29 replies to this topic

[Reealgood]

Hello, I'm new here and I'm 18 years old from the U.K Well, i've had acne since i was 18, it was rather mild at first, but prgressively got worse, with peridic stages of clearness. I am due to start University in the end os September and REALLY want to be clear by then, just because how ridiculously awful acne is on my self confidence and I don't want it to hold me back. I hate it, I can't go out, cancel on my friends on bad days. So here's where I'm at. I have been referred to the dermatologist but it was a 3 months wait...August 18th, for roaccutane, but im wary of it, and when i start uni i will be in my first month of the course, when my face will probably worse, i hate the idea of that. I have been on dianette for the last 3 months, without any effect but I'm sticking with it, it's reduced oiliness. I added zinc (alternating 50mg and 75 mg day on day) a week ago. The thing is, oil has gone, completely, with both zinc and dianette but, acne is still here and bad as ever. I've decided to no longer wash my face, as i've found myself washing my face 4-5 times a day...i'm overdoing it! and exam stress is making me worse, my friends want to revise with me, i usually revising with friends, it's usually successful, but i just don't want to face them
Anyways, I'll begin the no face washing treatment. Also, I've been visiting this site for about a couple of years occasionaly, but more often in the last few months, so i decided to make an account. I'll keep you posted

[Reealgood]

I must say, my hair has suddenly got ridiulously dry in the last week...strange :/

[Reealgood]

Good luck Water-only methods can be draining, and can take quite some time for changes to be seen, so don't let it get you down. I've been on this journey for almost a year, but in between I've done a lot of other methods that made it worse. It's seemed to get better once I stopped washing but also stopped really thinking of my face as something to treat in a different manner from my face. So once I stopped scrubbing it with my hands or a washcloth and just let the water run over my face, and stopped picking, then it started clearing up. So just remember to not really treat your face even with just water. Just try to forget about washing your face specifically, it's just skin.

Thanks, i just feel like i need to wash my face, like it's dirty!

Anyways, my hair was way too dry last night and I went for oil, before I watch it in a bit, it made getting a brush through my hair easier.

Well, as my face goes, i had a pretty bad breakout, Friday/Saturday that my face is recovering from, the spots have all scabbed up, bar from this huuuuge spot, i mean HUUUUGEEEE one on my cheek, it's very painful. Urgh, my face is all scabby, and loaads of pigmentation. No new spots since my awful breakout though. The strange thing is, I felt a bump yesterday that was new, and would've become a spot, I was sure it would, but it disappeared! That never ever ever happens!!!! I don't ever use 'on spot treatments' firstly, because they don't work, and secondly benzoyl peroxide has been absolutely awful on my skin, not just the redness and peeling, it gave me patchy skin, like darker in places, lighter in others, which took 2 years to get rid of, and was absolutely awful, refuse to go near that stuff again!

[Reealgood]

Ah, well hopefully those spots clear up! I'm with you on pigmentation though. If it weren't for all my marks my skin would be pretty nice.

And I definitely didn't mean don't wash at all, I just meant don't really think about washing it. Like.. instead of bathing to wash your face, you are bathing just to bathe in general. Don't manipulate the skin, let the water do the work.

Are you water-only for your hair as well? If so, definitely try and use conditioner at first. I've been doing this for maybe 3 weeks, I use conditioner on my ends maybe once a week. I also try and comb it every shower before getting it wet, and then I like to wear it up n a bun so that sebum can travel to the ends easier. Scalp massages can also help, then you just kind of wipe the oil from your scalp to your ends. I think the conditioner is what is allowing this attempt to work so far, sicne every other try it has been super dry at the ends.

The thing is with my hair, I don't wash it much anyway, and use conditioner, it's so long that it doesn't get greasy, so once or twice is enough, but now, I'm not going to wash it more than once, and use oil on it, few hours before I wash it. Maybe I will add in some conditioner . Yep, you're right about not thinking about washing it, I washed it so much because I kept thinking it wasn't clean enough, it got to the stage that sometimes it would hurt, even though I was using plain soap. It's strange not washing it with soap, but i'm seeing that i don't actually need to!

Well, as an update, no new spots, the huuge spot on the side of my face has died down a bit, but, it's just like urgh pigmentation. The thing is with me, pigmentation does fade fast compared to other, like my sister, she has veryyy mild acne, she's not bothered by it really, but she gets pigmentation which lasts for soooo long! It's just, these spots are not allowing my pigmentation to die down, just get worse and worse! The one thing that makes my pigmentation fade a lot faster is bio oil, which I will use if I get clear, *fingers crossed*. But, urgh, my pores are just huge now, and very slight scars which are deep, not too deep but they're there, luckily, they do fade on my skin, but they day a loooong time. I've decided to add in a multi-vitamin, simply because I have them at home, and they may help, and my dad has often said I should take them. So i'll take them at night, opposed to in the morning, when i take my zinc. My exams are really stressing me out, I know stress can make acne worse, so I need to not stress, but, University place at stake here :/ Just how can I stop my self picking at scabs, that's one thing I know I shouldn't do but I reaaaaly can't help it!!!

[Reealgood]

Hi, yepp I like the idea of a hot shower I'll go for that. The thing with me is, I do avoid mirrors . My face is feeling smoother today, scabs coming off. My hair's feeling better today too. I'm dreading next week...I'm on my period, when I alwayss break out. Hoping for the best. But for now, no new spots on my face, how ever there is one on my neck.

[Reealgood]

DAY 5

Okay I feel like utter crap today.
I've not had a new breakout o a new spot, but my skins still really crap. My dad went to me 'what did you do to your face'. I know what he was referring to. It made me cry. He doesn't know what it's like. My parents never suffered from it, but I have it bad, and 2 of my sisters have very minor acne. It's like This scarring is awful. I feel that even if I get my acne gone, I'll have scarring still and it won't go away. I know I will never have perfect skin, WAYYY to much damage is done, but at lease skin that looks relatively okay with makeup?
It's only family who seem to say these awful things, like my great aunt came and looked right into my face and said you have spots on your face. Thanks for that, I wasn't aware >.>. Thankfully friends just don't seem to care, a few of my friends have acne, but a lott more minor than mine, and noway near as persistent. I hate how acne feels. I actually find it hard to look in mirrors, refuse do be in any sort of photo. Also, I've decided to add dates to these

Edited by Reealgood, 09 June 2011 - 07:19 AM.

[Reealgood]

Day 6

Well, no new spots again. I have, however, a couple of closed comedones. I'ce decided to up zinc uptake to 75mg everyday. I kind of needed a destress. So I did a little chain smoking. I'm not a regular smoker but...hey. I don't know if it aggravates acne, doesn't seem to have before, I hope it doesn't! Feeling a bit better I must admit. PIH still as distinct as ever and even though my skin feels smoother, it looks rough...if it makes any sense. Urgh.

[Reealgood]

DAY 7
Hello darlings
Feeling better today, no idea why but yup:) I got a red spot on my chin overnight, not that big really but painful nevertheless. Skins feels pretty good. But doesn't really look much better, but I can see a little improvement.

[Reealgood]

DAY 9

I suppose my face has improved a little especially with hyperpigmentation, my mum complimented it was looking better, but woke up to a couple spots this morning-weren't too big though. Urgh, first exam tomorrow :/ Anyways i think the spots may have something to do with a change of routine? I decided to very very gently exfoliate my skin with sea salt last night, felt so smooth after though.

[Reealgood]

Day 11

Yeah, I'll avoid exfoliating for a while now on Well,as an update, i have has a couple new spots, but the old two healed really fast Also, Ive just invested in pond's cold cream, which is really gentle and like a moisturiser, as I sometimes feel I have to wear foundation, i'm going to use it as a makeup remover. Not happy today,just had the hardest exam,and it's realllyyy important!

[Reealgood]

Day 12
I've had like 3 new spots,one of them painful and my skin looks bad. I'm doubting this will work for me. August 18th is my derm appointment. 3 month wait for an appointment. Absolutely ridiculous, can't afford to go privately. Maybe the routine will help by then. I think I definately need (ro)accutane, even when referring me to the derm, my GP said I was the perfect candidate for accutane. blegh. I feel and look crap and my lip hurts due to those spots you get on lip line

[Reealgood]

Day 14

Thanks Ashley, your advice is brilliant and I'm sticking with it, glad you cleared up I suppose even though my breakouts not improved much overall but my skin heals a lot better and my skin doesn't feel uncomfortable anymore, which is hard to explain but it would often feel irritated, everything takes time. Anyways, the spots are healing up from my breakout, and lipline spots have disappeared and yep i'm going to be optimistic. Anyways, i actually do avoid mirrors as much as I can as it really does depress you, if you don't see the problem, it's not quite as bad My skins has had enough of chemicals over the years.

[Reealgood]

Day 17
Hello, just had 2 exams today and one tomorrow argharghargh! anywaysss, no new spots, since my last update and i've just got on my on sunday....no spots then and my skin is ALWAYS the worse when i go on my period, always breaks out, so this is surprising!!! )

[Reealgood]

Number of spots I'm getting has dramatically decreased but the beasty PIH marks are distinct as ever! So a definite overall improvement And thanks )

[Reealgood]

Right well exams are over!!!!!
As an overview to this date, i'd say, there are improvements, i feel slightly more comfortable in my skin, but I know I will need roaccutane, simply because my acne is starting to leave pitted scars, which is really distressing, but I'm sticking with the routine for now. I have about 7 weeks to wait till my appointment. The acne is bad enough, but pitting is worse. For the first 3 years that I had acne, I got no pitting, my spots rarely left red marks, but my pores became reeeally visible. In the last 2 years, acne has done some substantial damage to my skin, this has left me regrets, I'm sure I could've tried accutane earlier and it may have saved so much damage, but I didn't. Acne has actually taken over my life.

[Reealgood]

Hi, they're acutal scars, many not too deep, however, my acne never used to scar, and many spots I get now leave many leave pitted scars. I'm sticking with the routine for now, as my derm appointments in mid august, but, as much as i don't really want accutane, my doctor first reccomended it over a year ago, it's just i feel I need it. I knowthat accutane can't give of scarring, put all I can do is get rid of acne to prevent further scarring.

[Reealgood]

Hi, thanks, i'm definately sticking with it, even if i do use accutane, but if i do see a big improvement by mid august,i may not go on it, but i just doubt i will, but yeah, defo not putting any more chemicals on my face!

[Reealgood]

My skin is really bad at the moment, leaving the house isn't an option, it hasn't been this bad in a looong time. I don't know what to do to soothe the breakout, especially a painful huge nodule i have in the middle of my left cheek:( FML

[Reealgood]

You're right ashley, my mum says my skins looking better these days, but for me it's a million miles away from what i really want.
I suppose my skins not that bad at the moment really, however ihave had the worse toothache in the world, ever. I've not cried over physical pain since I was 10(when i broke my nose) so yesterday i had a rootcanal treatment aswel as a filling, next week im due to get the crown and another tooth extracted :/ at least im not in pain anymore! im dreeeading next week!

[hina2011]

Realgood, is your skin worse than you started the water only??? How is the redness, flaking, peeling, dead skin? Also, the amount of pimples that you get is more or less compared to before? Also, whats your routine, i mean how many times a day do you wash your face with water?Hot or cold?