things he can do for you is give your cortisone injections. This is an anti-inflammatory steriod which will reduce any big pimples that you've developed. Useful if you've got some important event to attend and you've broken out. Give about a day or two so it fully dies down and heals.
Acne extraction facials. If the doc diagnoses you with Acne, your health insurance should cover it. All you have to take care of is the copay. This like getting a free $100 procedure and a chemical peel.
2. Home care facial products
Brand name doesn't matter. Just make sure that those are the ONLY active ingredients and not combined with anything else. For example, Glycolic acid loses any effectiveness if its combined with Salicylic acid.
a. Salicylic acid - 2%
Now, salicylic acid itself doesn't fight acne directly. Rather it helps you cleanse your skin of excess dry cells and bacteria. As a side effect, it also acts as a mild inflammatory so if you do have acne, it can cosmetically reduce the size (but don't expect miracles). Thus cleaning your skin and hopefully nipping those pimples in its initial formation stages.
b. Benzyl peroxide - 10%
Benzyl peroxide directly attacks the most common acne bacteria on your skin. Ergo, it is useful when you've already broken out. The battle has been lost, but you can still win the war. And it must be applied all over your entire skin. You can't see bacteria so is it needs to go all over and not just what you see in the way of pimples.
c. Glycolic acid - 10%
Glycolic acid is what they use in chemical peels (something like 70% concentrations). 10% is a small concentration and is useful in loosening and removing "cemented-in" sebum plugs. Basically, its a solvent. Medical studies, for whatever reason, seem to indicate that glycolic acid (and chemical peels) are especially efficacious on Asian skin.
d. Moisturizer with SPF 15
Ok, acne comes in stages from just initial formation to full out eruption. The purpose of these different products is that they're hitting the acne at all those different stages. You use them ALL and not just one product to the exclusion of all others. Remember, acne forms in stages and you've got to use all the right weapons otherwise you're only hitting a small part of the problem.
Even if you've eliminated all the acne that's already erupted, you've got pimples that have justed started and you can't feel or see them, so you've got to take the war to them at all the stages. They're meant to be applied to your ENTIRE face and not just already visible pimples. I mean, you can't SEE bacteria right? So if you have acne, odds are you've got it elsewhere where you can't see. Apply and leave on for a few minutes before washing off. Maybe brush your teeth or something.
This doesn't work overnight (other than the cortisone injections) and may take a full month before seeing final improvements. Your acne isn't gone, but you've at least taken care of the unsightly symptoms and have it under control.
You now have clear skin that hopefully looks healthy and that glow that comes from new layers of epidermis. And equally as important, you should have regained some of that confidence, self-esteem and posture that will help you improve your DJing skills.
You look good and you FEEL good.
If you have any kind of health care insurance and acne, you have absolutely no good reason not to go to him on a monthly basis.
He can give you prescriptions to oral antibiotics and topical medication (which is really just super sized benzyl peroxide, into that later) to help you fight acne. Other more serious medication as well, but those have side effects.
Other things he can do for you is give your cortisone injections. This is an anti-inflammatory steriod which will reduce any big pimples that you've developed. Useful if you've got some important event to attend and you've broken out. Give about a day or two so it fully dies down and heals.
Acne extraction facials. If the doc diagnoses you with Acne, your health insurance should cover it. All you have to take care of is the copay. This like getting a free $100 procedure and a chemical peel.
2. Home care facial products
Brand name doesn't matter. Just make sure that those are the ONLY active ingredients and not combined with anything else. For example, Glycolic acid loses any effectiveness if its combined with Salicylic acid.
a. Salicylic acid - 2%
Now, salicylic acid itself doesn't fight acne directly. Rather it helps you cleanse your skin of excess dry cells and bacteria. As a side effect, it also acts as a mild inflammatory so if you do have acne, it can cosmetically reduce the size (but don't expect miracles). Thus cleaning your skin and hopefully nipping those pimples in its initial formation stages.
b. Benzyl peroxide - 10%
Benzyl peroxide directly attacks the most common acne bacteria on your skin. Ergo, it is useful when you've already broken out. The battle has been lost, but you can still win the war. And it must be applied all over your entire skin. You can't see bacteria so is it needs to go all over and not just what you see in the way of pimples.
c. Glycolic acid - 10%
Glycolic acid is what they use in chemical peels (something like 70% concentrations). 10% is a small concentration and is useful in loosening and removing "cemented-in" sebum plugs. Basically, its a solvent. Medical studies, for whatever reason, seem to indicate that glycolic acid (and chemical peels) are especially efficacious on Asian skin.
d. Moisturizer with SPF 15
Ok, acne comes in stages from just initial formation to full out eruption. The purpose of these different products is that they're hitting the acne at all those different stages. You use them ALL and not just one product to the exclusion of all others. Remember, acne forms in stages and you've got to use all the right weapons otherwise you're only hitting a small part of the problem.
Even if you've eliminated all the acne that's already erupted, you've got pimples that have justed started and you can't feel or see them, so you've got to take the war to them at all the stages. They're meant to be applied to your ENTIRE face and not just already visible pimples. I mean, you can't SEE bacteria right? So if you have acne, odds are you've got it elsewhere where you can't see. Apply and leave on for a few minutes before washing off. Maybe brush your teeth or something.
This doesn't work overnight (other than the cortisone injections) and may take a full month before seeing final improvements. Your acne isn't gone, but you've at least taken care of the unsightly symptoms and have it under control.
You now have clear skin that hopefully looks healthy and that glow that comes from new layers of epidermis. And equally as important, you should have regained some of that confidence, self-esteem and posture that will help you improve your DJing skills.
You look good and you FEEL good.
