I didn't see any threads pertaining to this topic, so I figured I'd start one in hopes of gathering advice from people who care about their bodies for scrubs like me.


I've basically decided to try and change my entire lifestyle in hopes of looking and feeling like the highschool athlete I used to be. I'm under the impression that my skin will start looking better as I continue to eat well, exercise, and get sunlight, but I know there's more that I can do. Right now my acne is definitely not as bad as it used to be, and it's really not bad at all compared to most people that have it. I'm currently washing my face with Cetaphil facial moisturizing soap, which is extremely mild and great for sensitive skin. However I know there's tons of skincare products out there that help keep things looking smooth and clear. I've heard people talk about exfoliates and all sorts of things, and I was watching American Psycho (haha) the other week and Christian Bale's character said he spends tons of time in the morning pampering his face to make it perfect. I'm definitely not looking to go as extreme as him, nor am I looking to go ape**** with my credit card (which would probably happen if I'm not fully informed), but to those of you who take care of your skin-- what products or general advice can you offer to someone who is relatively clueless about the matter.

Thank you.

Post a picture of your face for us to get an idea of what we're working with here. I have mild acne (post-Accutane) and use these products once a day when I shower:


Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Cream Cleanser


Neutrogena On-The-Spot Acne Treatment

I also use Cetaphil moisturizer on my face after I shower and use the On-The-Spot stuff because my skin dries out pretty quickly.

check out the video guide on acne.org
I used benzoyle peroxide for a period, and it cleared all my acne in about 2 months! Now i just use it when i see a spot and it pretty much clears everything up!

+1, I used to suffer with acne pretty bad and this site helped out a lot.

Some things I do: YMMV. I've ranked them in order of importance for skin care. None of this is scientific, just opinion and personal observations ( which may be, and probably are, inaccurate.)

1.)Eat clean. No perservatives, no soda, very little dairy.
2.)Take ****loads of fish oil.
3)Moisture with coconut oil, teatree oil, aloe vera oil every day.
4.)Exfoliate twice a week.

This takes less than 5 minutes daily and I consider it to be fairly tame as far as hardcore skin care is concerned. The oils are cheap and last forever. The exfoliating scrubs are a bit more expensive depending on the brands you go for.

I've had zero acne for close to 3 years. Again, YMMV. My skin was already in pretty good shape coming up through school and college.

So I started doing the oil cleansing thing. I have icky combination skin and I've found using a variety of stuff helps me out. Perhaps I should move into trying different products on different parts of my face or just using one half of my face as a control. But this is too heavy.

The oil cleansing actually works fairly well. There is a long thread in EDF.

if you want to get a medical cream/gel go with differin it works wonders

I use that oil free acne wash, but not daily, it dries skin out. The spot Acne treatment is mostly useless unless you get huge zits (I don't). If you have specific regions, there are a number of things you can do. There are also things you can get prescribed to put on problem regions that can help

For me, the most effective thing for ridding of acne and improving skin texture (but also dries out) is a mint julep material, a mask works.

pretty much all of the effective stuff is going to dry your skin out. You might want to put on some kind of moistureizer at night in areas not prone to acne.

I would compliment all of that type of stuff with a moisturizing wash or foam cleanser, cream, whatever that rinses off for any time you shower or after using a wash

all of this really depends on your skin type

and yeah, I'm pretty much Christian Bale. I've probably used everything in that scene at some point. I had to use this stuff all the time nonstop to keep my complexion reasonably clear, but once I started lifting and eating clean it's definitely gotten a little better at taking care of itself

I had bad (not terrible, but bad) skin for a while, and poor skin genetics as well from my mom. My skin looks pretty average now. And as soft as a velour uniform.

You've just gotta take care of it.

Another thing is not to throw too much stuff at your skin at once to try to fix it. Gotta use logical combinations and cycle it. Especially stronger stuff like retin-A, which I had a really bad experience with when I was like 13.

fyi fish oil, and megdosing, hasn't helped me in terms of skin, and in threads Ive seen with people megadosing most said there wasn't much of a difference in their skin. but it could vary on a person to person basis and probably can't hurt since you should be taking fish oil anyway

I'm really into cleanliness as a function of overall healthiness, and have had those skin issues, so I know a lot about this stuff. I envy those who can go years at a time without acne, that's one of the craziest things I've ever heard. It's a damn good week if my skin stays completely clear, but between shaving and just randomness effecting my skin, it's almost certainly impossible for me

I've found this necessary sometimes when the skin problems are bad. I tend to have different complexion in my throat and chin area than my face and nose and forehead, where I tend to get dry, smaller breakouts.

At one point earlier this year in Australia, i was using the mint julep mask mentioned on my lower region and a moisturizing mask for my drier region. + some spot removal.

I would never throw the acne medicines, especially sacrylic acid based, on my actual face and skin because I get dry there already and that stuff is strong on the skin. If I had an acne breakout in that area I would use a mask type deal and benzaclin or something similar at night for breakouts in the dry regions. But that's because of my skin type.

I've written way too much about this stuff already, haha. But yeah.

It's important.



note: I am good about bringing a towel. However, some may know that the concept of not forgetting your towel is not original to South Park.

Speaking of towels, I find sleeping on a clean one helps, especially if you ever sleep with your head on your arm. That just clogs up the pores. A cotton towel will absorb excess moisture instead of creating clogged pores. Also, change your pillowcase weekly.

Try PABA. It's a cheap b-vitamin that can have very good effects on your skin. I've even gotten compliments on mine many times. There's a notable difference when you take PABA.

I've been doing the pillowcase change pretty frequently and I agree it does make a difference. I can recall when I'm usualy staying over at people's houses or at their dorms when visitng friends that my face tends to break out the following day. Wasn't sure why but now I think it's safe to say that it depended what I slept on.


On another note I had picked some some Alpha-Hydroxy Acid off of acne.org and I've found it to be great for my skin, not necessarily for acne only. Highly reccomended
http://www.danielkern.com/category-s/30.htm

I've used Proactiv for a while now and it really helps me.

I've tried just about everything over the years except for Accutane (Proactiv, Retin-A, Minocycline etc), and I'm in the less is more camp as long as its manageable mild acne. Depending on your skin sensitivity, anything with Benzoyl Peroxide might burn you up or leave your skin irritated/dry.. I believe that's the most common ingredient in over-the-counter products so I'd stay clear of that unless you've used it before. I found that most of the creams and masks and such just made my face feel dry and made things worse... seems you found a good gentle cleanser/moisturizer so I'd just stick with that if you like it.

My roommate always used to use Spectro Gel cleanser and she seemed to have fine skin, but I've never tried it.

http://www.spectroskincare.com/skin_...s_product.aspx


Does anyone know if Beer effects the skin? I only have about a couple pints every week so it's very minimal, but I'm not sure if it's effecting my skin more so than usual

I drank pretty regularly in the past year and didn't notice any effect.

The On-The-Spot thing I pointed out is just 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide, which they claim is just as effective as the more common 10% but much less irritating.

The anti-oxidants being used up to clear your body of toxins from beer are anti-oxidants that can't be used for anything else, including keeping your skin in top shape. Except for help thinning your blood and keeping your blood vessels more pliable, booze is is basically going to interfere with your health. You may not see it, especially when you're very young, but it's still an extra strain on your system's resources.

what about non-acne skin care? like for us guys getting older, what kind of stuff works well to make our skin smooth, vibrant? (god that sounds so gay and metro)

my ex-gf who is my age still has skin that looks amazing and shes uses a bazilion creams but i'm wondering if there are any good one for dudes

see how my skin is a little non-smooth? ignore the line of the right, that is from me smirking a little



(i feel like a girl posting that. gonna go watch some football to regain masculinity)

Your skin looks fine.

Alpha Hydroxy?

Reread American Pyscho?

Eat right. Take fish oil and PABA. Get enough sleep.

I get mild acne and keep it under control by drinking a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar mixed in with a full glass of water twice a day (to help with taste and not mess up my teeth). At night I put milk of magnesia on my face.

I'm not really sure which one works, or if it is simply psychological. My skin is always at its clearest when I use these two together. I've been on tazorac before and I totally recommend (for mild acne) using the milk of magesia as it starts working quickly whereas tazorac ****s with your skin for 4 months before it starts doing anything.

I now only get the occasional pimple near my hairline on my temples or on my chin if I don't shave for a while.

Oh yea, take Fill Oil caps like Blarg said. They're awesome.

My Dad once told me about a girl he knew in the 60's. She was a big hippie (so was my Dad back then, embarrassing IMO) and claimed that the key to good skin was to rub jiz on her face. My Dad's entire group of friends used to stop by her house and donate to the cause, she would give them slowhead and they would drop it on her. 100% true story and Dad says her skin was great. Give it a try.

I skimmed the thread for an istewart contribution of this ilk. Disappointed.

Something that has worked really well for me : when you get a zit, don't pop it. Instead, use an ice cube on it a few times (until it goes numb) over the course of a few hours. Wish I had known this when I was younger!

Drinking plenty of water every is probably one of the best things for your skin, should be pretty obvious.