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I consider what has happened a miracle. « Thread Started on Oct 17, 2004, 7:09am »
I am not sure that I should tell anyone what I have done to clear my skin, because any dermatologist would probably have a fit, but it has worked so well for me that I feel that it may be worthwhile letting you all know what I used. It has literally worked a miracle for me, but you will have to decide for yourselves if it seems worth a try. I am 61 years old. I have had acne non-stop since I was about 12 or 13. I have tried so many different treatments and seen many, many doctors over the years. Nothing, not even 3 courses of life-threatening Accutane, helped. For the last several years, my acne was getting worse and worse. I was a mass of open sores, some as big as 3/8" across, plus lots of blackheads everywhere, even in my eyebrows, and very oily skin. I would get, on average, 3 to 7 new breakouts per day. Plus, I had perfected the habit of picking, so each new breakout was an open sore, sometimes lasting for as long as a couple of months. I looked a bit like chopped meat. The last dermatologist I saw about a year ago just said that there was absolutely nothing new I had not tried, and she could do nothing further to help. One day, about 2 months ago, I got totally, completely desperate!! I looked through my supplies and saw that I had some Brasivol, a highly abrasive skin cleanser (it contains the same ingredient that sandpaper is made from) made by Stiefel Laboratories. I took that stuff and scrubbed and scrubbed, hard, using a piece of cotton as the applicator. (If you can't find Brasivol, use a BufPuf or complexion brush and an acne cleanser.) After rinsing and drying my skin, I used a couple of Stridex pads, which contain 2% salysilic acid, to wipe down my skin, then applied a 10% benzyol peroxide cream that I had lying around, rubbing it in thoroughly. I went to bed looking pretty bad, but when I woke up, I had no new breakouts and some of the old ones were actually healing. I started doing this routine twice per day, once in the morning and once before bed. Within less than a month, I no longer got new breakouts, the blackheads were almost gone,my skin was not as oily, and the scars were going away, too, even some that were deep and had been there since my teens. Now, two months since I started this routine, my skin is normal, that is, no longer excessively oily. The color has gone from sallow to rosy. The texture is fine, all blackheads and breakouts have disappeared, and the scarring is disappearing, too. I examine my skin with a magnifying glass daily, and if I find even a tiny blackhead, I use a blackhead remover to take it out. Now they come out with no resistence and don't leave a mark or turn into a sore. Neither do I have a single wrinkle, except for a few crinkles around my eyes. I cannot believe this miracle, but it has really happened. For good measure, I have now cut out sugar and foods that turn to sugar in the body, such as potatoes and white bread. I take coQ-10, vitamin E, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin B complex. I also take a probiotic with meals. These are things I have started to do since my skin has cleared and I feel more motivated to care for myself. If you try this, I can't guarantee that you will get similar results, but I just had to share this. After nearly 50 years, I have clear, smooth skin!!!! I swear this has actually happened, as unbelievable as it sounds.
Re: I consider what has happened a miracle. « Reply #1 on Nov 24, 2004, 6:56pm »
Wow, you must be really pleased Janice, I feel really glad for you. The nightmare is over!
I used accutane some years ago but am now working on the scars. You must have some pretty bad scars, is your routine working on them? Also, did the stuff you use make the skin red, blothcy etc?
It sounds pretty drastic I must say but I'd give it a bash if it might make a difference. Where can you get the Brasitol and other stuff from?
Re: I consider what has happened a miracle. « Reply #2 on Nov 27, 2004, 8:08pm »
Hi, Kevin Thank you for reading my post and replying. No, I would not say that the acne nightmare is over for me. No matter what I do, I think that I will always have breakouts. Nothing will ever stop them completely. However, the method I described still is more effective than anything else I have tried.
You asked about my progress. Well, I started having some breakouts again about a month ago. I am not sure of the reason, but I have a very fine, virtually invisible downey hair cover on my face, and I think that the older, deeper, tougher scars, though not especially visible, have impacted hairs inside that are not strong enough to break through the tough scar tissue to the surface. That trapped hair causes infection. The reason I think this is happening, is that the breakouts always seem to occur in exactly the same old trouble spots that have broken out repeatedly over the years, and if I do pick at them (I am trying SO hard not to do that), I invariably find a curled up, very fine, colorless hair. Once that is plucked out, the healing process proceeds very quickly. But, even without picking, the healing process is still much faster than before, especially if I just continue using the scouring and cleansing and treating process on my whole face, including the broken out spots. (The Brasivol instructions say not to do this.) I am guessing that the scouring action opens a path for the tiny, weak hair to escape to the surface and grow normally.
That said, however, the remainder of my skin is still almost totally clear of blackheads, whiteheads and other acne muck, and the color is so much prettier than before. Healing takes place MUCH more quickly. I am finding that new scarring does not seem to be happening and the old scars are becoming fainter, also. Though I have had acne for an uncommonly long time and have picked a lot, I do not have the severe scarring that would be expected, but I do have some indented scarring that is responding especially well to the abrasion.
My skin has now become too dry if I use the abrasive twice per day (remember that I am over 60), so I have cut back to once a day for the abrasive, except for any broken out spots. I use a salicylic acid freshener (or a s.a. premoistened pad) after washing, then thoroughly rub in the benzoyl peroxide over the areas that are most prone to breaking out or getting blackheads (nose area, especially). I moisturize heavily around my eyes, and if I get too dry elsewhere, I use a pure aloe vera gel to moisturize.
Where to get Brasivol? The only source that I can now find is the Stiefel Laboratories, Inc. website. There they sell a large tube of the fine Brasivol for about $12 plus shipping. The medium and coarse versions have been discontinued. As I said before, you could use a rough or medium BufPuf and an acne cleanser, but change the BufPuf frequently or use the disposable pads. As for the Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide, just about any brand from a drugstore will probably work.
AGAIN, use this method at your own discretion. I am sure that a dermatologist would not approve. It is effective for me, but it is hard on skin, so adjust as necessary, if you use it. My skin did not get especially red or inflamed because it has become so toughened by use of so many things. It seems to me that every acne case responds differently to the same treatment.
If you do try this, I hope that it is as effective for you as it has been for me.
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woah.....
thanks for sharing!
