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I wonder about the vitamin D. I'm taking a vitamin D3 supplement right now. Not sure how "quality" it is. Now I'm wondering if that supplement is causing my more recent break outs... (I started with it about 3 weeks ago). Actually, I'm at the point where I'm pretty sure everything I ingest may cause acne. Maybe I'll try going without any supplements for a while to test. But I'll check with my doctor about a prescription for vitamin d3, I didn't even know there was such a thing.
There are a lot of posts on vitamin D and acne actually...and it's a pro-hormone but this was discovered after scientists already named it a "vitamin" so that's why it sometimes gets underestimated as a supplement. I had all the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, but D3 supplements only made my acne worse. In my case, I think it's because of either the oil added to the capsules or the yeast in the supplement because I tried several brands and they all broke me out in places I don't normally get acne. D2 doesn't break me out at all, but it takes longer for it to be absorbed so my doctor gave me a high dose for a few months to get my levels up, and I also try to get sunlight whenever possible. So, if you get tested then you'll know for sure if you need to supplement with vitamin D. Other vitamin deficiencies (like B) and some minerals (like magnesium) can have an impact on depression and anxiety as well. If you can find a doctor who is receptive to vitamin and mineral testing, then that might be useful so that you are supplementing with things that you actually need. Who knows, it might also help you take less medication too.
I wonder about the vitamin D. I'm taking a vitamin D3 supplement right now. Not sure how "quality" it is. Now I'm wondering if that supplement is causing my more recent break outs... (I started with it about 3 weeks ago). Actually, I'm at the point where I'm pretty sure everything I ingest may cause acne. Maybe I'll try going without any supplements for a while to test. But I'll check with my doctor about a prescription for vitamin d3, I didn't even know there was such a thing.
There are a lot of posts on vitamin D and acne actually...and it's a pro-hormone but this was discovered after scientists already named it a "vitamin" so that's why it sometimes gets underestimated as a supplement. I had all the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, but D3 supplements only made my acne worse. In my case, I think it's because of either the oil added to the capsules or the yeast in the supplement because I tried several brands and they all broke me out in places I don't normally get acne. D2 doesn't break me out at all, but it takes longer for it to be absorbed so my doctor gave me a high dose for a few months to get my levels up, and I also try to get sunlight whenever possible. So, if you get tested then you'll know for sure if you need to supplement with vitamin D. Other vitamin deficiencies (like B) and some minerals (like magnesium) can have an impact on depression and anxiety as well. If you can find a doctor who is receptive to vitamin and mineral testing, then that might be useful so that you are supplementing with things that you actually need. Who knows, it might also help you take less medication too.
I go to a naturopath and started taking b12 and b6 supplements which did help me for a while. Fish oil and evening primrose oil seem to break me out so far as I can tell so I avoid them even though they're probably good for me otherwise. I get a lot of sun these days (I walk a lot).
Thanks for the advice about the testing. I'd really like to have that done, as well as hormone testing by an endocrinologist if I can get a referral.
By the way, what are symptoms of vitamin D deficiency? Obviously depression is one, and I guess acne as well, are there others?
The hell broke loose... My face got significantly worse, especially a large cyst on my cheek, it doesn't react to anything and nobody does cortisone injections in Stockholm. Something is growing right next to it too. I don't even know why I'm writing here.
I'm so sorry
When you say it doesn't react to anything... Do you think it could be accutane time? I'm sorry to go on about it but I really think it might help you! I know you were worried about psych effects but my psychiatrist (a professor) said the psych link is totally unsubstantiated and I have a history of very severe psychiatric problems but have had no problems at all whilst on accutane. My dermatologist said the other side effects have been blown way out of proportion too. The only side effect I have had is dry lips all my blood tests have been good. Now I have no acne and perhaps better still I am creating no new scars... I know it's scary but don't write it off?
You're right Flaxen, it seems like it's time to try Accutane. 
I still would like to give Yasmin a little bit more time, maybe it's just the initial breakout, but I'm running out of hope - bcp haven't really helped me 100%... One side of my face and my forehead are relatively clear, but there is one infected, constantly inflammed area which never has a break. My doctor noticed that whole area is somewhat harder for the touch and that side of my lips is lower, less active while I talk. I even smile with one side of my face, unconsciously.
How long has it been since you took Accutane? Are you still clear? Is type of skin you have? I'm so afraid to take it, both because of my unstable psychics and damage to my body...
A question - how to heal an old cyst faster? It's the one that doesn't come to head, basically like a soft bag filled with pus and probably blood, cause it usually bleeds, if I pop it. I don't dare to pop it with a needle, like I used to do in such cases, but as long the pus stays under there, it won't heal and it hurts all the time too. Please, if anyone has some knowledge, don't ignore this, I really need to heal it asap
The hell broke loose... My face got significantly worse, especially a large cyst on my cheek, it doesn't react to anything and nobody does cortisone injections in Stockholm. Something is growing right next to it too. I don't even know why I'm writing here.
I'm so sorry
You're right Flaxen, it seems like it's time to try Accutane.
How long has it been since you took Accutane? Are you still clear? Is type of skin you have? I'm so afraid to take it, both because of my unstable psychics and damage to my body...
A question - how to heal an old cyst faster? It's the one that doesn't come to head, basically like a soft bag filled with pus and probably blood, cause it usually bleeds, if I pop it. I don't dare to pop it with a needle, like I used to do in such cases, but as long the pus stays under there, it won't heal and it hurts all the time too. Please, if anyone has some knowledge, don't ignore this, I really need to heal it asap
My dermatologist said to me that birth control and other acne meds might keep my acne at bay at best but my only chance of cure was Accutane. I am still taking it so I'm afraid I can't tell you if the effects will last but the stats say 2 out of 3 people don't relapse and of the 1/3 that do, a good proportion of them get better with a second course. My only regret is that I waited so long and gained so many scars. Now it seems so simple and wonderful yet heartbreaking to cure all my years of suffering with a couple of months of a pill that actually works. The only side effect I have is dry lips, what a small price to pay! I have had no psych effects whatsoever. I have been very sick in the past with bipolar disorder and anorexia/ednos. I get anxiety with that and I had some degree of PTSD after an abusive relationship too. I have been pretty well the past couple of years and have noticed no change in my mental health related to the Accutane. Neither my derm or psych believed the link and my psych wrote a letter to that effect so the derm would give it to me. Maybe it does have an effect in a rare few people - remember AuguriesofInnocence? I believe it had an effect in her, but she knew, right away, that it was affecting her. Armed with that observation from her I promised myself I would stop taking it if I could feel at once that it was wrong. Take the plunge I urge you! Enough is enough! Oh and my skin type is fair caucasian. I get red marks no dark marks. It used to be extremely oily yet flaky with acne meds. Now it is normal, ever so slightly oily, never dry.
As for old cysts, I don't know if this will help you or if it is gentle enough to be good for the skin (that's my disclaimer!) but something that sometimes works for me is snapping an aspirin (an anti-inflammatory) in half, dipping it in water and gently pressing/rubbing it against the cyst. You can even tape the aspirin down so it stays in contact for longer - but not too long - it is an acid after all (concentrated salicylic acid.) I can't remember where I read that but I used to do it if I was going on a date because it shrinks them down a bit quite quickly. Not sure if that answers your question and maybe you know about that trick already but thought I'd mention it just in case it might help 
My dermatologist said to me that birth control and other acne meds might keep my acne at bay at best but my only chance of cure was Accutane. I am still taking it so I'm afraid I can't tell you if the effects will last but the stats say 2 out of 3 people don't relapse and of the 1/3 that do, a good proportion of them get better with a second course. My only regret is that I waited so long and gained so many scars. Now it seems so simple and wonderful yet heartbreaking to cure all my years of suffering with a couple of months of a pill that actually works. The only side effect I have is dry lips, what a small price to pay! I have had no psych effects whatsoever. I have been very sick in the past with bipolar disorder and anorexia/ednos. I get anxiety with that and I had some degree of PTSD after an abusive relationship too. I have been pretty well the past couple of years and have noticed no change in my mental health related to the Accutane. Neither my derm or psych believed the link and my psych wrote a letter to that effect so the derm would give it to me. Maybe it does have an effect in a rare few people - remember AuguriesofInnocence? I believe it had an effect in her, but she knew, right away, that it was affecting her. Armed with that observation from her I promised myself I would stop taking it if I could feel at once that it was wrong. Take the plunge I urge you! Enough is enough! Oh and my skin type is fair caucasian. I get red marks no dark marks. It used to be extremely oily yet flaky with acne meds. Now it is normal, ever so slightly oily, never dry.
As for old cysts, I don't know if this will help you or if it is gentle enough to be good for the skin (that's my disclaimer!) but something that sometimes works for me is snapping an aspirin (an anti-inflammatory) in half, dipping it in water and gently pressing/rubbing it against the cyst. You can even tape the aspirin down so it stays in contact for longer - but not too long - it is an acid after all (concentrated salicylic acid.) I can't remember where I read that but I used to do it if I was going on a date because it shrinks them down a bit quite quickly. Not sure if that answers your question and maybe you know about that trick already but thought I'd mention it just in case it might help
I think I have exactly the same skin type as you, oily yet flaky, very fair. It's remarkable that it make your skin flake even more, I would expect that it would happen in my case, but maybe I'm wrong about that too...My lips are very dry already, so I'd expect it to be quite painful in my case, hehe.
I'm so sorry to hear about those terrible experiences you had in the past, Flaxen. Hope that most of it is left far behind, or at least it doesn't haunt you. I may not have share the same story, but there is a certain devastation in me, constant fear of loss and abandonment. I have a history of self-harm, psych-emergency, suicidal behavior etc. But it gives me hope that someone who have had psychological problems doesn't experience any side effects with Accutane!
Yes, I remember that acne.org member, her case was one of those that discouraged me, actually. There are people coming and sharing their experiences on the "Repairing the long term Accutane damage...", which makes me constantly doubt it. But then again - how much more of this acne torment can I take?
Totally understand what you mean by that it's heartbreaking to cure it after all that time. I have also "gained" many scars because of my lousy treatments in the past.
If you don't mind, I have a few more questions about your state on Accutane, would you like me to ask them here, or in pm? Of course, you're not obliged to answer in any way
About the aspirin - I haven't really tried it, all I do is attack those cysts mercilessly with adapalene/bp + salicilyc acid, but they haven't shrank a cm. Also, I've been fasting for 40 h, but couldn't stand the hunger, so now I eat mainly just salads, afraid that any food would make it harder for my body to deal with inflammation.
But maybe this what you suggested would work better - my super combination makes the skin around those cysts red, flaky and it burns like hell. Must be nice to skip all this shit...
@ syllacrostics Well, I personally broke out when taking B-complex, and if you google B6 or B12 and acne you will find that some people complain about breaking out from these supplements. Some also break out from fish oil and evening primrose, so if you are breaking out then maybe you don't need so much omega 3.
From what the doctor told me, some people have difficulty absorbing vitamin D through the skin...I live in a sunny place so I had no idea I could be deficient, and yet I was (could be that I was using sunscreen too - to absorb vitamin D you have to be out in the sun for approx. 30 mins with no sunscreen). According to the Vit. D council's website, some symptoms of deficiency besides depression are: pains in joints, fatigue, and sometimes infections. Personally, I don't think vitamin D cured all my problems, but it definitely helped a lot with depression and anxiety.There are some posters on the org who magically cured their acne with just a vitamin D supplement, but those were probably less complex cases of acne if one supplement cured them.
Ok, my very last resort before taking Accutane - Spironolactone. Got a prescription today and will start taking it in 2 weeks (due to my travel to a hot country next week, I'm afraid it could lower my blood pressure and cause some medical problems). Finally will be off Androcur, can't wait to get rid of those horrible headaches it's giving me every month. If Spiro + Yasmin will not work, it's gonna be Accutane for sure (fingers crossed).
On the other hand, it's so heavy and sad to be taking all those pills, different combinations... They all have side-effects, all cause some sort of damage. I want to live a long and healthy life and none of these pills are adding up to it.
Combination of Diane35 + Androcur for the last 8 months did clear me up for 60-70%, but it gave me mood swings, severe headaches that still go on and finally lowered the level of red blood cells. I feel much more tired than I ever was in my life.
We'll see what this new combination will achieve. Playing with health and hormones continues...
On 10/11/2013 at 2:47 AM, Pianina said:On 10/11/2013 at 1:17 AM, Flaxen said:My dermatologist said to me that birth control and other acne meds might keep my acne at bay at best but my only chance of cure was Accutane. I am still taking it so I'm afraid I can't tell you if the effects will last but the stats say 2 out of 3 people don't relapse and of the 1/3 that do, a good proportion of them get better with a second course. My only regret is that I waited so long and gained so many scars. Now it seems so simple and wonderful yet heartbreaking to cure all my years of suffering with a couple of months of a pill that actually works. The only side effect I have is dry lips, what a small price to pay! I have had no psych effects whatsoever. I have been very sick in the past with bipolar disorder and anorexia/ednos. I get anxiety with that and I had some degree of PTSD after an abusive relationship too. I have been pretty well the past couple of years and have noticed no change in my mental health related to the Accutane. Neither my derm or psych believed the link and my psych wrote a letter to that effect so the derm would give it to me. Maybe it does have an effect in a rare few people - remember AuguriesofInnocence? I believe it had an effect in her, but she knew, right away, that it was affecting her. Armed with that observation from her I promised myself I would stop taking it if I could feel at once that it was wrong. Take the plunge I urge you! Enough is enough! Oh and my skin type is fair caucasian. I get red marks no dark marks. It used to be extremely oily yet flaky with acne meds. Now it is normal, ever so slightly oily, never dry.
As for old cysts, I don't know if this will help you or if it is gentle enough to be good for the skin (that's my disclaimer!) but something that sometimes works for me is snapping an aspirin (an anti-inflammatory) in half, dipping it in water and gently pressing/rubbing it against the cyst. You can even tape the aspirin down so it stays in contact for longer - but not too long - it is an acid after all (concentrated salicylic acid.) I can't remember where I read that but I used to do it if I was going on a date because it shrinks them down a bit quite quickly. Not sure if that answers your question and maybe you know about that trick already but thought I'd mention it just in case it might help
I think I have exactly the same skin type as you, oily yet flaky, very fair. It's remarkable that it make your skin flake even more, I would expect that it would happen in my case, but maybe I'm wrong about that too...My lips are very dry already, so I'd expect it to be quite painful in my case, hehe.
I'm so sorry to hear about those terrible experiences you had in the past, Flaxen. Hope that most of it is left far behind, or at least it doesn't haunt you. I may not have share the same story, but there is a certain devastation in me, constant fear of loss and abandonment. I have a history of self-harm, psych-emergency, suicidal behavior etc. But it gives me hope that someone who have had psychological problems doesn't experience any side effects with Accutane!
Yes, I remember that acne.org member, her case was one of those that discouraged me, actually. There are people coming and sharing their experiences on the "Repairing the long term Accutane damage...", which makes me constantly doubt it. But then again - how much more of this acne torment can I take?
Totally understand what you mean by that it's heartbreaking to cure it after all that time. I have also "gained" many scars because of my lousy treatments in the past.
If you don't mind, I have a few more questions about your state on Accutane, would you like me to ask them here, or in pm? Of course, you're not obliged to answer in any way
About the aspirin - I haven't really tried it, all I do is attack those cysts mercilessly with adapalene/bp + salicilyc acid, but they haven't shrank a cm. Also, I've been fasting for 40 h, but couldn't stand the hunger, so now I eat mainly just salads, afraid that any food would make it harder for my body to deal with inflammation.
But maybe this what you suggested would work better - my super combination makes the skin around those cysts red, flaky and it burns like hell. Must be nice to skip all this shit...
Yeah I thought my skin would get really dry and flaky, I was all prepared for that! But it has been much less drying even than bp let alone topical retinoids. Perhaps I should add my oil problem before this was EXTREME so if you don't have extremely oily skin you might get drier than me. The effect on my lips however has been pretty severe! I sometimes got dry lips before but nothing like this. I can just about keep it at bay with frequent applications of aquaphor. (I wouldn't bother with anything other than aquaphor/vaseline - soo much better for this type of dryness.)
I have left most of my experiences far behind me thanks. It's weird I almost feel like a different person now. I'm very sorry to hear about your difficulties too. I'm glad to have given you some hope though. Please feel free to PM me, I'm very happy to try and help if I can. I consider myself an advocate of accutane now! (As I was and still am of the regimen as that helped me greatly too.) I was so nearly put off but negative stories and it makes me very sad that other people will be too. Looking at that thread you mention I see alot of people looking for something to blame. Perhaps that is unfair of me but I don't see how they can be sure in linking all those problems to accutane. It is like MMR all over again...
As a former anorexic it makes me very sad to hear about people fasting. I have had way to much therapy to see that as anything other than very unhealthy and psychologically harmful. If you want to be well mentally and physically please don't do it. That said I know how annoying it is to have people criticise your eating... so I'm sorry I don't mean to cause offence but it just makes me so sad I had to say something. I learnt the hard way that it only makes things so much worse. I'm glad to hear you are eating now but even excluding foods I have learned is psychologically harmful. I guess in PCOS there is some link with acne and food but surely you just need to avoid eating too much refined sugar? I have spent many hours being taught to eat properly... I'll expand only if you want me to.
I'll be interested to hear how the spironolactone goes, that was something I wasn't allowed to try because it interacts with lithium I'm on for bipolar. My derm said it wouldn't work anyway because the pill/dianette which I was on was better and if that didn't work spiro wouldn't either but I know some people on here swear by it...
What im worried about is how they'll react when the see my face full of marks and some active acne.
They won't care about it, I swear.
But I know it's hard, and that in your head it must sound like "I'm just an ugly and huge spot walking on the street". But you're no
Never going to have a girlfriend with the way I look.
There are plenty of people here who have acne AND a BF or GF.
Clear skin can bring self-confidence, I cannot deny it does (and trust me I'm not on this forum for nothing...), but, still, it's not what will make someone like you or not.
And by the way, I deeply understand what you've just said...
I went to a party last night for my dad's birthday - so a lot of people there I didn't know / haven't seen in years and their kids who are around my age. I hate situations like that because I feel like I'm being compared to the other people, particularly girls there, who are my age or near it. And of course my skin broke out yesterday morning - so I was worried about my skin.
It wasn't so bad until I was about to leave. I was wearing a sleeveless top and I knew I had two small spots on my shoulder, but decided I wasn't going to worry about it and wear it anyway. But then my mum comments about it saying I should cover my back... and the way she said it! Put me into a depressed, self-conscious mood instantly. I felt like saying - 'so I should cover my face with a paper bag then too right!?' - because my face not only has a couple of active spots, but also a tonne of PIH marks that are very visable even through makeup in different lights. I went and changed what I was wearing after that.
Took me a while to snap out of that feeling. But thankfully no one said anything about my skin during the night and I was able to relax a bit and have a good time. Sort of glad it's over now though...
Hope you're all doing well
On 10/13/2013 at 6:00 AM, Lilly75 said:I went to a party last night for my dad's birthday - so a lot of people there I didn't know / haven't seen in years and their kids who are around my age. I hate situations like that because I feel like I'm being compared to the other people, particularly girls there, who are my age or near it. And of course my skin broke out yesterday morning - so I was worried about my skin.
It wasn't so bad until I was about to leave. I was wearing a sleeveless top and I knew I had two small spots on my shoulder, but decided I wasn't going to worry about it and wear it anyway. But then my mum comments about it saying I should cover my back... and the way she said it! Put me into a depressed, self-conscious mood instantly. I felt like saying - 'so I should cover my face with a paper bag then too right!?' - because my face not only has a couple of active spots, but also a tonne of PIH marks that are very visable even through makeup in different lights. I went and changed what I was wearing after that.
Took me a while to snap out of that feeling. But thankfully no one said anything about my skin during the night and I was able to relax a bit and have a good time. Sort of glad it's over now though...
Hope you're all doing well
That sucks...I hate social situations like this one too. Sometimes our parents, esp. mothers, can be our worst critic, so you shouldn't worry about it too much. If anything, it should make you more determined to clear your skin. I'm glad noone else made you feel bad at the party. Most of the time, people are so self-centered that they don't even notice unless we point out our flaws to them.
When I walk around the city or go by subway, I feel like there's a spot as visible as that old-fashioned red fire alarm and everybody sees it from afar wondering, what happening to that girl's face. But yesterday, when I met a friend and complained about my cysts, she looked closer and said - "Ah, I see them now. Though I haven't noticed until you said it".
We're too harsh on ourselves sometimes.
When I walk around the city or go by subway, I feel like there's a spot as visible as that old-fashioned red fire alarm and everybody sees it from afar wondering, what happening to that girl's face. But yesterday, when I met a friend and complained about my cysts, she looked closer and said - "Ah, I see them now. Though I haven't noticed until you said it".
We're too harsh on ourselves sometimes.
You're lucky, every week some douchebag brings up my acne. I was excited to see some girl I knew in the past (that I liked, and haven't seen in over a year) and the first thing she said to me was "wow, what happened to your face?" How stupid can they be? What do they think happened?
It's just plain ignorance and lack of common sense from her side.
Well, I'm almost 25 now so people in my circle are adults who have discretion not to bring up questions about appearance. Also, in Sweden everyone's very very careful with what they say and to whom (except immigrants who haven't yet absorbed this type of culture, but neither are their intentions bad, if they bring up acne - they only try to give some advice, without realizing how annoying that might be). So yeah, almost nobody ever mentions my face if I don't start talking about it myself.
My skin across my body is usually pretty bad but for some unknown reason I have been almost completely clear on my face for the past week!. Regardless of how bad or good my skin maybe next week I am grateful for the almost clear couple of days that I have had. I'm feeling Awesome
Not feelin' so great. I'll be the first to admit that I used to be vain. I was never mean. I never pointed out if anyone had an acne problem, or a big nose, or maybe needed to lose a few pounds. I was considered ugly all throughout middle school and then I got pretty. It's wrong I know, but being pretty and being a model was my only sense of self-worth. Now, that's all been taken away. I used to be able to have any guy I wanted, now no guys even give me a second glance. I would never sweat worrying if a boyfriend left me because I knew I'd find someone else. If that were to happen now and my boyfriend left me, I'd never get a new boyfriend because I'm so ugly. Right now I have two small pimples on my forehead and one on my lower right cheek. The left side of my face is a mess with a big painful zit on my upper cheek and my lower jawline near my chin, not to mention that weird rash that will not go away. The nodule between my brows is a lot less red and it isn't as painful, but it's still there. I didn't wear any makeup today and I feel like complete garbage. Only 2 days left of fall break and I'm afraid to go back to school. I'd give anything to look like a normal human being again.
Not feelin' so great. I'll be the first to admit that I used to be vain. I was never mean. I never pointed out if anyone had an acne problem, or a big nose, or maybe needed to lose a few pounds. I was considered ugly all throughout middle school and then I got pretty. It's wrong I know, but being pretty and being a model was my only sense of self-worth. Now, that's all been taken away. I used to be able to have any guy I wanted, now no guys even give me a second glance. I would never sweat worrying if a boyfriend left me because I knew I'd find someone else. If that were to happen now and my boyfriend left me, I'd never get a new boyfriend because I'm so ugly. Right now I have two small pimples on my forehead and one on my lower right cheek. The left side of my face is a mess with a big painful zit on my upper cheek and my lower jawline near my chin, not to mention that weird rash that will not go away. The nodule between my brows is a lot less red and it isn't as painful, but it's still there. I didn't wear any makeup today and I feel like complete garbage. Only 2 days left of fall break and I'm afraid to go back to school. I'd give anything to look like a normal human being again.
I feel the same as you do. I considered myself ugly untill 2 years ago, when spiro cleared me completely. Well it was the first time in my life i could feel some confidence. And six months ago these b@stards-sorry but this is really the way i feel- discontinued it. There is no generic here, just the original aldactone. However i didn't break out at first.. so when it became available again the stupid idea crossed my mind: that perhaps my skin just decided to be normal. Then it started breaking out with dairy and i was even more stupid to think that it's alright, i will just exclude milk. It worked at first.. then the same with nuts, then something else.. and here i am now, with all this pain again, all the red marks that took months or years to disappear are here again. I started again spiro, it's been a month now and guess what... i don't think it's working like the first time! I break out every other day even though i try to eat as healthy as i can when the first time i would eat ice cream or chocolate and the next day there was nothing or maybe one pimple but tiny. What was i thinking? It's me, i know me, i will never be normal at anything. I wonder how and why i was so lucky (or rather unlucky) not to have some serious lethal problem as a fetus or infant.
My Msc started today and i went without make up, i tried to hide as much as possible and thankfully noone asked what happend to my skin. I hope your schoolmates will be discreet as well. We will find the way..
By the way does somebody know if AHA 10% is suitable for active acne and unclogging pores?
Not feelin' so great. I'll be the first to admit that I used to be vain. I was never mean. I never pointed out if anyone had an acne problem, or a big nose, or maybe needed to lose a few pounds. I was considered ugly all throughout middle school and then I got pretty. It's wrong I know, but being pretty and being a model was my only sense of self-worth. Now, that's all been taken away. I used to be able to have any guy I wanted, now no guys even give me a second glance. I would never sweat worrying if a boyfriend left me because I knew I'd find someone else. If that were to happen now and my boyfriend left me, I'd never get a new boyfriend because I'm so ugly. Right now I have two small pimples on my forehead and one on my lower right cheek. The left side of my face is a mess with a big painful zit on my upper cheek and my lower jawline near my chin, not to mention that weird rash that will not go away. The nodule between my brows is a lot less red and it isn't as painful, but it's still there. I didn't wear any makeup today and I feel like complete garbage. Only 2 days left of fall break and I'm afraid to go back to school. I'd give anything to look like a normal human being again.
I feel the same as you do. I considered myself ugly untill 2 years ago, when spiro cleared me completely. Well it was the first time in my life i could feel some confidence. And six months ago these b@stards-sorry but this is really the way i feel- discontinued it. There is no generic here, just the original aldactone. However i didn't break out at first.. so when it became available again the stupid idea crossed my mind: that perhaps my skin just decided to be normal. Then it started breaking out with dairy and i was even more stupid to think that it's alright, i will just exclude milk. It worked at first.. then the same with nuts, then something else.. and here i am now, with all this pain again, all the red marks that took months or years to disappear are here again. I started again spiro, it's been a month now and guess what... i don't think it's working like the first time! I break out every other day even though i try to eat as healthy as i can when the first time i would eat ice cream or chocolate and the next day there was nothing or maybe one pimple but tiny. What was i thinking? It's me, i know me, i will never be normal at anything. I wonder how and why i was so lucky (or rather unlucky) not to have some serious lethal problem as a fetus or infant.
My Msc started today and i went without make up, i tried to hide as much as possible and thankfully noone asked what happend to my skin. I hope your schoolmates will be discreet as well. We will find the way..
By the way does somebody know if AHA 10% is suitable for active acne and unclogging pores?
They say BHA is better for actually unclogging pores, but I've found AHA somewhat helpful with active acne. It seems to dry it out or bring it to a head quicker.
Due to my acne and how I was treated at school I have developed social phobia and now I cannot approach people anymore. I have no friends right now (have only 12 friends on facebook and that's all family) and I am in psychiatric care. I'm just so scared that this situation is never gonna change again and I'm gonna be alone for the rest of my life. Sorry of burdening you with my worries, but I could really use some support
Acne has also taken away my confidence, if I ever had some. There were few short episodes in my life when I had developed some self-esteem and everything just seemed to go so well in all spheres of my life. I started singing lessons, went on auditions, modelled a bit for commercials (one of them was on tv! Everyone was so impressed by me and I used to get comments on my facebook, that I live such an interesting life). But all that has been taken away from me by cystic acne. Right now I feel ugly no matter what, even if I get clear moments, I have no social life, am extremely lonely and my lack of confidence always threatens my relationship with the person I love.
I'm going to Brasil tomorrow, to meet my boyfriend and all his friends, and there are two nodular cysts on my cheek. I feel so crushed and don't want to go... I don't want to be compared with those Brasilian beauties, I hate them all..
Not feelin' so great. I'll be the first to admit that I used to be vain. I was never mean. I never pointed out if anyone had an acne problem, or a big nose, or maybe needed to lose a few pounds. I was considered ugly all throughout middle school and then I got pretty. It's wrong I know, but being pretty and being a model was my only sense of self-worth. Now, that's all been taken away. I used to be able to have any guy I wanted, now no guys even give me a second glance. I would never sweat worrying if a boyfriend left me because I knew I'd find someone else. If that were to happen now and my boyfriend left me, I'd never get a new boyfriend because I'm so ugly. Right now I have two small pimples on my forehead and one on my lower right cheek. The left side of my face is a mess with a big painful zit on my upper cheek and my lower jawline near my chin, not to mention that weird rash that will not go away. The nodule between my brows is a lot less red and it isn't as painful, but it's still there. I didn't wear any makeup today and I feel like complete garbage. Only 2 days left of fall break and I'm afraid to go back to school. I'd give anything to look like a normal human being again.
I feel the same as you do. I considered myself ugly untill 2 years ago, when spiro cleared me completely. Well it was the first time in my life i could feel some confidence. And six months ago these b@stards-sorry but this is really the way i feel- discontinued it. There is no generic here, just the original aldactone. However i didn't break out at first.. so when it became available again the stupid idea crossed my mind: that perhaps my skin just decided to be normal. Then it started breaking out with dairy and i was even more stupid to think that it's alright, i will just exclude milk. It worked at first.. then the same with nuts, then something else.. and here i am now, with all this pain again, all the red marks that took months or years to disappear are here again. I started again spiro, it's been a month now and guess what... i don't think it's working like the first time! I break out every other day even though i try to eat as healthy as i can when the first time i would eat ice cream or chocolate and the next day there was nothing or maybe one pimple but tiny. What was i thinking? It's me, i know me, i will never be normal at anything. I wonder how and why i was so lucky (or rather unlucky) not to have some serious lethal problem as a fetus or infant.
My Msc started today and i went without make up, i tried to hide as much as possible and thankfully noone asked what happend to my skin. I hope your schoolmates will be discreet as well. We will find the way..
By the way does somebody know if AHA 10% is suitable for active acne and unclogging pores?
They say BHA is better for actually unclogging pores, but I've found AHA somewhat helpful with active acne. It seems to dry it out or bring it to a head quicker.
Thanks for the reply, i have a cream with sal. acid (bha) but there is an ingredient that may be comedogenic (there are two with the same name, one comedogenic and one not and some indicator to differenciate them but they don't specify that indicator) so i am affraid to use it.. I found a non comedogenic avene cream with aha and bha but sal. acid is only 1% and i don't know if it is enough. Then there is freazydem 10% aha-bha but i don't know if it is comedogenic..
Due to my acne and how I was treated at school I have developed social phobia and now I cannot approach people anymore. I have no friends right now (have only 12 friends on facebook and that's all family) and I am in psychiatric care. I'm just so scared that this situation is never gonna change again and I'm gonna be alone for the rest of my life. Sorry of burdening you with my worries, but I could really use some support
We all have our worries and need support, that's why we are here.. there is no need to apologise about it! There are many people out there who feel the same as you do.. you are not alone!
Not feelin' so great. I'll be the first to admit that I used to be vain. I was never mean. I never pointed out if anyone had an acne problem, or a big nose, or maybe needed to lose a few pounds. I was considered ugly all throughout middle school and then I got pretty. It's wrong I know, but being pretty and being a model was my only sense of self-worth. Now, that's all been taken away. I used to be able to have any guy I wanted, now no guys even give me a second glance. I would never sweat worrying if a boyfriend left me because I knew I'd find someone else. If that were to happen now and my boyfriend left me, I'd never get a new boyfriend because I'm so ugly. Right now I have two small pimples on my forehead and one on my lower right cheek. The left side of my face is a mess with a big painful zit on my upper cheek and my lower jawline near my chin, not to mention that weird rash that will not go away. The nodule between my brows is a lot less red and it isn't as painful, but it's still there. I didn't wear any makeup today and I feel like complete garbage. Only 2 days left of fall break and I'm afraid to go back to school. I'd give anything to look like a normal human being again.
I feel the same as you do. I considered myself ugly untill 2 years ago, when spiro cleared me completely. Well it was the first time in my life i could feel some confidence. And six months ago these b@stards-sorry but this is really the way i feel- discontinued it. There is no generic here, just the original aldactone. However i didn't break out at first.. so when it became available again the stupid idea crossed my mind: that perhaps my skin just decided to be normal. Then it started breaking out with dairy and i was even more stupid to think that it's alright, i will just exclude milk. It worked at first.. then the same with nuts, then something else.. and here i am now, with all this pain again, all the red marks that took months or years to disappear are here again. I started again spiro, it's been a month now and guess what... i don't think it's working like the first time! I break out every other day even though i try to eat as healthy as i can when the first time i would eat ice cream or chocolate and the next day there was nothing or maybe one pimple but tiny. What was i thinking? It's me, i know me, i will never be normal at anything. I wonder how and why i was so lucky (or rather unlucky) not to have some serious lethal problem as a fetus or infant.
My Msc started today and i went without make up, i tried to hide as much as possible and thankfully noone asked what happend to my skin. I hope your schoolmates will be discreet as well. We will find the way..
By the way does somebody know if AHA 10% is suitable for active acne and unclogging pores?
They say BHA is better for actually unclogging pores, but I've found AHA somewhat helpful with active acne. It seems to dry it out or bring it to a head quicker.
Thanks for the reply, i have a cream with sal. acid (bha) but there is an ingredient that may be comedogenic (there are two with the same name, one comedogenic and one not and some indicator to differenciate them but they don't specify that indicator) so i am affraid to use it.. I found a non comedogenic avene cream with aha and bha but sal. acid is only 1% and i don't know if it is enough. Then there is freazydem 10% aha-bha but i don't know if it is comedogenic..
>Due to my acne and how I was treated at school I have developed social phobia and now I cannot approach people anymore. I have no friends right now (have only 12 friends on facebook and that's all family) and I am in psychiatric care. I'm just so scared that this situation is never gonna change again and I'm gonna be alone for the rest of my life. Sorry of burdening you with my worries, but I could really use some support
We all have our worries and need support, that's why we are here.. there is no need to apologise about it! There are many people out there who feel the same as you do.. you are not alone!
Maybe check out Paula's Choice BHA and AHA products. I'm not sure if they do a combination of the two in one product, but they are all well formulated, no comedogenic ingredients.. etc. I have her BHA acne toner and it is good. It lasts a long time too.