24 replies to this topic

[xgirl]

oops, didn't notice that this post was from June '09. Hope the OP has been cured by now!

[Acnesucks33]

this is depressing to see. My derm says my acne is from puberty and will eventually go away on its own... im 17,male.

[gtturbo2]

dont lose hope mate, mine went away in my early twenties just got the occasional pimple.

Its just come back like a biatch tho (im 28!).

[mistergee]

Hiya buddy. I do feel your pain, i really do.

I am 47 years old and my acne started when i was probably about 13. I was put on antiobiotics (oxytetracycline) which didn't really do much good. I had it especially bad on my chest and back and it has scarred me badly. I think i was on antibiotics for probably 15 years before i was finally sent to a dermatologist who prescribed accutane. Initially for about two weeks i had the worst pustular outbreak on my face i have ever see which completely demoralised me, but then it started to improve and after five months i was totally clear of the acne. This lasted for about three years but then it started to come back so went back to see the same derm and he put me on another course of the accutane for about 3 months (you also need to have regular hospital liver function check ups whilst on it as it can send your blood cholestrol up) and it cleared again, for about another 3 years. It was great in these two 3 year periods as i didn't have to worry about my skin!!!

However since then (late 90's) it has crept back, especially on my chin area (where i have a beard) and around the hairline on the back of my neck. Was put on various topical creams (Zineryt, Dalacin C) and small maintenance doses of abx (minoclycline, erythromycin) but then in about 2004 i had a major flare up on my face (which is the worse place let's be honest). Back to the derm (a different one this time) who swabbed the cysts and said i has staphylococcus infection and diagnosed folliculitis. Put me on various abx, some pretty heavy duty ones such as rifampicin (which turns your pee bright orange!!) and Duac topical gel ( a mixture of clindamycin and BP). i Have been on the Duac ever since and up to now it has pretty much held things at bay. However the acne on the back of the back of the neck has reappeared and as of the last few weeks is worse than ever. So am back at the docs for a new dose of Tetrasyl 300 ( a sort of tetracycline) but i don't hold out much hope for this. Have stumbled on this site and seen some good reports of apple cider vinegar applied topically so am trying this but it's early days.

Forgot to mention i had a food intolerance test done about five years ago and was told i was intolerant to dairy and blackcurrants. So have cut them out and now generally only have soya milk which i like. However majorly intolerant to yeast which is a big problem as i love bread, beer, wine and marmite!! Cut out all these for a while but the beer and the wine i do occasionally have and to be honest my acne does appear to spring up again a w few days after a few glasses so maybe that is a cause. To be honest am at a loss to know what the contributing factors are ( i sometimes think the docs don't even know) so it is a case of trial and error.

We all have out crosses to bear but i don't think people who suffer from acne realise how mentally debilitating this condition is. It affects pretty much all aspects of your life. But it's nice to hear that none of us are alone and am happy i have come across this forum. I wish you all the luck in the world in finding a way of managing what feels like some sort of curse sometimes.

[kart10]

Hi,
1st step should be trying different diets. And just because you are not allergic to something does not mean it won't break you out. I went through the most expensive allergy test and I wasn't allergic to hardly anything except dust, and some other stuff...

Try a gluten free for a week or two. If it doesn't work, try dairy free. These two diet changes should take a month at most.

Supplements you should consider
Omega 3 Fish Oil
Zinc
and fresh juice (Get yourself a juicer and juice oranges, apples, clementines, celery, beets, carrots) . I guarantee with just the above three and avoiding processed sugars such as High Fructose Corn Syrup in sodas and etc.. You will be clear in less than 2 months.

Anti-biotics are only a temporary solutions and since you were on it for a long period of time, try taking probiotics.
I am taking GR-8 Dophilus (Dairy free) by the Now brand.

Stay tight. At least you have a wife and a happy family that loves you for who you are. And acne is just very minor problem.

Enjoy your life. Do diet changes.