Acne?

Dwight:  "I find that hard to believe. You text me when you get a new zit."
Michael:  "I'm a man in my 40's and I think that makes it a pretty big deal!"

I am having such a hard time with my complexion lately. It's just awful. My face is breaking out so bad! I have little bumpy pimples all over my forehead. They're not red or nasty looking, but they definitely look bumpy even with makeup. I also have nasty red zits on my forehead and chin. And finally, on my nose, I have like 200 blackheads. I have tried so many things and nothing is helping! I've tried new methods such as detoxifying/clarifying masques and tried and true methods that don't seem to work anymore. I try to remember to flip over my pillow every night and change my pillow case every other night. I wash my face every morning and then at night I wash and exfoliate it. I keep my hair pulled back at night. Ugh.

Currently, I use Clean & Clear 3 in 1 blemish clearing face wash-- this worked splendidly for me last summer. Not anymore. I also was my face with bar soap (Ivory or Dial) and a wash cloth at night because it feels greasy via any other method. In the past, I have tried just about every drug store brand and expensive brands, too. I used ProActiv in high school. It worked for a few months and then my skin became immune to it. I have tried Clinique products on different occasions, but it always makes my breakouts worse. Ugh. If any of you have suggestions, please let me know.

Actually, it just dawned on me that I have used a new face product, one that made me break out years and years ago when I tried it (but I then attributed it to my age and the fact that acne was "normal"): Bare Minerals. I completely forgot! Over our anniversary weekend, I went to a Bare Essentuals store and bought some, so now I have matte powder foundation and Mineral Veil. Dang. It's really sad when the expensive makeup that is supposed to be nourishing to the skin contributes to my horrible acne. I will definitely lay off these products for a couple of weeks and see if it helps.