Help Please! New pimples every day!

Hi Jules 707;
I'm so sorry to hear this. I went through the same thing when I turned 26 and I had had clear skin my whole life. What was more frustrating for me was the fact that my mother had a paramedical skin care clinic, coupled with the fact that this too is my profession. Yet it seemed like the blemishes just kept coming. I was almost paranoid to apply any products to my face for fear of breaking out.

I will say with certainty that stress IS the culprit for these breakouts you're experiencing. This was confirmed with your description of large, red, painful bumps. These will most likely not have anything you can squeeze from them, which is a large mistake as you're finding out because then it just leaves a scar. Being abrasive is not the solution (scrubbing them to get rid of them, over-exfoliating them, etc.) I would suggest using products that are natural with no silicones (any ingredient that ends with the suffix '-cone'), oils, etc. that are meant to CALM and SOOTHE the skin. Your skin is experiencing inflammation and you need to calm it as the first step.

This would be true for the area around your mouth. Be sure not to scrub, as this will cause more irritation (and you do not want to deplete your natural lipid barrier, which is a protective layer on the surface of our skin which keeps skin healthy and in balance.)

Do not use products with alcohol or that are stripping, because this will strip your skin from your natural lipid barrier and cause, as I mentioned before, more inflammation. With inflammation or other stressors, the skin will react, as it is doing now.

Lastly, in your stress, consider if you're placing your hands on your face when your thinking, etc. Do you rest your hands on your chin? Cheeks? Forehead? You have to be a skin sleuth and do some trial and error.
Is the dryness on the corners of your mouth? If so, this could be exacerbated by the laurel sulfate in toothpaste.

I hope these tips and clues help and feel free to contact me directly.
Good luck!!
Esthetician Marcella

Hey! I can totally relate to your condition. It gets very frustrating to deal with. Stress and hormones are the number 1 reason for this problem.

I guess you need to do something to reduce stress for a start combined w/ a healthy diet and lots of water to keep your skin healthy.
Wash your face often and keep your skin moisturized.
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