Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Hi guys!

After battling acne for years, I finally had some extra dough to explore spa skin treatments to try and get this under control. At first, I was getting a peel done every six weeks or so until I found out the one I was using had lactic acid. Now my esthetician is recommending micro dermabrasion as an alternative.

Has anyone tried this? When she described it to me it sounded a little scary, but she says she's had really good results with the type of acne I have; once my skin clears up I can wean myself off of treatments and control it with diet/good skin care products and the occasional maintenance treatment.

Educate me PPK.

I think I would spend the money on a dermatologist rather than an aesthetician! Have you gone that route yet?

Yep. Sulfur, antibiotics, Retin-A...everything but Accutane which I refuse to take. I stayed with a Dermatologist for a year with nothing to show for it - save about $1000 outta my pocket, and a years worth of irritated skin.

I got better results from using Paula's Choice products.

The peels seemed to really help, which is why I'm considering the micro-dermabrasion. I just want to get some opinions about it before I dive in.

Not all lactic acid is from a non-vegan source! Are you sure hers is non-vegan??
I have been to a dermatologist in the past and wasn't thrilled with what they wanted to do, so if you're happy with what you've been doing, if I were you I'd try the microdermabrasion first if the peels aren't an option.

I have had acne since I was a teenager (I'm 24 now). While I kiiiiinnndddd of got the pimples under control (I still usually will have some sort of pimple on my face at any one time), the pigment stays for at 8 months or so, so my face is usually reddish and has reddish marks which is annoying. I also have light scarring.

I've considered microdermabrasion for the scarring (as a "when I have money" fantasy) but never peels. What kind of acne do you have?

Also, I was going to say the same about lactic acid as kiddo.

I don't know anything about peels and microdermabrasion, but I use clindoxyl gel and it has made a big difference with my moderate acne, although it's not all gone.

I don't know if this is relevant to microdermabrasion since you only do that once in a while, but when i used to use Lush's Angels on Bare Skin wash on a daily basis I loved how my skin felt really soft and exfoliated, but I later realised that the irritation was making my acne worse.

Microdermabrasion is a little scary.

I think dermatologists are the chiropracters of the MD world, so I refuse to go to one*. My GP gave me a 'scrip for aczone, that has been pretty underwhelming but it has like 8 more weeks of magic to work and cost about 3 micro derm's worth. I really want microderm but I have (very) mild rosacea and I don't want to aggravate it. time to go on pubmed and see if I am just making shiitake up about that. My acne is obviously hormonal but I am trying to work around it by trying non-pill methods since I am a sexual zombie (not a good thing, ladies) on the pill. Let's just say that since I had my baby I now require waxings of my entire face. And I don't get them. Because I hate wax. Basically more of my problems would be solved if I didn't have some defiance about being a hairy lady. Unibrow, unite!

*ETA: I mean, once you go to a chiropractor, you never get to stop going. Not that either professional is ineffective as far as the general effectiveness of their respective sciences. Back to the acne hating!

I have had acne for a few years (i'm 23 now, it started when i was 20), and it's finally clearing up.

During these years i've tried a lot of different remedies and ways of dealing with it, i want to share what made a difference for me and maybe give you ideas in that direction. I would not get a microdermabrasion, i agree with, dermatologists scare me for some reason..

What workes for me (my acne is mainly on my cheeks, where my skin is dry and comes as painful "knots" deep down rather than whiteheads)

- Greens and green juice. I honestly thought it was a bunch of bs when i got the tip, but one big serving of greens (kale, spinach etc.) every day has honestly made a difference in my skin.
- Not using anti-acne products from regular drugstores/pharmacies. Switching to Tea Tree Oil made a great difference. I use this little bottle of dilluted tto (5% tto i think), so there's no risk of taking too much.
- Only using natural, extremley mild and "for sensitive skin"-products on my face. I use a perfume-free cleanser for ultra-sensitive skin from L'occitaine and Weleda's Baby Calendula Cream as a moisturizer

This, in combination with a very strict no-picking policy has helped me a great deal, and i now consider my skin almost healed. I still have the red marks but i reckon they'll be gone in a few months time.

best of luck
/r

If you get microdermabrasion, I'd suggest getting the diamond tipped kind rather than the crystals. I've never had either kind done, but I'm saving up for it... The diamond wand microdermabrasion is a "newer" method of the microderm procedure and it doesn't come with the risk of having crystal shard residue left on your face... and it also gets rid of the eye scratching risk (little crystal shards may get in your eyes... Eeek.)

Everyone else has given some good pointers, but I'd like to add:
- If you're female, have you ever been investigated for polycystic ovarian syndrome?
- The need to think longterm, i.e. did you make sure everything you tried in the past was given enough time? For example, topical treatments and 4th general pills (e.g. Diane, Yasmin, Yas) need about 6 months to make a difference

Aw man, I feel your pain, I used to have horrible acne and have tried almost everything, antibiotics, birth control, and various topical treatments and pills including accutane. I don't think too highly about microdermabrasions. For those who don't know, it's an exfoliation treatment that scrubs off the outer most layer of skin. I used to get them a few years ago and they are ok for clearing up acne for a short time. When I had this done it made my face VERY red and sensitive for a couple days, it looked like I had a sunburn. It did make my skin very soft and my acne scars much less visible but the effects only last about a month. I think this treatment if good for people who have bad scarring on their face from acne but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't.
I know that everyone's acne is different but what really helped clear up my skin was cutting out coffee and wheat. I've also been using the face wash and moisturizer from hemp hemp hooray, their kind of expensive but I really like having clearer skin so I don't mind.

i've written a response and dumped it at least three times, not sure why, but hey.

i had really bad adult-onset acne (started at about age 30) and learned it was rosacea, and once i got that under control it went away. like others have said, cutting coffee/wheat and increasing greens intake has helped me significantly.
the other thing that really helped was cutting down/out all products. i wash with water, moisturize with coconut oil, use a clay mask (made of only clay and sulfur) if i feel like i need something, and only use sunscreen when i really need it (which required some nerves at the beginning). the derm showed me that everything i was putting on my skin made the whole cycle worse, and basically told me to go home and throw away everything. i was pleasantly surprised at this approach since my derm in the US wanted me to buy everything in the pharmacy.
i have to say that there were times i thought of doing a peel, but the idea terrified me- my skin was damaged and pimply and bleeding in places, and it just seemed like a bad idea. afterward the derm told me that it would have been harder to damage my skin any more than it was, but that any chemical or mechanical peel would have been a good way to try. i don't use any exfoliants at all any more besides a washcloth, and my skin is a whole new skin- i get an occasional monthly pimple or two but if i can manage to leave it alone it's gone in a day or so.

A lot of commercially made baked goods make me break out, but it's not the wheat per se. I'm fine with things I baked myself. It must be some kind of additive that's not mentioned on the label, but I haven't figured out what exactly. I tried getting rid of wheat entirely for a while since my mother seems to be allergic to it and I wanted to see if it affected my hay fever, but, nope, nothing happened

Ugh, acne...
Sadly the main thing that's helped me has been birth control. At first I was a bit wary of it, but I've definitely embraced it: my hormones are out of whack. Dermabrasion seems like it'd be a bit rough, but my skin likes to be babied.

What's your acne type? Acne primarily along your jaw is a sign of hormonal acne and I hate to say it, but birth control's the easier route (and your insurance helps foot the cost!)
On Accutane: I'm glad you're staying away from that stuff. My mom took me to the derm as a teen and basically everything was on the table except for Accutane. She's a pharmacist and refused to let me on it. The side effects are just TOO crazy!

I like my dermatologist a lot- too much- he basically told me my skin isn't bad enough and to get the heck out (not really, but sort of- he is not the prescribe-tons-of-stuff kind of guy). Anyway, I've tried a lot of stuff, and my skin isn't horrible, but it's horrible enough for me.

Onto what you're asking about: I had chemical peels- crepe, the nurse burned my face once, thanks! And after that, I got a microdermabrasion- LOVED it. It was so awesome, and if I had $100/week, I'd do it for the full 8 weeks like they recommended because I have some sun damage that it would have helped take care of. It feels nice and my skin felt great afterward, very unlike the chemical peel. There wasn't that sunburned period afterward, nor did my skin dry out at all like after a peel.

Rx Spironolactone? I used it for several years, then had an allergic reaction - stopped using it and dealt with the skin issues flaring up again..about one year now off it. Definitely hormonal, I could tell while on BCP's, on a certain day into my pill pack, my skin would get oily and within few days the zits would start. In the last 2 months I've noticed the oil production has almost ceased and now I'm getting dry flaky skin & no zits.. something perhaps beneficial about getting older... sure as hell ain't getting any wiser ;)

Been washing with only water for probably 15+ years now. Using Rosasol for mild rosacea.

sigh...someone tell me what to do for my back acne. it's so...blegh. i exfoliate and use topical treatments (can't afford a professional). nothing seems to work! it's not bad all the time, but during the pms time, it's sort of awful. i have a huge back piece, so most people can't tell, but i can. i hate it. i'm almost 30! it's supposed to go away!

Hmmm... I had facial acne into this year, age 46!

yeah, my mom's skin was difficult, shall we say, up until a few years ago (she's 62). not a good sign!!!

I've actually heard of more women getting acne problems in their 20s 30s and 40s than in their teens lately it seems...it's not fair that women have these hormonal fluctuations that cause this shiitake. I'm scared to ever go off birth control- my skin has been fine for years now but who knows what will happen if ever do.

ive been following the acne.org treatment with some success, their products are vegan btw.
i noticed my skin looked better in the summer when i was able to take baths and i went swimming often. i have a theory that the skin is thicker and takes longer to become saturated with water to allow the dead skin to slough off. i don't know.

ugh. I gave in and made an appointment with a dermatologist in January. I was hoping I could deal with this shiitake by myself...but apparently not.

i hope he can help you out!

mine is better in the summer because i'm exposing it to the sun. in the winter, when i'm trapped inside adorable sweaters, my skin suffers. i mean, i shower and exfoliate daily, and often put a toner on my back and chest to fight the oil, but nothing seems to really work. if i sweat at all, i break out on my back. it doesn't even matter if i come home and shower, i start breaking out by that time.

it suuuuuuucks. especially right now because i'm pmsing, so my shoulders are sort of broken out, and i bought a strapless dress to wear to my christmas party tuesday. i've never wanted my period to start more...so those spots will go away.