sorry to hear your experience. I know what it is like being on all sorts of anti biotics (doxy, mino, etc etc) for them to work/not work make things worse etc. I think it may be the differin cream, as this has been known to cause lots of purging before it clears. I've read great things about it, and on the other hand heard some really bad stories.. thats why when I got prescribed it by a derm I decided to not use it and let my body heal and changed my diet etc

Could you post a photo?

Are you on doxy now and using diff?

Oh gosh I just read some reviews on differin and it looks like it does purge your skin. I'm going to try not using it this week and ill see what happens. Keeping my fingers crossed, thanks for your input. I still have some financea left so I'm going to try that instead. I'll keep you posted!

is financea 'skinoren'? (alzeliac acid?) if so, yes use that in conjunction with the doxy and get into a good gentle skin cleanse routine, i.e cetaphil (the antibacterial bar soap) (apaz better than the pump version)

And see how you go.. also cut sugar out of your diet, trust me on that one. Sugar causes inflammation in the body and ages skin fast.

I think doing these changes will help. And yes differin is notorious for causing red spotty skin, apparently for up to 3 months... no thanks! (although its a turtle race one could say)

Your story sounds similar to mine...how old are you? I am 30 and have been on topicals, antibiotics and birth control on and off (mostly on!) for ten years trying to control my acne. It was well controlled for 4 years with Yaz and benzoyl peroxide but when I stopped taking the birth control last year, my skin went crazy. I went back on the Yaz with no improvement and my acne quickly progressed to severe body acne, moderate facial acne. My dermatologist put me on oral and topical antibiotics last fall (including doxycycline) and my acne did get worse for a couple of months. It didn't clear me completely, especially the body acne, so I eventually broke down and started Accutane. I recently completed my course and now my skin is clear. I'm hoping it lasts... Have you tried birth control? That might be another option in trying to avoid Accutane in case the antibiotic doesn't come through for you but I would give it a good three months, sometimes it takes several months to see results with antibiotics (or any other acne med for that matter). Hang in there, you're not the only one who's been through this. It can be excruciating at the time but you will get through it and when you look back, it will just be another bump in the road.

tbh i'm thinking if i could re wind the clock i'd have just gone on accutane, then i wouldn't have gone through all those extra unneeded years of bad skin and wouldn't have picked my skin causing damage now..

Reason I say that is because I rarely hear stories of where accutane "didnt' work..

is it really that bad of a drug that means absolutely everything must be tried first?

It has the risk of some pretty serious side effects. Even though they are relatively rare, if you can get your acne under control with a medication that's not as hard on your body, it's for the best. And a lot of people do outgrow their acne so if you can take a birth control pill or antibiotic to get you through a rough patch, those meds are often easier to tolerate and don't have the risks associated with them that Accutane does. Of course, if your acne is severe or cystic Accutane is probably your best bet from the get-go if you don't have any contraindications. A lot of people think of it as a quick fix and for some it is, but for others it is a difficult drug to take and for others still it can have serious consequences and that's why it should be carefully considered and not the first choice for most people.

Well, my dr told me a year ago she would never even consider putting me on accutane. Now, it's her solution. Don't eat me wrong my eyes lit up at the thought of a cure for my acne. I've done my research and I want to take it, my mom is very against it but its my life, and my money. My dr was concerned that I already have dry skin, and accutane would make it much worse, and that I don't have cystic acne, just whiteheads that surface and heal the next day. Also, being that I'm 21, I would have to make some sacrifices, like drinking and I'm going to jamacia in the fall so not only no booze but no sun either. Regardless, I'll take it if that's what it comes down to! I've been on birth control for a few years now and it has had no affect on my acne. Also, I eat religiously well I haven't had dairy in over a year, i stick to soy products. i also rarely eat sugar products, maybe once a month ill have a dessert of some sort. Fruits and veggies is practically it. I also exercise daily and drink nearly a gallon of water a day. It sounds shallow, but my appearance is so very important to me. i switched to finacea so hopefully that'll work short term. I have two months til I can go on accutane so I guess I'll just have to stick it out. Thanks so much for your comments guys, really made me feel a lot better about the situation... Also feeling hopeful about my switch to finacea.

hey Dixiegirl123 , I read your earlier posts and I agree about the topicals causing the problems. I would abandon completely.i was on accutane 2 different times only had mild benefit while on them and moderate to severe acne returned 2 days sfter courses of.my reason for writing this is to give u a better immediate solution.if u take 400 mg of ibuprofen DIRECTLY with both doses of doxycycline daily(800 mg total a day) your acne willl disappear into nothing, trust me I have done it for over 10 years with incredible results.topicals only made my acne worse.if u do switch antibiotics iin future if u get resistance to doxycycline ask your dr. To put u on a cephalosporin like Duricef 500 mg twice a day and take the ibuprofen directly with that.

I know how you feel! I am 21 also and my skin is hideous - stress and switching contraception pills and eventually coming off them altogether seem to be the cause. I have always had the odd spot, but now it seems to be full blown acne. My face is covered in red marks and they're is always a spot forming, I'm never just clear. I'm currently on Oxytetracycline after trying Lymecycline, Doxycycline, Retin-A, Benzol Peroxide, you name it - everything.

I know how you feel in regards to feeling embarrassed and almost like your not good enough around your boyfriend - I have the same. He's a looker and at the moment, I almost live in fear he's just going to wake up one morning, take a look at me and be like eurgh, but he's great about it. Acne dictates my life at the moment, it is the only thing that bothers me. First thought in the morning and last thought in the evening. You really aren't alone. You try all these mad facemasks, like lemon and eggwhites, because it was someone else's miracle cure, but it just never sorts you out.

I know this sounds daft, but just try and be comfortable in your skin as it is at the moment. As much as you despise it, just try. In many years time when you are fresh faced and clear, you will wonder why you wasted the most important part of your life upset and depressed because of acne. Trust me, easier said than done right? I have days where I cry myself to sleep, then other days I am positive. But just try. You're in your prime at the moment, hiding in your room isn't going to create memories!

Good luck with your new regime - wishing you all the best. I have my dermatologist appointment in 3 weeks - unfortunately, roaccutane isn't an option for me, but hopefully they can whisk something up!

I know how you feel! I am 21 also and my skin is hideous - stress and switching contraception pills and eventually coming off them altogether seem to be the cause. I have always had the odd spot, but now it seems to be full blown acne. My face is covered in red marks and they're is always a spot forming, I'm never just clear. I'm currently on Oxytetracycline after trying Lymecycline, Doxycycline, Retin-A, Benzol Peroxide, you name it - everything.

I know how you feel in regards to feeling embarrassed and almost like your not good enough around your boyfriend - I have the same. He's a looker and at the moment, I almost live in fear he's just going to wake up one morning, take a look at me and be like eurgh, but he's great about it. Acne dictates my life at the moment, it is the only thing that bothers me. First thought in the morning and last thought in the evening. You really aren't alone. You try all these mad facemasks, like lemon and eggwhites, because it was someone else's miracle cure, but it just never sorts you out.

I know this sounds daft, but just try and be comfortable in your skin as it is at the moment. As much as you despise it, just try. In many years time when you are fresh faced and clear, you will wonder why you wasted the most important part of your life upset and depressed because of acne. Trust me, easier said than done right? I have days where I cry myself to sleep, then other days I am positive. But just try. You're in your prime at the moment, hiding in your room isn't going to create memories!

Good luck with your new regime - wishing you all the best. I have my dermatologist appointment in 3 weeks - unfortunately, roaccutane isn't an option for me, but hopefully they can whisk something up!

ughh! thats exactly how i feel! now i know i should have just appreciated the skin i had before loading myself with medication! it has made it ten times worse. its difficult right now to be comfortable in my own skin knowing that my skin wasnt like this a month ago. i keep telling myself just get through this month and things will turn around, but its so difficult. i wish i had your attitude, i dont go a day without throwing myself a pitty party and dramatic sobbing session. i havent gone out with friends in two weeks, and just going to work is difficult. its nice to know someone else feels the same about their boyfriend. I actually was crying in my boyfriends arms today and i said "i just dont understand what i did to deserve this". I talked to him about accutane and my concerns but that i think i was going to do it. He told me that if i do go on the medication he would stop drinking all together and be my support system, im so lucky. thanks for your comment, talking about it really helps with all the emotional stuff that comes with acne.

hey Dixiegirl123 , I read your earlier posts and I agree about the topicals causing the problems. I would abandon completely.i was on accutane 2 different times only had mild benefit while on them and moderate to severe acne returned 2 days sfter courses of.my reason for writing this is to give u a better immediate solution.if u take 400 mg of ibuprofen DIRECTLY with both doses of doxycycline daily(800 mg total a day) your acne willl disappear into nothing, trust me I have done it for over 10 years with incredible results.topicals only made my acne worse.if u do switch antibiotics iin future if u get resistance to doxycycline ask your dr. To put u on a cephalosporin like Duricef 500 mg twice a day and take the ibuprofen directly with that.

i have heard about ibuprofen before for acne. i will definatly try that, thanks for the tip!

Oh trust me, I'm not positive all the time. I do the same most times, pity party and dramatic sobbing sessions, get myself all glammed up for a night out only to start crying and call it off - but then I am always gutted I missed out on a good night and good laughs because of my skin, which is probably worse as I am allowing it to dictate my life so much. I always cry to my boyfriend - it doesn't help that his skin is flawless! My friends don't understand it at all, they all have perfect skin and they just don't understand that why at 21 I have full blown acne. Not their fault though I guess, they're just not educated on it, they have never needed to be. I thought about accutane but the mental health side effects terrify me more so than the physical side effects. As much as I can be depressed with my skin, I'm not suicidal. But hey, everyone is different. I agree, talking about it with someone who suffers the same gives some kind of relief. I have the same issue too - I was looking at pictures from last year and there isn't a single blemish on my face - and that is when I thought I had bad skin because it was oily and ever so faintly scarred from previous pimples. Little did I know that all that crap I was putting on my face and in my body to 'heal' my invisible acne would cause it to become worse....

So I've been off differin for 2 days now, no new pimples, but I still have a mess left over from the past 3 weeks. Luckily my skin heals fast and knock on wood but as I have had acne for 8 years now, I have never scarred. It's strange but what should be a small scar turns into a little freckle, which I have a ton of so it ends up being kind of cute in a sick way. Anyway I actually think in a few days ill be able to face the world again without feeling like crap. Also, finacea always evens out my skin tone so its not bright red anymore, thank god. I'm still thinking about accutane to just put an end to this mess, although I heard for some girls spiro can be a miracle cure. I actually really think I do have hormonal acne because it was always clustered on my chin and around my mouth which is a sign that it could be hormonal. We'll see in a month when I go back to the dermetologist. Oh also, my sister is 10 months older than me and her skin has been looking so much better lately, I'm so jealous! But more importantly I'm thinking there could be a light at the end of the tunnel as our skin is so similar, we are almost identical. And my older brother has beautiful skin now, he's 24. Just thinking about it gets me excited.

Oh trust me, I'm not positive all the time. I do the same most times, pity party and dramatic sobbing sessions, get myself all glammed up for a night out only to start crying and call it off - but then I am always gutted I missed out on a good night and good laughs because of my skin, which is probably worse as I am allowing it to dictate my life so much. I always cry to my boyfriend - it doesn't help that his skin is flawless! My friends don't understand it at all, they all have perfect skin and they just don't understand that why at 21 I have full blown acne. Not their fault though I guess, they're just not educated on it, they have never needed to be. I thought about accutane but the mental health side effects terrify me more so than the physical side effects. As much as I can be depressed with my skin, I'm not suicidal. But hey, everyone is different. I agree, talking about it with someone who suffers the same gives some kind of relief. I have the same issue too - I was looking at pictures from last year and there isn't a single blemish on my face - and that is when I thought I had bad skin because it was oily and ever so faintly scarred from previous pimples. Little did I know that all that crap I was putting on my face and in my body to 'heal' my invisible acne would cause it to become worse....