Im 18 and have been dealing with this for YEARS now and when i finally get it off my face, the acne comes back even harder on my back and now every F**king day, self confidence gets lower and lower and lower from where its already low point is seeing this disease on my back. Half of what I think in my head is about these scars and the nodular bumps on my back. Im going on vacation in about a month and a half and the stupid dermatologist doesn't help at all by making my first appointment AFTER i get back. Im seeing the doctor next week to ask to go on accutane because I can't deal with this ANYMORE! I hate it ! i just f**king hate it! But i need to know what to do NOW since nobody else is helping me to reduce the appearance of the these scars before I go on vacation. Because its either gonna be get rid of them in a month and half or sit on the beach in the shade with a shirt on for 2 weeks and not go in the water at all (or basically ruin the whole trip). PLEASE I NEED HELP.
have you tried Dan's back regimen? if you can't use BP, the AHA+ alone is magical. I have been using just the AHA+ from this site for a year and a half. It won't make it go away in a month in a half, but it will definitely help get it under control and fade the older marks. I think the BP and AHA+ combo would be great for you, just don't know if you want to take the time for both and bleach your clothes. also your skin is going to be sensitive with this stuff, so make sure you use a sunblock at the beach. (oil free & noncomedogenic of course =) )
okay from now until the trip you need to eat CLEAN and do a cleanse - exfoliate your back, apply a retinoid nightly and let it do its thing. If you play a sport, or work out, DO NOT let your sweat dry into your skin, this is so important. Unsure if you are still in high school or not but if u play a sport, go right to the locker room and shower, and put a clean shirt on, get that sweat off your back.
Avoid SUGAR completely until the trip - and id also suggest gluten and limited dairy...
eat only things like
brown rice
sweet potatoes/regular potatoes
chicken, fish, beef,
LOTS of veggies
limited fruit - like apples and thats it
eggs
goat cheese dairy
almond milk for a substitute or soy milk (but be careful with soy also - do not over do it there)
even limit corn products can help
and stay away from anything processed - chips, pretzels, crackers, etc
suggestions for the day (makes it easier to see that its do-able)
bfast
omelet in the morning with tomato, onion, mushrooms, baby spinach, turkey bacon... things like that
or just a GF cereal with almond milk (chex or GF)
i still eat yogurt because of the probiotics but that is the only dairy i try to ingest
apple with peanut butter or with honey
Lunch
big salads including spinach, tuna, avacados, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.
you can put grilled chicken, etc. hard boiled eggs, olives
Dinner
any veggie (Green beans, broccoli, carrots, calliflower, etc) i normally put a bag in the micro of frozen veggies
chicken breast with some sort of seasoning - i use the montreal chicken seasoning a lot
baked potato or brown rice - i still use butter
Things will be great - just eat clean, clean your skin immediately after working out, exfoliate once a week, get a retinoid and in a month and a half it will be better.
DRINK A LOT OF WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like a crazy amount
And try your best to stay positiv... stressing will only get in the way
Yeah im still in high school and I do play a sport. I was my back vigorously every other day to keep the dead skin cells off. Then I moisturize and apply Mederma too everyday, which I dont even know if its working. Ill be much happier if I can just get the marks to fade some so there is atleast only a few bad dark ones without all the small light ones. Also, thank you very much for the diet plan too; that will help. And what are BP and AHA+? I just joined this site so I don't know, thank you guys for the great advice again
Oh also, would it be good to go to a tanning booth a few times? I live in maine where my back hasn't seen the sun in like 5 months so I think It would be good for it to see the light once again. Im more worried about all the scars that are there than the current acne, which will go away soon.
Yeah im still in high school and I do play a sport. I was my back vigorously every other day to keep the dead skin cells off. Then I moisturize and apply Mederma too everyday, which I dont even know if its working. Ill be much happier if I can just get the marks to fade some so there is atleast only a few bad dark ones without all the small light ones. Also, thank you very much for the diet plan too; that will help. And what are BP and AHA+? I just joined this site so I don't know, thank you guys for the great advice again
benzoyl peroxide and alpha hydroxy acid. go to the top of the page where it says "acne.org products" and you'll find them there.
id be careful with the tanning bed because you are putting products on your skin - do a search and see if the mederma info suggests to stay out of the sun - if so, put sunscreen on and then tan, it will help dry up some of the possible pimples. A retinoid will help with the redness and the pimples, and i believe its the best thing to help attack it FAST before your trip. If you cant get in with your derm soon, go to your normal doc and ask if he/she can prescribe it for you...