Hey everyone! As it is my first post i'd like to kind of introduce myself. I'm 17 years old and for sixteen years I have had pretty much flawless skin and by 'flawless' I mean one-two small pimples a month, only on my forehead (mainly because I have straight long bangs). Everything has changed about a year ago. Suddenly I started getting a lot of small inflamed spots all over my face and also some on my back and chest. It was never a lot - some poeple wouldn't even call it acne, only "normal teenage zits". So my skin problem is considered small. But it has really ruined my life.
When I look in the mirror I don't see myself anymore. I see a deformed, disgusting monster. I spend 3/4 of my time crying and hating myself. I'm always anxious, scared and tired and I cannot love myself anymore, even though before acne started I never really cared for my looks and I liked myself because of my other traits. About five months ago I began teraphy and I was diagnosed with a serious case of BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder). I struggle with it all the time but my acne is getting worse and worse - for the first time in my life I had two of those painful red bumps that you cannot pop and that do not disappear after three days (most of the pimples I had before did). I'm afraid that I'll not survive this "normal teenage skin" without ruining my own life. I don't want to waste this time. I don't want my beloved boyfriend to suffer with me as I have less and less self-esteem. I'll continue my therapy but I'm afraid that without making my skin better it would be worthless.
I tried various topical antibiotics like erythromycin and clindamycin. With the first one everything was perfect for a while but when I got off it things became even worse than before. I also tried azelaic acid, benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid - nothing has really worked. My derm said that if acne is causing me so much emotional pain, I should consider Accutane (not actually Accutane, it's called different in my country but I guess it's exactly the same). She said something about very small doses: that because my acne is really mild and mostly comedonal I wouldn't take a full dose of Accutane, only 15mg a week ("normal" Accutane dose would be around 40mg a day). She said that I probably won't experience any side effects or an initial breakout. What worries me is that there's no concrete duration for taking Accutane like this. My derm said that I will be able to take it as long as I want - that means until puberty ends and my skin gets better. I don't want to be dependent on an oral drug because I'm afraid of the effect it will have on my health (the liver, etc). Also, I'm afraid that Accutane will only make things worse for mild acne or that such a small dose will not do anything at all. But on the other hand, I'm really desperate. My life's a nightmare and it's getting more and more difficult to handle.
Anyone knows anything about small dose Accutane treatment or Accutane treatment for mild acne? I would be really glad to hear something about it. And I'm sorry for my English - I'm not a native speaker so my post might be full of mistakes. Sorry, I did my best c:
you search on the internet for simple liver detox methods. for example, drop some lemon in warm water and drink 4 cups before breakfasts. don't go fasting detox method for liver because it requires more attention and ultimate knowledge, just do simple detox methods and eat healthy for your liver and cholestrol, search for healthy foods, liver and cholestrol friendly foods. also i dont think such a low dose will effect so much. drink plenty of water during day. i think 2 litres of water is good. read some personal development books and do yoga to feel positive. there is a topic on low dose accutane usage now on the accutane section on the forum. read on.