6 replies to this topic

[LozaEre]

I asked a doctor with a degree in dermatology for advice on my bacne - which, I will not deny, is rather horrid at this stage. He said it was too severe to treat topically any longer, and the only choice was something like Accutane.

I'd like to know if anyone has had/knows someone who has had bacne as bad as/worse than mine (the biggest cysts are about half an inch long, and raised), and effected/cured it topically? Basically, if anyone can disprove what the doctor told me? Otherwise, Accutane or similar may be one of my only choices. And I'd rather it not come to that.

Thanks!

[Wannabepretty18]

Accutane has helped the appearance of many people but I personally believe it doesn't work long term and that it is very dangerous to your health. Have you looked into checking the balance of vitamins and minerals in your body? I know you've probably heard this before, but I think it's a major factor to acne. I used to go to a nutritionist for my acne (on my forehead, sides of my face, shoulders and back) and yeast problems, and one thing that helped my acne big time was taking magnesium. It didn't completely clear it all, but came close -- it made a major difference. This was last year, and after a while I stopped taking the supplement (ran out). My acne came back within a few months of stopping it, and at that time I wasn't sure what helped my acne and then caused it to flare again (I was also on a candida diet and stopped after almost a year -- so thought it was that). But, as of a week ago, I started supplementing with a magnesium, calcium, and vitamin D tablet. My acne is clearing up. I've also heard good things about magnesium oil on the skin but have yet to try it (I have crushed my magnesium tablets and mixed them with warm water and applied it to my face and back -- makes skin smooth!). Essential tea tree oil seems to help me bits at a time (can't use it daily or else it doesn't seem to work). I'm thinking about going back to my nutritionist soon. Have you looked into saliva testing? My nutritionist says it's much more accurate than blood testing, and a few years back when my mother was having some problems, the saliva testing my nutritionist did for her showed the imbalances within her body, and she fixed her problem with high quality supplements shortly after. I'm thinking about doing the saliva testing, even though it's expensive, I want to see what's going on inside my body. If I do, I'll definitely post about it.
Just something I think is worth looking into.
I hope you are free of this soon.

Edited by Wannabepretty18, 16 January 2012 - 07:08 PM.

[Michael93]

I have it just as bad. I never had much luck treating my back topically since it's such a large area and can be hard to reach. Acne of this severity doesn't seem natural. There has to be some kind underlying cause.

I really wish I could be of more help to you. You have my sympathy. If I can think of anything helpful I'll be sure to let you know.

[gia1]

try going to a nutritionist or holistic doctor. Maybe it is a food allergy or candida.

Edited by gia1, 16 January 2012 - 04:08 PM.

[LozaEre]

Thank you for the answers guys! I agee that Accutane is a bad idea and diet is a factor.

Wishing you all the best!

[bdr1986]

Hi Loza,

I've certainly had similar severity of acne to yours at various stages in my life (I'm 25). Over the past two years I haven't had quite so many of the larger, more painful cysts, but it's still an acne party everywhere on my upper-back, shoulders and centre of my chest. It's also worth noting (somewhat incidentally) that my face and neck are completely free of even mild blemishes - so I'm lucky there.

October 2011 my dermatologist prescribed me Tetralysal tablets and told me there was a 'very good chance' those would clear up my acne. Well, they haven't even improved it slightly as of yet lol. Regardless, you could always ask your Doctor about Tetralysal as they may have a more positive effect on you, as they apparently have a high success rate (my dermatologist's word). Naturally, they come with a big list of possible side effects, but are nowhere near as severe as Accutane.

Much like yourself, I wish to avoid Accutane.

What's your basic diet like? I am looking more into my diet now and how this might be connected with my back acne. My diet isn't unhealthy in the traditional sense, but there are a fair few foods/drinks I enjoy which allegedly trigger acne (cereals, chicken, eggs, milk). So I was reading about alkaline foods being good for acne and acidic foods being bad and triggering acne. Fairly comprehensive list of alkaline and acidic foods on this page: http://www.rense.com...ns/acidalka.htm - I'm going to try and reshape my diet around mainly alkaline foods and drinks. Goodbye, coffee - ulp!

I'll also be taking onboard Wannabepretty's tips about magneiusm etc.

Best wishes!

[y3rfd0g]

I have {edit HAD} terrible acne on my back and especially my shoulders, though it wasn't to this severity. Keloid scarring runs in my family, so I made sure to never pick. I have pictures of a few years ago, and am embarrassed that the acne was literally so bad.

I went on accutane in 2009, and it completely cleared the acne on my shoulders/arms. The scars that were pitted are now almost completely smooth, flat, and the color of my normal skin. It's been about 2.5 years since accutane.

I believe that accutane is prescribed for this severity. I seriously don't get why soo many people take accutane for minor acne. They just have had it for 10+ years and want to rid it completely, but I don't agree with that. I'm not recommening accutane, because that's a personal decision you need to come to on your own, but it definitely helped me. Granted, acne has come back in various stages since accutane, but it's never been as *bad* as it was pre-accutane-especially on my back. I think accutane is the only medication aggressive enough to handle it.

Edited by y3rfd0g, 17 January 2012 - 08:51 PM.