I think the second most common acne treatment is vitamin A.  It comes in close second to benzoyl peroxide, and frankly it’s used in everything from the cheap products to the expensive products.  Most often, in the form of retinol, it causes redness, irritation, sun sensitivity, etc.  But in the form of Accutane of course, we all have heard about all the nasty side effects it comes with, not to be ignored in the least.  And interestingly enough, unlike benzoyl peroxide, they have actually manipulated it into hundreds of little sub forms that of course work in slightly different power gradients and ways in general. 

They all come with about the same side effects, it’s just the severity and the likelihood of suffering it that vary.  But honestly, it surprises me sometimes, because in most realms, the FDA just doesn’t regulate vitamins and minerals among other things.  But with the Accutane form of vitamin A, we understand why they have to.  And frankly, with some of the different prescription forms of vitamin A, there’s good reason why they do.  I guess it just goes to show that just because something’s natural doesn’t make it necessarily safe.

I’ll admit, I have some of the worst habits in terms of getting rid of the blackheads on my nose.  They always seem to stick out, and despite the use of various acne treatments through my teen years, there are times when they’ve always seemed to stick out more than others.  So I squeeze them out and leave those tiny little holes, which fill up again quite quickly we can be assured, especially if you try to put make up over it.  But it’s one of those do as I say, not as I do.  That seems to apply to a lot of health professionals in general, but their advice is generally good and sound.  But anyway, there are two ways that I’ve found that are not actually as bad as the others I’ve used in the past.  Frankly, you shouldn’t do what I’ve done.  But these are two things that can do a more efficient and safer job. 

First of all, steam your face.  This will get to various areas of the face and it will allow them to get out.  For an easier way to do it, you can actually put a hot washcloth over your nose or other areas of your face that you would like to release blackheads in general. 

But also, those pore strips are not bad.  Don’t use them too often as they can rip off little skin cells as well, which is not good.  However, should you use them properly, they are not particularly bad.

I love Philosophy products.  I use their bath scrubs, lotions, all that good stuff.  They aren’t too thick, and they smell good, and that’s about the extent of what I need.  So I thought I’d try their face wash.  It’s called Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple face cleanser.  They claim that it will wash away impurities, make up, zits, the works.  I also tried their multi tasker.  So I was expecting great things I guess.  I gotta tell you, they did a much better job of making lotions and all that than washes and acne fighters.  I guess it’s a more complicated world. 

I mean how hard is it to find moisturizers and find something that smells good right?  Apparently, it’s a lot harder to actually find things that reduce acne, supplement the skin without clogging pores, etc.  I used this stuff, and my skin was always dry, I had greater acne breakouts, it was actually worse than using bar soap, which is realistically pretty bad.  But what do you do right?  You just have to move on and not waste your time again.  Luckily, I didn’t waste too much money doing it.  It’s just a matter of looking for the right kind of experience.