<p>hey guys</p>
<p>I have some minor acne, and i've been getting into an argument with my sister about acne medication. Coincidentally, she's in Medical school so I bet she's actually correct.</p>
<p>I say that the brand doesn't matter, all of them have salicylic acid or sodium bezoate. She says OXY doesnt work at all and just makes your skin really flakey, and she recommends neutrogena, which i'm using now. It's working semi-okay, any suggestions of good brans besides neutrogena?</p>
<p>here's the thing w/ acne meds that really sucks: it can take up to six months for one to work really well, which is why you shouldn't switch because what might be working now could be the brand that you were using 6 months ago. </p>
<p>i agree that OXY just dries out your skin. neutrogena works really well, and so do topical medications that are prescribed by a dermatologist. that's what i use.</p>
<p>my parents won't let me get anything from a dermatologist b/c my dad had a really bad experience back in his day with them prescribing some really nasty stuff (not to mention doing "radiation" treatment of his skin... bleh!). They seem to think that anything from the dermatologist is going to screw up my kidneys.</p>
<p>i can picture it now
"so doctor, this glowy green stuff, its really gonna rid of these zits once and for all huh?"
"yyeye playa, we call it plu-TONE-niuuummmm"</p>
<p>i recommend proactive, all my roomates use it and it really does work with no side effects.</p>
<p>This reminds me of high school were my friend was working in lab one day and he accidentally came upon a overnight cure for any acne. Well ,I thought it would be a gold mine so, being the slick entrepreneur I am I went around school selling this stuff to everyone and I made a fortune. But, little did I know This miracle cream had its side effects; the miracle cream made your face turn red wherever you applied it but, it took two days to take effect. well, after a couple days most of the school was furious with me and wanted a refund and I was forced to give back al my earnings. This was oh so disastrous because everyone's face was now covered in red dots, but, it turned out ok since red just so happened to be our school color and since it was the day of a big football game at school it only united us in school spirit.</p>
<p>Okay, you are going to think this is insane but my sons friend told him to use toothpaste over night. My son did and it worked.great. Just dab it on your zits and give it a couple nights.</p>
<p>Just watch out for things that rob your skin of precious moisture and only exacerbate the problem (ie things with more than like, 2.5% saly, 2.5% benzoyl). I recomend cetaphil, it removes oil and dirt while moisturizing your skin. Did wonders for me.</p>
<p>haha, skimmilkfatty that was a good one. I miss saved by the bell</p>
<p>the toothpaste just dries out the zit. beauty queens use it, but it's not good for long term use.</p>
<p>I would consult a dermatologist. BUT if your acne isn't bad, just use a gentle face wash (neutrogena is good, but there are others) and don't wash with regular soap as it will irritate the acne blemishes. Proactive works wonders with most people, but that stuff actually made my acne worse. </p>
<p>Here is a question: Do you ever get cystic acne? It is just not blackheads and whiteheads, but the stuff that is pretty much like a boil and gets painful. If you have that, please go to the dermatologist. Those cysts can scar your face horribly.</p>
<p>haha ayeah i've tried the toothpaste thing and it works semi okay</p>
<p>but baking soda works better</p>
<p>I've been using Benzaclin and it works pretty well - but i might try out some of the novel solutions posted on this forum.</p>