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I have acne and it won't go away. I tried soap and water, Noxema cream, a few clean and clear products and hot water. I was using proactive but it stopped working. I don't know what to do. What OTC things work? Someone suggessted I should leave it alone but I can't just not wash my face. Won't that make it worse?

There is a certain order you need to do things in:
1. Cleaner - Opens pores and cleans them out
2. Astringent - Closes the pores so that dirt can't get back in
3. Moisturizer - Even if you have oily skin this is important because it helps balance things out.

If you are really trying and things aren't working for you then visit a dermatologist.

Alright when I was 15 this is what my doctor told me to do:

Try to find something with Benzoic peroxide in it try 5% then move to 10%. Try that for a while.

Then put plain yogurt on your face and leave it there for 10mins. (Okay, yes I was told this and I tried it ONCE and it was so disgusting I stopped and never EVER tried it again)

Good luck!

I tried the toothpaste thing and it worked once and them it didn't work anymore. My skin gets used to things and stops working. I just got some Acne Free (proactive knockoff) but I don't want it to stop working. Should I just use it once a day?

I got some clean and clear and I seemed to break out worse and my face got itchy. I switched to AcneFree. It's kind of like Proactive but it's not doing anything at all. I've been using it for almost a month and my skin is just as bad as ever. I don't think I'll be going to a doc for a while because money is an issue. I guess I'll have to cope with being ugly.

I have it too and really don't let it get to me. So yeah....I'm absolutely no help. sweatdrop

I used to use a liquid soap that worked pretty well for me, but I can't remember the name of it, and it dried my skin out really badly.

Once I stopped using any form of soap to wash my face with, and kept my hair neater and as non-greasy as possible, it worked wonders and my skin was clear. Also, steam opens up your pores, so if you want to try something else to clear up your face, run scalding hot water in your sink until a nice bit of steam comes up, and put your head under a towel, blocking in as much steam as possible. But don't hit the water XD.
Anyways, this will really open up your pores. If you still want to use cleaner still, try steaming before and after using it.

That will let more of the soap get into your pores and clean them out even more. Also, try using something with micro beads, in that case. They help scrub better, too, and get rid of unhealthy/dry skin on the top layer of skin on your face.

There is also a thing you can buy that you set your face in, and it steams, without the danger of hitting hot water, so you can look into that. I don't remember what it's called, but I had one and that helped alot too. You can probably find one a drug store or department store, or something.

Good luck ^_~