Skin Woes

For as long as I can remember, or at least since high school, I've had occasional acne. It's never been the type of the thing that covers my entire face. Just one zit here and there once a month or every other month. I was on birth control for a long time- that didn't help. I was prescribed anti-biotics and retin-A-- they didn't help either. I used Proactiv for 3 years and at one point my skin looked really good because I remember my mom commenting on it. But that wasn't a permanent solution. This past fall, around the time of my installation, I stopped taking bc and switched from Proactiv to the Clean and Clear acne system. Again, my skin looked good for a little while but I still got the occasional zit. About a month or so ago, I switched back to Proactiv. The acne still isn't gone. It feels like every other week I have another zit on my face (they usually come one at a time) and even if I leave them alone until they subside on their own, I'm left with a dark scar (which fades over time). I also take biotin with my multivitamin. It's frustrating.

I was reading Us Weekly recently and Ashley Simpson apparently uses Cetaphil to wash her face, which I remember being mentioned on Afrobella as a good face wash. The only thing I can think of is that the products I've tried are just too harsh so maybe Cetaphil would work. At least it's inexpensive. Ashley Simpson also uses a moisturizer that costs $125 for 1 ounce so I guess I should be glad she uses an affordable face wash. Unfortunately, dermatologist visits are not included in grad student insurance so for now I'm going to have to find something that will work on my own.