15 replies to this topic

[Episode5]

I'm 22 years old now, and I've been dealing with this problem for a couple years. I've tried Murad, Proactiv, Differin, Minocycline, Duac, you name it, I've probably tried it. As of a couple months ago, I started using Dan's products and regimen. I've also been taking a B-Complex, B5, fish oil, a one-a-day vitamin and I've tried exfoliating everyday. And while they have been helping by making my skin way less oily, this problem STILL persists.

My acne is relatively non-inflammatory, but I get these whiteheads (closed comedones, I suppose)
all over my face, frequently on my back, and rarely on my chest. If I squeeze them, the substance that comes out is pretty solid and it looks like a white bead. They can be small and at other times, pretty large.

Can anyone tell me WHAT is going on?! Is there some kind of fungus or something that's making my acne worse? It's making me lose my mind and I'm beginning to lose the hope that I'll ever have clear skin...

Also, this may be beside the point, but for quite a long time now I've noticed that my scalp is pretty flakey. It doesn't show up as dandruff at all, but if I scratch my head I notice I get this crust from it between my nails. Is there a possible link?

[akko]

I can't tell you: "Yes, that's what you have", but I can definitely tell you there is a possible link. I used to have pretty much what you described: tons of tiny little whiteheads on my forehead, cheeks and temples. I also had some back acne and chest acne. And I had white flaky crust under my fingernails when I scratched my head.
All these things were symptoms of yeast overgrowth on my body. When it's on your scalp it's called dandruff, when it's in the hair follicles it's called pityrosporum folliculitis. It's commonly misdiagnosed as acne- Three doctors and two dermatologists just thought I needed more exfoliation.

Try washing the affected areas with Nizoral shampoo (leave it on for a few minutes) twice a day. It's suprisingly gentle. Also use it on your scalp- the fungus can migrate from your scalp to your face.


There's a PT thread here:

http://www.acne.org/...us-t164964.html


Good luck and I hope you figure out what you have!

[Episode5]

Thank you!

I'm going to give that 2% Nizoral shampoo a try. It sounds exactly like what I'm going through right now.

Also, are there any other prescription medicines that deal with this fungus that I can get? Perhaps more OTC products?

[akko]

Thank you!

I'm going to give that 2% Nizoral shampoo a try. It sounds exactly like what I'm going through right now.

Also, are there any other prescription medicines that deal with this fungus that I can get? Perhaps more OTC products?

There is a prescription Nizoral shampoo that is a higher concentration than the OTC. And I've found it helps to sometimes alternate between Nizoral and Head and Shoulders Classic Clean. The H an S is a bit more irritating than the Nizoral, I found (Don't leave it on all night! I forgot to wash off the H and S one night and I got a chemical burn on my face!)

Another thing that might work in reducing yeast in your body is eating a couple of cloves of raw garlic every day (You'll probably want to eat them at night. ) I noticed a reduction in dandruff after I started doing that.

Good luck!

[MrNiceGuy]

Hey isn't watching your face with nizoral twice a day too much?

[akko]

This was on the recommendation of my dermatologist (after I brought the diagnosis to her). It's been getting good results.

[MrNiceGuy]

Well I'm going to give it a try starting today I've already washed my face with nizoral this morning so i'll see how my face responds to this.

[Episode5]

This was on the recommendation of my dermatologist (after I brought the diagnosis to her). It's been getting good results.

About how long would you say it was until you started to see noticeable results? My order should be here tomorrow and I'm very anxious to see how this is going to turn out...

[akko]

I started to notice my skin calmed down after a couple of days. After about a week I could see a clear reduction, and after 2 weeks they were pretty much all gone. I was only using it once a day then though.

Good luck! Did you order the stronger Nizoral shampoo? I've been using the OTC 2% stuff- I can't garrantee that the stronger stuff will be as gentle. I know you want to see results fast (don't we all), but maybe you should try it once a day in the beginning. Be careful!

[Azeline]

The bumps sound like what I have too. But it couldn't also cause blackheads, could it? I do know I had a yeast infection just around the same time my acne started getting worse.... but I don't imagine hair follicles growing into blackheads as well as whiteheads, right?

[akko]

It's hard to say. I don't think I had any blackheads per say- but I did have open comedones from folliculitis (they just weren't black). And when I went to my derm with the diagnosis she said she hadn't thought of folliculitis because she saw whiteheads on my forehead. So it looks like folliculitis can take a few different forms. I wouldn't rule it out. If you're unsure, go to your derm to get it tested.

[kimber7]

I'm new to this forum and have been reading the posts on PF and feel this is what I have too. Esp. in the summer I have red bumps and flesh colored bumps on one side of my face and forehead only.
I also feel I have dandruff and have an abundance of "flakes". I'm tried every peel known to man and every acne product. These bumps are really noticeable in certain light (outside esp.)
I also have eczyma so that doesn't help either. I'm on Retin A micro which does help the texture of my skin. Still i can't get rid of these and they love the humid weather and sunscreen, sweat.
Does this seem like PF? They don't really itch all that much, maybe abit b/c i'm dry too. (from all the exfoliation etc)
Pls help

[akko]

It does sound like it. Not everybody's PT itches. And it THRIVES in the summer because of sweat, sunscreen and the oiliness of your skin. Usually I favor Nizoral, but in the summer I've noticed H and S is a bit better because it dries my skin out more. My PT flared up again recently (which freaked me out, because I've been clear for 9 months) but when I switched to the H and S and skipped moisturizer and sunscreen, it went right back down again. I don't like wearing no sunscreen, but I wore a hat and sunglasses and tried to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Of course, hats can also help breed the fungus, so I gotta be be careful.

Try washing your face twice a day with either of those shampoos for a week or two. If it's PT, you should see a reduction in 3-4 days and some very clear improvements (if not disappearance) after two weeks.

And keep us updated!

[Azeline]

It's hard to say. I don't think I had any blackheads per say- but I did have open comedones from folliculitis (they just weren't black). And when I went to my derm with the diagnosis she said she hadn't thought of folliculitis because she saw whiteheads on my forehead. So it looks like folliculitis can take a few different forms. I wouldn't rule it out. If you're unsure, go to your derm to get it tested.

Thanks. I don't have a derm (yet) but I might look into it. As for now I seem to be getting some results from my new regime (or the fact that I quit the BC that seems to have caused both candida and the acne), so i am going to stick to that for a while. If it doesn't keep working, I'll take it to the doctor and ask for a derm.

[carmenlee]

Hi there,it brings me a light when I saw that you have this experience too. I am 21 now and my skin is not acne-prone at all. But at the beginning of Nov 2012,there's some wee tiny bump appear on my cheek. (Photo attached). Mind sharing experience if this is what you are having too? Hahah..

One is taken with flash and other is without flash.

 2013-01-01 10.34.09.jpg   88.64K   5 downloads
 2012-12-31 17.25.24.jpg   88.19K   4 downloads

[Ichance23]

that doesn't look like acne. i'm starting to hope that selsun blue will work for me. im tired of trying stuff and want to give up on this shit so i will probably start using selsum blue on my face.