Hello All
I have been visiting these boards for years and have decided to take the plunge and join up.
A little about my case, I will try to keep it brief. I first started to get acne at the age of 26 which developed into horrendous cystic acne by the time I was 28. My Doctors were quite useless and I paid to see a Dermatologist privately. After endless courses of anti-biotics and BP facial washes etc, I thought I had things in control by the time I had reached my early thirties. I was wrong. Over the years since then, I randomly get outbreaks, as I have right now - big, painful and unsightly mounds that last for months (I am sure you know how it goes). I am even getting huge blackheads everywhere that I never had before.
What troubles me even more than the acne itself is the scars it leaves behind. My face is literally covered in every type of scar and I feel disfigured. Each day I seem to be getting more and more out of nowhere. I can't bear to look in mirrors and in bad lighting I literally feel sick to the pit of my stomach. I've even noticed that people thirty years older than me have better skin than I do.
Acne has ruined my life. My confidence has gone, I avoid social interactions and I am unemployed. The constant stress is making me anxious and no doubt having an effect on my health.
And the worse thing of all is that I don't believe there is anything out there at this time to greatly improve acne scars. It's possible to carry out a whole face transplant, grow tissue and organs in a lab, but no, not icepick scars! wth, it's so frustrating. I don't wish for much, nor do I want to attain perfection - just 'normal' skin texture like the average person.
I'm sorry for my first depressing post and I hope to dedicate more constructive things in the future. Thank you for listening, I really feel for all of you going through this c**p day in day out, we shouldn't have to.
Hello All
I have been visiting these boards for years and have decided to take the plunge and join up.
A little about my case, I will try to keep it brief. I first started to get acne at the age of 26 which developed into horrendous cystic acne by the time I was 28. My Doctors were quite useless and I paid to see a Dermatologist privately. After endless courses of anti-biotics and BP facial washes etc, I thought I had things in control by the time I had reached my early thirties. I was wrong. Over the years since then, I randomly get outbreaks, as I have right now - big, painful and unsightly mounds that last for months (I am sure you know how it goes). I am even getting huge blackheads everywhere that I never had before.
What troubles me even more than the acne itself is the scars it leaves behind. My face is literally covered in every type of scar and I feel disfigured. Each day I seem to be getting more and more out of nowhere. I can't bear to look in mirrors and in bad lighting I literally feel sick to the pit of my stomach. I've even noticed that people thirty years older than me have better skin than I do.
Acne has ruined my life. My confidence has gone, I avoid social interactions and I am unemployed. The constant stress is making me anxious and no doubt having an effect on my health.
And the worse thing of all is that I don't believe there is anything out there at this time to greatly improve acne scars. It's possible to carry out a whole face transplant, grow tissue and organs in a lab, but no, not icepick scars! wth, it's so frustrating. I don't wish for much, nor do I want to attain perfection - just 'normal' skin texture like the average person.
I'm sorry for my first depressing post and I hope to dedicate more constructive things in the future. Thank you for listening, I really feel for all of you going through this c**p day in day out, we shouldn't have to.
Stressing over your acne is probably making it worse! Have you tried changing your diet to see if it improves your acne? I'm guessing you can't get to a doctor right now so if I were you I would start cutting out certain foods, taking vitamins and drinking a lot of water. We are our harshest critic, how we see ourselves isn't necessarily how the rest of the world does so don't be so hard on yourself about the scars.
Hi NearlyDefeated,
Sorry to hear that your going through such a rough time with your acne at the moment - I had cystic acne from puberty right up to my early thirties so I can empathise with what you are going through to a certain degree. It has thankfully subsided now apart from the odd outbreak here and there. I still have quite a lot of psychological stuff that I want to get to grips with but that is another story.
I would love to be able to recommend a magic cure but I can`t. My acne got better more by luck than judgement, I think I just basically outgrew it. In terms of diet and medication, it sounds as though you are doing everything possible. I know it is frustrating because you are not seeing the results but keep persevering and also congratulate yourself for what you are doing. In terms of the scarring, I obviously haven`t seen it but I am sure it is not as bad as you probably think it is. Acne mucks you up psychologically and very often, your own self perception is very different to what other people see.
You may be doing this already but one thing that really used to help me when I was at my wits end with acne was exercise. I am keen mountain biker and my theory was that if I couldn`t control my acne, at least I was doing someting positive for my body and furthermore, the endorphins released from the physical activity helped to lift my mood. Not saying that you should go for 25 mile mountain bike rides but if you aren`t already doing so, try to just do some gentle exercise like walking for example every now and again.
Sorry I cannot offer you any more help or advice than that. If you do want to chat about anything acne related or any concerns that you have at anytime, feel free to PM me. Cannot promise to have the answers but I will listen.
All the best.
Hi NearlyDefeated,
Sorry to hear that your going through such a rough time with your acne at the moment - I had cystic acne from puberty right up to my early thirties so I can empathise with what you are going through to a certain degree. It has thankfully subsided now apart from the odd outbreak here and there. I still have quite a lot of psychological stuff that I want to get to grips with but that is another story.
I would love to be able to recommend a magic cure but I can`t. My acne got better more by luck than judgement, I think I just basically outgrew it. In terms of diet and medication, it sounds as though you are doing everything possible. I know it is frustrating because you are not seeing the results but keep persevering and also congratulate yourself for what you are doing. In terms of the scarring, I obviously haven`t seen it but I am sure it is not as bad as you probably think it is. Acne mucks you up psychologically and very often, your own self perception is very different to what other people see.
You may be doing this already but one thing that really used to help me when I was at my wits end with acne was exercise. I am keen mountain biker and my theory was that if I couldn`t control my acne, at least I was doing someting positive for my body and furthermore, the endorphins released from the physical activity helped to lift my mood. Not saying that you should go for 25 mile mountain bike rides but if you aren`t already doing so, try to just do some gentle exercise like walking for example every now and again.
Sorry I cannot offer you any more help or advice than that. If you do want to chat about anything acne related or any concerns that you have at anytime, feel free to PM me. Cannot promise to have the answers but I will listen.
All the best.
Gunnke
Thank you so much for your kind reply. It means a lot to know that there are people that understand, yet sad that acne has made them suffer too. Your post has great advice and I shall definitely start a regime with more exercise! I love long walks, but lost my motivation recently - so it's time to get it back!
I am so sorry you are suffering psychologicaly yourself, I know how hard going that is. I don't have any answers myself right now either, but I know one day we will all find the answers we are looking for. Until then, I guess we have to battle through it and find comfort knowing we are not alone. My PM is also open to anybody who needs a listening ear.
Thanks again 
Hi NearlyDefeated,
Sorry to hear that your going through such a rough time with your acne at the moment - I had cystic acne from puberty right up to my early thirties so I can empathise with what you are going through to a certain degree. It has thankfully subsided now apart from the odd outbreak here and there. I still have quite a lot of psychological stuff that I want to get to grips with but that is another story.
I would love to be able to recommend a magic cure but I can`t. My acne got better more by luck than judgement, I think I just basically outgrew it. In terms of diet and medication, it sounds as though you are doing everything possible. I know it is frustrating because you are not seeing the results but keep persevering and also congratulate yourself for what you are doing. In terms of the scarring, I obviously haven`t seen it but I am sure it is not as bad as you probably think it is. Acne mucks you up psychologically and very often, your own self perception is very different to what other people see.
You may be doing this already but one thing that really used to help me when I was at my wits end with acne was exercise. I am keen mountain biker and my theory was that if I couldn`t control my acne, at least I was doing someting positive for my body and furthermore, the endorphins released from the physical activity helped to lift my mood. Not saying that you should go for 25 mile mountain bike rides but if you aren`t already doing so, try to just do some gentle exercise like walking for example every now and again.
Sorry I cannot offer you any more help or advice than that. If you do want to chat about anything acne related or any concerns that you have at anytime, feel free to PM me. Cannot promise to have the answers but I will listen.
All the best.
Gunnke
Thank you so much for your kind reply. It means a lot to know that there are people that understand, yet sad that acne has made them suffer too. Your post has great advice and I shall definitely start a regime with more exercise! I love long walks, but lost my motivation recently - so it's time to get it back!
I am so sorry you are suffering psychologicaly yourself, I know how hard going that is. I don't have any answers myself right now either, but I know one day we will all find the answers we are looking for. Until then, I guess we have to battle through it and find comfort knowing we are not alone. My PM is also open to anybody who needs a listening ear.
Thanks again
Hi NearlyDefeated,
No problem, just glad that I was able to be of some help. Also thanks for your offer of support - I may take you up on that at some point.
Take Care,
Gunnke.
I know you wary of accutane but consider just monitoring yourself while you are on it...start at a low dose, if everything goes fine, bump it up, and so on. I know there are a lot of horror stories but its given me my life back time and time again and also made it so that other meds that previously didn't work do. I am 18 days into my final course (all my other courses were short in duration and at a low dosage). It would get my skin great and manageable for awhile but the cysts would come back although now they are more or less restricted to my forehead and temple regions...I don't really get pimples anywhere else now (knock on wood). Anyways, I decided that I am going to go through with a full course and reach my full cumulative dose which that data shows gives you the best chance at having longterm remission if not curing it completely. It helped my scars quite a bit too because I shed SO much skin that when I was done and it all grew back it was like having new skin. However, you scars will be more noticeable while you are on it because it thins out your skin so much.
In short, if your acne is making you really depressed then take action now so you can move on with your life. Who knows, maybe a year from now you will still be where you are today and finally decide to take the plunge and try it and discover how great it works for you....you will look back at today and be like WHY DIDN"T I DO IT SOONER!
Thank you Tommy for your input.
I am really glad you are sorting out your skin issues with success. Your right that perhaps down the line I may take accutane. It's just at this moment in time, I really do not think I am in the right frame of mind and am therefore scared of becomming severely depressed from the medication. I also think it is worth having hormone and allergy tests as soon as I can afford to, to rule out absolutely everything before I consider taking such a risky drug.
It is the scars more than the acne itself that bother me now, I don't get a face full of cysts like I used to (touch wood), just a few like now. So it's great that accutane actually helped your scars a lot, that's definity a major pro!
Thanks again.
I hear you and can relate. It totally sucks. I also have isolated myself and avoid social interactions. Last night a buddy invited me out, just a drive really and I couldn't really say no as as he's been my one true friend. So we drove around at night talking about movies & etc and for part of it I got lost in the moment. Lost in the flow of life where I wasn't thinking about my skin non-stop. It only lasted a few minutes here & there but it was okay. I had a few laughs. I also find intellectual things like learning something new or documentaries take my mind off my issues for a little while.
It sure doesn't seem fair and some of my issues I blame myself. I have a little hope left and I'm giving myself a few more months before I'm really out of hope.
I've fallen so far from where I was and just last year I had made some great progress. Now I'm back in the cave hiding.
We definitely live in a superficial society but I'm gonna try to remind myself that these bodies we have are just containers for our souls not a reflection of.
Hi Nearly Defeated - don't feel defeated! There is hope. I have been through what you are going through and it is awful but there are solutions.
I took a dose of Roaccutane after much agonising and I am very glad I did it. It is worth considering the following things first.
What are you putting on your face at present? It is amazing how many clogging ingredients there are in supposedly non-comodogenic products. I use a website called Cosdna - you can cut and paste entire ingredients lists into it and it will tell you what ingredients are potentially clogging/ irritating.
By using the above website you can start compiling a 'safe' list of ingredients that you know your skin can tolerate. Personally I would avoid using any moisturiser unless your skin really needs it. If you do then go for a serum with minimal ingredients.
Chemical exfoliants are great - BHA (salicyclic acid) is fantastic for acne in particular. I use Paula's Choice Clear Acne Toner which is 2% bha (the amount recommended as most effective for acne) and it is great. It has no alcohol and there are no really clogging ingredients in it. Some people cannot tolerate bha and use aha instead (there are lots of forms and strengths of this - lactic, mandelic, glycolic - there are also many different products. It is worth checking out the acne org AHA and also Paula's choice). Regular use of a good chemical exfoliant combined with gentle non-clogging products can be very effective. Aha is also an excellent treatment for acne scarring and pigmentation.
Be very careful with makeup (if you are female) - liquid foundation can cause alot of problems and it is probably best to steer clear of it. I use Laura Mercier mineral foundation. But I wish that when things had been really bad I had just put a bit of concealer on the really bad areas and left it at that. Remember to cleanse makeup off properly - at least two cleanses and an effective cleanser. I use Avene Soapless Gel Cleanser and it works great.
BP really does work - but you have to find the strength/ kind that works for you. Panoxyl wreaked havoc on my skin but I know now that Duac could have worked if I had given it a chance. I wish that I had tried the acne org regimen before I did Roaccutane, it really is worth a try as bp is one of the most effective acne treatments.
Please don't give up. I really believe that research into the products and ingredients you are using on your skin could be of enormous help to you.