Title says it all, has anyone else had this problem? I’ve noticed only the left side of my face has acne, and its always the left side, I dont remember having a pimple on the right side for more than a year or two. And this stupid acne never stops! I’m so tired, I’ve taken so much care for it and what not, its gone for some weeks and then BAM! I’m bombarded with nasty acne again.
Re: acne on half face
^Do you sleep on your left side? Maybe it's the oils (which can get on either from your face or hair) from the pillow? What about your hair, do you have it on your face on the left side?
It could be hormonal, do you notice they pop up when you're close to getting your period? Just dry them out by using a clay mask like Mint Julep mask, it's around $4 and comes in a huge tube.
Re: acne on half face
Title says it all, has anyone else had this problem? I've noticed only the left side of my face has acne, and its always the left side, I dont remember having a pimple on the right side for more than a year or two. And this stupid acne never stops! I'm so tired,** I've taken so much care for it **and what not, its gone for some weeks and then BAM! I'm bombarded with nasty acne again.:(
What specifically have you done so far to try to get rid of the acne? What specific products or routines have you tried? If you share that....that will let us know what hasn't worked so far. :)
Re: acne on half face
If it never stops then you need to see a dermatologist
Re: acne on half face
I have that problem too and this might sound crazy but it happens when I talk on the phone for long periods of time..I think the heat from the phone has something to do with it...it happens especially when I have makeup on, it makes the screen of the phone greasy looking.
Re: acne on half face
Actually yes I do sleep on my left side more, but I do change my pillow cover every 2-3 days. And the pimple isn't the kind that will dry up, its like the ones that are formed inside the skin and the puss is inside, and it gets really red and damn they hurt. My skin care routine - washing face 3-4 times a day with a face wash with sylisic acid (however its spelled), and Philosophy cleanser. I use vitamin C face lotion by Lumene, and every other night I use 10% Glycolic acid face lotion by Alpha hydroxy. Scrub every 3-5 days. I do intake lots of water, in fact that's all I drink, no sodas or anything. My hair is usually not on my face but I do part them towards the left side? Pseudonymous, that could be a cause for you cause it was for me long time ago, but now I always use hands-free to talk on the phone, since I only use phone when I'm out driving or something :D
Re: acne on half face
What you have is cystic acne, the main cause of it being stress and hormones. AND YOU WASH YOUR FACE 3-4 times a DAY? And you use face wash (w/ salicylic acid in it!) each time?! YOU NEED TO STOP THAT! Did you know that over-washing your face can actually cause it to build more oil? You are being WAY too harsh on your skin by washing it so many times w/ harsh cleansers and to add to it, you also use scrubs and peels.
Also, which cleanser by Philosophy do you use? Purity? People have reported breakouts with that so maybe stop that for a while and see. Also, are you getting your makeup off? Do you know about oil cleansing? Shu Uemura makes one, so does MAC/NARS/DHC and this is one method to really deep clean. People w/ acne really see a huge difference with this because of the intense cleaning that happens.
But please go gentle on your face, wash twice daily and scrub 2 times/weekly at most.
Re: acne on half face
Try to sleep on your back rather than your left side. Even if you change your pillow covers very often, the pressure of the pillow against your cheek can irritate the skin and this irritation can cause break outs.
Also, like M_was_here said, you're washing your face way too often. Try to stick with washing it only twice a day and go easy on the scrubs and glycolic acid. Make sure you're moisturising your skin enough. Your moisturiser should be non-comedogenic and oil-free.
Re: acne on half face
Why would you wash your face 4 times a days ???
yeah likes others have said, stop doing that, you're supposed to wash your face once or twice a day, so do it morning and night, i suppose you take off your make up, you can take it off with an oil like it was suggested but i recommend Avene's Cleanance Gel cleanser for blemish prone skins (it's a green bottle), use it on it its own or after you've removed your make up, you can use it in the morning too.
It's a great products because the ingredients are very mild and it also exfoliates.
STOP SCRUBING ! it irritates your skin and makes your acne worst so stop doing that even if you're told the opposite, besides if you use salicylic acid and the cleanser i suggested it will do the job.
If you still want that fresh and clean feeling after you wash your face, do DIY face mask : mix 1/2 tea spoon of nutmeg, 1/2 tea spoon of cinnamon, 1 tea spoon honey, 1 table spoon of gram flour (besan), 1 tbp of yoghurt. Leave it for 30 minutes and do it 2/3 days in a row, you should see instant results (personally i do that in the evening and my skin is amazing the next day).
Re: acne on half face
I used to have the same problem, i had never broken out on my cheeks before, and then about 6 months ago i started to get cystic acne on the left side of my face,(i'd get about 2 / 3 at the same time) as soon as one break out cleared up another would start, it was reeaallly annoying! However, i started drinking green smoothies about 3 months ago and since then, ive only had 2 pimples like that on my cheeks! and even they cleared up quite quickly. I've recently started using sudocream at night in any area's where i have a bit of redness that looks like it will break out, and it's helped sooo much! and btw i sleep on my left hand side too so that probably has something to do with it....
Re: acne on half face
^ isnt sudo creme for rashes ? i shud try that
i have had cyctic acne for so long .stupid thing wudnt take forever to go away.I just learnt to deal with it whenever i have one of them but i havent had one in a while.So i am guessing its stupid hormones?
I use himilaya acne mask on just the acne twice if i break out.it reduces redness and reduces the swelling around the area.Invest in good antibacterial creme to fight it out quickly.
btw drinking plenty of water helps with cyctic ance .when id ont have plenty i break out.
and recently i started using tomato and then milk.it works better than my facewashes.I think my skin is super sensitive.even in normal days it gets red sometimes and like it wud break out but it doesnt.
Re: acne on half face
I forgot to stress on the importance of consulting a dermatologist, even if you eat well, exercise etc, if it’s hormonal acne, it won’t go completely unless you take proper medication.
Check out this acne face map, http://www.skinacea.com/acne/acne-face-map.html
Here is what it says for left cheek acne :
- Maintain a normal daily routine
- Try to keep a positive mood
- Don’t let your body overheat
- Eat more cooling foods such as gourds, winter melons, and green beans
- Don’t overeat
- Try to decompress and relax
- The liver is the strongest from 1-3 AM. This is when you should be sleeping
- The liver is weakest at 1-5 PM, so schedule difficult work for the morning
- If you have to work in the afternoon, rest your eyes for 5 minutes every hour
- Practice proper hygiene
Re: acne on half face
i get acne on left side of my face too.not on the whole cheek,they appear along my side burn,even though i do not have oily hair.and what i hate about them is that they leave marks.
its not the cystic acne though,they r the dry kind.more like a white head with a thin layer of skin on it.i dont really do anything about them,they go away on their own in 2-3 days.but they ALWAYS leave a small pinhead sized mark which takes ages to fade. and as a result i havent had a mark-free/clear left cheek in ages :( and i have notices recently that its making my skin look uneven even though it isnt. what should i do?
Re: acne on half face
salam!! new here and my first post :)
anyway, coming to your topic....I have similiar problem. I've been suffering from acne for a good 3-4 years and trust me i've tried everything under the sun and have failed (the good old trial and error eh lol). I've just about got it under control now after learning from my mistakes. You say you wash your face 3-4 times a day? :O gosh! please stop, STOP right now, that is one of the worst things you can do!! acne isn't as superficial as we all think. I wash my face with only organic honey...yes honey, and trust me it's better than any facial cleanser (it won't remove makeup though). I also do a mask every night with manuka honey and cinnamon, and it has improved my skin quite a bit.
It's not all about cleansing and taking care of your skin, emotional health and diet pays a MASSIVE role (100 times more important than cleansing etc..). Only now, I have come to realise and understand their importance.
Please take these things into consideration and InshaAllah your skin will start to clear up :)
P.s. visit a site called thelovevitamin.com. It might help you like it has helped me.
Re: acne on half face
^ How do you wash your face with honey? I mean, do you apply on damp skin and rub it all over or use it as a mask for few mins and then wash it off?
Re: acne on half face
you can do it either way :)
I just use it morning and night in place of my usual cleanser. What i do is, damp my skin, take a bit of honey and just massage it on my face for a min and then rinse it off!!
Re: acne on half face
Are you guys serious? I cannot stand the oil that build up on my skin, reason why I was my face 3-4 times a day, morning afternoon, evening, night. Days I’m out to school I wash my face 3 times a day. Oh and I only use Salicylic acid face wash (Neutrogena acne wash Pink grapefruit) once a day, usually during the day time, that is when acne starts building up the most. The others time I wash my face I use Alpha Hydroxy Face wash, its soap free, oil free, and the Philosiphy Purity wash to remove my makeup. I only scrub once a week, when my skin is clear of acne(RARE). Hmm I should try the honey wash, though I’m obssesed with the clean feeling after using a face wash. Dragonlady I feel your pain, I have the same issue, the marks it leaves NEVER GO AWAY, they have faded maybe 50% but theyre not gone, and theyre like 3-4 years old 
. CinnamonRoll, I’ll visit the dermatologist, but my sister is using Retina prescribed by her doctor for acne, I don’t should I use it? I have seen results from it on my cousins. Arsh can you collaborate on the green smoothies? Oh and Im going to try the sudocream. Anything that helps 
Thank you guys! you all are the BEST!
Re: acne on half face
^Sounds like you are washing your face too much, three or four times a day, every day may actually make your skin worse, surely??
Re: acne on half face
lil_ash here's a link for green smoothies, i remember reading a thread about green smoothies here on gs too but i can't seem to find it right now, theres a youtube channel called 'thegreensmoothiegirl' or 'greensmoothiegirl' which initially motivated me to start taking it
@ pinkblossom : washing your face with honey! does it help any existing breakouts, so totally want to try it!
Re: acne on half face
As someone who has oily skin and also had acne upto my early twenties, you need to stop washing your face so much! It might feel icky but you are stripping away the natural oils. I would also stop using salicylic acid face washes.
You can use peels such as glycolic acid etc to get rid of the pigmentation marks left by the acne but on active acne, I don’t think you should use anything so harsh.
Don’t use Retin-A unless it’s been prescribed for you!
Be more gentle in your face washing. After washing, try spritzing your face with witch hazel or lavender water. And any time during the day when you feel oily, you can do this and wipe with a cotton pad.
Rosehip oil really helps with the pigmentation. For some people, it has helped with the active acne too but not everyone.
After my acne stopped, it took years for the pigmentation scars to completely fade but they did.