life: acne. the cure.

**disclaimer: i am not claiming for ANY of this stuff to be miracle water passed to me by the Almighty. i am not saying that this stuff works miracles on that sad little face that needs to be "fixed". this is just what, from my experience, works. give it a try, and give it some time.**

THE KEY IS A THREE-STEP REGIMEN. pro-activ has it. clinique has it. clean&clear has it. the key is the three-step program. make sure you get a good face wash, a good toner, and a nice moisturizer to make sure you don't dry out your skin (even if you have oily skin, it's important to keep your skin from drying out and making more oil, causing you to break out)


to do all of this, you have to see what skin you have:

to determine your skin type, go here or here.

if you have sensitive skin (allergic to ingredients), look for the "sensitive" lines of washes and products. they're always displayed on the front of products.

if you have dry skin, make sure that you get a good moisturizer. if you have oily or combo, just follow the stuff below.

DO THIS 2-3x A DAY, EVERYDAY.

......................ONE..................WASH.........................................................


KEY: 2% SALICYLIC ACID (or benzoyl peroxide) 2% is the normal dosage. for all-over face use, like washes, toners, or moisturizers. ($6-8)

tip: flip the bottle over, and it should be the first thing, listed as
"active ingredient: Salicylic Acid 2%.............................................. Acne Medication"

don't see it? put it back on the shelf.



my personal fave is neutrogena b/c their scrubs are to die for. (i would recommend the grapefruit one; pictured--it foams, which i love, AND it has enough scrubbing beads to clean, but not too many so that it's hard to wash off.)

johnson+johnson's washes are really creamy, which i don't really like b/c of the lack of scrubbing beads that neutrogena scrubs have.

clean&clear: i've used their acne kit, and i honestly have to say that it's horrid.

........................TWO............TONE.......................................................

















KEY: 2% SALICYLIC ACID

it's the salicylic acid that does the trick. THAT'S what fights acne. all the toners pictured above all have salylic acid. ($6-8 @ drugstores)

for all the first-timers: you want to drip some on a piece of cotton (squares or circles are best; cotton balls are too fluffy for me, but you can always try)

and scrub your face with it. (dermatologists say to do it in circles, but i don't really see a difference)

if you see that your skin is peeling or flaking, or if you have dry/sensitive skin skip over them, or use toner on that area less often.

.........................TWO. POINT FIVE.............................CREME......................




KEY: 10% BENZOYL PEROXIDE 

you want to up the acne medication because this stuff you're gonna only use it on the spots you have acne/feel a pimple coming.


if you do use it on your entire face, you will probably dry it out.

again: if you have dry areas, you want to avoid them, but if you break out, just apply some on there, just less often.

RECOMMENDATIONS: CLEARASIL ULTRA'S ACNE CREAM.

the only other option i know of out there is NEUTROGENA'S RAPID CLEAR (also has 10%)

dermatologists recommend that you use a variety of ingredients, and since face wash+toner had salicylic acid, this should help. (i've very rarely seen a face wash w. benzoyl peroxide, never seen a toner w. it either.)

....................................THREE.......................MOISTURIZE!...................................
















KEY: OIL-FREE or NON-COMEDOGENIC (it will not clog your pores or cause breakouts)

SPF IS A HUGE PLUS b/c skin protection is important to reduce scar appearances and to prevent early aging. 

I just saw this on Allure magazine: you can just substitute sunscreen for a moisturizer so you don't have to wear both. nice! 


if you have dry skin, you're in a hard place: oil-free will sort of skim you of your needed moisture b/c it's the oils in moisturizers that make them rich; but if you get the oil, then you risk clogging your pores...figure out what works for you and e-mail me! (fongyukyuu[at]gmail[.]com)

i've only tried three moisturizers: ~H2O+, neutrogena and clinique.

(~H20+ and Clinique are higher-end moisturizers, but i love them b/c they're gel --much lighter--great for summer. but if you have dry skin, opt for the heavier lotion-like moisturizers, like neutrogena)

w. clinique, i use the GEL b/c i have oily skin. if you have dry skin and want to use clinique, go for the lotion, which isn't oil-free, but allergy tested, fragrance free, dye-free. that's why i like clinique. ALL of their products are good for sensitive-skin people.

w. ~H2O+, i really LOVE their face oasis moisturizer. now they have a mattifying one that reduces shine!! (AWESOME FOR OILY SKINNED PEOPLE LIKE ME! i would still be using H20 if not for the fact that the h20 store @ my local mall closed) the picture of it is not above, but go here to order/see it.

w. neutrogena: i love their face-wash and toner to death, but their moisturizer is too creamy for me. it's really thick. but i guess it's good if you have dry skin. and neutrogena is the only company i know of that has SPF.

......................................................MISC....................................................















BIORE PORE STRIPS ARE TO DIE FOR. they work miracles!! if you have oily skin, it's a MUST have!! They unclog even your worst backed-up pores. ($9-11)


if you MUST WEAR MAKE-UP, WEAR THIS. This is neutrogena's salicylic-acid (2%) concealer, which would help w. your breakouts, but i would probably not recommend this if you have sensitive or dry skin. ($11-14)

if you have oily skin, CLEAN&CLEAR'S OIL SHEETS ARE A MUST B/C THEY ARE INEXPENSIVE, and INSTANTLY ABSORB SHINE! they are just life-savers. ($5-7)


i have not used the acne kits before besides Clean&Clear's, and i HATE it. pro-activ is $20 (+8 shipping), which lasts for about a month. but this will last you waaay longer than a month. i've used the same bottle of toner for more than a year. the facewash & moisturizer will last you about a few months.

i HAVE used toothpaste before, and it dried out my skin completely. but maybe that was b/c i used it over-night. made my skin peel from dryness for days.