Thread: Middle Age Acne!?!?

I have only been str8 shaving now for about 3+ months or so, and with all the natural experimenting with all the AS's and Balms and such one thing finally took hold in my brain, a lot of the bumps and what I thought was just the irratition that of course only led to more and more the the little and not so little 'weepers' with every new shave turned out to be just plain pimples coming up that I have NOT had to worry about since puperty!! If your skin like mine seems to react to all the oils and various lotion vehicles by just plain breaking out, then the paridigm of less is more, or maybe just enough should be taken up in post shave!! I never thought about acne being part of the experiance, but when I backed off with all the extra balms and skin oil my shaves became less bloody and skin smoother. With less acne breakout there was less uneven terain to chop off. I hope this little epiphany will help other middle age newbies with teenie/boper type skin.
Post Scriptum : Thanks to all of you at SRP for making my new wet-shaving hobby a great experience!!

SRP's tinkersd!

My skin is oily too. I don't/can't use balms or conditioners either.

I just turned 55 and I still get some pimples. That is why I don't use preshave oil....

yea you gotta be careful with what you smear on your face, thats a given. im very picky with what i put on my face, i try not to get too exotic with oils and stuff, and if i see any signs of break out i immediately discontinue use.

i was thinking of trying the sweetalmond oil for the preshave. sounds pretty gentle.
you got to get stuff that doesnt clog the pores
"nongreasy, noncomedogenic" that means non pore clogging. those are key words to look out for

I agree, I have never used balms, milks or other aftershave fru-fru. Cold water, witch hazel and alcohol based AS is all I will consider, and I have found that using a straight razor has actually reduced the occasional acne break out that I still experience (I'm 60).

alcohol based AS is the way to go, no pain no gain (aka the slight stinging sensation of the alcohol that i have come to love)

Originally Posted by craigisbetter

alcohol based AS is the way to go, no pain no gain (aka the slight stinging sensation of the alcohol that i have come to love)

Alchohol or any products with a drying/astrigent effect are bad for people with acne. Also, there are VERY FEW oils that you can use. I've read that tea tree oil or vitamin E oil is the ONLY oil you should put on your skin if you have acne. Also, Safeway sells a relatively cheap vitamin E cream, which does a better job of moisturizing ALL DAY than most lotions (even expensive ones) AND contains vitamin E (anti--oxidant) to repair damaged/scarred skin.

Unforunately I've had to deal with acne my whole adult life (i'm 27)....I'm not a big fan of doctors and taking pills and chemicals and stuff so I've tried just about everything else under the sun.

Everybody is different, but I've found that a wash with a good quality facial cleanser (no perfumes, foaming agents, unneeding chemicals) once or twice a day goes along way. Of course that dries your skin, so you need to follow up with a good lotion (or in my case vitamin E cream)

If that isn't enough (which it's not for me) you should use some benzoyl peroxide at night before bed....and to clear up problem spots quickly, a dab of neosporin is perfect.

So....things to avoid:

- Alchohol/astringent products that dry the skin
- Artificial scents or perfumes that irritate the skin.
- Oils!!! They clog pores just like dirt! Tea tree oil is an exception for some reason (i've read that it acts as an anti-bacterial, and also isn't really a "true" oil)
- Cheap shaving cream (it's full of chemicals, artificial scents, oils)
- Skin irritation from too much abrasion (ie. from shaving, scrubbing, rubbing, etc.)....I think this is one reason straight razor shaving seems to help people with acne....less irritation.
- Any kind of grime, grease, dirt, oil, etc. on your face or anything that will clog your pores. If there's no bacteria clogging up your pores, you should not have any acne.

Things to use:
- Good (real) cleanser and/or exfoliating wash (I hesitate to use the word "soap")
- Tea tree oil and vitamin E cream
- Good quality (real) lotion (no perfumy junk)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Neosporin in problem areas
- If you have the money, proactive is a great system.
- Good shaving soap w/o artificial junk/scents/perfumes
- Straight or DE razor
- Soft drying towel, don't ever "scrub" your face!!!

Well.....this problem has been such a pain for me, I figured I'd pass along what I've learned over the years from trying LOTS of different techniques and products, and reading LOTS of trustworthy health blogs, websites and wiki articles!! If anyone else has suggestions, I'm all ears!

I just turned 40, a few months ago and you could hone off the oils my face produces...nice visual, eh? lol
I never had acne, when i was younger, but i lived in the high-desert. Now i live in a humid area and the oils and acne are a constant problem.

mac

I'm relatively young (29) and still get acne. Sometimes worse than others. I don't use any oils or anything on my face. I just started using Clubman aftershave and notice a little bit of improvement.

Benzoyl peroxide is pretty good if you're not allergic to it but it bleaches e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.