108 replies to this topic

[whoartthou1]

accutane now IMO. Before you get scars that will leave you in pain forever.

[jujuchon]

My acne is almost like yours except my face is more red. what i have been using recently is Epsom salt mask and it helped my inflammation A LOT. I had cysts with white heads too and after two days of doing a epsom salt mask/treat once daily at night it completely dried it out and my redness got much much better. It did leave my skin a pretty dry but my derm said ( I just saw my derm yesterday afternoon and it was my second visit) it is a good sign because all the bad stuff is purging out. If you are interested on trying it out you just need two tablespoon of epsom salt one tablespoon of hot water and dab it on your face with a cotton ball.

[Green Gables]

Take a look at Dr. Ayers blog, coolinginflammation.blogspot.com He's a genius.

Edited by Green Gables, 25 August 2012 - 01:45 AM.

[jujuchon]

I recently switched to an all natural organic argan oil as a lotion and use it after doing the epsom salt treatment and my skin is starting to feel a lot nicer

Edited by jujuchon, 24 August 2012 - 04:45 PM.

[craze321]

Hey to the thread starter with severe acne. I'm going to say it and you can make this choice yourself but you need to seriously get on accutane. I had acne like yours when I was about your age and only had chapped lips. Most of these side effects people talk about blow it out of porportions a lot. Accutane basically dries out your skin and gets rid of toxins so don't drink while on it. Seriously man I know what acne can do to your self esteem and about how you want to stay in your house all day and now crappy you feel. This thing about your depression I guarentee its because of the acne you have now. All this talk about how accutane makes people sucidal is wrong. I think that people are already depressed due to the acne they have and when they start accutane for 6 months some break out badly even into month 3 or 4 thus makes them think the accutane isn't working which makes them even more depressed. It's usually AFTER the cycle is when your acne clears up. Just make sure to eat clean and drink a lot of water and you'll be fine man.

[whoartthou1]

Take a look at Dr. Ayers blog, coolinginflammation.blogspot.com. He's a genius.

that link does not work

[Green Gables]

Take a look at Dr. Ayers blog, coolinginflammation.blogspot.com. He's a genius.

that link does not work

Sorry, typo. http://coolinginflam...n.blogspot.com/

[Ms18]

Little update i stopped using cetaphil last night and started using johnson & johnson baby bar soap to wash my face and Johnson bbaby shampoo to wash my hair with also i didnt use Epiduo lastnight because I figured out thats whats making my face hurt within 1 hour of applying epiduo my face started getting irrated and hurting so i washed it off. Today my face is looking much better my cheeks aren't puffy my face isnt nearly as red and theres not nearly as much pain! I hope these results continue pray for me.

One more thing. Ive been on Zoloft 50mg for 5 days and today i felt extremely exhausted and my body ached like i had the flu. Im wondering if it could be the zoloft? Has anyone experienced any side effects of zoloft like this before? I took some advil and got up and took a walk and stretched now i feel much better i hope i don't feel like this again. I'm going to meet with my doctor again next week so ill definatly ask him about this.

[clambak3]

I recently switched to an all natural organic argan oil as a lotion and use it after doing the epsom salt treatment and my skin is starting to feel a lot nicer

Yeah epsom salt really helped with a contact dermatitis rash I have significantly.

It does wonders for inflammation.

I am so sorry that you have to go through such severe acne but don't give up. Be gentle with your skin and stay healthy. I wish the best of luck to you!!

Also try aloe. Pure aloe before your moisturizer.

[Green Gables]

Little update i stopped using cetaphil last night and started using johnson & johnson baby bar soap to wash my face and Johnson bbaby shampoo to wash my hair with also i didnt use Epiduo lastnight because I figured out thats whats making my face hurt within 1 hour of applying epiduo my face started getting irrated and hurting so i washed it off. Today my face is looking much better my cheeks aren't puffy my face isnt nearly as red and theres not nearly as much pain! I hope these results continue pray for me.

One more thing. Ive been on Zoloft 50mg for 5 days and today i felt extremely exhausted and my body ached like i had the flu. Im wondering if it could be the zoloft? Has anyone experienced any side effects of zoloft like this before? I took some advil and got up and took a walk and stretched now i feel much better i hope i don't feel like this again. I'm going to meet with my doctor again next week so ill definatly ask him about this.

Most mental medications are harsh on the body. There are many studies showing not only immediate side effects but long-term side effects such as premature aging. I'll use one of my siblings as an example. She been on different antidepressants for a number of years now. While the antidepressants make her feel better while she is on them, they also make her feel worse because they caused 50 pounds of weight gain, acne, and facial sagging. She went from being a normal weight with flawless skin to quite fat, ridden with acne, and looking ten years older than she is. Yes, she's quite cheerful, but she doesn't like what she sees when she looks in the mirror. I'm not going to tell you to go off your antidepressants, but dang, all those side effects would probably just make me more depressed.

So my point is, I don't know if it's really possible to systemically prevent acne when you have such a strong medication already present in the body. Applies to stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall as well.

Edited by Green Gables, 25 August 2012 - 10:48 PM.

[whoartthou1]

Little update i stopped using cetaphil last night and started using johnson & johnson baby bar soap to wash my face and Johnson bbaby shampoo to wash my hair with also i didnt use Epiduo lastnight because I figured out thats whats making my face hurt within 1 hour of applying epiduo my face started getting irrated and hurting so i washed it off. Today my face is looking much better my cheeks aren't puffy my face isnt nearly as red and theres not nearly as much pain! I hope these results continue pray for me.

One more thing. Ive been on Zoloft 50mg for 5 days and today i felt extremely exhausted and my body ached like i had the flu. Im wondering if it could be the zoloft? Has anyone experienced any side effects of zoloft like this before? I took some advil and got up and took a walk and stretched now i feel much better i hope i don't feel like this again. I'm going to meet with my doctor again next week so ill definatly ask him about this.

Most mental medications are harsh on the body. There are many studies showing not only immediate side effects but long-term side effects such as premature aging. I'll use one of my siblings as an example. She been on different antidepressants for a number of years now. While the antidepressants make her feel better while she is on them, they also make her feel worse because they caused 50 pounds of weight gain, acne, and facial sagging. She went from being a normal weight with flawless skin to quite fat, ridden with acne, and looking ten years older than she is. Yes, she's quite cheerful, but she doesn't like what she sees when she looks in the mirror. I'm not going to tell you to go off your antidepressants, but dang, all those side effects would probably just make me more depressed.

So my point is, I don't know if it's really possible to systemically prevent acne when you have such a strong medication already present in the body. Applies to stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall as well.

i completely agree with this. So many medications cause crazy imbalances in the body (which can lead to acne). I will use myself as an example, i was on doxycycline hyclate 100 mg 2x a day for 4 and half months. It seems to have permanently worsened my body acne.

What exactly is zoloft for? I would ween off it.

[Ms18]

Little update i stopped using cetaphil last night and started using johnson & johnson baby bar soap to wash my face and Johnson bbaby shampoo to wash my hair with also i didnt use Epiduo lastnight because I figured out thats whats making my face hurt within 1 hour of applying epiduo my face started getting irrated and hurting so i washed it off. Today my face is looking much better my cheeks aren't puffy my face isnt nearly as red and theres not nearly as much pain! I hope these results continue pray for me.

One more thing. Ive been on Zoloft 50mg for 5 days and today i felt extremely exhausted and my body ached like i had the flu. Im wondering if it could be the zoloft? Has anyone experienced any side effects of zoloft like this before? I took some advil and got up and took a walk and stretched now i feel much better i hope i don't feel like this again. I'm going to meet with my doctor again next week so ill definatly ask him about this.

Most mental medications are harsh on the body. There are many studies showing not only immediate side effects but long-term side effects such as premature aging. I'll use one of my siblings as an example. She been on different antidepressants for a number of years now. While the antidepressants make her feel better while she is on them, they also make her feel worse because they caused 50 pounds of weight gain, acne, and facial sagging. She went from being a normal weight with flawless skin to quite fat, ridden with acne, and looking ten years older than she is. Yes, she's quite cheerful, but she doesn't like what she sees when she looks in the mirror. I'm not going to tell you to go off your antidepressants, but dang, all those side effects would probably just make me more depressed.

So my point is, I don't know if it's really possible to systemically prevent acne when you have such a strong medication already present in the body. Applies to stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall as well.

i completely agree with this. So many medications cause crazy imbalances in the body (which can lead to acne). I will use myself as an example, i was on doxycycline hyclate 100 mg 2x a day for 4 and half months. It seems to have permanently worsened my body acne.

What exactly is zoloft for? I would ween off it.

It's for my anxiety and my depression lately.

[mclash]

Hey Ms18,

I joined specifically to respond to your thread. The response to this with the pressure for accutane is pretty bad. I know accutane can do wonders, but if someone clearly does not want to go on it (like Ms18 obviously doesn't), then that should really be respected. ESPECIALLY in the case of someone who is dealing with anxiety and depression. If you fearfully go on accutane when you're already suffering from anxiety, that's a recipe for disaster. However, if you learn to manage your anxiety and decide completely of your own volition to go on accutane, great! Do what you're comfortable with! And to the person who mentioned that the reason people are suicidal on accutane being because their acne in the first place ... can I see your science behind that? The truth is that there IS risk involved when taking any drug, and to ignore that is ... well, it's not smart.

As for the Zoloft, I tried it myself when I was a teenager for my depression, and I had some very severe reactions to it - my esophagus would close up and I had trouble breathing. I haven't had great experiences with drugs for my mental health, but I've found much better alternatives. The most effective being meditation (if you're interested in learning, there WONDERFUL, free 10 day retreats you can take: www.dhamma.org), but psychotherapy is also effective (full disclosure: I'm in a Clinical Psych Ph.D. program, so there's possible bias there ... but also a lot of science to back it up, okay!!). I hope you're also getting talk therapy while on your medications? Ms18, it's a really good sign that you're taking your mental health seriously - especially because we all know how much stress can make skin worse!

As for what you should do ... I am by no means an expert here, but I can recommend some of what's helped me. I am a fan of glycolic peels, but a salicylic peel might be best for active acne. You can order them for a reasonable price off of Amazon. But you should really do some research behind how best to use them, because they can wreak havoc if you go overboard. It's almost always best to err on the side of gentler. That's something that I didn't learn until later in my 20s, and boy howdy it would have been great if someone had told me that in my teens.

I was on antibiotics for a long time, but ... as it turns out, I had a genetic predisposition for Lupus and there's links between minocycline use and onset of Lupus. So just a heads up, if you have any auto-immune disorders that run in your family, you might want to err on the side of caution when it comes to antibiotics. I've got this Lupus now, and that's change the ballgame completely for my face, and I have to figure out a whole new way to deal with my acne.

Other things that I have found to be helpful in the past have included Retin-A, or jojoba, emu, or neem oils. It was counter-intuitive for me to put oils on my face, because I had always thought drying my shit out was the best solution, but ultimately that was making it way worse. I'm also looking into using Vitamin B-5 for inflammation, so we'll see how that goes?

Anyway, sorry for the long winded post, but it rubbed me the wrong way how people kept suggesting that you do something that you clearly don't want to do. It sound like you've got good motivation and are being smart about how you're doing things, so there's no reason to doubt that it wont get better! Until then, hang in there baby.

[ginanutrition]

I understand you don't want to go on accutane, but my personal experience has been that I suffered from crying spells, depression, and anxiety from my severe acne. Once I finally took the plunge and went on accutane, my mental issues went away and that was how I knew it was from the acne. Accutane is altered Vitamin A. My naturopath told me that she things accutane is safer than antibiotics, since antibiotics destroy gut flora, which is essential for the immune system, digestion, and absorption of nutrients.

Only you can decide what is best, but I struggled with acne for 10 years until I took accutane and now I have some scarring. I tried every diet including grain-free, sugar-free, and megadosing on cleansing algaes like Chlorella. None of it cleared my acne completely and it can be emotionally difficult. However, it did decrease some redness and inflammation...

Which is why I still recommend you try a gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, low-sugar diet for acne. This will help with your inflammation and mood. Gluten (in wheat, barley, oats, rye) has been tied to depression and mood disorders. Look up "low-glycemic diet" online.

I will say that if you haven't tried a combination antibiotic with benzoyl peroxide in the AM and a retinoid in the PM, then that is what they usually give you before accutane.

Good luck and I will pray for you.

Edited by ginanutrition, 28 August 2012 - 02:43 PM.

[Chestercool]

man, my acne was not bad at all, and i took accutane, see my log if u want, try it asap, and start a paleo diet if havent

[Ms18]

I just wanted so say thank you guys for all the support and suggestions it has really helped me get through this i am reading all the posts sorry if i dont reply to you.
So i stopped the zoloft it was doing more good then bad for i started waking up confused and disoreinted i couldn't walk straight the other night i got up to go to the bathroomand i just made my depression Worse! I saw my psycaiatrist today for the first time he told me that the zoloft caused all of that especially because it was the generic brand.

He gave me lexapro to try but i dont think im going to use it im just going to try and get through this without any anti depressiants/anxiety medications as they can just make problems worse. I hung out with my friends today i haven't for about 3 weeks and it felt good i feel normal again i guess you can say. It's just i feel kind of out of place because im the only one with bad skin everyone around me has perfect skin and i don't understand they can eat drink do whatever they want and theres not a mark on them. I guess i just need to say " who cares " about my skin and live my life but easier said then done.

[Jay1993]

Dude I know how you feel I ended up in the emergency room because of the same problem I had them on my chest , back, face an The doctor gave me some antibiotics to calm it down an some Vicodin to sleep you should try that but eventually I had to take accutane it's the last chance for your face to get better because if you take the other antibiotics your face will get worst that's what happen to me don't worry about accutane If you start at a low dosage a go up every month the side affect are mild I only have a dry scalp plzz dude just try accutane :/!

[hopeforthebest]

try anything u want but for 7 days keep this strict diet it cleared me up mostly..
no fruits
no sugar n stuff that contains sugar not even little
no nuts especially peanuts
no refined grains like white bread white rice etc..
no raw stuff ( m not sure bout the raw stuff yet) but its difficult 2 digest than cooked is known..
eat whole grains, cooked vegitables, cooked pulses, apparently anything which is sugar free n not on the above list..
it helped me n i so hope it helps u!! best f luck!!

Edited by hopeforthebest, 29 August 2012 - 12:36 AM.

[bluestripez17]

@Ms18 , I know how bad that must suck to go through what you are , but just think about it. Look on the bright side (which I know is hard) but just imagine one day could be next week , could be a month from now , or even 6 months you could be completely clear. that's what keeps me going , Just keep possitive thoughts in your head.

Stay strong man! Just remember this is making you a stronger person emotionally

[Noregrets92]

At thread starter, I have so much respect for you and hope you get your skin under control as soon as possible. One day your going to look back and appreciate how tough you were for dealing with this. Really does put things in to perspective guys.

I know you've heard it before but still accutane. Your case is just what the drug was made for, i know you have anxiety but just imagine 6 months from now clear skin, i'm sure your confidence will sky rocket and your anxiety and depression will also be gone.


Do as much research as you can on pubmed and see for yourself the ratio of success to side effects, reading forums online doesn't really give a accurate review. Those people that have side effects are more likely to write about them online which puts it out of proportion.

while your on accutane you'll be under the supervision of your doctor, who should look out for side effects.

Honestly I don't think anyone should have to live with severe acne, we all deserve to enjoy life