Matt Gray's guide to improving your life in 2009: Part 1 - Skin Ca

[CanaMatt]

Alright ST. In the past five years I have conquered some challenges in my life. Some of them sucked shit, but I am now clearly one of the more socially accepted people on this site, so this will become a regular "column" with how I made my life sweeter.

Once, many years ago, I suffered from terrible acne, and tried nearly every thing on the market, I know for a fact some of ya'll have some acne problems, so let me tell you how to fix it. (This shit might seem gay as fuck, but its better than looking like a fucking pizza)

Except for extremely complicated cases, almost any acne is completely manageable, however, there is no one step solution to it, and no one single thing that will stop it in most cases. Follow this guide to feel good about showing your face in public again!!

Step 1: The first step is to assess your acne, and find out exactly what steps you need to complete.

MILD - If your acne looks similar to THIS ( http://dermatology.cdlib.org/127/commentar...radenitis/1.jpg ) or less sever continue directly to step 2!!

MODERATE - If your acne looks like THIS ( ) it will be manageable with the help of a doctor. Make an appointment, and use one of the common prescriptions for a couple of weeks, and continue to step 2.

SEVERE -If your acne is this severe ( http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2055/180659...2a88d19.jpg?v=0 ), or worse, seek advice from a dermatologist before proceeding with any sort of self maintenance.

Okay! Once you've decided where you fit in, continue on to the next step!

Step 2: cut out your bad habits.

Change your pillow cases at LEAST once ever two days, your facial oils will build up in the pillow, and you'll just be putting your face in dirty oil for 8 hours a night!! There is no way that can be good for your complection!

Wash your hair daily. Your head produces oil too, and guess where alot of it ends up? Your face!! Washing it more often WILL make it dryer however, and acne medications will also make it dryer! Use a good conditioner, and keep it at a decent length(we will be referring to this again in later sections).

Stop drinking goddamn soda. We will be back to this one again in the future as well. They say its bull that diet affects acne, but they are just wrong, it may be rare, but I know if I drink soda more than once a week, I break out in acne. Seriously, but the can down, an start drinking water. Or juice if its too much of a stretch. Its realy not hard, you'll find yourself wanting soda for a while, but just forget it, after a month of so you won't even want it, and the health benefits are many!!

Step 3: Get some new habits!!

Here I am going to reccomend some products. I personally use "Dead Sea Premier" products on my face, but they ARE rather pricey, so cheaper alternatives almost certainly are available, whatever you buy, make sure it is unmedicated, and unscented, and if they cause you ANY extra irritation

Get a good facial peeling gel, and use it. Daily. I personally use it once right before my morning shower, and once when I am washing up right before bed. The stuff works wonders, and you'll be amazed at how disgusting the skin on your face that peels off is.

Get in the shower, don't wash your face just yet!! Shampoo your hair real good, rinse, and then put some conditioner in. Comb through, and leave the conditioner in.

That shit is usually hard to rub off just in the sink with water, so next, grab yourself an exfoliant (I personally use an exfoliating salt) and rub that into your face real good.

Now, just wash your face!! Use an unscented bar soap, designed for either acne, or delicate skin, and wash her all off. Finish yourself up in the shower (proper shower techniques will be discussed later on as well), dry off, and you're done!!

If you have certain large, individual pimples on your face, feel free to use salicylic acid directly on those spots, but be warned, it ALSO may dry that part of the skin out, and it not suggested at ALL if shaving gives you difficulty with your acne..

Note: Do NOT use anything with tea tree oil and lavender. This includes most Melaleuca products.

Step 4: Shaving and moisturizing!

2 of the most annoying, and difficult issues when acne is concerned!! Don't EVER try and cover up acne with facial hair, it will make you look disgusting as fair as hygiene is concerned, no matter how clean of a person you are.

Use a sharp razor (make SURE it is one that rinses easily. I used a mach3 for AGES that did NOT rinse well at ALL), hot water, and something that works well on your face. I find gilette(or similar) shaving gel works much better on my face than foam, or cream.

Apply your gel to your face, and make long, straight strokes, without pushing too hard. Your razor should glide over your acne without causing any extra irritation, assuming you only have to hit every spot once, and you're not pressing too hard! Rinse your razor with hot water after every single stroke.

Go WITH the grain as much as you can, it will be alot less irritating on your skin.

Now hopefully you just shaved your face without problem!! Your face may feel slightly irritated, so lightly rinse off your face, and throw on some after shave gel. Once again, make sure it is not medicated, or scented(though scented may be hard to avoid in some cases). Make sure it is specifically for men, and specifically for delicate skin, or acne. Also make sure it is a MOISTURIZING gel or cream specifically.

If you still do not find your face is moist enough, feel free to use any non-scented moisturizer( avoiding malaleuca products again) at any time. I personally use a body butter that works great.

Now its time to get dressed, and go about your day!! At first this may seem tedious, but stick with it for a couple weeks, and eventually it will simply be part of your (now ten minute longer) morning routine, and I promise that (unless you already follow some intense regiment) your face WILL improve within 1 month!!

[Joe =/]

I DON'T HAVE ACNE ! Well done for getting rid of it, it must be an extremely shitty thing to deal with.

Matt Gray - the beauty queen of acne.

[jitz]

Matt, did Sangay ask you to post for him?

[Nemo]

doubt it. most of his problems could be solved just by taking a shower.

[Thom]

I found this to be a good read, and I already have somewhat of a regime;

In the morning if my face is a little puffy I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do 1000 now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.

[Aero]

fags.

i use soap, i have no spots. i recently grew a beard, the bits of my face/neck i do shave, i use soap, this works great for me and i pull regularly meaning it works in other peoples opinion too.... SOAP

[Jonny]

Washing your hair daily is bad for it and can result in it getting weak and falling out.

Also, when I had acne I drank plenty of water and dabbed listrine on my face where the acne was, it cleared up alot better than using normal soap or anything I got from the chemist.

[Thom]

If you're in the UK or possibly Ireland, an anti-bacterial soap called Fresh Pharmacy from Lush works wonders.

[Aero]

i cant even walk past a lush shop without feeling slightly high from all the smells, surely if i step foot in 1 i'd turn gay?

[Matt]

I found this to be a good read, and I already have somewhat of a regime;

In the morning if my face is a little puffy I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do 1000 now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.

lolz

[Joe =/]

Just here to request a picture of thom with his facial mask on. Thank you.

[Thom]

[phil]

Let's put a smile on that face, Bale!

[Aero]

looks like sum1 jizzed on him

[phil]

looks like sum1 jizzed on him

[Fozy]

fuck off phil

[phil]

Eat a dick, Iain.

[crunk]

I'm pretty glad I don't have to spend time dealing with this stuff everyday... The only time I use soap is if I can literally see dirt on me haha. Water usually does the job.

[Fozy]

fuck off, phil.

[crunk]

ACKNOWLEDGE ME!

hahaha

[Fozy]

i don't like talking to people i can catch diseases from.

[crunk]

Yer righto, don't be scared that I'm better than you.

I seriously hate what the world is coming to these days.. there's pills, medications, anti-biotics, anti-bacterial products etc everywhere, and everyone buys into it. Like I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure that the human body was designed to deal with all this stuff itself... like everyone should stop wrapping themselves in cotton wool and let their bodies harden up a bit hey. I can't even remember the last time I was sick, apart from like the occasional 3 day cold every year.

But yeah, all that being said haha, good post... bring on part 2.

[jitz]

Acne wouldn't be so hated if everyone just called it "love bumps".

To tell the truth, I miss the feeling of popping those really big pimples with the big white heads. It's similar to the feeling you get after taking a really big shit, just that euphoric relief.

[Aero]

lmao i actually kinda agree, i miss squeezing thee odd spot lol