an interruption for the sake of my skin.

I now interrupt the onslaught of Boston posts to bring you this little PSA.

My skin is a disaster area, and I'm looking for help.

That's right. At 24, I am in the middle of a 13-year-old boy breakout. I know why. I've been stressed (I could name my pimples based on those in my life causing me frustration); I haven't been getting enough sleep; my hair has become more and more oily; I'm not eating right... The list goes on and on, and trust me: I'm working on changing all of the above.

However, the fact is: Life can be stressful, even when it's really good. And I'd rather not break out every time I have a stressful week or two.

I'd especially rather not look like an angst-y teen dressed up in her mom's clothes when I go on important interviews for my 9-to-5 gig.

So I'm asking, begging: What do you do for your face?

Here's a list of what I've tried (hold on to your hats, folks):

- Proactiv (with little to no results, certainly not enough results to get me on that Jessica Simpson commercial)
- Prescription medication
- A dermatologist who literally squeezed the pimples out of my face, then gave me facials to improve my skin (no such luck; I'm pretty sure my skin was worse)
- A nightly regimen of Cetaphil, alcohol, and a Maalox mask (worked okay, but to be honest? It was a lot of work. I guess I am lazy.)
- Murad (also worked, but rather expensive. However, I may go back. It was a fairly simple solution.)
- Mineral makeup (still using, even though I like Bobbi Brown's coverage better)

I experienced some skin improvement last year, perhaps due in part both to marriage and to Murad. However, we're on this Dave Ramsey thing, and one month, I ran out of Murad and out of money. So I resorted to Neutrogena and that acne cream that leaves dry white dots all over your face (hot, I tell you. Hot.). I'm a few months into this supposed-to-be-temporary solution, and guess what? DISASTER.

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And now I come to you. I've got two ideas I've read about in blogland:

The Wonderbar

I've read about this thing numerous times, and it seems to work for almost everyone. I hesitate to purchase for two reasons: 1) It's $40 for a tiny bar (though it should last three months) and 2) Apparently your skin may go through a "healing crisis" that causes you to break out more before it works. Awesome.

Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar

Sold at Sephora, this is supposed to work like the Wonderbar, but lasts longer and doesn't cause a "healing crisis" (at least, no healing crisis was mentioned by any of the product reviewers online). Not as many people rave about this product as the Wonderbar, but... Maybe worth a shot?

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Now before I click the "buy" button, I want to know if you've got any better (or cheaper, or quicker) ideas. (Good makeup or good cleanser... I'm open to all suggestions.) Maybe I'm being unrealistic, but shouldn't there be a skincare solution that's cheap, easy-to-use, and provides almost instant results? It is 2010, after all.