Acne.org Products
Hi all.
I took a 2 year hiatus from this forum but my acne never went away during this time. I'm 28 now and I can't believe I've been battling cystic acne for 17 years. When I think of ALL the money I spent on creams, gels, face masks, antibiotics, face washes, moisturisers, sunscreens, pills, pillow cases, shampoos and god knows what else - all in an effort to cure/minimize my acne, it's just mind-blowing.
I always repeat this but when I started getting acne at 11, everyone said by the time I finished high school it would stop. When I finished high school everyone said it'll stop when I finish uni. When I finished uni they said by the time I'm 25 it'll be gone. Well 25 came and went 3 years ago and here I am... still sitting in bed, complaining about acne at 3:30 in the morning. Sometimes acne has no effect on me. It's been there for so long that I can't even have any feeling towards it. My youth was destroyed... it's gone. I'm almost 30 and as a woman you know that once you hit 30 it's all about "regaining your youth", well... there's nothing to regain so I guess there's that?? Other days I will literally sit on the edge of the bath tub and just cry. I just wonder why me? Everyone around me got better, with little to no effort. I have friends who eat nothing but junk food, who are severely overweight with perfect skin. I have other friends who still sleep with their make up on - not one break out. Other friends who don't wash their face and other's who do. I know people who literally use oil on their skin to "maintain their youth" and nothing happens. Here I am... 17 years later, having tried every diet, every pill, every routine ranging from the caveman regimen to serious, aggressive regimens and nothing. I'm cursed.
I'm not looking for advice. I probably have tried what you could recommend and I probably know a lot about it too. I've seen so many specialists - I always get "normally this works on everyone else". I guess that's what I am now - a lost cause. Who cares anyway... my skin is damaged beyond repair. If tomorrow I woke up and my acne was magically gone the emotional acne would still be there. I would still see imperfections in the mirror - hell, I would probably see acne that doesn't exist. Some cysts on my face have been there 7 months - I'm surprised I don't see a cyst burned into my retina. Acne is my life. I dedicated the most amount of time to it - more than to anything else. It's who I am. I am acne.
i'm so sorry you have struggled this long. acne is definitely a curse and the only thing we can do is try to manage it or tone it down. did you have success with Roaccutane in 2003? if so , maybe you should give it another go . acne is devastating for me as well but i only started suffering badly this year. if you are okay with taking medication and don't mind side effects, your best bets are probably roaccutane or hormonal control like BCP and or spiro. they will most likely help your acne - its just the side effects of these meds can be troublesome for some people
I can relate as well. I am going to be 28 next month, and am pretty much the only guy in my age range that I see with acne.
14 years of dermatologists, antibiotics, all of the retinoids, the acne.org regimen numerous times, diet changes (paleo, no dairy, no gluten, etc) have only provided marginal, temporary results.
At this point, slathering as much BP on my face as I can provides the best results, but I am still not clear and it is bleaching my hair and eyebrows like crazy.
Maybe by the time we turn 30 we will clear, but I wouldn't bank on it at this point.
Hey, looking at your routine I can tell you that it is way too harsh... as you might know by now: acne is an infection caused by a bacteria that proliferates in unbalanced skin. I am sure it is your case, seeing what you are putting on your skin. Be more gentle and you'll get the benefits.
As a reference, I posted here my routine:
I don't use make up on a daily basis (during day I use only lipstick and sometimes mascara). My skin is radiant, without any acne, so no need of masking it 
Good luck!