Blackheads, whiteheads, and bad skin

I'm 16 so I have a bit of acne. Our first attack on my acne was getting birth control that helps with acne. That did get rid help, but I'm left with blackheads all over my nose, on my cheeks (around my nose and in the middle of them), a few around the lines of my lip, and all under neath my lip (like my chin.) My forehead is covered with whiteheads or they may just be white bumps because they don't go away, they multiply. I get a few pimples every now and then, but blackheads and whiteheads pop up all the time (all over my face like pimples would.) I use an expholiator when I get too dry for moisturizer.  For the most part a light. Leander to get rid of oil in the morning and a heavier one that is supposed to clean my pores at night. What can I do different to fix this?

[FurballsMom]

Diet is very important.  No, not the usual suspects that doctors tell teenagers.  Limit or eliminate ALL sugar from the diet.  Limit or eliminate all grains from the diet.  The modern diet is too full of these things.  Sugar will promote inflammation and feed the bacteria overgrowth that causes teenagers to get so many zits.  Be gentle to the skin.  All those acne treatments that are promoted are actually too harsh on the skin.  The irritation this causes will also cause these eruptions in the skin.  If you do exfoliate, it still needs to be gentle.  There are some small round disks made from from a type of gourd called luffa that are great for this, because they are still gentle to the skin.  I even found a package of these a long time ago at Big Lots.  One of these small disks will last you a long time.  Basically, you won't have to throw them away until they are clearly starting to disintegrate, which is bound to happen from getting wet so often.

Also, get a gentle cleanser designed for sensitive skin rather than the ones that say they are for acne.  All those things that say they are designed for acne are generally too harsh for the skin and actually cause the problem with acne to be worse.

Try these things before reaching for the product line called Proactive.  I hear good things about Proactive, but it is rather expensive.