11 replies to this topic

[yourowndisaster]

hey guys so im a 20 year old female. i've had mild acne all my teenage years but it was never something i really had to worry about. since i was 18 though it has become moderate acne and i've tried so many things such as proactive, retin-a, differin, stievamycin, etc, mostly different topicals which helped control it but never really got rid of it. i was hesitant about taking antobiotics so i continued to experience breakouts until i became determined to go on accutance. however, when i went to my doctors to ask her to recommend a dermatologist, she told me to try tetracycline first. i know that once i finish my 12 weeks course on them i will probably start breaking out again but at the moment i am satisfied for the most part with what tetracycline has done for my skin.

right now i am finishing my seventh week of the pills.

originally i had been told to take the tetracyline and also apply retin-a at night but i stopped using the retin-a around the third week because i was sick of how dry it made my skin and hoped that the tetracycline itself would do the job.

so far the first 6 weeks went as follows:

week 1:
i started off with pustules on my right cheek and other than those, i did not get any new acne during the first week of taking tetracycline. it seemed too good to be true (which it was). i got maybe 2 whiteheads during this week which were quick to go away after i easily popped them.
week 2:
got a few more whiteheads (about 3) and got one of those big under the skin pimples which wasn't noticeable for the first few days although when i felt it, it was horrible.
week 3:
started using velocity cleanser and moisturizer (mary kay) instead of oxy.
i got another under the skin pimple on the other side of my face and after a week and a half was finally able to pop the other one. btw i constantly have the urge to pop my pimples and pick at my skin so it took ALOT for me to wait until it was ready.
week 4-6:
the pustules on my right cheek had cleared up by the end of this time and i didnt get any more large pimples.

after the 6 weeks i went back to the doctor and although my skin had somewhat progressed i was still getting acne and wanted to continue the tetracycline because i felt that my skin would continue to progress by staying on it for a bit longer.

week 7: my right cheek started breaking out again. the good thing is my hair can cover this area. however, that may be the cause of the acne there in the first place...

also i went to a club one night this week and didn't take my pills that night because i forgot to take them to my friends house with me where i was staying the night. not sure if that will have any effect.

does anyone know what your supposed to be do if you drink one night? im supposed to take them before bed time so im not exactly sure what im supposed to do for that.. i somehow haven't drank since starting tetracyline.. just skip them that night??

i will update this every week until i finish the 12 weeks.


feel free to ask qs if you have any.

Edited by yourowndisaster, 03 January 2010 - 02:28 PM.

[yourowndisaster]

just finished week 10/12. 2 more to go.
weeks 8-10 went pretty smoothly, i haven't really worried at all about my skin during the new year until this week when i got a under the skin pimple that i couldnt pop and then had to deal with the aftermath after picking at it.. it wasnt even that bad to begin with i just get impulses to pick.

anyways, since i have to stop the tetrcycline soon, my plan is to go the rest of february without being on anything for my skin . i will continue with my cleanser + moisturizer routine though.

i have a feeling that if my acne returns like how it was before, im going to go on accutane.

[fieldhockeyqn737]

Hey everyone,

I'm a 19 year old female who had a great complexion and never had to worry about acne until halfway through my freshmen year of college. It was like my skin changed overnight : / I hadn't done anything differently; no new changes in products or anything. I couldn't understand it. All I had ever used on my face was mostly just water and sometimes a gentle face wash made for sensitive skin. I had great skin and I was always happy around my friends and family. Acne just never had even phased me throughout puberty. And this made it even more difficult for me to comprehend why my skin was all of a sudden being plagued by painful, ugly bumps (mostly on my chin and mouth area). I figured that as a 19 year old girl, if acne was ever bound to effect me, it should have already happened. Little did I know about adult acne.

As if starting college, being away from family, and all that goes along with the whole stressful experience wasn't enough, I now had to worry about my face. I was under so much stress and pressure. My life just started to deteriorate as I struggled with the immense workload of being a premed student and the ongoing stress from persistent breakouts that I had never been familiar with. I don't even know how I managed to maintain good grades because I found it impossible to concentrate on anything but my acne and how terrible I looked. Sometimes I was so nervous about what people would think, I would skip class and sleep in my room for the whole day. I became so depressed. My mom tried her best to support me by telling me that no one sees my skin the way I do, and that it really wasn't that bad. But I just couldn't put it past me. What was even worse is the fact that I suffer from OCD and social anxiety...yeah. I had a mental breakdown, to say the least.

I started asking my doctor for help. I was already on depression medication and had been for years. The only thing he recommended was several different products to try. I tried everything: proactive, clean and clear, clearasil, nutragena, skinID...everything. All of these harsh products seemed to only make my skin worse. Nothing had helped me and I was losing all hope. By the time the school year was over, I was so relieved. I went home and basically hid from the world all that I could. I had to maintain a summer job, but other than that I felt like doing absolutely nothing around people. My life felt like it was being ruined and I couldn't understand why.

Back to the doctor I went. He recommended a topical rub to use on the problem areas. I tried it for about a month and it did nothing. When I went back again for advice (not that I had much confidence in his opinion after months of tiral and error), he put me on 250mg of tetracycline to take twice a day. He did warn me that my acne would get a lot worse in the first couple of weeks of treatment, but then it would start to clear up. I started this treatment about 5 weeks ago, and so far I feel like no major improvements. I have noticed that new pimples that have formed are much reduced in size and I haven't had as many cystic pimples form on my chin area; however, I am still getting new pimples : / I am using the treatment properly and being patient, but as I progress into week 6 I have little hope.

Antibiotics are typically supposed to take 6-12 weeks to kick in and to see results, correct? I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Does anyone think that maybe I should be taking the 500mg dose instead? Maybe 250mg is not strong enough to do it justice... I really have no idea. All I know is that my chin acne seems to be worse than ever.

[fieldhockeyqn737]

oh yeah, I also have been taking fish oil and zinc tablets to help with inflammation and hydration. I have cut back eating as much dairy and red meats. I drink almost a gallon of water a day and I have always eaten plenty of vegetables, but I guess maybe I should start eating plenty more...I also take vitamin e pills once a day to try to help heal red marks. Any other advice?


P.s. Is it strange to anyone else that my acne is now worse if I no longer play sports? I was always an avid athlete growing up. I played field hockey, softball, track, and I danced for 11 years. But once I got to college I stopped sports. I mean, I still work out at the gym and go running on a weekly basis, but not nearly as active as I used to be. I would have thought that playing sports would have made my acne worse if anything...I don't get it.

[yourowndisaster]

hey im also on 250 mg. i also still do get acne but it isn't as bad as i started off as. i think i read that tetracycline clears up like 25% of acne. i need to go look that up though. the thing that sucks is it only works while your using it so i dont know what im going to do when i finish the antibiotics. i think you should stick with it awhile more but either way your doctor probably wont let you stay on it for more than a couple months even if its working. i think by the end of 6 weeks you should probably be able to tell if its working, well thats when i was able to tell.

Edited by yourowndisaster, 26 January 2010 - 02:33 PM.

[yourowndisaster]

so i just popped my last 2 tetracycline pills my face has been really good during the last month, the only slight problem i had was on my right cheek, although i always seem to have problems with that area. its not as bad as usual though, and i only had 1-2 at a time there and my hair luckily covers that side. the left side of my face has been clear for the most part.. it is because of this side of my face that i am able to deceive people into thinking i actually have good skin. haha.

next steps:
all i will be doing is continuing to wash my face at night with velocity cleanser and moisurize with the moisturizer that comes with it. i only wash my face with water in the morning. i'm not too sure what's going to happen with me being on no medication at all, whether it be antibiotics or topicals.

[yourowndisaster]

2 days without tetracycline and got a new pimple on my left cheek.. it started off really small and I was going to pop it but i decided to wait.. shouldve popped it.

[yourowndisaster]

this month has been OK... the major problem i had was with picking at the one pimple i did get which made things worse.. you just never know whether or not it will be better to pop it or not..
aside from the one i got in the first coouple of days, i only had one other pimple that bothered me.
other than that, my face is looking pretty smooth on my cheeks and lower face. My forehead, however, is gettin a lot of small whiteheads, especially along my hairline.. reasons for this?

[yourowndisaster]

update:
lately my skin is REALLY GOOD. tea tree oil has been doing wonders for my skin. at night when i moisuturize i add a couple of drops of TTO to it, and mix them together and rub it into my skin. after that i dab TTO on any new pimples i feel. I wait until the TTO dries a bit and then i put a dab of Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment over those spots and by the next morning, it's like the pimples were stopped dead in their tracks. putting TTO on pretty much stops them from developing so its important to catch new pimples as soon as theyre forming.
Also, i've stopped wearing foundation. i only put it on if i'm going to a club or event. i think that has helped a lot.
I stopped drinking milk for awhile because i thought it was causing me to break out but since stopping tetracycline i started drinking it again and have noticed no problems.
the only problem i still have are whiteheads mostly along my hairline but they're barely noticeable.
(:

Edited by yourowndisaster, 16 March 2010 - 06:53 PM.

[.co.za]

Wow... A lot of this thread ring's true for me - social anxiety and stubborn acne. Luckily, Doxycycline did work for me, unfortunately though, I suffer with chronic kidney failure so my doctor wouldn't prescribe any more antibiotics for me; I've just taken to buying it of the internet though!

Anyway, I have just started a new routine after years of damaging my skin by tanning (which completely clears your face (apparantly, UVA and Infra-Red works wonders - UVA for getting rid of acne and Infra-Red for scarring)) and piling crap on my face AND (seriously) shaving any spots that appeared. My new routine is -

Morning -

Doxycycline (can only get 100mg )
2% BHA
SPF 30
Fake tan/Moisturiser

Evening -

Green Cream level 6 (and more SPF 30 if I'm going out)

Be careful that you don't give yourself a calcium deficiency by cutting out dairy products though, I think it's the lactose in dairy products that is said to cause acne though, so you could get lactose free milk or try calcium tablets (they taste nice, so personally I would go for them )

Good luck!

[okeyallusernametaken]

co.za

do not use fake tan on acne skin..you will never get it even and the skin will become more fat and acne breakout will be stronger again..

ive tryed it so many times before trying to conceal some redness after a few years ive finally learned and quit for good:)

to op:

good to hear tetracycline has given u good results and pimples stay away, if you do get them back in a few months then spare time and just get roaccutane instead of using tetracycline several times a year for many years.

and for the whiteheads in forehead, go to the doctor and ask for antibiotics wather, put this on for a few weeks already after 3-4 days it prob will be gone acctually.

[Blissisbs]

I've been on 500 mg 2x daily of tetracycline, retin-a 3x per week and a topical nightly for 3 months and my zits have been history. In the last 2 weeks I've cut down to one 500 mg tetracycline per day (in the morning) and my acne hasn't returned. I did this without my doctor's knowledge, just got tired of not being able to eat when I want at night lol & since I don't eat breakfast mornings are perfect. I do have 2 cysts that wont go away, but they were here prior to me starting tetracycline, I got them injected w/ cortisone today, so hopefully they'll go away in the next week or so. I'm pretty sure I'll do 6 months on this drug, and hope that I don't have to do accutane after. But if I need to I will. I'm 26 and I've dealt with this crap since I was 13, I'm over it and done. I'll pretty much do anything to get rid of it.