11 replies to this topic

[guitarcrazy44]

Hello everyone!

I have been a lurker on these boards for a few months now and finally decided to make a post. I am a 21 year old male with moderate acne. I have tried just about every OTC topical including BP. I have olive skin which is pretty oily and BP makes my hyper pigmentation VERY dark. I have pretty much had acne since before high school, but all my acne is under the skin on pretty much my entire face. It is not cystic and it is not painful. I have also been on minocycline to no avail. I just got tretinoin gel .025% and I just finished my second week. It seems all of my acne is coming to the surface (lots of new whiteheads everyday) which I guess is a good thing. Im very self conscious about it and am kind of stuck between sticking with it for a few months or just saying "screw it" and hopping on accutane. I am just skeptical on whether tretinoin will work because NOTHING else has. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO!

My regimen:

AM
Neutregena ultra gentle facewash (no acids all natural)
moisturize with cetaphil

MID Day
Neutregena ultra gentle facewash (no acids all natural)
Aloe Vera Gel

Night

Neutregena ultra gentle facewash (no acids all natural)
moisturize with cetaphil
wait 30min then apply tretinoin

Its looks pretty gross, I know...

Edited by guitarcrazy44, 29 August 2012 - 08:32 PM.

[Binga]

Cut down sugar and dairy and do yoga specially the headstand one.

[guitarcrazy44]

Cut down sugar and dairy and do yoga specially the headstand one.

I havent had anything dairy for over 8 months. My sugar intake is pretty low.

[enjoy]

i get the same type of acne pretty much, but I also get on my body (its getting better though thank god), assuming the white bumps we see on your last pic are clogged pores. I used to get it much worse than today and had those types of bumps all over PLUS I had a moderate amount of inflammatory acne (mainly from picking and making things worse and turning some of them into cyst type bumps).


The worse thing you can do is attempt to pick at these things before they're ready to be easily extracted (as in very near the surface). I've always been a bad picker and I'd probably have much less tiny icepick scars today if I'd have focused more on being GENTLE while picking rather than pressing as hard as I could in hopes of eradicating them from under my skin.


if you were not on the retin A at the moment, I would have suggested to try stuff like the paulas choice BHA or sulfur ointment but I wouldn't mess with anything else if you're using the retin A.

I will however direct you to these two threads in case you have not seen them.
http://www.acne.org/...6-years-try-it/

http://www.acne.org/...after-10-years/

As well as these articles:
http://elqalatawy.hu...-Cure-Guarantee
http://elqalatawy.hu...ented-For-Years

http://jeffreydach.c...ey-dach-md.aspx


I am doing a combination of what is being done in both of those threads. I take the b5, l carnitine and the l cysteine. At first I was only doing the first thread's advice (b5+carnitine), and noticed some slight change but I was still overproducing oil (forehead getting greasy mid day , etc). Then I added the L cysteine to the combo and I am seeing/feeling some change and I have high hopes for this. I am still experimenting with dosages and intend on taking the smallest amounts possible of each to achieve desired effects.

I am also attacking it topically with 2% salicylic acid and acnomel cream (8% sulfur + 2% resorcinol) as well as light but frequent homemade "peels". One is by using citric acid (an AHA) powder from the store and dissolving it in water to make fairly strong solutions, then applying it to the skin for only a few minutes until I cannot take the burn/itch. I do this every few nights. The other is what would be called an enzyme peel, I guess. I scrub my face with ginger powder and let it sit for a few minutes (this also burns). Ginger contains a digestive enzyme called zingibain which is supposed to be much stronger than papain and bromelain. This zingibain is a proteolytic (breaks down proteins) and keratin is a type of protein and is what blackheads/clogged pores are mainly composed of. I would not do any of this stuff (aside from the supplements) while using retin-a though, that stuff is harsh enough on it's own.




also, start taking 50mg of zinc (citrate or gluconate are both fine, cheap and easily found) per day with food if you are not already. Zinc has really helped calm down the amount of inflammatory type acne I get, especially on my back/body.

Edited by enjoy, 30 August 2012 - 09:23 AM.

[100294]

Those products you use are absolutely garbage as they contain harmful chemicals that just damage your skin and they don't even get to the underlying cause of acne and that is hormonal imblance,over toxicity of the body,and too much acidity in the body.If you really want to feel good and have good skin then you should get on a high raw foods diet with little to no animal flesh(if you're going to eat it then get grass fed organic),little cooked food(no gluten,chemcials,preservatives,read your labels,and strive for organic), and plenty of fresh produce.(suggest getting atleast some organic) You should also watch what water you drink as tap water can have pesticides,pharmaceutical drugs,fluoride,heavy metals,industrial waste,chlorine,cysts,microbes,parasites,and so on.The products you use on your body have affect you as well as many contain harmful chemicals an detergents that will irritate skin,cause cancer,organc issues,and more.You should always strive towards a positive outlook since your emotions and thoughts govern your body and you become what you think of yourself.These are the things that helped me heal my acne.

[Buttsoup]

Cut down sugar and dairy and do yoga specially the headstand one.

I just wanted to share some of my insight on doing headstands. Just the other day I went on an inversion table (those things where you can hang upside on) to lessen the pain in my lower back. I stayed on it for about 10 minutes, 15 minutes at the most and after I got off of it I noticed that I had purple speckles all over my face. Mostly on my forehead, temples and around my eyes. Anywhere where the skin is quite thin I suppose. I'm not quite sure what happened, but I have a feeling my blood vessels ruptured? Anyhoo! My point is that if you're planning to do headstands (which is supposed to be very good for your skin because all the blood rushes to your head) don't do them for too long. Just a minute or so and then rest for a bit and then you can do it another couple of times if you like. Otherwise you'll be walking around with little purple blemishes on your face. I went onto the inversion table 5 days ago and the marks are still very noticable (I am very pale skinned though). My guess is that it'll be gone in about another week.

I also wanted to point out that your acne looks very mild. I wouldn't worry about it at all! It looks like you don't really have any active acne, mostly blemishes and those will dissapear over time. I know that this kind of answer isn't what you were looking for. But there simply isn't a true solution to getting rid of acne. If there was i don't think any of us would be on this forum. Just go out and live your life, it truly isn't as bad as you're making it out to be trust me. I've been suffering acne for way too long so I know what you're going through.

Edited by Buttsoup, 01 September 2012 - 03:10 PM.

[a.p.]

Ditch your current face wash and start using Epsom salt to wash your face. Splash your face a few times with warm water then massage a palm full of Epsom salt on your face. Let it sit for about ten minutes until your face turns white. That means the salt has recrystlized and is time to wash off. Then all you do is go about the rest of your regimen.

[walshy]

why epsom salt? what abut sea salt?

[walshy]

anyone else have this type of acne and had success in treating it? I literally have those same bumps all along my jawline and on my chin. they aren't really noticeable however

[Murph89]

stop washing 3 times a day. Morning and night. Thats it. Give your skin a chance to breath during the day without constantly stripping it of its natural oils.

Edited by Murph89, 25 September 2012 - 01:49 PM.

[walshy]

anyone......

[missykay]

Hi i have the same problem. What i did was use apricot sxryb 3x a week to lessen those small hidden bumps! Really worked
for me. I hope it does to you too. Btw be gentle while scrubing it. Goodluck!