I'm new to this forum so I hope I'm posting in the right place, this will be a long post but please bear with me, I'm feeling borderline hopeless about my skin! I've had mild to moderate acne since middle school and it seemed to get better in my teens but since going away to college last year it's gotten worse. Almost two months ago I decided to visited the dermatologist who told me I have sensitive skin and told me to switch to Cetaphil cleanser and Vanicream Lite lotion as well as prescribing me with Differin (a topical cream applied at night) and the antibiotic Minocycline. He told me to wash my face only two times a day. All this helped at first, clearing up nearly all of my mild acne and reducing my pore size a lot. However I still have constant, painful cystic acne on my chin (right now I have two) and about two hours after I apply makeup my skin becomes shiny and it gets progressively shinier/greasier looking until I wash it again. Since it looks gross and I can't go without makeup because of all the redness (if I'm alone I prolong wearing it until I have to), I usually end up washing it three times per day. So my questions to you guys are:
1. Does washing my face three times a day really irritate it a lot? And if it does, what should I do about the shininess?
2. Are there any supplements or foods I should be eating for my skin? Iâ€2122m a jobless college student and kind of a picky eater, so something cheap please! Also I just bought zinc tablets but I havenâ€2122t tried them yet, should I?
3. Are there any prescribed products I should ask my dermatologist about? I have another appointment this Friday.
Other random things that may be important are I wear Bare Essentials makeup, I never wear liquid foundation, when I do wash my face multiple times a day it sometimes gets peely, I drink a good amount of water each day, I use fragrance free detergent and wash my pillow case frequently, I have red hair and pale skin, I donâ€2122t go tanning or lay out frequently, I eat a lot of chocolate (although Iâ€2122ve heard this doesnâ€2122t matter), as a teen I was once prescribed Tazorac and it was terrible for my skin, and finally Iâ€2122ve tried proactive, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, any many brands/ lotions and none have cured my acne.
I know this is a long post but any input would be appreciated, I'm getting very depressed about my situation. Thanks!
1. Does washing my face three times a day really irritate it a lot? And if it does, what should I do about the shininess?
2. Are there any supplements or foods I should be eating for my skin? Iâ€2122m a jobless college student and kind of a picky eater, so something cheap please! Also I just bought zinc tablets but I havenâ€2122t tried them yet, should I?
3. Are there any prescribed products I should ask my dermatologist about? I have another appointment this Friday.
Other random things that may be important are I wear Bare Essentials makeup, I never wear liquid foundation, when I do wash my face multiple times a day it sometimes gets peely, I drink a good amount of water each day, I use fragrance free detergent and wash my pillow case frequently, I have red hair and pale skin, I donâ€2122t go tanning or lay out frequently, I eat a lot of chocolate (although Iâ€2122ve heard this doesnâ€2122t matter), as a teen I was once prescribed Tazorac and it was terrible for my skin, and finally Iâ€2122ve tried proactive, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, any many brands/ lotions and none have cured my acne.
I know this is a long post but any input would be appreciated, I'm getting very depressed about my situation. Thanks!