Hey guys, I just joined these forums after browsing through them for the last few months. I am 15 years old and have had acne for about 9 months now. It started out pretty lightly, the occasional pimple here and there, but nothing to really bother me. As time went on, it got worse and began to bother me. I began using a Panoxyl 4% Benzoyl Peroxide cream for around 2 weeks in late December. It had absolutely no effect on my skin besides drying it out, so I stopped using it. After stopping the cream, my acne subsided slightly before getting bad again in a few months. I started using the Benzoyl Peroxide again for a whole month to no avail again. This is when I decided to go see a dermatologist because I realized how much the acne was actually affecting me. I saw the dermatologist and he prescribed me 50 mg of Minocycline daily. I start taking the pills and for the first two weeks my face became the clearest it had ever been. I was overjoyed because my acne was almost completely gone and I thought I owed it all to Minocycline. The third week on the antibiotic, I noticed my acne was getting a little worse. By the fourth week, it was about as bad as it had always been. I decided to see the dermatologist again on the fifth week and he decided to bump the dosage up to 100 mg daily (I am 130 pounds and 5 foot 9 inches). He said I could possibly benefit from the increase in dosage as 50 mg was an underdosage for me. If nothing works in 2 months, he said he would put me on Accutane. Please note that he regarded my acne as being severe papular acne. He said it was definitely not cystic or nodular, so that was good. But its about as bad as acne can get and still be considered "moderate." From the front of my face, I have a few tiny pimples on my forehead and chin but it looks fairly mild (they aren't inflammatory) and doesn't bother me at all. Its the cheeks, however, that are covered in red papules that subside, leave red marks, and then spring up again in the exact same areas. Please note that I also have a fairly oily face. I have faith that the Minocycline might be able to work, but I have decided I actually want to try other things to help combat my acne as well. Accutane is my last resort and I will only take it if my acne gets too horrendous. What really confuses me though is how my acne improved the first two weeks I was on Minocycline. Was it basically a phase that was unaffected by the Minocycline or did the antibiotic have an effect? I also forgot to mention that I have had acne on my chest on back. It has never been as bad as it was on my face, but it has bothered me. Thankfully, it has cleared to very mild acne on both my chest and my back that is hardly noticeable. I asked the dermatologist if it was possible that the Minocycline helped with the chest and back acne and he said no because if it had an effect on the chest and back, it would have had an effect on the face too. So basically, beating my chest and back acne gives me the will to continue on and beat the acne on my face. For the next two months, I will be trying anything to help my facial acne. As long as I get results, no matter how small, I will persist and avoid the Accutane.
For the next two months I will be:
Taking 100 mg Minocycline daily
Cutting out dairy completely (No milk, no cheese, no ice cream)
Cutting out all processed and greasy foods (No pizza, no chips, no sodas)
Getting sunlight (in moderation of course) and going to the beach frequently as I have noticed the saltwater and sunlight help subside my active pimples
Washing my face with simply water
Stopping masturbation completely
Changing my pillowcases frequently as I have noticed that my acne often flares up on the side of the head I was sleeping on (don't know if it was a coincidence or not)
Showering in warm water
Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day
Sorry for the really long post, I just wanted to write out everything.
Edited by Midnight Paradox, 17 July 2012 - 08:40 PM.
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