7 replies to this topic

[Redemption]

Foreword:

Firstly, I have to say this: My hat is off to you people on the acne.org forums. This is my first post, but that is not to say I haven't read many threads here. This forum is home to some of the most open, uplifting, inspiring, helpful, compassionate, and incredible people. Few sites can rival that claim. You all are awesome. This is my story of how 3 years (3 solid years!) of my life have been with acne. These are my thoughts in hindsight that I sincerely hope will help some of you. Welcome to the story.

The Beginning:

I suppose I got my first pimple when I was 12 or 13. It was not a big deal to me then. Little did I know, right? My cousin and sister both told me it would come. They had both developed facial acne. But it wouldn't happen to me, surely. Even then, (as I vaguely remember) while I dismissed theirs as something barely noteworthy, I thought what if it happened to me. It can't be so bad, I thought. How wrong I was.

A Month In:

I'll tell you, it's really strange thinking about this time in my life again. I remember the summer vacation when my acne began to worsen. It hit me pretty quickly. At first, I didn't know what to think. It upset me when this girl I like picked on me (playfully) about it. How was I supposed to feel about that? I remember asking my mom something along the lines of, "Is my face really that bad?" She probably said no. I imagine it's difficult to answer that question. I love you mom

The Real Deal:

I eventually realized acne was something I was struck with. I think that's a good way to describe it. After I saw it wasn't going away any time soon, I did what I'm sure many of you have done. I went to the internet for answers. There's no telling what kinds of questions I typed into the search bar. I searched high and low for answers to questions like:

• What causes acne?
  
• How can I get rid of my acne?
  
• When will my acne go away?

The third is the most hopeful. It seems that (in the majority of cases) acne eventually does go away. I feel for those who have had acne for longer than I have which doesn't seem to disappear. After I had done my research, I felt it was time for action. Let's finally do something about it! I was coming home from school with unbelievably oily skin and numerous whiteheads. I remember one time after my sister showed me how to squeeze them (as I still didn't understand) I went to the bathroom, turned on the lights and stared at the mirror in horror. My face was covered with red, swollen spots. "Look what you did to me!" That was the beginning of a bad long-lasting habit.



The Search for a Solution:

This is likely the saddest part of many acne stories. The search for an effective treatment of acne was an interesting one for me. I read lots of things on the internet. Today, I can comfortably say much of it was miserably off-target. I know there are others here who can write a longer list of things they attempted to clear their skin, but I do have a bit of experience in the field. I tried face washes, creams, astringent, soap, disusing conditioner in my hair, and even applying terrible-smelling apple cider vinegar to my skin. If you don't know, that stuff is foul. At some point, I decided that maybe it was out of the scope of such things. This is where my beliefs began to take a turn. My view on health changed dramatically and I was sucked into the world of "natural health". I don't mean to discredit the entire way of thinking! I know many home remedies for common ailments that just seem to...well...they work darn it! Here's where things got ugly.

I searched in the phone book for a "naturopathic" doctor. He also calls himself a nutritionist. That man has some nerve. I went into his office with hope that he could finally give me the relief I so badly desired from my affliction. His prices were ridiculous. I shudder to think what he charged my mom, who was taking care of my sister and I with one job that didn't pay very well. Needless to say, I'm still angry about it. I stepped into his office and he fed me anything I wanted to hear. Many of his ideas were in harmony with things I had read on the internet. After a couple more appointments, he set me up with a diet plan which is more appropriately called a lifestyle change plan. It was hell. It was misery. The things I forced myself into were insane. I literally had a sheet of paper that listed what times I should wake up, shower, eat a special breakfast (that was not easy to prepare), take supplements, eat dinner, go to sleep and more! The diet consisted of fully organic foods. Organic foods are expensive, and not entirely easy to come by. My mother went out of her way to a health food store and paid ridiculous prices for the things I needed for my specific meals. When she couldn't find some of the things on the list, (I am terribly sad to admit) I got angry with her. I thought that if everything didn't go as planned, if every meticulous demand wasn't met, then I wasn't going to get better. For a minute, if you will, try to imagine what living this way is like. It's rough. After about a month of torment, I had had enough. I accepted defeat and one way or another slipped off the plan after much embarrassment among my family and friends at school. This part of my life has to be one of the worst. I won't go into more detail, but to sum it up: I was made subject to ridicule for eating and drinking foods some people found ridiculous. I put myself under an enormous pressure to live a way I didn't want to. It hurt me, and even now I feel sad thinking about it.
(One tidbit I don't want to leave out is that I didn't only call this "doctor" for acne. I was born with a rare eye condition with which I hoped his treatment could help. It did not. At all. Sometimes we grasp at straws.)

That is about enough of that, thank you. I'm not proud of my past. Now I am able to realize, my problems were compounded by depression. (If, like me at one point, you doubt depression exists, please take my word for it. It does. If you've never been there it's difficult to believe; when you're there, it's difficult to realize.

The Good News:

This is where things got better. I slowly began to accept what happened to me. My parents divorced and as I matured I gradually learned to cope with the eye condition I mentioned, and, of course, severe acne. (Yes, a dermatologist classified it as severe.) I swallowed my pride, ignored all sorts of things I had previously held as truth, and went through with scheduling an appointment with a dermatologist. I figured I had nothing to lose. I was at the bottom of the barrel. As far as treating my acne goes, seeing the dermatologist was by far the best, no, the ONLY thing that actually helped. And it helped very effectively and quickly at that. The dermatologist I saw recommended I use Epiduo gel topically and take the antibiotic minocycline. It began to heal my acne like never before. My skin started looking much better. I went back with one small complaint. After shaving (I use an electric shaver) my face would break out in the next day or two. He prescribed me clindamycin phosphate topical lotion. Now I just slap on some of that stuff before shaving and no problems come from it. He seemed to think it was a moisture issue.

Sweet Success:

It was that simple. This is where I stand today. I'm still on this treatment. It is the easiest and the most effective of anything I have ever tried for my acne in three years. Oh, and with medical insurance it's also dirt cheap. At first I questioned whether taking antibiotics in the long-term was healthy, but after what I would estimate to be 6 months I have no problems. Regarding this, I'll say that the tetracycline "type" of antibiotics have been in use for a long time. They're relatively safe. At first, he had me take 2 capsules. Now I only take one at night. One lousy pill every 24 hours! That's all! One thing you might find funny is I can't swallow pills. Ever since I choked when I was young, try as I might I just can't bring myself to swallow pills. Well, except a couple times when it was an emergency. How do I get around this, then? Well I take a small cup of water into the bathroom with me when I get ready for bed, pull apart a capsule and dump the powder into the water to dissolve then simply gulp it down. It doesn't taste very good but it's such a small price to pay.So if you can swallow pills, you could have this regimen even easier than me. My skin looks better than it has ever before and acne is nearly a non-problem for me now. And it has been this way for a long time.

Closing:

So what's the takeaway from this all? My advice to you is if you have any notions of dermatologists being a waste of time, don't give up. I thought at one point that there was nothing they could do for acne. Don't even worry your mind with this. In this case, if it works you are better not to even question how. Find a dermatologist you like and perhaps ask for a treatment similar to the one I described. You may even get a prescription from your regular family doctor.

Afterword:

So there's my first post. I know it was long, but if like me you ignored what seems one of the most obvious options, then go for it! Dermatology is a real study and I advise you to put your trust in modern medicine. After all, there's a reason people are living longer and longer. If you disagree with me, fine I hope I didn't offend you. That's all for now. Despite leaving a lot out, (I'm sure you know what I mean; we can't be here all day!) this took a lot of time and thought to write. It feels good to finally express this. I hope you get something out of it. Bye for now.

[PaulH85]

Welcome aboard! Thanks for sharing that, always good to hear when people are having success with the methods they try. Here's hoping it continues for you and that it's going to help bring your acne to an end. You may of course find that things change a bit once you finish the antibiotics because it doesn't cure what's causing the acne on an internal level. Personally though, I do think it's a good way to get things under control and help take pressure off as you work out the root cause and learn how to clear it for good.

Edited by PaulH85, 01 January 2012 - 05:54 AM.

[Chestercool]

hey there, im glad to hear your skin is better. However, antibiotics is not really a cure, since its not good for your overall health, and most of times, bacteria become antibiotic-resistant. I think even accutane is better than long term antibiotics

[conjones]

Hell yeah man! Awesome story and welcome. It's true, dermatologists get kind of a bad rap on these forums. In some cases it seems like they aren't really concerned about the results their patients get and just throw out scripts without educating them about good acne-hygeine behavior. But I certainly think a dermatologist is a good starting point toward treating your acne. Improving yourself is the othef half I believe, so you cleared up your acne? Sweet deal. Why not improve your diet, exercise habits and so forth too? Become that much more awesome, thats my prescription. Also, feeling happy and healthy can do great things for your skin too . Keep on it Redemption.

[Redemption]

Chestercool, on 01 January 2012 - 05:50 AM, said:

hey there, im glad to hear your skin is better. However, antibiotics is not really a cure, since its not good for your overall health, and most of times, bacteria become antibiotic-resistant. I think even accutane is better than long term antibiotics

Yes, you're absolutely right. Antibiotics are not a cure, but they can be a very effective treatment. If anyone is on the fence consider this dermatologist's opinion. He has many great videos about dermatology in general.



The point I hoped to get across is this: Taking antibiotics and applying Epiduo gel at night is the only treatment that has helped me long-term. I feel like there are lots of nay-sayers out there putting people off what I have found to be the only feasible route for me. I agree with Dr. Schultz. If you are struggling with stubborn acne and it's bothering you, I say go to a dermatologist. I'm sure happy I did. Many dermatologists today feel that acne is so easily treatable that no one should have to live with it to a severe degree.

Edited by Redemption, 03 January 2012 - 07:05 PM.

[Chestercool]

dude, i've seen "dermtv" video's too, one of them says diet has nothing to do with acne, and that you should stop worrying about chocolate, well, thats an insult, saying that diet doesnt affect acne. Or he doesnt have enough knowledge about it, or he knows it and the mother*** dont admit it cause he wouldnt earn money

Does he say antibiotics destroys gut flora? probiotics are really important to achieve a clear skin, good bacteria do a lot of benefits to our health, then when bacteria become antibiotic resistant acne gets worse, because bacteria are in bigger and stronger colonies. Then you'll get candida, and cure acne will be harder. Now not only antibiotic damage gut flora, also refined carbs for example, that means white rice, popcorn, sugar, etc. Stop believing everything derms say, I know they had studied for years, but they just wont cure your acne, a holistic doctor and a nutritionist will, and of course, your own research.

[snsdgirl14]

Thank you for sharing, this gives me a lot of hope. I'm using Epiduo now at night so it's good to know it helped you!

[Redemption]

Chestercool, on 03 January 2012 - 08:59 PM, said:

dude, i've seen "dermtv" video's too, one of them says diet has nothing to do with acne, and that you should stop worrying about chocolate, well, thats an insult, saying that diet doesnt affect acne. Or he doesnt have enough knowledge about it, or he knows it and the mother*** dont admit it cause he wouldnt earn money

Does he say antibiotics destroys gut flora? probiotics are really important to achieve a clear skin, good bacteria do a lot of benefits to our health, then when bacteria become antibiotic resistant acne gets worse, because bacteria are in bigger and stronger colonies. Then you'll get candida, and cure acne will be harder. Now not only antibiotic damage gut flora, also refined carbs for example, that means white rice, popcorn, sugar, etc. Stop believing everything derms say, I know they had studied for years, but they just wont cure your acne, a holistic doctor and a nutritionist will, and of course, your own research.

I'm curious as to where you got your information. I know it's hard to let go of beliefs but all I'm offering is that antibiotics along with Epiduo have 100% helped me. Acne is a non-problem for me anymore. I know it's hard to let go of beliefs, I've been there! But the thing is, you have to be open to reason. I can't believe how my whole idea of acne is changed now. It used to be such a big deal but now it's miniscule. If you've tried a wise dermatologist's recommendations to treat acne (for at least a month, I'd say. My acne cleared majorly in about a week and a half ) then fine, feel free to discredit his opinion, Try another. You haven't got much to lose have you?

As far as holistic "doctors" go, I went to one. He calls himself a nutritionist as well. I followed his lifestyle/diet program for a month. Rigidly. And all I got was a miserable experience, a bitter disappointment, and a loss of a lot of money. I know how it feels to have acne. The only reason I'm posting is because I have had SUCCESS. If you haven't, then why are you preaching what led to failure?

snsdgirl14, on 07 January 2012 - 08:49 PM, said:

Thank you for sharing, this gives me a lot of hope. I'm using Epiduo now at night so it's good to know it helped you!

No problem at all If your acne is on the severe side, you may want to look into more treatment. One thing worth mentioning is hygiene as well. Shower daily and wash your hair. If you're a guy, it's a good idea to shave often because those growing facial hairs irritate the skin (use a moisturizer or something, and Witch Hazel is good afterwards) . I'd wet my face with warm water or shave during or after showering. Hope this helps, good luck!