14 replies to this topic

[richmond]

Hi, I’m 25 years old living in Sydney by myself. I think about things (my skin) a lot, and frequently get depressed because I don’t really have anyone to talk to. Even when I go see the derm, she doesn’t listen, psuhes Accutane and rushes me out ASAP.

I have few problems - and I’m starting to think of what i can do - and i need advice of whether you reckon will fix this?

I have had frequent itchy skin for the past year. This is like the persistent itchy skin that lasts for days. Red marks remain from the itching skin for a good 2-3 months. Mostly there is no bump, once or twice there was. I am bemused to exactly what this could be, because there is no whitehead and it cant be a cyst (cos i get them sometimes - they get huge, inflamed and bumpy). When it icthes i dont touch my skin, but it continues to itch so bad. Sometimes i try splashing cold water or put ice on it, but to no avail. There is no pattern to when this comes. The red marks afterwards is what concerns me.
Do you reckon if went on Roaccutane this would solve this?

I have seen a Derm recently, and she was going to put me on the full amount for my weight (I have a serious cyst on my face last week that i squeezed - first one since Dec 2007). I decided to wait to think about it - because of side effects, namely hair loss which im scared about at my age. I also have some sort of chest acne/infection/Pityrosporum folliculitis on my chest.

It is approaching summer in Aus, and i occasionally like to drink. Im really running out of options because my face is terrible at times, and its getting to point where i want to quit my job and go home back to my original city (Melbourne).

edit: Pics - does anyone know how to attach more pictures than the limited amount?
One is a cyst. The other is what my skin looks like when its icthy. Looks worse now, and those pics didnt really come out well - looks really red and inflamed. I mainly only get stuff on one side of the face (strange i know).

My chest pic thread

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[richmond]

Anyone have any ideas?

Im getting itchy right at this moment. I really dont know what causes this, its so embarrising having red marks all over my face.

I use water to wash my face because i find that cleansers dry my out and cause breakouts!

[Kyle H]

This is someone without any experience with itchy breakouts, but maybe a clay mask would help settle the irritation and, as well, dry out your cystic pimple.

Don't be too hard on yourself; your face is far from bad VERY.

[Bellatrix]

Have you tried calamine lotion for the itching? The reviews on here seem to think it works wonders for spots as well but def for the itching! For the redness I'd try aloe vera gel

[pet]

jesus... one small red spot. man... i hate posts like this one.

[richmond]

jesus... one small red spot. man... i hate posts like this one.

Theres no head and i have squeezed/needled it twice. Both times it formed a scab. There is now still a large bump. Its a month since i had that massive cyst. Its still there and still red/inflammed. Im thinking of trying to drain it again.

Plus i get red spots from icthing that last atleast 2 months (so its prolly worse then a pimple). Not to mention chest problems.

Im sorry if this is not up your standards.

[lba2008]

haha. good response. I haven't really dealt with itchy skin before accutane (im on it now). At night, before bed, I put on a thick layer of moisturizer on and barely rub it in. That has helped to keep my scaly skin at bay. I use La Roche hydrafuge. I really like it. Accutane is a serious drug and has a lot of unpleasant side effects, but if your derm thinks that it would be helpful (and you consider your derm to be a good doctor) I would trust his/her opinion. It truly is working miracles on my face. I know what it's like to feel down and alone. I just moved to a new city, and when my skin was driving me nuts I almost packed up and went home. However mild or severe we all experience the emotional and psychological effects of acne and your feelings should not be dicounted. Your skin is not severe or even moderate, but we all want healthy, stress free skin and that is your right. good luck and keep us posted

-Laura

[frustratedgirl]

You are not alone. My face also itches BAD. It has been so bad at times that I have had to take benadril around the clock. I didn't think it was acne because in my past experience with it, it never itched. I can be feeling finr one moment and the next start itching so bad. Once it starts it takes days to stop and my neck and cheeks are full of the red marks it leaves behind along with new ones. I have been to several docs and my derm and they all say it is just acne but dont understand why the itch. Tomorrow I have an appt with 20 derms. Its a monthy meeting for hard to treat and hard to diagnose patients. My derm invited me to come and I think he pretty much did it to reinforce that it is acne. He said if 20 derms tell you it is acne than it is. I have been dealing with the severe itching since August. For the first couple months it itched 24/7 but it has gotten a little bit better and sometimes I go days with no itch before it flairs up again. I have pics on my profile page. Good luck with yours and keep us all posted.

[paulvg]

try toothpaste...

[B-rit]

jesus... one small red spot. man... i hate posts like this one.

... and i hate posts like yours. There are so many people on this site who are inconsiderate of those with mild acne.

anywho... ilba... whenever my skin is itchy it's because its dry. Is your skin dry? or just itchy?

[Adam08]

moving to sydney: perhaps the water is harder?? i.e. has higher mineral content. irritation can result from hard water

go to sydney water.com where you can find out the relative hardness of the water in your area. btw i live in syd too

[richmond]

yeah it always itches real bad... it gets red and it leaves mark... i cant stand it.

yes i moved to sydney. i was thinking that too.. maybe it is the water? im thinking of moving to the suburbs from the city...

[frustratedgirl]

Today was my appt with the 20 derms I had mentioned above. It was a quick visit, consisted of my derm and alll the other ones coming in the room. My derm gave a quick recap to everyone and then they all looked at me. They asked a few questions and then met with each other to talk. My derm came back in and said everyone thinks it is either yeast or hormonal, lol. I have been asking if it was yeast for some time now... He said he wanted to run labs and check my hormone levels (why didn't you do this after my 1st, 2nd or 3rd appt I was thinking). In the mean time he gave me a script for an oral anti fungal med. 200 mg a day that I am to take Mon, Wed and Fri for 3 weeks. He said no need to test for yeast because all results come back positive since everyone has yeast. I wonder to what degree though. Shouldn't there be a way to test how much yeast? He said if I am better after 3 weeks then yeast is the problem and if it doesn't help then its not. He said the only side effect I would likely notice is a metalic taste in my mouth and that if it isnt yeats, taking the med wont hurt anything. I am wondering if I should give it a go or not. What do you guys think? Has anyone had experience with taking the oral med? Also he said we may try spironolaqctone if the lab work suggest hormones. My face isnt oily though and I heard hair loss is a side effect of that. So here I am still not knowing what to do. I leave for FLA on Fri and am worried the humid weather may make this stuff worse, ughh.

[richmond]

any suggestions to a solution to fungul acne? does anyone have info on fungul?

[Elsewhere]

Sadly, acne knows no age, and so no, you're not too old for this - no matter what ignorant people say. I'm going on 28 and people still think I must be "doing something wrong" because it's a "teenage" problem, but that's not it at all. Acne is the draw of genetics, not something you're doing wrong!

I don't know much about tane (haven't been on it) but just wanted to say from one adult sufferer to another - you're not alone!