Case in point; acne. I have had bouts of acne since I was twelve years old. Everytime I think I might have grown out of it, I stop using whatever product is currently in my normal regimen, and I break out. Bad. Well, not necessarily cystic acne, but that type of acne that forms in clusters, and when you try to squeeze one pimple, you end up squeezing five others.

I get my acne from genetics, and more specifically, my mother. Like now, when I was growing up, the push was for salycilic acid based products. So I gave it my all: I tried Clean and Clear salycilic acid facewash, Stridex acne pads, Biore toner and pore strips, heating, scrubbing, etc . . . face masks, creams, foams, everything. I eventually got to borrow my more wealthy friends skin regiments, such as retin-A products (burns like hell), topical antibiotic clindamycin (sticky, then burns like hell after a few uses, and even pills my friends took (didn't burn, but didn't work). I thought I was doomed to be a pizza faced kid.

Then a friend of mine started telling me about something called benzoyle peroxide. She said it was a cream that worked really well, as long as you used moisturizer with it. Well, there was my first step in the right direction, moisturizer. Did you know that acne can come from dry skin, not just oily skin? So I started using moisturizer and benzoyle peroxide, and it began to work. There were still issues of course. Sometimes the moisturizers were too greasy, sometimes I would try a moisturizer with salicylic acid, and then I would get flaky all over again. It sufficed for the time being, but was not in any way a perfect solution.

My next big step into the world of skin care was into the lovely and well known world of Proactive. Proactive was a little pricey, but was the first product to actually get me acne free. Just one problem: my skin was still a bit too dry. Luckily, Proactive's moisturizer was the lightest, most effective moisturizer I had ever encountered, and worked perfectly. Proactive became a far too expensive for me over time however, and required a lot of work (twice a day, wash, tone, wait, moisturize, medicate, unless you wanted a face mask). Then I found the product which I have since not been able to afford, but worked better than anything I have EVER ENCOUNTERED.

Pharmagel. Plain and simple. I had received a basket with some sample skincare products from pharmagel. and tried a pea sized amount on my face and slept with it overnight. When I woke up, my pores looked smaller, my acne was completely gone and my skin was soft and smooth with no flakes. I used it once a week and had the most glorious skin of my life. If you would like to try some of their products, go to this link: http://www.pharmagel.net/index.php. Keep in mind that these products are generally for anti aging, but they worked the best for me.

So, how is my skin now? Pretty good most of the time. I have found the best overall for me, being low on maintenance, medium on cost, and fairly high on result; Neutrogena's Complete Acne Therapy System. This costs around $20 and lasts about 3 months with regular use. It keeps my skin soft, hydrated, and acne free. It worked better for me than Proactive, and is far less costly (not to mention if you run out you can pick it up at a local drugstore, and not wait two weeks for shipping).It has a moisturizer that is light, SPF 15, and actually does not make my face peel.

In the end, I am always trying new things, but I like to have my good ol' standbys' in case something goes terribly wrong, like my face. If you have a specific skin issue you want resolved, leave a comment with your question, and I will try to help you to the best of my knowledge.