that zit
i'd had enough, so i caved and bought an acne treatment kit.
i hope it works
well, remember that ginormous zit on my chin from a couple of weeks ago? it got worse. that thing tripled in size and another one popped up to make things monstrously worse...to a point where my dad jokingly said that i had two horns growing out of my chin. god i love him, and of course we laughed.
oh, but the laughs didn't stop there. my brother and i had met up with our of friends and although mejo tried not to stare or say anything about the beasts on my face, he finally looked at me and asked, "so...what happened? did you try popping it, or use toothpaste?" we all laughed because our other friend had already asked the same questions earlier that night. the funny thing is, i got the toothpaste question again the following day.
my girl friends were in town for a birthday lunch and one of them immediately asked if i had tried toothpaste. am i the only one who had never heard about this? anyway, by then i decided that i would give it a try later that night.
after lunch we went to the mall to do a little shopping and i made a pit stop at the sephora store. figured i might as well find backup in case the toothpaste remedy didn't work. so one of the consultants asked if i needed help and of course i quickly pointed at my "problem area" (as if she couldn't tell). she looked and said, "ohhh, you need to see your doctor. whenever you have acne like that, especially around your chin, it's hormone related. you should see your doctor." not what i was expecting to hear considering i was there for over-the-counter treatment but at my request, she did recommend two products that might help clear things up.
i decided to go with the acne complex kit (45 day supply) by murad for $35. i never spend that kind of money on my face, and i still can't believe i dished out that much for something that might not work. i tried to hold off on using the kit, hoping my chin would clear up on its own but it's taking too long. i finally started using it yesterday. we'll see how well it works...
by the way, i did try using toothpaste and i stopped because my chin felt like it was on fire. if you've ever had your hair chemically straightened and your scalp burned in the process, it felt just like that. pain-ful.
well, remember that ginormous zit on my chin from a couple of weeks ago? it got worse. that thing tripled in size and another one popped up to make things monstrously worse...to a point where my dad jokingly said that i had two horns growing out of my chin. god i love him, and of course we laughed.
oh, but the laughs didn't stop there. my brother and i had met up with our of friends and although mejo tried not to stare or say anything about the beasts on my face, he finally looked at me and asked, "so...what happened? did you try popping it, or use toothpaste?" we all laughed because our other friend had already asked the same questions earlier that night. the funny thing is, i got the toothpaste question again the following day.
my girl friends were in town for a birthday lunch and one of them immediately asked if i had tried toothpaste. am i the only one who had never heard about this? anyway, by then i decided that i would give it a try later that night.
after lunch we went to the mall to do a little shopping and i made a pit stop at the sephora store. figured i might as well find backup in case the toothpaste remedy didn't work. so one of the consultants asked if i needed help and of course i quickly pointed at my "problem area" (as if she couldn't tell). she looked and said, "ohhh, you need to see your doctor. whenever you have acne like that, especially around your chin, it's hormone related. you should see your doctor." not what i was expecting to hear considering i was there for over-the-counter treatment but at my request, she did recommend two products that might help clear things up.
i decided to go with the acne complex kit (45 day supply) by murad for $35. i never spend that kind of money on my face, and i still can't believe i dished out that much for something that might not work. i tried to hold off on using the kit, hoping my chin would clear up on its own but it's taking too long. i finally started using it yesterday. we'll see how well it works...
by the way, i did try using toothpaste and i stopped because my chin felt like it was on fire. if you've ever had your hair chemically straightened and your scalp burned in the process, it felt just like that. pain-ful.
Comments
let me know how the kit works for you!
fuck. this means that the welts i get on my chin are probably hormone related as well :( i wonder if it's tied to my birth control....
are you on nuva ring or the pill or something else?
also, have you heard of that new treatment called zena or xenon or something like that? i keep hearing about it on the radio. it's fda approved and OTC. i always wonder how well that crap works.
No offense, but just because some beauty school dropout at Sephora said it was hormone related, doesn't necessarily make it true.
My ex saw a dermatologist for an unrelated matter, but he said that 99% of the time a mild face wash, 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, and a good moisturizer is all you need to use on a regular basis to clear up acne.
erin, i have sensitive skin too so i normally don't use anything on my face. well, that is until the zits showed up. i have to say i didn't have a reaction at all when i used the stuff in the kit yesterday. i just want to be able to go back to my old routine of using water and a washcloth but maybe those days are gone.
lea, as much as i hate what's happening to my face, my body is trying to tell me something. it would be nice if it didn't tell/show everyone around me. ;)
budd, i'm going to give the treatment a try for a couple of weeks to see what happens.
IG, i haven't been on the pill in over two years so i don't think that's the problem. then again, who knows. oh, and i haven't heard of the other stuff you mentioned.
tony, not offended at all, and thanks for the tip. :)
Most people in Australia swear by tea-tree oil. I haven't tried it myself, and you may need to get a weaker oil if you have sensitive skin, but it's a powerful antiseptic so it might be worth trying. I hope the kit you bought works before you have to think about buying other products, though!
EWQ, i hope this works, too. but since you mentioned tea-tree oil, now i'm curious if it's the same as melaleuca oil? i've been meaning to look into that because my mom uses melaleuca products (toothpaste and soap).
I was prescribed a cream wash with 4% brevoxyl peroxide. Worked wonders. I also change my pillowcases often.
Of course, stress and nutrition triggered my skin issues.
Another thing I'd recommend trying is Lucas' Paw Paw ointment if you can get a hold of it. I've used it on pimples and skin infections before and I've found it worked quite well. I've never tried it on a large or blind pimple, mind you, so I'm not sure how good it would be in those situations. The best thing about this ointment is that it will never go to waste. I've found it's great for cuts, scratches, burns, ingrown hairs, itches, pimples, dermatitis and even as a lip balm. It smells amazing, it's antibacterial and it doesn't dry your skin out.
A word of warning: it's not as 'natural' as all the Australian organics and health food sites claim. The base is apparently petroleum jelly, so if you have any allergies or issues with it it might be better to find another paw paw ointment. There are several different brands available in Australia that you could probably buy online.
Years ago - I use to get those huge pimples on my chin and I tried everything to get rid of them. As soon as one would start to clear up, i'd get one or two more in the same area. I had not been prone to bad skin, so I did end up going to the dermotologist after trying several other options -- including the toothpaste! He claimed that o-t-c stuff would not have helped at all. I left with a prescription for a pill and 2 topical ointments. Yuck -- but they did the trick.
A few months ago - I got another of these ginormous tumors. I stuck a steralized pin in it (a couple of times) & cleaned it really well with peroxide. I continued this for a few days until all the guck seeped out. - No more bumps so far.
Another tip I found on the internet was isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). It sterilizes the area so if you use it as a toner it allegedly can reduce the number of pimples you get. Allegedly.
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update: two days after i started using murad's acne product, i had a mild reaction. i've had this happen before when i tried using a moisturizer on my face last winter. i continued using the acne treatment because my face didn't itch too badly, just a few spots here and there.
anyway, giagantoids #1 and #2 have since gone down but honestly, i don't think the product had anything to do with it because i haven't noticed a difference in the rest of my skin. if anything, i've noticed more pimples popping up elsewhere on my face. i'm going to stick it out for the full four weeks though to see what happens.
unfortunately, my chin looks like hell and there are charred remains of two major pustules, plus a few smaller ones scattered here and there. i guess i could post pictures at some point but i don't want to scare anyone. ;)
also, i should think about investing in some kind of concealer but i'm trying to avoid it. so, the battle continues...