Hey,
I have had acne for 2 and half years, it used to be moderate but now its mild, but now it is affecting me more than it has before because I have had it for so long and its ruining my life. My skin has lots of hyperpigmentation and acne marks now and I still break out most days.
I have combination skin with an oily t-zone; my skin has a tendency to dry out if I use a cleanser that is too harsh so I avoid them. I have large pores on my cheeks and nose.
Basically, I have tried EVERYTHING, and when I say that, I mean it. Every so-called 'miracle' acne treatment found in shops, I have used, nothing has ever worked, even for a little bit, I have constantly had spots on my face for two and a half years; I always use the treatment for at least 2 months to see if it works. I wash my face twice a day with a gentle cleanser, wear non-comedogenic makeup and always remove it before bed. I use a moisturiser morning and night and a sulphur/sulfur based cream under my moisturiser at night,
I have tried two different topical treatments from the doctors; duac and zineryt, neither of them worked, giving each 2 months just to make sure. I have tried antibiotics twice, both times I was on them for over 6 months and I am currently using them and have seen no improvement whatsoever. I have been on the birth control pill, Dianette for over a year and have seen no improvement whatsoever with that.
I feel like I have tried everything and nothing has worked for me. Is it time to go on Accutane/Roaccutane(UK)? I live in the UK, therefore our doctors can't prescribe it and I would have to be referred to a NHS dermatologist, but they only prescribe people with severe acne, but I have mild and persistent acne, which I believe should be treated the same.
Should I beg my doctor to refer me? as I simply cant stand having acne any longer.
Thanks for reading, any suggestions would be great
Hi there,
Let me share my recent experience with the GP who actually referred me to the dermatologist on NHS.
Ive been suffering from acne for past 5 years, and Ive been trying to do something about it for past 2 years. Im currently on my 4th antibiotic called doxycycline which is not working (previously tried tetralysal which worked for 8 months, trimetrophrim no luck, oxytetracyline no luck, and doxycycline now which worked for 1.5 months), also tried topical antibiotics such us isotrex, duac and epiduo.
I went to see a dermatologist privately a few months ago and she said that I needed roaccutane but the treatment plus monthly check ups and blood tests would cost me 1200. I live in London so any treatments done privately cost fortune.
I went to see my GP last Wednesday. I did not have any make up on (horrible experience), as I wanted him to see how my skin looks like. He looked at my medical history and asked me if I knew what my next step was. Obviously I just nodded, almost crying and said roaccutane. He said that hes going to refer me to see the dermatologist. I actually got a phone call from my practice today to let me know that they faxed the referral letter last Thursday and I should hear back from the hospital within next two weeks. I know that Im gonna have to wait for the appointment at least 2-3 months.
Also I dont suffer from sever acne. I get normal zits plus cystic spots that are located on my cheeks and scar like crazy. When I went to see the GP I actually didnt have any active spots just scars after the breakout, which I had 2 weeks before my appointment.
My advice is
- Make a list of all your medications youve been trying
- Go without your make up on (I know its a horrible experience but every single time I would go to see GPs with my make up on, they would just say that there was no need for me to see the dermatologist.)
- Say how badly acne affects you. I didnt want to cry on him but it just happened
Sorry for such a long post. Let me know if youve got any more questions.
Maggie
Ya Im on accutane now and I had acne for like....9 years or so... I'm 21. I had acne for a few years before I did anything about it. Then it started to get cystic, which is really deep in the skin and they last forever and have a higher chance of scarring. Started taking antibiotics, tetracycline, doxycycline, and monocycline, and bactrim. Some of these worked for a little while but they didn't ensure long term success as well as they typically stop working as the bacteria becomes immune. It seemed after I got off my skin would get even worse. It seems like everything I ever did to help my skin only made it worse overall.
Funny thing is the best my skin has ever been the 9 years is when I just woke up and took a shower and didn't use any face wash, never really paid attention to washing my pillow cases, and smoked a lot. Didn't really do anything.
Accutane is kind of saved to be a last resort drug because it has a lot of side effects.
It also can cause a really bad initial breakout, which I have had the joy of experiencing.
So, it really depends on how "mild" your acne is. It may be better to live with the mild acne and try to continue treating it with benzoyl peroxide or something.
Accutane is kind of like russian roulette in my opinion, it's like you will probably be totally fine, but there is that odd chance that something goes wrong. THey do the blood work to keep an eye on things but the medicine isn't that old where everything about it is known and documented.
If it is really affecting you psychologically,that may be your best bet. But doctors are instructed to only provide it for severe cases, because it is a severe drug, do you know what I mean?
Some other things that helped me along the way is when I cut back on dair, I noticed improvement. When I cut back on caffeine, I also noticed improvement. Couldn't hurt to go to the doc and see what they say about it, if you get presecribed you don't have to take it, but worth seeing a professional opinion.