any advice about my HIDEOUS skin?!

[Flowerface]

My skin is truly hideous. Pretty much every single pore contains a blackhead, and this has been the case for about ten years (I am 30). I don't drink much, or smoke, wash my face twice daily and steam and use clay masks once or twice a week, but none of this makes the slightest difference. In fact, nothing I have ever tried has made any difference...

I am getting married next year and really REALLY would like to have non-repellent skin for the occasion. Does anyone have any advice for any treatments or products which work? I don't want to say that money is no object (it definitely is!) but I would be prepared to pay for something that actually works...

Thanks!

my blackheads have actually gone. well and truly gone. smooth clear skin. i had blackheads from about age 12 to starting oil cleansing a year ago when i was 29. they have gone.

i can not believe i did not know i could get rid of them so easily. i did scrubs, those sticky pad things, the body shop extractor device thing. no no no. bit of olive oil and they're one. took maybe 2 weeks. i'm actually very cross i didn't know about it sooner. my dd will certainly not be faffing about with clearasil and neutrogena and other such stuff.

TBH at this stage I don't really mind whether the blackheads are gone or just invisible! But sorry about the oil, that sounds grim...

I have tried a few of the suggestions here- dermalogica facials are good and they do squeeze it all out. I found Microdermabrasion facials better than dermalogica though, felt like a very thorough clean-you can have different settings to account for sensitive skin etc. The Dermalogica products also are pretty good, but have to agree, having tried it now for 3 weeks that nothing beats the Oil Cleansing Method, which is leaving my skin very soft and pores look smaller and unclogged.

Can I just ask those who are doing it- do you use OCM every night and just water in the morning and no moisturiser at any point? My skin feels slightly tight and I wonder if I need to adjust the amount of castor oil I am using (currently 30% CO, 70% almond oil). Might try the avocado/castor mix recommeded above....I also sometimes wash my face with normal face wash in the morning. Should I JUST do the oil?

yes reduce castor oil. yes stop sometimes washing with normal stuff. and YES just do the oil! your skin has to find a new balance. you are confusing it with the normal stuff now and again.

no moisturiser. the moisturisers are to replace what you strip away with the cleanser. no cleanser=no stripping=no moisturiser required.

i ocm every morning and just hot flannel at night (and sometimes not even that. yes i often sleep in my make up and i still have fab skin due to the ocm).

Ruddynorah, now I think you're telling porkies about the whole thing when you say you sleep in your makeup and yet have no blackheads!!

i really honestly am not! i wouldn't believe it either if it wasn't me.

look. i work evenings. i finsh at 10pm, home by maybe 10.30, sometimes later. i do not then wash my face. i get in bed and go to sleep. honest.

in fact. some times i do do the oil at night, say if we've been for a night out so have worn a lot of eye make up. the ocm works so well that when i wake up in the morning i don't need to do anything at all, not even flannel. my skin is soft and clean and glowing enough that i just need a bit of under eye bag cover up and i'm off.

hmmmmmm.......you might be winning me over.....

The only thing is: what do you do about SPF/UVA protection during the day (I don't really bother with these things but I gather we're meant to...)

I am just using almond oil at the moment. Is the castor oil essential?

no mineral based oils clog skin and are not absorbed into the skin.
I use wild rose balm once a week as a deep nourisher and also rose water which has aloe in it to cleanse treat yourself and feel the differance