Stubborn Acne

I'm writing this becuase i've had enough waiting. around my side burns but closer into my face and my forehead, I've had acne for a few months now. This s really strange because i was just looking on my facebook pictures from last summer, around August and saw I had a perfect face. I wash my face every night with 3 clinique products and then with Isopropyl alcohol. I wake up and it seems to get better but by the night time, when i wash up again, it's as worse as it was last night. what should i do?

It is possible to wash too much. If you are washing your face with stuff that really strips away the oil, you need to put on some kind of moisturizer on afterwards (make sure it's not oily!). If you don't, your skin will compensate by producing more oil than ever.

One other random tip I can give is change/wash your pillowcase often (at least every week if not more). You spend at least 8 hours a night rubbing your skin on it, so if it's dirty, you will break out. :P

Seconding the "wash your bedding often" and "don't wash your face excessively".

If the acne is a new development, try to think about things that have changed in your life. Are you under more stress? Has your diet changed? Did you move to a new place?

Also, do not touch your face after you wash it, at all, for any reason except a very compelling one. Not picking at it is common sense, but honestly, our hands pick up so much grime and bacteria (even when we think they're clean) that you don't want them anywhere near the sensitive skin on your face.

A lot of the "acne scrubs" are actually pretty harsh. They can dry your skin out. I know that sounds ridiculous since acne seems to be caused by oily skin, but hear me out - your skin produces excess oil in response to being dried out. Also, when your skin dries out, dead skin cells are more likely to clog up your pores. If you're using an acne scrub, following it up with an oil-free moisturiser (like Neutrogena or something similar) can soothe your skin. Also wear an oil-free sun block to protect your skin from being burned/dried out by the sun.

You may also want to think about avoiding sugar and at least taking a multivitamin. There are some studies indicating that sugar can exacerbate acne. I know that eating too much of it will cause me to break out. Keep in mind that sugar isn't always directly called "sugar" on food labels, it often has names like "high fructose corn syrup" or "dextrose".

The multivitamin is good for covering gaps in your nutrition. You don't necessarily have to be officially deficient in a vitamin or nutrient for it to affect the health of your skin.

I've also had a lot of success with a vitamin A cream that we sell where I work (a health/supplement store, I won't tell you which one because I'm honestly not shilling for them). It helped my acne a lot. You probably should check with your doctor before you use something like that, first - to see if it's safe for you. From what I understand, you still absorb vitamin A through your skin, and super high doses of it aren't good for your liver.

I'm definitely not a doctor, the stuff I've suggested above is stuff I've learned by reading up on the subject and that has really helped with my own acne. Everybody's skin is different.