I am about to be 30 years old and I have had skin problems since I was in junior high. For me its hereditary. My mom had it up until she hit about 45 years old. Most of her siblings had it too. Its been an ongoing battle all my life so I can relate to people with acne.Being a woman makes it extra hard because we like to wear make up, which can irritate the skin even more and cause more breakouts! Not to mention woman want to be flawless, but with acne there is definitely more of a challenge to feel 100% confident.

I used to dibble and dabble in to modeling. I used to hate to look at my unedited pictures because I could see all the blemishes in my skin. I would be so embarrassed to go over them with the photographers, and got to the point to where I wouldn't want to see them until they were edited. Horrible I know, but that's how it effected me to have acne.I even went as far as to have laser treatment for my acne, which costs about $400. Pretty pricey I know. But at that time I was desperate because I had got this modeling gig hosting in Colorado, and I needed to get this acne under control. It did help temporarily, but not long term. Plus, talk about horrible dry skin and peeling. That was the worst! I couldn't even cover that up with make up at all! I would never go out in public with no make-up and dreaded the summer time. My skin gets so oily and going out in the heat with make up makes my pores clog more than they already do. So summers are not my favorite season! Even now I still suffer with acne. I have tried almost every skin care solution except drastic measures. I have tried clearasil, proactive, clean and clear, you name it and I have tried it. I have gone to the dermatologist and used the face wash they have given me and that hasn't worked either. They either don't deep clean my pores, or they over dry my skin and cause peeling and more irritation, which leads to more breakouts. And with Proactive, I cant use the starter kit because that doesn't get all the dirt and makeup out of my skin. So I when I would get it I would have to get the deep cleaning green exfoliating wash, which was almost $30 a bottle!! Plus the mask, the moisturizer, plus the blemish control stuff, this that and the other and it just got way too expensive. What I also noticed was that once your skin is used to using it, you cant stop. Because once I stopped using it I broke out alot. But it was just to expensive for my budget.

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 I have found lately that Oil-Free Neutrogena Face Wash works the best for me. I also use the disposable facial sponges CVS brand with the face wash. That has been working for me for about three months.Pro-Active is good, if you can afford to stay stocked with the product.With the sponges they are disposable so after I use one, I throw it away and next time I wash my face I use a brand new one. So there are no left over oils and dirt that I am putting back into my face. I have such sensitive skin its ridiculous! So I have to be super cautious. I suggest if you suffer from acne and want something that doesn't dry out your skin dry the Oil Free Neutrogena Face Wash and the facial sponges by CVS. You get about 40 sponges and they are also good for a deep cleanse and light exfoliating. And here are some other small tips as well...

So as I have gotten older I have learned that there are little things you can do to keep your breakouts at a minimum. These are things that I have picked up from talking to doctors and other people with problem skin.

The first one is always drink plenty of water. I still have to work on that but I'm getting better.

Eat healthy food and stay away from alot of sugar foods. I find that when I eat McDonalds and other fast foods and sweets, I get horrible breakouts! Specially if I eat CHOCOLATE...this really sucks because chocolate is sooooo good! But it has so much sugar in it and to my knowledge sugar free chocolate just isnt the same. Its when I eat veggies and fruit. Even turkey meat instead of beef. Avocados, tomatoes, and other fruit and veggies are good for you and your skin.

Change your pillow cases periodically and your face towels. I don't even use face towels on my face.

When you do get breakouts do not squeeze the bumps because that is what leads to scarring and for me it leads to more breakouts!

Use a oil free moisturizer because dry skin can lead to break outs too..

Use oil free makeup. I have been using neutrogena make up for a long time now and I like it alot. I use a makeup brush to apply the make up and I wash it 1 to 2 times a week. Sponges hold oil and bacteria and are not good to use.

Of course no sleeping with make up on!! When I do that I almost always wake up with a new bump on my face. So even after a long night of drinking I still try to wash my oily face!

I also heard that hydrogen peroxide helps clean out your pores too. Specially right after you wash your face.

Keep your hair clean and out of your face specially for women with acne problems.For me my hair acts as a camoflouge for acne, but at night I wrap my hair up to keep it out of my face while I sleep. For women of color like myself our hair carries a lot of oils. Plus the hair products we use to make sure it doesn't dry out adds irritants that can cause breakouts.

Using moisturizers with sunscreen are said to be better to use so that the existing blemishes don't darken because of sun exposure.

I am sure there are more things use acne prone people can do, but these are just the things that I have started to do that makes a difference. A good skin care regiment is good but sometimes it is the little things that go a long way.

If any one else has other tips and advice, or know of any good products to treat acne that actually work please comment and share! Thank you for reading my hub.!!