Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with zits

Im getting acne(?) on my arms, whats wrong!

freddymetz — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:36:56 -0800

Im getting acne(?) on my arms, whats wrong! Im 17 years old, and zits on the face aren't a big deal for me. But over the last year or so theyve started spreading out just under my neck, on my shoulders and upper arms (i included a pic to be helpful and more precise :p)

My main question is, what caused this? Im probably looking for a cause like wearing sweaty t shirts or the sort. Could something like that have caused it? Or not enough oxygen to the arms?
I THINK it gets worse in summer but im really not sure.

CLEAR SKIN CALLED, it said screw you

madmamasmith — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:07:10 -0800

well. i have searched and searched and there is alot out there , but i am looking for something specific. this question is about BLACKHEADS. I have had blackheads since i was a teen, when i was 20 i started getting zits too. Here I am 26 and my skin is the worst it has ever been.i have blackheads on every inch of my face and my face and scalp feel like an oil factory. I am a vegetarian, i dont eat crappy but i dont eat buckwheat cakes and organic chard everyday either maybe once a month i get drunk and maybe once a week have a soda, i do drink a couple coffees a week and my diet consists of alot of texmex but alot of organnic veggies too, i dont take vitamins cuz im really poor right now but in the past i have tried evening primrose, multivitamin, iron,birth control pills,,,i have used every face wash known to man as well as retina and other topicals, and now after 10 years of no noticeable difference i just use oatmeal soap and witchhazel. i was using jojoba cuz i heard that would help but it didnt but neither does lotion. basically i am freaking out, what do i do? i have the most sensitive skin so i scar really easy. i am too oily. i do everything u r supposed to ; drink water, change pillowcases, hot showers, all natural skincare,,,,help me please. I cant afford facials evryday but i did use to get microderms once a month to no avail as well as chemical peels that actually scarred me really bad. are there any remedies that anyone can suggest that have worked for you? home remedies, pills, liver cleanses? im so desperate, i hate looking in the mirror, dont lecture me.....just tell me if anything has worked for you

How to not pick at my face?

cachondeo45 — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:59:23 -0800

Hygiene Filter: Picking my face, fingernails, and more. Well, this is slightly embarrassing, but I need to address this issue already, and no one else has been able to help me so far. I pick my zits, I peel my fingernail layers, and I pick scabs, especially when I am studying or reading or at the computer. I have had this dirty, unhygienic, and relatively gross habit since I can remember. I have a friend who will slap my hand any time I go to pick a zit, but when she's not around...well, I'm not even 30 yet and I am sure I will have a crater face in no time. I'm also sure this is partially related to my AD/HD (which I have been able to manage without meds). Suggestions for breaking this icky, grody, nasty, and rude habit?

Help me fix my face after a weird skin reaction!

tastybrains — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:35:35 -0800

I had a sleep study done, and my face has broken out horribly where the electrodes had been glued on. I have never had any sort of reaction on my skin quite like this, so ... what do I do? Background info:

Tuesday night & Wednesday day I had a sleep study with electrodes glued to my face/scalp/etc. When they removed the electrodes on Wednesday afternoon, it burned terribly and I was left with painful red welts where the electrodes had been. When I got home, I washed my face several times (to get all the glue off), slathered on some moisturizer (for sensitive skin), and went to bed. Over the next few days, the marks remained red, and lots of little pimples have been popping up in them...teeny tiny ones. In addition, the skin is red and peeling and feels like a healing and itchy sunburn.

Problem:

In the next 2 weeks, I have to attend several wedding-related events (2 weddings, 2 rehearsal dinners, etc)...one of which I am the maid of honor for. I really want this cleared up by then...at least to the point where makeup will actually hide the little fuckers. Right now makeup is pretty ineffective and I feel like it's probably not the best thing for my face either.

I am hesitant to put certain things on my face, such as neosporin, because it is very greasy and my skin is both very oily and very sensitive.

So... what do I do? What would you do?

I have tried, but not consistently, the following: thick moisturizer for sensitive skin (I hate this, it makes me feel greasy), neosporin (extremely greasy and disgusting), benzoyl peroxide cream (thought it might help the pimples, but am worried it will exacerbate the peeling/itching).

Quick fix for a break-out

Zosia Blue — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:22:47 -0800

I'm wearing a backless dress for a formal event this Saturday, and my back has suddenly broken out in a small smattering of acne. What can I do to minimize/clear this up in four days? There's a lot of pimples, but they're light and small. Still, I'd rather do what I can. I've been lucky to avoid acne most of my life, so I don't know any quick fixes. I'm not looking for anything too expensive or elaborate - just tricks/techniques/products that will, at the least, minimize the break-out for the weekend. I've use tea tree oil with success in the past, and plan on trying that over the next few days.

If it matters, I have pale, freckly, dry skin. I tend to be allergic to a lot of dyes and chemicals, too.

Thanks, MeFi!

Should I go see Dr. Zizmor, the most heavily advertised dermatologist in NYC?

tweebiscuit — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:18:57 -0800

I still have periodic acne breakouts at the age of 24, and now that I have health insurance I want to see a dermatologist. However, there's a million of them in NYC, and I don't have the time to shop around, so I'm considering going with NYC's most heavily advertised doctor, Dr. Zizmor. Is this a bad idea? Have you or anyone you know ever said, "Thanks, Dr. Zizmor?" (The last line, of course, is a reference to the Dr. Z ad spots that I grew up watching on Long Island during summer reruns of Perfect Strangers and Who's The Boss.)

The reason I'm cautious about picking someone out of the phone book is that, in high school, I had a dermatologist who prescribed me Accutane, an extremely powerful medication that wasn't justified in my case. (It worked, but the next doctor I had was shocked that she had given it to me.) All I want is professionalism and results.

I figure that if Zizmor has been around that long and has had so many patience, that he must be able to successfully treat a simple problem like mine. He was fined a few years ago for not performing adequate histories on some of his patients, but that might not be out of the ordinary for one of NYC's most visible doctors (in the same way that every trendy NYC restaurant has had a bad health report, etc.)

Is this a bad line of reasoning, or is Zizmor worth going to? Alternatively, if anyone can recommend a good dermatologist in NYC, I'd love to hear it.

Exciting brand-new treatments for really severe acne?

Anonymous — Mon, 08 May 2006 03:04:07 -0800

Tell me about brand-new, even experimental, promising treatments for severe acne. My dermatologist is a really nice, very trustworthy older gentleman. He says there's nothing more that can be done for my acne, but I don't want to accept "Here, have this therapist's phone number and learn to live with it."

I have severe acne on my face, jawline, neck (front, back, and sides), shoulders, back (down to waist), chest, breasts, and in my groin. I've been this way for about 10 years and it keeps spreading and getting worse (and the scars are another thread entirely). Obviously, it impacts my life a ton. Living with it is not something I really want to do.

Although the dermatologist is very nice and I like him a lot, I'm afraid that he has been more concerned with keeping up with research in other areas (e.g. skin cancer) and may not know about new acne treatments. It makes sense, as acne isn't lifethreatening, but I really don't want to give up now.

For my next appointment, I'd love to go in with a list of some treatments I've checked out and would like to discuss with him.

Things I have tried, just so nobody tries to recommend them:
Retin-A; no effect
all max strength strains of oral antibiotics approved for acne; only side effects
prescription-level strengths of benzoyl peroxide (topical); some improvement/lightening, this is all I'm on now
all lines of OTC treatment available in the US; no effect
Proactiv; no effect
tea tree oil; no effect
acne.org regimen; basically what I'm on now
other bizarre regimens, memorably one involving ice cubes; no effect

Things I can't try, no really, even if it worked for you:
Accutane
Birth control

What I'm doing now:
Non-soap cleanser (Purpose) morning and night
Benzaclin (1% clindamycin + 5% benzoyl peroxide) night
Zoderm (8.5% benzoyl peroxide + urea) night
Retin-A (0.1% retinoic acid) 3x a week
Cetaphil (moisturizer) as needed -- in practice, hardly ever

Other conditions:
Everything I use is nonacnegenic/noncomedogenic
My acne is genetic, not affected by my diet
Change pillowcases/sheets/washcloths/towels daily
Nothing (e.g. phones, hands, etc.) touches my face

My skin doesn't even notice most treatments. I've given them all a fair try, 6 months minimum, so I could see any effects -- but my skin doesn't budge. It never even dries out (and I'm not overwashing). The benzoyl peroxide I'm using now has a slight lightening/bleaching effect, which is why I'm still on it (that and I don't want to feel like I'm doing nothing).

Partly I'm looking for info on stuff like maybe light therapy or laser therapy. But I'm really not sure about any other options. I would even be willing to participate in clinical trials for new meds. I'll do anything as long as the results seem promising. (And if you cite PubMed, please summarize...I don't have access.)

This question is anonymous because I really don't want to have you look at my username and think "zits on her tits" from now on. Thank you!

The red menace

CiaoMela — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 13:34:19 -0800

I'm 23 and I have more acne than I ever did in high school. This is a general problem, but I've also got a (first) date on Thursday--got any miracles? I wash my face religiously every morning, and almost every night. In the morning, I follow with Cetaphil oil free moisturizer, which somtimes leaves my face feeling greasy, even though I use a very light hand. I rotate among about 3 different face washes, depending on how my skin feels (it gets quite dry in colder weather)--but maybe that's part of the problem?

I've got regular old zits and lots of blackheads, which often swell up and get red. Most of the "activity" is in my T-zone, but a lot is along my hairline, and some is on my cheeks (closer to my ears than to my nose). The blackheads in particular seem to arise and never go away--whether I pick at them or leave them alone. (I try not pick, really!) I also use a spot treatment (Neutrogena On-The-Spot benzoyl peroxide).

None of this is terribly ugly, but it's definitely gotten worse, perhaps with the stress I've been under lately. I'd love suggestions for routines, as well as miracles I can work between now and Thursday, to clear up the worst of the red. I'd prefer over the counter stuff, but I'll find a dermatologist if necessary.

Painful Zits

Melinika — Sat, 17 Jan 2004 15:29:07 -0800

How do you get rid of those invisible, under-the-skin, extremely painful zits that take forever to work themselves out? [more inside] I just got another one on my chin and it *hurts*. Hot compresses don't get them to come to a head. Usually I suffer for a week until I can't stand it anymore, then I go at it and scar my face. I can't find any reliable method to get rid of them before it gets to that point. Any tried-and-true ways you can suggest would be helpful.