Ok well without knowing exactly which products you've tried...I'll just tell u what I do to help mine. First when not going to work or school I do not wear make-up. I have a friend who has bad acne & once I convinced her to do this her acne got much better. Second I do wear moisturizer and sunscreen every single day. This has simply just helped my skin and I wear an oil free version too. And lastly I use ProActive. I've heard from some ppl that this doesn't work for them but it did for me and my sister (who has super oily skin). I can only use it once a day but my sister uses it twice and with the daily oil control treatment. Plus they have this pore at night mask that works miracles. Plus simply washing your pillow cases frequently can help and not touching your face too. Seems too simple but it does help.

I do have some friends who had it bad enough that they went to the doctor and started taking the drug Acutane (sp?). I know this definitely worked but you cannot take it for long and does have some side effects.

I hope something from this helps!

When I had bad acne I used Acutaine. It is a opll you take once a day for 6 months.. It will make your skin so dry and unbearable but thats when you think of what you are doing it for.. If you do not wanna go that route you always can try Cetaphyl which is a cleanser that my sister uses.. She had bad acne but once she started this for a couple weeks it became more manageable...

how bad is bad? sometimes people flip out over a couple zits. If you really do have a problem, I would use Proactiv. I don't us it myself, but my friends love it.

get on birth control. its amazing.

I tried Proactive; it didn't work on my skin. I'm trying Skin ID i will let you know if it works.

See a dermatologist - get a referral from your doctor if you need to. If it's hormonal, birth control might work, otherwise ask about Roaccutane, miracle drug! the side effects aren't exactly pleasant, but it is sooo worth it in the end when you have clear silky skin =]

Wash your face twice a day with vegetable soap. Moisturise with calendula. All natural, no chemicals, no side effects (unless you happen to be allergic to vegetables or calendula, which is a plant i believe...) and is said to work a treat! (i dont have acne myself so i havent tried it personally.)

I used to have very very stubborn acne, not horrible, but enough to be annoying. The best solution I've found is to use Neutrogena Rapid Clear cleanser (the one in the orange and white TUBE, the other ones in that line don't seem to work as well), and Clean and Clear Advanced spot treatment in the silver tube with the blue cap...and Yaz birth control pills. I've found the more products I use, the more acne I get, so after 100s spent in fancy remedies, I've found this system works the best of all of them...for me at least. Also, if you use stuff that really dries out your skin to get rid of the oiliness, it will cause more acne as your body tries to compensate for the lack of oils. Get a light moisturizer and put it on right after you wash your face, it might help.

A dermatologist, may be expensive, but they truely can tell you exactly what's going on. I disagree about ProActive, Many people I know, have had bad reactions to it. It is a very harsh product! But use it if it works for you. (My skin is too sensitive to use most products..) I use a brand named Simple, it is from the UK. They have a range of dry/ sensitive/ normal/ oily skin combinations for skin, and especially to help with acne.

Neutrogena I would also stay away from, I don't know anyone who can use that without causing moe break outs! (bad as that is, seeing as it's meant to help stop them) .

Also: Do you use a good TONER every day? I wash my face, with a face wash, then Tone, Moisturize, and then.. if my skin isn't too bad, use a gentle mineral make up (this can cause acne too)

Toner, helps to clear the pores of any leftover residue from your cleanser or makeup, that your cleanser may have missed.

May I ask how old you are? I also didn't get acne through my teenage years. I am 21 now, and still get a few spots! It's much better now that I use the Simple products and Tone!

Oh and don't forget the suncream!

P. S The birth control theory does work: but within reason.

I am on Yasmin, a contraceptive that is supposed to help clear acne, this actually caused me to get acne! But after finding good products to use, it isn't so bad.

P. S The birth control theory does work: but within reason.

I am on Yasmin, a contraceptive that is supposed to help clear acne, this actually caused me to get acne! But after finding good products to use, it isn't so bad.

See a Dermatologist, but make sure he has a great esthetician working with him. He will treat the disease, the esthetician will treat the skin and the underlying causes.
No Bismuth in your make-up. no fragrance in your cleansers, toner, moisturizer, unless it says "essential oil of", plenty of water, limit your dairy ,shellfish, and anything with iodine (including salt). Watch your calender to see if it may be following your hormonal cycle. Watch your diet for excess sugars. Also make sure you are going to the bathroom several times a day (3 is the goal). Food wont cause acne but a back up in your system will. If you don't go then the fluid leaks out of your stool back into your system, your skin takes the hit, giving the P Acne bacteria something to celebrate.

I like to tell my teen clients to think of P.Acne as an enemy, like the worst, meanest person you have met. When you don't drink enough water, or if you eat or drink things you shouldn't, he is happy, you just gave him a gift. In turn he gives you a new pimple.

Tea Tree oil in the cleanser and little cleansing pads (both AVAILABLE at Trader Joe's) or check at a health foods store like Whole Foods...you will find it and it helps a lot!

1) Watch what you eat. It might be a sensitivity to some food additive. (My skin reacts to MSG -- monosodium glutamate -- and there are a lot of seasonings and canned/prepackaged foods that contain this. Read your nutrition labels!)

2) Change your bedclothes. I learned this from a friend: if you change your sheets at LEAST once a week, your skin will clear up dramatically. It's a little more laundry to do, but your skin will thank you for it.

3) Drink LOTS of water. Part of the acne breakout is your body trying to purge itself of something. Water will help clear out your system in other ways.

4) Burt's Bees has some good tea tree products (tea tree oil being excellent for clearing up breakouts); egg soap (Agg Tval) helps a lot, too.

I stopped using any sort of soap on my face because most of it made my skin react. Organic Bath, Co. has a body wash I can use on my face without adverse affects, so I use that once in a while. I have to be careful what shampoo I use, though; my skin is sensitive, and a lot of otherwise common bath products will give me an allergic reaction.

I'd suggest ProActive! That's what I use and it did miracles for my skin in a short amount of time :)
You just have to buy the kit of the three basic products : soap, tonic, cream. The cream make the skin seem a little oily so you should put it right before bed. And like the person above me said, changing you bedsheet and most importantly your pillow will greatly help! Hope it'll treat your acne like it did mine!

well w/ proactiv it depends on the person.....i definitely wouldnt reccomend proactiv because of the effect it had on me. it made my skin really realy irritated and didnt do much.....maybe for you itll be different so maybe try it
but what i use (and yes i also have oily skin) salycilic acid product (from aveda, $20 per bottle) trust me, its not actually like harsh acid....and then for scars and redness i use vitamin e oil (all natural) and wash w/ neutrogena deep-clean facewash, sometimes i use the neutrogena wave, adn its important to exfoliate at least once or twice a week.
just remember that even though your skin may be oily, oily might be totally different from someone elses perspective...
also, w/ oily skin, its important to wash ur face in the morning and right before you go to bed.
hope that helps.

I dont know if its avalible where you are but i use Lalisse cleanser, moisturiser and spot cream and it works really well
Its made from natural ingredients too which is great if you alergic to some chemicals

I have trouble with blackheads and greasy skin, and have tried all sorts of branded and own-brand products with no success. However, I recently got some "CoalFace" cleansing soap from a company called "Lush" (you can find them online). It is quiet expensive, (it cost me £5 for a bar, although the bar is fairly large) but it has been a godsend to me!!
One of the products I tried was "Clean and Clear" daily blackhead scrub, which promises results from day one. After 2 months, it made no difference whatsoever. The cleanser from "Lush", though, is working wonders! I have not even been using it for a week, and already there is a noticeable improvement.
Plus, the products are home-made, natural, with little or no preservatives and all that, and not tested on animals, so its eco-friendly!! x

i used to have horrible acne too. i tried every thing. nothign worked.. my mom when she went to the store would by everything she thought would help..then one day she went to the dollar general and found this cream called ClearZit and I thought it wouldnt work, (my skin is oily too) because nothing did so i didnt expect change. But i used it and it worked like so well i told my mom to go to the store and buy all of the rest there were 8 on the shelf. It drys out your skin well but not too much but you have to be careful ony put it on the spots u have zits or you could get a rash where put it on the clear part of your skin. the rash is temporary but itches and it could cause ur skin to peel but thats just to get the dead skin off. wash your skin gently when it peels..

i used to have horrible acne too. i tried every thing. nothign worked.. my mom when she went to the store would by everything she thought would help..then one day she went to the dollar general and found this cream called ClearZit and I thought it wouldnt work, (my skin is oily too) because nothing did so i didnt expect change. But i used it and it worked like so well i told my mom to go to the store and buy all of the rest there were 8 on the shelf. It drys out your skin well but not too much but you have to be careful ony put it on the spots u have zits or you could get a rash where put it on the clear part of your skin. the rash is temporary but itches and it could cause ur skin to peel but thats just to get the dead skin off. wash your skin gently when it peels..

i have mild acne and i learnt this tip from this girl i know who has FLAWLESS skin.

when you wash your face, put really really hot water on a facecloth and lay it out flat with your hands and steam your face. the steam opens up your pores and helps clear acne and gives you a glow. then use the facecloth to cleanse your face (put whatever your using onto the cloth) instead of your fingers because your hands have bacteria on them.

ive been doing this for like a month and am seeing definite results =)

good luck !