Need advice on face care

I am going through a dilemma on how to take care of my face.  First I will list some backround information on my face. I have red spots on my cheeks, left from where I use to have pimples.  They have been there for about 5 months.  A few times they looked like they were fading and going away but everytime they always "come" back. My regimen for 3 months has been taking Zinc 45mg, Vitamin A 8000 IU, Copper 2mg, a multi-vitamin(zinc 15mg, vitamin A 5000IU), and washing my face by hand twice a day(w/ gilette complete skincare soap) and applying lotion afterwards.  With this regimen I have not noticed any new breakouts.  
     Now here are the delimmas I am going through.  First dilemma is to put on lotion or not.  If I put on lotion does that keep my skin healthy so that it dies and sheds less often?  Should I not put on lotion so that my skin will flake off these red marks faster?  
     Second dilemma is should I exfoliate or not exfoliate, and if exfoliate how-to without irritating. Dead clumps of skin seem to emerge from several red marks where bad pimples use to be.  It seems that if I don't exfoliate the dead skin off these redspots then it tends to build up and cause irritation and inflammation.  What I currently do is soak my face in water until my skin becomes really soft, and scrape off the dead skin with the edge of a folded paper towel.  Sometimes the dead skin comes off easily, but other times they don't come off easily.  Is that safe or is that just like picking at my red marks and provoking them to worsen?  Is there a safe way to exfoliate skin without irritating these easily irritated red marks?  Or should I just leave my face alone and let the dead skin fall off by themselves.
     Thanks for the help.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I don't think that rubbing your skin with a paper towel is such a good idea.  There are gentler ways to exfoliate, either by products containing salicylic acid or by having an esthetician perform a glycolic acid peel or microdermabrasion.

Moisturizing is not necessary for skin health.

My advice is to consult a good esthetician, perhaps one affiliated with a dermatologist, who can assess your persistent pimples.  Meantime, please leave your face and your spots alone as much as possible.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[bkb4ver]

I don't actually rub the towel on my face, but I use it to pick off the dead skin that is on the red spot because I could find no other way to get it off my face.  I will use your advice though and leave my face alone.

[bkb4ver]

On your answer about lotion being independant of skin health.  Is it better that I do not use a moisturizer?  Could the moisturizer be doing more harm then help?  

I read an article about moisturizers that quotes "Cosmetic moisturizers do not moisturize the skin, but only block the normal loss of water from the skin's surface. For very dry skin that has excessive water loss, these products can be helpful for a time. But they also hydrate (wet) and loosen the skin's protective outer proteins and degrade the protective qualities of these proteins."  

Would you say that the above statement is true, and would it be better that I stop using a lotion during the healing process of my skin?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

No, I don't.  Please don't pick things off your face with a towel.  Leave it to a professional.  Thanks.

Dr. Rockoff

[damdji]

A related discussion, Is it OK/skin-safe? was started.

[damdji]

A related discussion, Rose essence? was started.