Acne.org Products
On 5/30/2022 at 9:31 PM, GrumpyPainter said:Guys (...and girls?) I have found a new treatment that works for this nightmare condition. Some here have reported that benzoyl peroxide suddenly stopped working, and sadly this happened to me as well. My skin stopped responding to BP treatment and it only caused irritation and skin barrier dysfunction. I would still have itchy, red bumps and new unpleasant huge welts on my jawline that BP seemingly made worse?
I quit benzoyl peroxide and started using ZZ cream instead. It's a sulfur/zinc/menthol cream used to treat rosacea. I have been using it for about 3 months now and it's awesome, really kills any pustules and immediately calms down any inflammation and redness. Actually I am a little worried that there are hidden steroids in the cream because it is from china and they don't have to disclose all ingredients? Who cares, I am glad to use this mystery china cream if it works. Skin is smooth, hydrated, no redness, no pus zits, no massive red bumps on jawline. Don't have to deal with BP damage and irritation.
This makes me wonder if this condition is actually caused by Demodex. Maybe the Demodex mites are vectors for Staph bacteria, carrying it around on the skin and into hair follicles? Some here said they tried Soolantra and it didn't work. I also tried this and it didn't do anything. But I feel like ZZ cream is a way more effective treatment for Demodex and rosacea.
Guys, try the ZZ cream. I use a tiny amount every day mixed with xylitol gel moisturizer. Xylitol busts biofilms and is very hydrating for the skin. I also use the xylitol in my nose to keep the staph bacteria in control.
The other alternative is doing elimination/carnivore diet for the rest of your life. Which I guess is sort of better than having white pustules. But I'd try ZZ cream first.
My second working hypothesis is that this is a problem caused by Staph and Malassezia (i.e seb derm yeast). ZZ cream also contains a lot of ingredients that kill Malassezia and again the xylitol moisturizer I use destroys both fungal/bacterial biofilms. The reason why I believe this may be a form of seb derm is because many people in this thread have skin flaking and I personally have had problem with oily keratin plugs on the sides of my nose (most common seb derm area) which I think are fungal. Either way ZZ cream works quite well.
hi. can you post a picture of this zz cream ? can we find it in europe ? or maybe ebay or amazon link
On 6/1/2022 at 11:03 PM, kutkut1997 said:It messed up my digestion. Eating more fiber might help with digesting all the added meat and fats. And I think you probably shouldn't go too extreme, as the human body needs 400-600 kcal carbs per day to function properly, so I wouldn't go below that amount for a long duration.
I eat salad and fermented vegetables a lot, so fiber is not a problem on keto. The statement that the human body needs 400-600kcals of carbs a day to function properly sounds wrong- i might be wrong though, could you investigate further? As far as I know, hunter gatherers ate almost no carbs, except for nuts, berries and the glycogen in animal liver. That should be enough.. I make sure to eat a minimal amount of carbs sometimes and listen to my body (a handful of nuts OR raspberries OR one beer). Enough to satisfy my needs but not enough to cause pustules.
I don't get why no one here is willing to go permanent keto.. it is clearly clearing the skin from this horrible pustule disease (which may be just a type of acne that responds to insulin spikes).
I am happier than ever currently, my skin is great when I am strict with the diet and if I sometimes cheat a little and get some pustules I know they will fade in no time when being strict with keto. Gotten complimented a lot on my skin recently and it just feels great to have normal healthy facial skin again!!!!! Keto all the way.
A diet of aged cheeses, butter, meat, olive oil, ghee, salad, eggs, non-starchy vegetables, berries, nuts, lemon, water, salt, dry red wine if you want to drink alcohol. = No pustules and glowing, healthy, skin
On 6/4/2022 at 5:15 PM, maverickk21 said:hi. can you post a picture of this zz cream ? can we find it in europe ? or maybe ebay or amazon link
You can buy it from Demodex solutions and they ship within Europe.
It could be worth a try, but if I am going to be 100% honest I only saw a couple weeks of being clear about 2-3 months in and then - sadly - it didn't seem as effective anymore for controlling white pustules. Would still get some here and there, and occasional bigger red bumps. On rosacea org many users have had the same response to ZZ cream. It works for a while or for a few weeks but never fully clears your skin.
I have 3 unopened ZZ cream bottles if someone wants them (they cost me 150 euros).
ZZ cream contains menthol which makes your eyes red and watery and this is very annoying. I also got broken capillaries from using it, even when diluted with lots of water and moisturizer. It is very potent and probably not good for skin long-term.
Maybe there is something special about the acne.org 2.5% BP, it's the only one that clears me up reliably. BP wash doesn't work as well. I have to pay for international shipping and customs so its a pain in the ass, but worth it for clear skin. I buy a lot of the big bottles at the same time to save money.
The original hypothesis of gram negative folliculitis OR staph causing pustules is probably the correct one.
The best solution is:
1. Being super strict with daily nose cleaning (both deeper nasal rinse with saline/iodine rinse and swabbing with chlorhexidine)and possibly also cleaning your ears if you get cystic acne on jawline or near ears.
2. Daily 2.5% BP gel applied around mouth/nose area or all over face. Short contact therapy for 5 minutes works.
3. Good moisturizer to repair skin barrier. Cerave PM is pretty decent.
It does take 2 weeks, give or take, for pustules to go away. Then you just have to keep doing this routine and let your skin heal.
This is the routine that has worked for me and several other people in this thread, and also over on the subreddit r/Staphacne.
The standard treatment for recalcitrant GNF is Accutane which I absolutelyrefuseto go on because I feel it would destroy my body. If I have to choose between Accutane VS lifetime of benzoyl peroxide I'm going to go with the latter. Even Accutane is not guaranteed to clear up the pustules, the medicine works through drying out the nasal cavity and getting rid of the "nose dysbiosis". But then staph bacteria can set up shop and you have the same problem all over again. Take antibiotics for staph, the gram negative bacteria return...
I guess all we can do is manage the symptoms of this condition. White pustules have been the bane of my existence since 2012 and a source of constant misery/depression.
Oh, I should also mention that I have been experimenting lately with seb derm creams containing piroctone olamine and I do believe it helps with smoothing out skin texture, getting rid of the keratin plugs, and reducing redness and inflammation. I still think seb derm/Malassezia is involved here. But the BP is necessary for keeping pustules away permanently.
On 5/31/2022 at 8:25 PM, folliculitingg said:
The other thing I wanted to ask is, if you all have sinus issues - mainly a constant runny nose. I think it could be related as its another thing that clears up in the summer.
Yes I had a lot of sinus problems before, I remember the entire 2016 I was walking around with a low-grade sinus infection, congestion, runny nose, etc. Not so much the last couple of years though.
I was even diagnosed with nasal polyposis in 2016 when I went to the doctor. Not surprisingly, S. aureus is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of nasal polyps. Staph aureus causes inflammation in the nasal mucosal membrane and I guess the polyps is a defensive response from the body.
I swear this god damn bacteria is trying to sabotage my life.
I recently discovered an interesting probiotic called Streptococcus salivarius K12 which colonizes the oral cavity/nasopharynx and produces bacteriocinswhich inhibits pathogenic bacteria. My thinking is that it may help to restore the healthy "nose microbiome" and get rid of the bacteria that are responsible for the horrible white pustules. I have bought some and am going to try it out.
interesting, hadn't heard of that strain
I have tried several bacillus subtilis probiotics based on advice from /r/staphacne. It can supposedly decolonize staph in your gut, and some research implies that gut colonization may be what leads to nasal colonization:
https://academic.oup.com/femsre/article/46/1/fuab041/6321165
However, it hasn't made a difference with my acne.
It has helped my digestion significantly though, so at least wasn't a total waste of money xD
On 7/9/2022 at 3:32 PM, Scorpy said:interesting, hadn't heard of that strain
I have tried several bacillus subtilis probiotics based on advice from /r/staphacne. It can supposedly decolonize staph in your gut, and some research implies that gut colonization may be what leads to nasal colonization:
https://academic.oup.com/femsre/article/46/1/fuab041/6321165
However, it hasn't made a difference with my acne.
It has helped my digestion significantly though, so at least wasn't a total waste of money xD
Yeah, I also saw that on r/staphacne and tried taking bacillus subtilis probiotics for a couple months.
Same results as you, no change in pustules but had very nice poops LOL.
I can't say if Streptococcus Salivarius K12 is helping or not because I was already 99% clear with BP regimen. But it does kill off the strep pyogenes bacteria that causes sore throats so there's that at least (I frequently get colds/sore throats).
Just looked at some pictures from 2013, I had lots of white pustules but I guess I didn't care back then. I have become obsessed with killing them the last couple of years. It has definitely taken a toll on my mental health.
5 hours ago, GrumpyPainter said:Has anyone here tried concealers to hide them? if yes, how was the result? because I'm thinking to hide it with concealer unless until I find a permanent solution.
5 hours ago, GrumpyPainter said:Yeah, I also saw that on r/staphacne and tried taking bacillus subtilis probiotics for a couple months.
Same results as you, no change in pustules but had very nice poops LOL.
I can't say if Streptococcus Salivarius K12 is helping or not because I was already 99% clear with BP regimen. But it does kill off the strep pyogenes bacteria that causes sore throats so there's that at least (I frequently get colds/sore throats).
Just looked at some pictures from 2013, I had lots of white pustules but I guess I didn't care back then. I have become obsessed with killing them the last couple of years. It has definitely taken a toll on my mental health.
29 minutes ago, FaultyRespite said:Has anyone here tried concealers to hide them? if yes, how was the result? because I'm thinking to hide it with concealer unless until I find a permanent solution.
Someone in this thread discovered that colouring them with a blue sharpie marker works quite well!
Any reason why you are not using the benzoyl peroxide regimen (as outlined above) as a permanent solution? Does BP not work for you?
I have eliminated 99% pustules and it only takes a couple of minutes every day to apply the BP and clean nostrils. Definitely worth it.
5 hours ago, GrumpyPainter said:
Someone in this thread discovered that colouring them with a blue sharpie marker works quite well!
Any reason why you are not using the benzoyl peroxide regimen (as outlined above) as a permanent solution? Does BP not work for you?
I have eliminated 99% pustules and it only takes a couple of minutes every day to apply the BP and clean nostrils. Definitely worth it.
In my case BP is just too irritating and seems to help for a time, but make things worse in the long run.
I tried reducing the irritation by taking a long break (using no actives) and using nothing but gentle cleanser/moisturizer, and then going back to BP (2.5% micronized gel), and also tried short contact therapy with panoxl wash, but my skin just seems to hate BP
On 7/11/2022 at 10:38 AM, GrumpyPainter said:
Someone in this thread discovered that colouring them with a blue sharpie marker works quite well!
Any reason why you are not using the benzoyl peroxide regimen (as outlined above) as a permanent solution? Does BP not work for you?
I have eliminated 99% pustules and it only takes a couple of minutes every day to apply the BP and clean nostrils. Definitely worth it.
Grumpy Painter, so Im confused, you stated that you have fixed the problem 99% with the nasal solution and bp, but you said this has caused a toll on your mental health even still? Does it not stay clear or are you completely good now with that routine?? This has caused my mental health to diminish as well so I know the feeling. Im at a point now where Im done with college and am actually considering not even using my degree and getting a remote job because of this. Ive also seen several people say keto works, have you tried that??
are people here only getting these pustules where there are hair follicles?
it always seems to be folliculitus, caused by excess staph.
It will be worse if
a) you are in puberty or 'bulking'
b) your beard hairs are filling in
i think we have it worse than normal becasue we have a combination of oily skin + seb derm which causes an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria.
i agree with the guy above, BP is not a great long term solution and especially not in summer if you plan on enjoying the sun
in my experience if you want to get rid of them
a) calorie restrict/ keto
b) sun and sea water
c) accutane
d) eventually your body adapts and you grow out of it
d is only a theory I have, that means you drop everything except basic clensing and just go through a period where your body is readjusting. Focus on good sleep, sun exposure and no meds, topicals, actives etc
the only other option is you just keep spinning your wheels for years and years and end up getting nowhere.
On 7/15/2022 at 4:19 AM, Downshift636 said:Grumpy Painter, so Im confused, you stated that you have fixed the problem 99% with the nasal solution and bp, but you said this has caused a toll on your mental health even still? Does it not stay clear or are you completely good now with that routine?? This has caused my mental health to diminish as well so I know the feeling. Im at a point now where Im done with college and am actually considering not even using my degree and getting a remote job because of this. Ive also seen several people say keto works, have you tried that??
Sorry for the confusion...
Using acne.org 2.5% BP gel clears up the white pustules 100% (at least for me).
So I definitely think it is worth experimenting with if your skin tolerates benzoyl peroxide.
However I still have very sensitive skin and will get larger breakouts if I eat triggering foods or take certain medication. These are not the regular white pustules but larger red bumps. After keeping a food journal for many months I believe this is caused by a histamines/salicylate issue, e.g aspirin will cause breakouts and histamine triggering foods like soy sauce as well. Even eating too much aged beef will cause these. Maybe if I could solve this histamine intolerance issue I could also stop the BP gel and get rid of pustules.
I have eaten a strict carnivore diet and still had white pustules so keto doesn't work for me.
If I stay strict with BP regimen and eat only safe foods my skin is perfect. Thought I still suffer from "skin PTSD" and check in the mirror all the time etc.
I might do an experiment with 1-2 g vitamin C per day, it's a natural anti-histamine.
On 7/11/2022 at 9:45 PM, Scorpy said:In my case BP is just too irritating and seems to help for a time, but make things worse in the long run.
I tried reducing the irritation by taking a long break (using no actives) and using nothing but gentle cleanser/moisturizer, and then going back to BP (2.5% micronized gel), and also tried short contact therapy with panoxl wash, but my skin just seems to hate BP
Sorry to hear BP isn't agreeing with your skin. Another alternative that kind of works is azelaic acid which I also have used in the past. Someone else in this thread used azelaic acid and sulfur together to treat the white pustules.
6 hours ago, GrumpyPainter said:Sorry to hear BP isn't agreeing with your skin. Another alternative that kind of works is azelaic acid which I also have used in the past. Someone else in this thread used azelaic acid and sulfur together to treat the white pustules.
Yeah azelaic acid is what I'm using currently (using a product that's 10% azelaic acid, lactobionic acid, zinc pca)
It does seem to help without irritating my skin, but only helps a bit. I recently ordered some finacea (15% azelaic acid gel) from Australia (available OTC there) and I'll see if that is more effective.
11 hours ago, Scorpy said:Yeah azelaic acid is what I'm using currently (using a product that's 10% azelaic acid, lactobionic acid, zinc pca)
It does seem to help without irritating my skin, but only helps a bit. I recently ordered some finacea (15% azelaic acid gel) from Australia (available OTC there) and I'll see if that is more effective.
Finacea has helped me in the past to calm down really bad skin flareups, it reduces inflammation quickly, though it does sting/burn quite a bit.
Unfortunately azelaic acid never "cured" me completely, i.e I would still have 2-3 white pustules when I woke up in the morning (which would drive me insane).I had to go back to BP to get 100% clear.
It's unbelievable that I haven't found another solution since I started using BP in 2015. I blame antibiotics.
Guys if you also struggle with seb derm (rough skin texture, redness, flakes or "dry greasy" scales, follicular plugging/keratin buildup, excessive oiliness, etc) try theBioderma Sensibio DS+ Creme.This is amazing stuff and has made my skin look a lot healthier. Maybe I could use reduce BP to every other day or something when using this cream. Skin is looking really good now, very happy.
It is weird, when you have white pustules all you can think of is getting rid of them. But after you have achieved clear skin you quickly forget how miserable you were before. Which is a good thing I suppose.
On 7/15/2022 at 1:30 PM, folliculitingg said:are people here only getting these pustules where there are hair follicles?
it always seems to be folliculitus, caused by excess staph.
It will be worse if
a) you are in puberty or 'bulking'
b) your beard hairs are filling in
i think we have it worse than normal becasue we have a combination of oily skin + seb derm which causes an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria.
i agree with the guy above, BP is not a great long term solution and especially not in summer if you plan on enjoying the sun
in my experience if you want to get rid of them
a) calorie restrict/ keto
b) sun and sea water
c) accutane
d) eventually your body adapts and you grow out of it
d is only a theory I have, that means you drop everything except basic clensing and just go through a period where your body is readjusting. Focus on good sleep, sun exposure and no meds, topicals, actives etc
the only other option is you just keep spinning your wheels for years and years and end up getting nowhere.
I agree with a lot of this but I don't think the only solutions are accutane, keto, elimination diets, or the "no skincare regimen" etc...
You can kill the seb derm using antifungals and you get rid of the problem. See my previous post. I can drink 5 liters milk per day and have no pustules.
On 7/27/2022 at 4:27 PM, GrumpyPainter said:You can kill the seb derm using antifungals and you get rid of the problem. See my previous post. I can drink 5 liters milk per day and have no pustules.
I agree with you now after trying a BP product that worked very well for me when i got a bigger flare up. I also still think these should only be cycled for short periods of time.
i also recommend an alcohol based cleanser, i know its not the best ingredient for the skin but its certainly better than getting pustules. Gentle cleansers just dont clean deep enough. Just make sure to keep the skin hydrated after.
The #1 thing I would suggest is never taking oral meds again, it will always make the problem worse long term.
On 7/26/2022 at 4:24 AM, GrumpyPainter said:Finacea has helped me in the past to calm down really bad skin flareups, it reduces inflammation quickly, though it does sting/burn quite a bit.
Unfortunately azelaic acid never "cured" me completely, i.e I would still have 2-3 white pustules when I woke up in the morning (which would drive me insane).I had to go back to BP to get 100% clear.
It's unbelievable that I haven't found another solution since I started using BP in 2015. I blame antibiotics.
Do you think you are suffering from a fungal issue, or a bacterial issue? Cause I wanna try the benzoyl peroxide but am unsure which of the two Im dealing with. I truly believe it is fungal for me, so dont know how the bp is going to react with that, last thing I want is to make it worse. Also, Im sure you might have already said it, but do you use it at night and the morning, or just at night? and does benzoyl peroxide have any type of resistance after long term use? Also, I unfortunately have noooo choice but to take antibiotics for jaw surgery coming up in a few months. Im so worried about having to take them. Literally about to get my jaw broken in like 6 places, and my only concern is a 7 day course of antibiotics, the surgeon couldnt understand why with a huge surgery like this, that was what I was worried about. If he only knew...
16 hours ago, folliculitingg said:I agree with you now after trying a BP product that worked very well for me when i got a bigger flare up. I also still think these should only be cycled for short periods of time.
i also recommend an alcohol based cleanser, i know its not the best ingredient for the skin but its certainly better than getting pustules. Gentle cleansers just dont clean deep enough. Just make sure to keep the skin hydrated after.
The #1 thing I would suggest is never taking oral meds again, it will always make the problem worse long term.
Agree on never taking anything prescribed by a doctor again (unless I am literally on my deathbed and need it to not die). Taking antibiotics ruined my health. Thanks doctors!
11 hours ago, Downshift636 said:Do you think you are suffering from a fungal issue, or a bacterial issue? Cause I wanna try the benzoyl peroxide but am unsure which of the two Im dealing with. I truly believe it is fungal for me, so dont know how the bp is going to react with that, last thing I want is to make it worse. Also, Im sure you might have already said it, but do you use it at night and the morning, or just at night? and does benzoyl peroxide have any type of resistance after long term use? Also, I unfortunately have noooo choice but to take antibiotics for jaw surgery coming up in a few months. Im so worried about having to take them. Literally about to get my jaw broken in like 6 places, and my only concern is a 7 day course of antibiotics, the surgeon couldnt understand why with a huge surgery like this, that was what I was worried about. If he only knew...
If you could post a picture that may help to assess what is going on.
But if your pustules look like all the other posts here, than you are most likely dealing with a staph problem (gram-positive bacteria) or gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria reside in your nose and travel down to chin/mouth to cause the pustules. Malassezia folliculitis can look similar but it is more rare I think. Maybe you could get a derm to culture the pus zits?
The seb derm (i.e malassezia yeast) problem seems to be the "breeding ground" for the white pustules. So by fixing seb derm you can indirectly get rid of white pustules. Fortunately benzoyl peroxide kills both bacteria and seb derm yeast.
I only use BP at night for 5 minutes and then I wash it off. Resistance to BP is highly unlikely; BP's mechanism of action is unleashing free radicals that destroy bacteria/yeast proteins. No bacteria can gain resistance to destruction by free radicals.
Don't worry too much about the antibiotics before surgery. If you start taking appropriate measures (BP regimen) now, then the pustules will be gone and the antibiotics won't worsen the situation.
Ive had a strange few weeks. I went on vacation last month and shortly after caught Covid. I somehow cleared completely up for around 3 weeks thinking maybe I figured out some type of regimen. I wasnt doing anything new or different that I can think of. Shortly after, I had a dentist appointment for the replacement of a crown. Within two days after that, the acne pustules came back with a vengeance. Im so fed up with this. Im probably just going the Accutane route. Im tired of wasting my money on all sorts of different creams, sulfur soaps, acupuncture, Blue light lazer, etc., etc., etc. I hope some of you succeed in finding a regimen. I certainly didnt and I am tired of trying.
5 hours ago, cehern said:Ive had a strange few weeks. I went on vacation last month and shortly after caught Covid. I somehow cleared completely up for around 3 weeks thinking maybe I figured out some type of regimen. I wasnt doing anything new or different that I can think of. Shortly after, I had a dentist appointment for the replacement of a crown. Within two days after that, the acne pustules came back with a vengeance. Im so fed up with this. Im probably just going the Accutane route. Im tired of wasting my money on all sorts of different creams, sulfur soaps, acupuncture, Blue light lazer, etc., etc., etc. I hope some of you succeed in finding a regimen. I certainly didnt and I am tired of trying.
I hear you.
For me it has been theunpredictability that makes this condition so mentally exhausting. You are clear one week for seemingly no reason, and then you have 5-10 nasty white pustules for seemingly no reason. Not joking I think I will die at least a few years prematurely due to the tremendous amount of stress from trying to figure out what causes flareups/stressing out over pustules and the red marks left by pustules.
Literally this is the same as the "chronic unpredictable mild stress" model used to induce depression in rodent models:
"The unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) rat model of depression was first proposed by Katz in 1982 and developed further by Papp and Willner (Willner, 2017). The model involvesexposing the animal at unpredictable times over several weeks to a series of minor-intensity stressors."
Not to sound like a broken record - but did you ever commit to trying the BP regimen? Like strictly for at least a couple of weeks?
Again, I have had this for 10 + years and tried everything. You name it, I have tried it. Spent thousands of dollars on creams that didn't work. The only thing that reliably clears my skin is using acne.org 2.5% BP gel on a consistent basis.
Before you go on Accutane again (and I don't blame you for doing so), maybe try the BP regimen I outlined above. A seb derm cream likeBioderma Sensibio DS+ Creme will also aid in the healing process.
My skin is perfect now but I have PTSD from years of dealing with this.
6 hours ago, GrumpyPainter said:I hear you.
For me it has been theunpredictability that makes this condition so mentally exhausting. You are clear one week for seemingly no reason, and then you have 5-10 nasty white pustules for seemingly no reason. Not joking I think I will die at least a few years prematurely due to the tremendous amount of stress from trying to figure out what causes flareups/stressing out over pustules and the red marks left by pustules.
Literally this is the same as the "chronic unpredictable mild stress" model used to induce depression in rodent models:
"The unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) rat model of depression was first proposed by Katz in 1982 and developed further by Papp and Willner (Willner, 2017). The model involvesexposing the animal at unpredictable times over several weeks to a series of minor-intensity stressors."
Not to sound like a broken record - but did you ever commit to trying the BP regimen? Like strictly for at least a couple of weeks?
Again, I have had this for 10 + years and tried everything. You name it, I have tried it. Spent thousands of dollars on creams that didn't work. The only thing that reliably clears my skin is using acne.org 2.5% BP gel on a consistent basis.
Before you go on Accutane again (and I don't blame you for doing so), maybe try the BP regimen I outlined above. A seb derm cream likeBioderma Sensibio DS+ Creme will also aid in the healing process.
My skin is perfect now but I have PTSD from years of dealing with this.
Definitely tried the BP regimen. My derm currently has me on Tacrolimus to test out whether it is Perioral Dermatitis. I also apply BP in the morning and do the Tacro at night. I think I need to clean up my diet as well and reduce my stress. I was in a Mexican small town last month where I didnt have access to all my usual junk food and when I got back home, I cleared up to a manageable level and I was really excited. Ive been trying to think what in the world I did differently. I was down to maybe 2 to 3 pimples which would be fine with me for around 3 weeks. I was so happy and thought I finally figured it out. Then it all just came back and was so heartbroken.
I hear you about the ups and downs. Its not good for us and no way it can be healthy. I think thats why Ill probably just take the plunge to Accutane. My mood is completely different when I clear up as opposed to when I am breaking out. I kinda retreat away from family/friends because of it. Maybe this third time on Accutane will do the trick. The last time I was on it I was 20 years old (43 now) so I resisted taking it again for a really long time. It started when I was around 14 so its 29 years of dealing with this
Thank you for the kinds words. Nice to know others have been in the same boat as me.
1 hour ago, cehern said:Definitely tried the BP regimen. My derm currently has me on Tacrolimus to test out whether it is Perioral Dermatitis. I also apply BP in the morning and do the Tacro at night. I think I need to clean up my diet as well and reduce my stress. I was in a Mexican small town last month where I didnt have access to all my usual junk food and when I got back home, I cleared up to a manageable level and I was really excited. Ive been trying to think what in the world I did differently. I was down to maybe 2 to 3 pimples which would be fine with me for around 3 weeks. I was so happy and thought I finally figured it out. Then it all just came back and was so heartbroken.
I hear you about the ups and downs. Its not good for us and no way it can be healthy. I think thats why Ill probably just take the plunge to Accutane. My mood is completely different when I clear up as opposed to when I am breaking out. I kinda retreat away from family/friends because of it. Maybe this third time on Accutane will do the trick. The last time I was on it I was 20 years old (43 now) so I resisted taking it again for a really long time. It started when I was around 14 so its 29 years of dealing with this
Thank you for the kinds words. Nice to know others have been in the same boat as me.
Can I ask you if your breakouts started before or after you took accutane for the first time? Cause I had bad cystic acne for years, finally took accutane for that, and it cleared my acne but this problem started after. Im convinced accutane caused this for me. Also, not trying to scare you out of trying it again, just curious cause I suspected this and I read another person on here who suspects the same. Also, how do you guys feel about probiotics? Ive heard some people on here say it makes it worse, but for mine I suspect a yeast issue, which of course probiotics are a first line measure for to bring back good bacteria. Grumpypainter, Ive done a culture on some of the whiteheads one time and it came back all negative for bacteria. So I dont know if that means I am not dealing with any bacterial infection, or if the test was just inaccurate. Im really glad you found something that keeps you completely clear! Glad there is a success story for at least one of us on here lol. Mine also occurs not just around my mouth/chin, but sometimes on my nose(not under but on the sides), and down my neck, which is why I further suspect fungal issue because idk if the nose/bacteria issues would travel down to my neck as well.
11 minutes ago, Downshift636 said:Can I ask you if your breakouts started before or after you took accutane for the first time? Cause I had bad cystic acne for years, finally took accutane for that, and it cleared my acne but this problem started after. Im convinced accutane caused this for me. Also, not trying to scare you out of trying it again, just curious cause I suspected this and I read another person on here who suspects the same. Also, how do you guys feel about probiotics? Ive heard some people on here say it makes it worse, but for mine I suspect a yeast issue, which of course probiotics are a first line measure for to bring back good bacteria.
My breakouts were bad even before Accutane. The only thing I noticed was when the breakouts came back, I started breaking out in the back of my neck/hair line. I never had that before Accutane. I think my heavy use of antibiotics for years caused this for me. Im much older now and I breakout with around 10 or so pimples in my mouth area and around 6 to 10 in my hairline. Although this is frustrating, its nowhere close to my acne from 20 years ago. This is my glimmer of hope Accutane will take care of it for me. Im going to do my best to stay stress free, avoid sugar/dairy, etc. My dermatologist appointment is in 6 weeks and I wont change the date. Sometimes I get emotional over it and want to take the plunge right now but I will wait and do my best to decrease it. Accutane is not fun while you are on it and I would rather avoid it.
Honestly I would say to try the probiotics. I notice a pattern in this thread where people find something that works for them and tell people they found a cure. Thats ridiculous. We are all different and we have to experiment ourselves to see what works for us.