My own personal 2-week challenge...

[LegalEagle]

I, like many of you here I'm guessing, suffer from the problem of trying too many different products and switching them all too frequently.

I've been using Proactiv fairly effectively for quite a while now as a way to keep my face looking good, but it seems like the more I use it, the more I need to use it (similar to a coffee addiction, maybe?).

I keep reading on here that less is more when it comes to skin care (which goes against every grain in my body and all the products I own), so I've decided to give it an honest try for 2 weeks and see what happens.

I'm going to only use Cetaphil to cleanse and Lubriderm to moisturize once a day. I'm going to continue wetshaving with AoS Lavendar soap and a cold water rinse afterward.

I'm curious to see how it works and if I'll end up looking better or worse in 2 weeks. Any thoughts/suggestions? I'll keep you posted on the results.

Thanks.

[michaelskar]

please keep us posted on your findings.

[javyn]

Been doing Oil Cleansing Method at night and Cetaphil during the day...

Due to laziness I stopped the OCM 3 weeks ago and just stuck with a Cetaphil face wash (drugstore knockoff even) every morning on my forehead and nose....(don't even wash the rest of my face since I shave daily.) My skin has NEVER looked better.

[patrisVII]

If you have classic 'red zit' acne, I dare say that coming off the benzoyl peroxide cold turkey will make your skin break out more. You can try it, but I would not expect good results.

If you don't have that type of acne (say blackheads or whiteheads instead), then BP is not they medicine to use anyway. That means you can save that celebrity endorsement pay for some other product that would be better suited to your particular condition.

[LegalEagle]

If you have classic 'red zit' acne, I dare say that coming off the benzoyl peroxide cold turkey will make your skin break out more. You can try it, but I would not expect good results.

If you don't have that type of acne (say blackheads or whiteheads instead), then BP is not they medicine to use anyway. That means you can save that celebrity endorsement pay for some other product that would be better suited to your particular condition.

Thanks for the info. This was actually part of my thinking in wanting to try this. I don't think I have what you refer to as "red zit" acne. Instead, I just think I have a problem with different types of blemishes and bumps and those sorts of things.

So, I have begun to wonder if the Proactiv is really doing anything. On the other hand, it makes my skin very smooth and refreshed, but I don't know that it's actually doing anything blemish-related, which is why I want to give this a try and see.

[analog_kid]

While I have been pretty fortunate in that I've never really had any problems with Acne, I've reached the conclusion that there aren't many skin problems(save for extreme dermatological conditions)that can't be improved with a good facial cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. My sister-in-law once raved about how Proactive did wonders for her skin after trying everything under the sun to improve her skin. It turns out that in reality "everything under the sun" was a few facial cleansers used a few times a week and that was it. I'm fairly confident that had she used a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer consecutively for a week or two, she would have gotten similar results for a third of what the Proactive products cost her.

[patrisVII]

Thanks for the info. This was actually part of my thinking in wanting to try this. I don't think I have what you refer to as "red zit" acne. Instead, I just think I have a problem with different types of blemishes and bumps and those sorts of things.

So, I have begun to wonder if the Proactiv is really doing anything. On the other hand, it makes my skin very smooth and refreshed, but I don't know that it's actually doing anything blemish-related, which is why I want to give this a try and see.

If you really want to get your skin clear you should get a proper diagnosis from a dermatologist. You wont necessarily have to use prescription meds, but you'll know what to treat.

Cleansing is just that. It is misleading, and I would say downright dishonest, for producers of cleansers to say that it will improve skin problems. Specific problems have specific therapies like any other bodily lesion. Cleaning is simply the removal of foreign debris from the skin. There are numerous ways to do this and it's really about finding a method you are comfortable with. Some folks have the time to do the oil method, others don't. Some folks like the squeaky clean feel of soap and others don't. Soaps, detergents and oil will all remove surface debris effectively - just choose the one you like based on your own criteria and then you have one less thing in life to worry about.

It is important to remember that cleansing (any method) temporarily damages the normal protective function of the skin by disrupting the 'acid mantle' (primarily lactic acid from sweat and fatty acids from oil). This means you should not cleanse your skin more than once a day routinely. Of course there will be times when you need to do it more often (after dirty work, swimming in salt or chlorinated water, medical treatments, etc.) but once a day should be the norm.

[LegalEagle]

For any of you who read this post last week, here is an update of my progress so far.

At this point, I'm halfway through my "personal 2-week challenge," and I can honestly say I'm very pleasantly surprised with the results. My skin actually looks a lot better than it has in the past, although it's by no means perfect (yet, hopefully).

Frankly, the first couple days were pretty rough. My face felt dirty and oily all the time, and it felt rough and just gross. Because I was so used to the abrasiveness of the Proactiv, the Cetaphil didn't seem to be accomplishing anything when I washed my face with it. It was all I could do to not scrub away at it with some sort of exfoliator.

When I began, I had a couple new blemishes, and these seemed to look worse for these couple days. I think it was because I was so used to the Proactiv scrubbing everything off and then toning it to make all skin always look the same color.

The blemishes have all begun to heal and are almost gone now. And more importantly, no new ones have shown up (which is a very new thing for me!). Over the last couple days, my skin has been looking and feeling dramatically better.

Because it hasn't felt gross, all I've been doing for the last couple days is shaving daily with 1 WTG pass (in order to avoid any irritation or ingrowns that would lead to new blemishes) and then a cold-water splash followed by some moisturizer. That's it. No cleaning. No scrubbing. Just shaving.

Although it still has some healing to do, my skin is definitely looking better each day and has no new forming problems (that I can see, anyway). Hopefully by next week it'll be all cleared up and everything will be settled into this new "routine."

We shall see.

[michaelskar]

interesting stuff...keep us updated

[vespergo]

i'd think that the lubriderm might be unncessary, but you can test it out. the cetaphil already doesn't strip much of the oils away, so i'd be careful about putting the lubriderm with that.

keep shaving though. i think the shaving definately helps keep the skin clear.

[patrisVII]

i'd think that the lubriderm might be unncessary, but you can test it out. the cetaphil already doesn't strip much of the oils away, so i'd be careful about putting the lubriderm with that.

keep shaving though. i think the shaving definately helps keep the skin clear.

Agreed.

Moisturizing is likely superfluous for you Legal. Simple cleansing with the Cetaphil should be enough.

In general moisturizing is a matter of appearance and comfort more so than actual skin health. Dry skin is not inherently prone to disease more than other skin types (there are disorders for which dry skin is a symptom though). The issue is that flaky skin is unsightly and the feel of relatively more plasticized skin is pleasant. In addition there is at least one study that linked moisturizer use to increased sebum production (still trying to dig it up on the web- it was in an old text book of mine). In short if your skin does not look or feel 'dry' to you, there is no need to use a moisturizer.