4 replies to this topic

[Johnnyz]

I'm 21, male. Most of my face is pretty red and unhealthy looking after almost 10 years of fairly bad, persistent acne. I've tried changing up my diet, washing my face often or less, with lots of products and nothing seems to make a difference. I wonder if it could be hormonal? Anyway, the worst of it happens around my inward cheeks, on either side of my nose. That's where I almost constantly have 1 to 3 really bad nodules and the like. The pores in those areas also very large all the time, as they seem to be damaged.

I've been to a doctor years ago (general probationer, not dermatologist) and he gave me tretinoin cream and benzoyl peroxide which helped a little but never prevented pimples from forming. He also eventually gave me antibiotic pills but that didn't help either. Can't see a dermatologist now because I have no insurance and am having no luck getting a job right now.

I still use benzoyl peroxide because it seems to get rid of bad spots faster, but what can I do to outright prevent pimples? Should I put it on the acne prone areas all the time even if there's nothing there, or will that just dry my skin out?

Edited by Johnnyz, 22 February 2012 - 07:05 PM.

[gia1]

have you tried taking vitamins that help with acne ei: vitamin a, liquid vitamin d, zinc, probiotics etc... i have also read that tap water can cause acne, i only wash my face with poland spring water. we had our water tested and it had alot of bacteria in it. hey ya never know.

[jmcsm]

Not sure if you have read the Regimen details. Since you are on this site, you should go have a read. But if you are following it, BP is supposed to be applied all over even when you don't breakout as it will prevent acne from forming. But that's just part of it. Yes it will dry you out. If you want to know more you should read the regimen and the topics on the Regimen board.

[crackenskullex]

Ok, first off, if you are like me 7-8 years persistent acne, the Regimen is NOT GOOD for your face. You need to attack this problem from within your body, not on the outside. You will continue to develop acne no matter what creams you paste on your face. BP dries out your face, which results in scarring from acne... don't do it if you have severe acne.

Right now I'm trying something different rather than BP, prescribed by my dermatologist.
-doxycyline (works for 80-90% of people)
-clindamycin phosphate / tretinoin paste for my face

I'm on week 3 and not seeing much improvement. If I don't get significant improvement by week 8, I'm trying something new.

You have to find what works for you... In general though, start paying attention to what foods break you out, and avoid those. For me it's mainly sugars/carbohydrates/gluten and caffeine as it is for most people... so try and eat a bland/non sugary diet with no processed foods.. I'm still working on my diet, but I'm trying to do so by eating bacon & eggs in the morning, planning on some kinda large salad for lunch, home cooked dinners, and brocolli and fruit for a snack... obviously this is a pretty novice diet, but I'm working on it.

But yea you need to attack this problem from inside your body, there's a lot of different things you can try, from diet, to antibiotics, to probiotics to essential oils.

Edited by crackenskullex, 23 February 2012 - 03:49 AM.

[jmcsm]

Agreed on looking into your diet from the above post. Its always good to look into what foods might cause you to breakout and avoid them. They are different things for everyone. Read up on the diet/holistic board on this site. A lot of info there. Also check out the acne info parts of this site.

However, I would not say the Regimen is not good for your face. Everyone is different and get different results. I believe its matter of tailoring things to suit your needs. But that's just me. Everyone has their own view of things.