Masks

Has anyone had success in lightening their marks with a mask? If so, which ones did you use?

Spironolactone

I have been taking spironolactone for my cycstic acne, which has worked a miracle on my face, but I was wondering if anyone here has given blood while taking it? i know i can just ask the people at carter blood care, but it's late and i was just curious if they let you?

vitamin A peel

I recently went to my dermatologist about acne (duh). I've been on a lot of ineffective oral drugs and topicals blah blah, but I did photodynamic therapy last year which helped a lot for a few months after I did it, but it came back as it always does. I don't really want to do that again because it's a pain to have to sit inside for a week while my stupid face sheds like a molting snake, not to mention it's expensive, especially for a temporary "cure." So she suggested that I do a vitamin A peel instead, which she says will make me flakey but the peeling won't be as drastic as PDT.

So my question: has anyone done a vitamin A peel? Did it help your acne at all, and how long did the results last? And I know this isn't the red marks board, but did it helps your red marks at all?

Doxycycline

Has anyone experienced tingling hands while taking doxycycline?

desperate

I started getting acne (in the form of cysts and nodules) when I was 16...I am turning 19 in a week. You know the story...tried prescription topicals, antibiotics, vitamin and diet regimens, over the counter face washes, etc etc. The thing that worked best for me was the Levulan/blue light (photodynamic therapy) along with some face washes that my dermatologist gave to me from her collection that she made. The problem is, those treatments are extremely expensive, and I just don't have the time between college and work to take a week off hiding from sunlight so that my whole face can peel off. I also don't want to spend any more money renewing topical creams prescriptions...while they help to get rid of current break outs, they don't really do anything to prevent new ones. I do have a blue/red light that I use at home, and it really does make a difference in my acne, but still I'd like for it to be GONE.

Another thing is that when I'm at home on breaks from school, my breakouts are much worse and more often (new ones almost every day), but when I'm at school living in my dorm, the breakouts are much less severe (maybe one new one a week, more or less).

I'm just completely stuck. I feel like this will never go away, hate looking at my face and blah blah blah. Could this be caused by unbalanced levels? Is it something in my home? I'm just wondering if anyone has had an experience where something in their house caused acne, or just environmental causes in general. Also, if anyone had hormonal acne, what was that like? I'm just stuck.