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Hi all,
I've come here in hopes of finding someone who can at least point me in the right direction in curing some of the issues I've been plagued on-and-off by for a few years. I'm 22 years old.
Problem 1: It seems to be irregular, but once a month or so for about 1-2 weeks I get a massive breakout of whiteheads. For example, when I wake up I notice between 10-20 new ones centered around my nose and spreading out to my cheeks, upper lip (and sometimes lower), inside of my nose, between the eyebrows and a few on my forehead. They seem to pop up during the day, but I notice the greatest increase right after waking up. These seem to clear up eventually without any acute treatment.
Recently this has become so bad that the "creases" around my nostrils where my cheeks meet my nose have become raw and for a couple days was releasing a fairly slow, but constant, flow of puss that would scab over until the moment I yawned/smiled/opened my mouth wide. This seemed to clear up when I was very diligent about the use of both Desert Essence products (mentioned below), but it's still red, raw and there are continually whiteheads lining the "crease" around my nostrils.
Problem 2: Probably related, but these areas (nose, cheeks and upper lip) vary from itching to burning every day. The itching can be as severe as feeling like I have poison oak on my face to small tickles throughout the day. The burning seems to interchange with the itching and will cause a great deal of redness and inflammation. Burning seems to especially coincide with sleeping - I'll wake up sometimes and visually notice and feel my face is "puffy" in the areas around my nose. The itching is constant (and I attribute part, if not all, of it to Methadone; I'll cover that below) and the puffiness/burning seems to come and go with the outbreaks.
Problem 3: I sometimes get these nasty irritations (the best I could describe them as being persistent zits) that occur only one at a time. They usually become very large, can become quite painful and continually become a large whitehead for about a week to a week and a half. Popping them is pointless; they just come right back. It'll usually clear up within two weeks without any acute treatment.
Problem 4: I'm fairly certain this is unrelated to acne in any way but I figured I would mention it. I have terribly dry skin on my face and upper back; within 30 minutes of stepping out of the shower my face feels very tight. My skin then becomes very oily, very quickly, so it's a difficult battle to fight. I have also been diagnosed with seborrhea on my face and chest (polar opposite from the dryness), but it's become fairly under control once I realized what causes it.
Diet: I'll admit, my diet sucks. I'm currently 6'2" and 135lbs due to various medical conditions and lack of appetite. I usually eat once or twice a day but eat enough to keep my weight steady (I've been between 135-145lbs for nearly 7 years) and try to eat as healthy as possible. I have not noticed any relationship between what I eat and outbreaks, though I certainly wouldn't rule it out.
Daily Activities: Because most of my leisure activities and work constitute sitting in front of a computer monitor, that's usually how I spend 18 hours of each day. I've probably spent 95% of the last 7 years indoors in dark rooms so I wouldn't be surprised if lack of sunlight had anything to do with this.
Medications: I am currently taking very small doses of Methadone three times a day: 1.25mg in the morning, 1.25mg in the afternoon and 2.5mg before bed. I realize a common side-effect of this is itching, and I am currently in the process of weaning myself off of it. I was also prescribed Monocycline (100mg once a day) for my seborrhea but I'm having a hard time telling if it's actually doing anything.
Skin Care Products:
- Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub (oil free) - I use this in the shower with a sponge to clear away any dead skin.
- Comodynes "oats" Make-up Remover Towels, face and eyes for sensitive and dry skin - I use this at night when I don't shower to get rid of the excess oil on my face.
- Desert Essence Throughly Clean Face Wash (with tea tree and awapuhi) - I use this in the shower after using the Neutrogena scrub to get rid of the excess oil.
- Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil - I just recently got this from a friend and haven't had a chance to use it but a few times. I've applied it after I've gotten out of the shower and MAN does this stuff burn and smell bad!
Notes: I have seemingly incredibly sensitive skin when compared to anybody else I know. I have yet to find a real rhyme or reason behind these problems. I realize Methadone causes itching with causes me to unconsciously touch my face which in turn causes some of the acne...but it can get really absurd to the point where I don't even want to leave the house. It seems like a futile battle and the only way of winning is to let it do its thing and it'll pass (and come again) eventually.
My current outbreak seemed to coincide with dropping my Methadone dosage and has continued at a steady pace for about a week now. I would assume this is the major factor but I have yet to find a source that says Methadone is a cause of acne/whiteheads/etc.
I realize this is a ton of information and a lot of problems but ANY help and ANY direction anybody can point me in would be really helpful.
Thanks.
The itching sounds like your allergic to something. It could be something you're using or it's just irritating your face. Have you tried taking Bendryl or Claritin and see if it relieves it?
By the way, i am thinking about trying Tea Tree Oil. Has it worked for you?
Thanks!
The itching sounds like your allergic to something. It could be something you're using or it's just irritating your face. Have you tried taking Bendryl or Claritin and see if it relieves it?
By the way, i am thinking about trying Tea Tree Oil. Has it worked for you?
Thanks!
I'm currently making a list of all things that I might be allergic to but I'm still a bit stumped. So far the only thing I can think of is using bits of toilet paper as "cloth" to remove any whiteheads/whatever else happens to be on my face. Probably not the brightest idea, and I know I've been doing it for years. I haven't tried Bendryl lately, and Claritin knocks me out something fierce; I can't handle that stuff. I'll check out Bendryl however.
Like I said in my original post I've only had a chance to try the Tea Tree Oil about half a dozen times so far. It seems to have cleared up the really serious stuff going on around my nose, but I can't say for certain how much.
try supplementing with fish oil(omega3) caps, minimum of 3000mg a day. It made my oilyness go away 100% in 2 weeks. it might for you too
I'll look into it, thanks.
Hmm, are those available over the counter or prescription-only?
Oh and that reminds me I've also been using Fluticasone (generic for Cutivate) that was prescribed at the same time as the Minocycline. I use it every now and then when my seborrhea acts up but was told not to use it all the time because it causes thinning of the skin. I have used it quite frequently in the areas around my nose as well as my forehead...could this maybe be a contributing factor as well?
I also have Ketoconazole cream in my cabinet, but haven't used it since the Cutivate was prescribed.
Hey Chos, i have the exact same symptoms as you!
Well some others too which makes me think i may have psoriasis... but everything you've listed is indentical to me.
Tell me, have you found any cures yet?
On 10/03/2007 at 2:20 PM, chos said:Hi all,
I've come here in hopes of finding someone who can at least point me in the right direction in curing some of the issues I've been plagued on-and-off by for a few years. I'm 22 years old.
Problem 1: It seems to be irregular, but once a month or so for about 1-2 weeks I get a massive breakout of whiteheads. For example, when I wake up I notice between 10-20 new ones centered around my nose and spreading out to my cheeks, upper lip (and sometimes lower), inside of my nose, between the eyebrows and a few on my forehead. They seem to pop up during the day, but I notice the greatest increase right after waking up. These seem to clear up eventually without any acute treatment.
Recently this has become so bad that the "creases" around my nostrils where my cheeks meet my nose have become raw and for a couple days was releasing a fairly slow, but constant, flow of puss that would scab over until the moment I yawned/smiled/opened my mouth wide. This seemed to clear up when I was very diligent about the use of both Desert Essence products (mentioned below), but it's still red, raw and there are continually whiteheads lining the "crease" around my nostrils.
Problem 2: Probably related, but these areas (nose, cheeks and upper lip) vary from itching to burning every day. The itching can be as severe as feeling like I have poison oak on my face to small tickles throughout the day. The burning seems to interchange with the itching and will cause a great deal of redness and inflammation. Burning seems to especially coincide with sleeping - I'll wake up sometimes and visually notice and feel my face is "puffy" in the areas around my nose. The itching is constant (and I attribute part, if not all, of it to Methadone; I'll cover that below) and the puffiness/burning seems to come and go with the outbreaks.
Problem 3: I sometimes get these nasty irritations (the best I could describe them as being persistent zits) that occur only one at a time. They usually become very large, can become quite painful and continually become a large whitehead for about a week to a week and a half. Popping them is pointless; they just come right back. It'll usually clear up within two weeks without any acute treatment.
Problem 4: I'm fairly certain this is unrelated to acne in any way but I figured I would mention it. I have terribly dry skin on my face and upper back; within 30 minutes of stepping out of the shower my face feels very tight. My skin then becomes very oily, very quickly, so it's a difficult battle to fight. I have also been diagnosed with seborrhea on my face and chest (polar opposite from the dryness), but it's become fairly under control once I realized what causes it.
Diet: I'll admit, my diet sucks. I'm currently 6'2" and 135lbs due to various medical conditions and lack of appetite. I usually eat once or twice a day but eat enough to keep my weight steady (I've been between 135-145lbs for nearly 7 years) and try to eat as healthy as possible. I have not noticed any relationship between what I eat and outbreaks, though I certainly wouldn't rule it out.
Daily Activities: Because most of my leisure activities and work constitute sitting in front of a computer monitor, that's usually how I spend 18 hours of each day. I've probably spent 95% of the last 7 years indoors in dark rooms so I wouldn't be surprised if lack of sunlight had anything to do with this.
Medications: I am currently taking very small doses of Methadone three times a day: 1.25mg in the morning, 1.25mg in the afternoon and 2.5mg before bed. I realize a common side-effect of this is itching, and I am currently in the process of weaning myself off of it. I was also prescribed Monocycline (100mg once a day) for my seborrhea but I'm having a hard time telling if it's actually doing anything.
Skin Care Products:
- Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub (oil free) - I use this in the shower with a sponge to clear away any dead skin.
- Comodynes "oats" Make-up Remover Towels, face and eyes for sensitive and dry skin - I use this at night when I don't shower to get rid of the excess oil on my face.
- Desert Essence Throughly Clean Face Wash (with tea tree and awapuhi) - I use this in the shower after using the Neutrogena scrub to get rid of the excess oil.
- Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil - I just recently got this from a friend and haven't had a chance to use it but a few times. I've applied it after I've gotten out of the shower and MAN does this stuff burn and smell bad!
Notes: I have seemingly incredibly sensitive skin when compared to anybody else I know. I have yet to find a real rhyme or reason behind these problems. I realize Methadone causes itching with causes me to unconsciously touch my face which in turn causes some of the acne...but it can get really absurd to the point where I don't even want to leave the house. It seems like a futile battle and the only way of winning is to let it do its thing and it'll pass (and come again) eventually.
My current outbreak seemed to coincide with dropping my Methadone dosage and has continued at a steady pace for about a week now. I would assume this is the major factor but I have yet to find a source that says Methadone is a cause of acne/whiteheads/etc.
I realize this is a ton of information and a lot of problems but ANY help and ANY direction anybody can point me in would be really helpful.
Thanks.
It's crazy because I'm dealing with the exact same shit. Not a single difference but I treat it in other ways. BTW I came here to know the cure to the burning sensations on my skin after exfoliating on my chin where I have the most whiteheads. Actually, I can only see whitheads on my chin.
