LayLadyLay

Agreeing with some of the others have said: pursue hormonal treatment and the acne.org regime, and avoid accutane.

I never did accutane because everything I read terrified me. You might want to try Pantothen, or something similar. This helped me, but didn't cure me. As a female, I use birth control. I'm not sure of the options for men, but saw palmetto might be worth looking into. You might want to do some hormone tests. If you're trying to balance hormones, definitely have a physician help you. I tried a couple of doctors before finding the right one.

Quick tips:
-Avoid caffeine (coffee, soda, chocolate), sugar, and wheat
-Get on "the regime". Follow it as best you can, and be patience as it does take several months.
-Read the success stories on this blog. These inspired me to continue seeking solutions when I was feeling really low.

Stay focused on solutions, don't expect immediate results, and give yourself knowledge with sites like this! Good days are ahead!

I totally agree with the poster above - I wanted to cure my acne with natural remedies (i.e.diet), but it simply didn't work. However, dermatologists didn't help me either.

I never thought anything would get me clear, but I managed to get myself clear this year. It's been about 8 months now, and there are no signs of my acne returning.

Daily, I use an oral birth control (Junel) to balance my hormones, and the acne.org regime. I rarely have breakouts. When I do, they are minor. I'm grateful each morning to wake up and be able to think about things other than my face.

I'm 25, but my skin got really bad a couple years back when I was your age. I saw an "environmental" doctor because I wanted someone who would look at the whole picture, what's going on internally, not just superficially. I did some blood and hormone tests with this doctor. He wasn't able to help me, but my hormone tests did validate what I had suspected, that my acne was due to hormonal imbalance. Your issue is most likely hormonal as well, so I wouldn't recommend spending the extra money or time on the tests.

Here are my tips for you:

- If you're not on birth control, give it a try. I, like you, felt that my body was sick even though I had healthy habits. I see birth control as medicine to control my problem - hormonal imbalance.

- Try the regime. I was skeptical that any topical treatments could help me. The first 3-4 months were kinda awkward, but I would visit acne.org and read the success stories to keep me motivated to continue. Every couple of days, I take a long hot shower and slough off dead skin after washing just by rubbing my face with the palms of my hands (no exfoliator).

- Avoid caffeine, sugar, and wheat. Coffee definitely aggravates my skin, but I can drink decaf. I basically eat whatever I want now, but when I O.D. on sugar or wheat, I'll usually pay for it a few days later.

- Take photos. It's really gratifying to see your progress. It took months to get clear, but it truly changed my life for the best.

Good luck girl. Set out on a path, stick with it, and stay positive by focusing on solutions. I got into meditation during this process, which helped reduce my stress and get beyond myself. You'll get there.