Struggling with acne before the big day

If you have a store called Lush near you I suggest you go. They have amazing all natural products. I love love love their fresh face masks but they have many more great products! Oh and drink lots of water!

1. Epsom salt and olive oil to wash ur face.

2. dab lemon juice on the acne

I've always been hesitant to try over the counters. I've recently found that baking soda (arm and hammer) is a great exfoliate and it adjusts to the ph of your skin. I would do a test to make sure you don't get a reaction though. Also, when my face gets unmanageable for me I ask my dermatologist for Aczone. I would consider speaking to a dermatologist as they can assist you with this - that's what they're there for.

Do not use proactiv. It may work temporarily, but in the long term it is truly horrendous for your skin. I second what all others have said - see a dermatologist. Skip the drug store stuff and get a professional-grade skincare line to go with whatever your derm prescribes, like Dermalogica or Paula's Choice.

Also, Sara - NOO do not put baking soda on your skin! This link explains exactly why its so bad: https://www.futurederm.com/why-you-absolutely-should-not-use-baking-soda-as-an-exfoliator/

It absolutely does not adjust to the pH of your skin. Get a good gentle chemical exfoliant like Paula's Choice AHA or BHA gels instead.

Witch hazel is good as an astringent. Also drink alot of water.

Go to the derm. Only thing that worked for me was accutane. I loved it, regret not going on it sooner.

This may sound strange, but it works for me! I make a mixture with two tablespoons of unpasteurized, raw, unfiltered honey and five to ten drops on tea tree oil. Mix it all up and out it on problem areas overnight. By the morning I notice a huge difference. My skin and dry and really sensitive so this has been one of the only things that worked for me. You can buy the honey on Amazon. Here are some other examples: https://www.organicfacts.net/home-remedies/honey-mask-for-acne.html

Niki - you're not suppose to mix it with water on your skin. so....yeah, that makes sense. I don't believe everything on the internet. I've had professionals tell me it's okay to use once in a while, it's not an every day or even every other day treatment. I also don't use chemicals unless a professional is applying it to my face because they can be extremely dangerous. I get microderm and Salicylic peels regularly (or was before the wedding), which also helped a great deal. Aczone clears me up in about two weeks, so I stick to that when I am flaring.

Have you ever tried tanning? Not the best suggestion, but I have the same type of skin (acne prone, oily) and a few sessions in a tanning bed clears my skin right up!

I like tea tree oil.

Ohhhh and a baking soda and lemon juice paste face mask works wonders!

I stopped eating dairy and my face cleared up within 2 weeks. Dairy products have hormones in it that are natural for cows but not for humans. 2 weeks gives your body enough time to flush out all the dairy you've been eating... and if you LOVE cheese, they make dairy alternates, which are honestly better than the dairy product itself!

I also switched to noncomedogenic (non-pore clogging) make up; in combination with no dairy, my face cleared up quickly. I use Neutrogenia in the morning with a noncomedogenic face lotion and a make up removal cloth at night.

Hope this helps!

I would definitely talk to a dermatologist but to answer your question, the only thing I really use is Cetaphil. My mom recommended it to me and it works like a charm.

Honestly I just went to the dermatologist for the first time today, my wedding is in 2.5 months. She's given me a gel and a cream to use topically and a pill to take. And she's fast tracking my appointments to make sure it's all taken care of. She says she doesn't usually recommend Proactive because a lot of people have reactions to it.

Hi! I used acne.org and it was one of the best decisions ever! My skin did a 360 in about two months

Every couple of months I have to switch up what I use because my acne loves to be difficult. I tend to look for things with charcoal in them because it tends to work the best with my oily skin.

Drinking lots of water, wiping my face with witch hazel and using a cucumber peel mask I found on amazon. Most of my acne is hormonal with naturally oily skin. Also waking your face with a cleaner too much can cause more issues.

I'm in the same boat! I've had acne since college and I highly recommend going to the dermatologist. I put it off for years and could have saved myself a lot of pain and head aches. My dermatologist has me on spirnolactone (I wanted something less intense than accutane). It's seriously worked wonders and I have little to no side effects. Check in with your doctor and they'll find something that works best for you.