149 replies to this topic

[sasch12]

Have several inflamed (and 1 cyst) bumps on both my jaws ( Made an appt for next week tuesday. Something doesn't feel right. I never ever ever ever ever break out by my jaw area....WTF

[sasch12]

This has been a BAD skin week for me. The jawline acne has really been bothering me as i almost never break out there. I can't pin point the worsening of my acne to any one thing.

My observations are:

Food doesn't seem to trigger my acne ( as i have been clear AND broken out eaten the same foods i have)
Exercise doesn't seem to trigger my acne (i have been clear and broken out with cardio AND weight training)
supplements don't seem to trigger my acne (i have been on everything for at least a couple of months and have been clear and broken out.

Feeling out of options.

In regards to topical - i refuse to do Taz as i believe it is too strong for me. The only other option i see is Epiduo as retin a .01% comes only in a cream version and the cream has a known breakout ingredient. Not a fan of BP at all as i had a really bad experience with proactive making my ance worse and differin didn't help me but after these past 6 months on 2 different topicals and very inconsistent results, i am willing to give it one more try. Very disappointed with retin a at this point.

In other news, i go for this nutritional response testing thing tomorrow so i'm very interesting to see what it is all about. Very skeptical but we'll see. I have nothing to lose - right. I definitely believe that since my acne has been very resistant to topicals (hence my multiple courses of accutane) it could be a hormonal imbalance. Will update with that.

[fadedjay]

Hi Sasch,

I know acne can be very frustrating!

I have been on tretinoin.05 for 12 weeks or so and my skin has improved but still breakouts pretty regular so i feel your pain.

Have you looked into azelaic acid? My doctor mentioned it to me . It may be called

Finacea in America.

Wish you all the best with you

nutritional response testing, i hope it helps.

[sasch12]

fadedjay, on 22 May 2012 - 05:53 AM, said:

Hi Sasch,

I know acne can be very frustrating!

I have been on tretinoin.05 for 12 weeks or so and my skin has improved but still breakouts pretty regular so i feel your pain.

Have you looked into azelaic acid? My doctor mentioned it to me . It may be called

Finacea in America.

Wish you all the best with you

nutritional response testing, i hope it helps.

Faded Jay, thanks for the input. I previously used finacea as part of a combination regimen and it caused me extreme redness and itching (i also believe that i have an allergy to wheat which is in finacea). I still have a huge tube sitting in my medicine cabinet so.....

I am 2 weeks ahead of you and even though i have seen improvement (forehead), i am breaking out everyday (rate has NOT slowed down) and in the same areas over and over (and i don't pick). I have also recently started getting jawline acne (some cysts and they hurt). I believe that if Atralin was going to work for me, it would have worked a bit better as my acne is in no ways severe.

Good luck with your regimen - keep me posted

[sasch12]

So i just got back from my nutritional response testing session and it was one of the strangest things that i have EVER done. They put some gel on a belt type thing that they tie around your stomach. You lay down and when you hear a beep, you stand up. A computer is monitoring something (not sure what). After that i was put on my back, my left hand held at a 90 degree angle while the 'dr' pushed it down while i resisted. She put different bottles and boxes on my stomach as she did this. In any event, i was like WTF happpened!?!

I go back for the analysis and program advice next week. The whole testing method seems unscientific to me but the whole idea of healing through whole foods is great. We'll see if i notice a difference. Not getting my hopes up at all. Seeing my original derm tomorrow to discuss my next step if topicals don't work. Next week i also have a follow up with my current derm in regards to my program.....definitely think i need to change - Almost 4 months in and no consistent improvement in chin acne (my main problem area).

Thinking that Epiduo is the last bet as i have tried everything else (except for tazorac which is too strong).

[sasch12]

It seems that as the weeks go by, i am posting more frequently.....sigh. So i went back to my old derm (i really liked her and she was the one that previously prescribed me accutane) to see if she could give me feedback on my skin. She basically told me that i was out of options in regards to topicals on the market. When i say my heart dropped i mean it. To be told that my acne would just have to go away on its own made me so sad. She told me she had acne till she was 38 and then it just stopped. I refuse to believe i will have to live with this condition longer than i have to. She also suggested birth control (an idea that i shut down IMMEDIATELY). What's left to try guys?

She gave me samples for retin a micro which has so so reviews (.1%).

Two things i haven't tried are Epiduo and The Regimen

Some words of encouragement would be nice at this time as i feel as if my back is against the wall

[sasch12]

Face looks horrible today. Red, inflamed and sometimes painful lumps on my chin, mouth AND jaw. Don't know what to do. Derm gave me a moisturizer to try last night and i did (last night and this morning) come to find out it has at least 2 ingredients that are 4 on the comodogenic scale - despite advertising as non comodogenic. The more i read reviews for products such as epiduo, tazorac, the less i want to try them. I mean, if retin a didn't help me, why would anything else.

[fadedjay]

Hi Sasch,

I know its difficult to keep faith when nothing seems to be working, i think a lot of people have been there.

When it comes to reviews I look too far too into them and either get my hopes up or get scared away from using it. Sometimes i find its best not to look at reviews too much and try it in a small area, sometimes not even on my face.

Most moisturisers break me out and i have dry skin so in the end i just don't bother when them at all to be honest.

In terms of topical stuff you have epiduo and taz still to try maybe - you could start of really slow and only spot treat etc. Other options maybe to use a different cleanser or a sulphur based soap or you could try a toner like apple cider vinegar.

I believe that there is a cure for everyone's acne but its on an individual basis.What works for some does nothing for others.

Its a real slog trying to find something to help get rid of acne but it can only make us stronger.

[sasch12]

fadedjay, on 25 May 2012 - 05:14 AM, said:

Hi Sasch,

I know its difficult to keep faith when nothing seems to be working, i think a lot of people have been there.

When it comes to reviews I look too far too into them and either get my hopes up or get scared away from using it. Sometimes i find its best not to look at reviews too much and try it in a small area, sometimes not even on my face.

Most moisturisers break me out and i have dry skin so in the end i just don't bother when them at all to be honest.

In terms of topical stuff you have epiduo and taz still to try maybe - you could start of really slow and only spot treat etc. Other options maybe to use a different cleanser or a sulphur based soap or you could try a toner like apple cider vinegar.

I believe that there is a cure for everyone's acne but its on an individual basis.What works for some does nothing for others.

Its a real slog trying to find something to help get rid of acne but it can only make us stronger.

Fadedjay, thank you for the kind words! i am definitely dicouraged and feel as if retin a is a wrap for me. i have now begun to get cystic acne as well as several inflamed bumps on my jaw, chin and mouth. I am truly embarrassed! I refuse to go stronger so that leaves epiduo. i am not looking forward to starting another regimen but i don't know what else to do. I will as of tomorrow put asided the aczone and try klaron lotion (sodium) to see if it helps with the bacteria.

Definitely need to wake up from this nightmare.

[sasch12]

Feeling ok today - acne still sucks but no more mirror time for me today. I tried the Sodium Sulfacetamide lotion and it is drying - i mean my face is already dry from (atralin) but it was just an observation that i made. I slapped some moisturizer over it so we'll see what happens. When i tried this list summer by itself it wasn't helpful (as far as i recall) but maybe this time will be different. I think Aczone has really done nothing more for me as my bumps are still inflamed, painful (at times) and seems to be in clusters. I will not be using the lotion on my forehead as i am already clear there so we'll see how that works out........

Curious to know what the next step for my current derm will be......she seems so nonchalant about the whole thing (Gosh, i hate the God Complex with doctors).