ACNE - advice and treatment thread

[Nems]

I have had acne for quite some years now (I am now 20) and have suffered from moments of depression as a result. I have spots acorss my back, my chest and some on my face.

For years I was on dianette and my GP said that it may hvae a lasting effect once off it and it diod for a while. However, I went on another called Yasmin which made me feel ill.

Now I am just riding through it! My face is much better. I use clinique anti-blemish products and especially the soap, day time gel and post-blemish formula and try to only drink water. However, the spots on my chest are worst than ever and the scarring is equally as bad.

I am going to try using tea tree oil or aloe vera lotion form health food shops to see if this helps. Sometimes I think we all have to admit that it is something you have to live with.

I was also told that getting sunburnt on the effected areas helps though is not advisable. It helps to reduce the scarring and repair the entire skin area.

If anyone else has solutions for acne on your chest please let me know as most products are designed for the face...

[Guest2006]

Hiya everyone,
Ive had bad skin since i was about 12, im now 18. Ive ried everything, herbal chinese remedies, pills, drinks, supplements, specialists, miracle cures, etc, everything.

Go to your doctor and ask about a pill to help, androgen blockers are THE VERY BEST and have suited me 100%, spots are un heard of now!

The second best treatment i used, which was fab, but expensives and stinky was chinese herbl soultions go to your local chinese herbal shop, they'll give you a topical solution and plls, they worked really well for me, but i suppose each shop differs.

Next up would be a topical solution from your GP. If your GP tried to FOB you off and rush you, go in with some researc of your own, DO NOT LEAVE until your happy, dont give up, because the only person who'll lose out and get upset it you, the DR don care less when you've left, so if you unlucky enough to get a bad one, MAKE SURE u leave when YOU'RE done, no sooner. Its like a roll on topical solution, that worked.

Diet DOES eefect your skin, whoever says it doesnt must be crazy, think about it, what u eat is INSIDE U and what is insideu, IS YOU. A lot of plants contain hormones that can effect your body, as does processed meats, so avoid dairy and high fat processed foods, dont go mad organic, just avoid to much rubbish!

And dont get stressed, see your GP if your feeling down, stress messe4s up your hormones and your periods.

A bit of sun works wonders too, repairs your skin and banishes spots, i use an occasioal, sunlamp to help.
Aviod heavy makeup (blocks pores) greasy working conditions if you can (burger ki8ng) and dont scrub your face or use reaklly perfurmed products, 'simple' is a very good range.

Hope that helps! xxx

[Naturopath]

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[GuestSk]

I have been taking roaccutane for 6 weeks now , am on 40mg a day , My skin has gone so bad i have got so many spots which i cant even cover up with make up, and my skin is not improving either. it is making me really depressed, i was wondering if anyone knew how long it takes before you start seeing an improvement.

[Go.Now.]

just drink water all the time and they go away

[ali_mon_x]

just drink water all the time and they go away

Oh yeah and try a little bit of Tea Tree Oil, that will soon clear severe, stubborn acne up! *sarcasm*

[Guest]

I am coming to end of my tether with acne, i am 20 now and just been to see the doctor again after Minocyn has failed to make any differences - the only drug i haven't tried now is Roaccutane and i'm not going to either...sounds far too invasive and risky.

Basically i was starting up this thread for anyone to list any new treatments they may have tried (i've read about something called Nlite?) because this is seriously starting to get me down!

Any soaps, vitamins, foods, advice - do's and don'ts, private treatments, beauty treatments, make-up etc...anything! any acne advice what so ever please post up!

Hi I've tried Nlite, After 3 treatments, i didnt really see a difference, so they gave me another one free and still no difference. So a lilltle bit of advise unless you can get it on the NHS (which i dont think you can) its a waste of money. I was really dissapointed with the results. I've been on Doycycline (which is in the same antibiotic group as Minocyn) for 2 months now and i have noticed a slight improvement
I know you dont want to try Roccatane but my brother was on it for 9 months, had some side affects like dry lips, dry scalp and no alcahol but now he has perfect skin. Good luck

[IAILWE]

I have been taking roaccutane for 6 weeks now , am on 40mg a day , My skin has gone so bad i have got so many spots which i cant even cover up with make up, and my skin is not improving either. it is making me really depressed, i was wondering if anyone knew how long it takes before you start seeing an improvement.

I started on 20mg a day, I don't really get many spots, just a hell of a lot of comedone's (blackheads, whiteheads) on my face, back, chest, arms and shoulders, my skin went into overdrive for a couple of weeks when I first started, but I work hard at keeping my pores clean by squeezing them out often. So I saw results very quickly, as in a couple of months.

After about a year I tried a short period off, at this point i would say my skin was producing sebum at about a tenth of what it used to. After a couple of months the sebum production was increasing again.

Seven years on and my arms and back are completely clear, they did however get a lot worse before they improved, and I'm talking worse for at least 2 years. but my face is still capable of behaving as it used to, during those years i have reduced the dose to as little as 20mg every 10 days, with me it very much depends on the time of year, the summer months being far worse than winter.

I'm now at a point where I am unable to strike the right balance of low sebum production and skin and eyes that aren't too dry, at the moment things are very much on the dry side. I also have and always have had very very dry skin on the surface, so until the balance shifts I'm off them at the moment but the pores are starting to become more active again.

Non of my friends actually believe that I even suffer from acne and it was hard to convince the Doctor too, I'm forty now and wish I'd kicked up more of a fuss when i was younger, I guess as you get older you become more open about any problems you have.

I have no idea if they have done me any long term damage, I guess no one really knows, certainly not a drug to take lightly.

Perhaps you can expand a little on your situation and keep us informed of how you are getting on, from my experience 40mg is a high dose and should really dry you out in no time at all.

[Joanne34]

I have had acne ever since I was a teenager. Whenever I was stressed out, or got my period, a breakout would follow. It wouldn’t just be a few little bumps either, but clusters of pimples and some of them would be filled with pus.
I have tried almost every acne treatment on the market. This includes the cleansers, pads, creams, lotions, etc. You name it, I’ve tried it. The results of a lot of them were that the zits would dry up, but so would my skin.
It got so dry from using these products that it actually felt rough – it was always itchy and when I scratched, it was so bad that I felt like I was actually scratching off flakes of dried skin! So eventually I just stopped using everything.
A co-worker who knew about Heathy Pores referred me to their website. I was impressed that it was a complete treatment process and that the products are formulated so as not to dry out your skin. I decided to give it a try.
It’s been more than 3 months now and I am pleased with the results. The outbreaks are still occurring, but they are getting milder and don’t happen as frequently. And my skin has not become dried out either!

[Lisa IA]

Hi, i am very interested in this forum! i have suffered with acne for 6 years now - i am 33. I have tried pretty much all antibiotics which all worked intially but i eventually became resistant and spots reappeared. Recently i was put on roaccutane by my dermatologist but then pulled off it because it affected my liver (in not a good way) within 8 weeks! which was a real shame because my skin did look the best it had for years!

I just wondered if anyone out there has tried the Nlite treatment having tried everything else and it has worked - i'm not bothered about the money (well i am, but if it works it is worth it!) and am happy to do a course but was interested to know people who have had long term acne that hasn't worked with anything else and there skin is defo oily!!!!

Also do you have to wait to have Nlite if you used roaccutane? i'm pretty sure i read somwhere you can't have laser treatment for 6 months or something?

Any info. would be useful.

Thank you
Lisa

[IAILWE]

Hi Lisa, really weird this, I haven't looked at this forum in ages, I must have a sixth sense.

This forum may be of help, http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php?&CODE=00

there are a lot of bullies on there, and lots of rubbish too, but you might find what you are looking for, don't linger though, you'll get frustrated by all the rubbish.

All the best
Stuart.

[pinkroxy]

swimming in the salt water sea is one of the best things for acne

[nems]

i have just been put on to roaccutane (20mg) and into my first week now. There hasn't been much improvement as yet but my skin is beginning to get drier particularly my lips and around my mouth and nose. My mum says it has improved but i think it's just wishful thinking!

I was with the dermatologist for nearly an hour discussing all the side effects but by the time I actually went to the appointment nothing was going to change my mind. I have tried so many alternatives and now pretty desperate and roaccutane is my last resort.

There are so many conflicting views about the drug that it really has to be a personal choice and often it depends on whether it worked for them or not.

With the issue of depression, when i spoke to my dermatologist she said the cases of suicide have often be found to be linked to other issues as well and as long as you've got supportive friends and family i can't think it'll be a problem. I'm also having to return to my derm every month so any problems can be discussed with her easily. She also gavce me her phone number so that if I was worried I could call her.

My dosage is due to increase to 40 mg next week so I hope i'll see a bit of improvement then. My advice is not to be too scared by all the worse case scenarios you see on the net and just use your gut instinct and sometimes if there's no other option then this could be your only chance of clearer skin.

[guest9893746634286]

doctors and anyone else with a decent amount of scientific knowledge will tell you that hormones cause acne and not dehydration. what , you think water flushes dirt out your pores?

[kel80]

hiya,
have you tryed adding a few things to your diet such as nuts, pumpkin seeds, other seeds and green tea. the nuts and seeds have essensual fatty acids in them which is good for skin, as well as things like zinc which helps the skin heal faster and green tee has lots of good stuff in it like anitoxidents which fight off bad things in the skin!

try going to acne-advice.com

also refined carbs such as sugar cakes white bread and stuff should be avoided as these foods can mess with hormones when you get a sugar rush, so u produce more insulin this makes more hormones so there for you produce more sebum.

also try tree tree wash from the body shop.

i hope this helps, it takes 4 to 8 weeks for you to notice a change but keep with it, also you'll be helping your body by not putting bad stuff like pills into it

let me know how you get on xx