Acne.org Products
Steiner, I looked at these pics and my chin looks exactly like the two pics you mentioned!!!Can you extract anything from these? I can but dont always get whats inside and even if I do they seem to come back..Mine are clustered like this in the crease and in that areas as well. I also have a problem with them in the corners of my mouth that are very tiny and dont stick out at all like the ones in my crease...Are they milia or clogged pores? I have tried exfoliating every day either with a gentle wash cloth or a topical like mandelc and it doesnt help. They say if its mila then extraction is the only way but I can get them out but they still come back with days.
Im exhausted over this and need an answer!!!
Yes I can extract most of them. Not easy to do and leaves red marks. When I stretch my chin ALL MY PORES are visible with the white comedones (I think they are not Milia?????) Not sure what the cure is. Right now Im using bp 10%. Been using it for the past two weeks. I've been on accutane 4 times already, and this is what Im left with. I also will probably try a liver cleanse at some point... So how long have you been using the Mandelic Acid? I was thinking about trying that? Also, where did you buy it?
When I went to the derm for these weird chin bumps, he told me that most were benign keratoses and treated some with electrocautery (which still seems to be healing nicely so far).
He also said the bumps and weird texture in the middle of my chin may be due to "strong chin muscles" pushing out the glands. I read some things online about overdeveloped chin muscles causing lines, bumps, and the funny "orange peel texture" that some people get in the middle of the chin. One of the causes is repeated contraction of the muscles in this area. I am wondering if I got this from manipulating and examining my skin so much around my chin, which I've tended to do since I became more acne and bump prone in this area a few years ago.
The chin acne is not much of a problem at this point, but the remaining bumpiness is still bugging me. I've also read that a few botox injections in the tip of the chin is a very fast and very effective treatment for this problem. Before/after pics seem to confirm its effectiveness.
I think I may ask my derm about it when I go back to get the rest of the keratoses zapped.
Thoughts????
To Willow,
I dont get how botox can help with this in the chin area but the strong chin muscle thing is interesting. I dont ever really remember examing and contorting my chin so closely before I got an outbreak of perioral dermatits back in june of 2009. But now that I think back i dont think it was perioral it was all these oil glands protruding out of my chin and I was so freaked out by them I started extracting them by the hundreds. Everything was so enflamed that I went to my derm and he said it was perioral and gave me doxy. That was the beginning of the end for me. The doxy cleared me up within a week but it has taken me two years to get off the stuff. it never really helped liked it did the first time but I was so dependant on it I was afraid to get off...I have been off for several months now and for a while I thought things were better but now I'm not so sure. Mine are either milia or clogged pores because almost always something can come out of these. It can be a hard plug, a little string that shoots out or a seed like hard grain of some sort. It depends on what area of my chin I'm looking at. I cant remember if you said you get anything out of your chin?
Steiner
Ive used mandelic for at least a year and they dont seem to prevent them but will bring things to the surface more. I have no problem getting the stuff out its the fact that they keep coming back that is frustrating because i feel like im chasing my tail and its a vicious cycle. I was told by a girl that runs the website Garden of Wisdom (thats where I get my mandelic) that I have to stop picking them out and let them come to the surface and fall out on there own. They never seem to. I didnt pick for several days (Wednesday - today) and there were so many that were literally all over my chin and looked like they had white heads in them ready to burst. I applied gentle pressure with my blackhead remover to at least ten of them and they all lifted out nicely but it doesnt matter because they will be back shortly so whats the point!!!! I never know what to apply after i get them out. What will shut down the pore once its empty?
I feel like thats the million dollar question. I was so hoping smoothbeam would help but as of today I'm not feeling as optimistic as I did the other day. I know things take time but it just is getting worse no matter what I try or dont try. I see your using BP, do you think that helps? Also do you notice in the morning they dont seem to look that bad but by afternoon they are more pronounced? Thats what makes me think thats its and oil gland thing. How were these when you were on Accutane?
thanks willow, that kind of helps me dertermine that mine is not sebaceous hyperplasia. I remember in some of your old posts you loved mandelic for clogged pores...does that still help you? Im getting no where with it preventing the buildup I get during the day. Im also questioning whether or not I still need to be on spironolactone anymore. I've recently decreased my dosage and Im not as dry and oily now, just oily. dont know if thats any better..LOL
thanks willow, that kind of helps me dertermine that mine is not sebaceous hyperplasia. I remember in some of your old posts you loved mandelic for clogged pores...does that still help you? Im getting no where with it preventing the buildup I get during the day. Im also questioning whether or not I still need to be on spironolactone anymore. I've recently decreased my dosage and Im not as dry and oily now, just oily. dont know if thats any better..LOL
I do like mandelic a lot. I still use it to spot treat clogged pores and it really seems to help. I don't know if oily is better, it might make you more prone to clogging.
Spots are still healing well. There is still a little bit of redness and flaking, but its less each day. The inflammation is totally gone now. I'm still nervous about getting a bunch done all at once, wish I could just do a few at a time - but that would mean more trips to the derms office. I guess I'll just have to suck it up and look crappy for several days!
willow just noticed you use niacinamide gel mixed in with your spf. What does this help you with?
The reason i ask is I have been taking nicotinamide supplements again after a period that I was off of them and my rosacea has flared something awful again. I thought niancinamide is suppose to be the non flushing form of niacin so im not sure if this recent flare is from that or being outside in the sun for a bit today. Im tomato red right now and even have splotches all over my upper thighs...its weird as i never experieneced this before. I was also using a cleanser by Garden of Wisdom that had niacinamide and a bit of mandelic and it was not good for my face at all..It is suppose to be gentle and is called Rosacea cleanser but it broke me out and made me irritated. It also had coconut in it and that could have been an irritant as well.
willow just noticed you use niacinamide gel mixed in with your spf. What does this help you with?The reason i ask is I have been taking nicotinamide supplements again after a period that I was off of them and my rosacea has flared something awful again. I thought niancinamide is suppose to be the non flushing form of niacin so im not sure if this recent flare is from that or being outside in the sun for a bit today. Im tomato red right now and even have splotches all over my upper thighs...its weird as i never experieneced this before. I was also using a cleanser by Garden of Wisdom that had niacinamide and a bit of mandelic and it was not good for my face at all..It is suppose to be gentle and is called Rosacea cleanser but it broke me out and made me irritated. It also had coconut in it and that could have been an irritant as well.
Just from what I've read from people's experiences with niacinamide, there seems to be mixed reactions to it. Some people get really good results from it - it reduces redness and skin sensitivity through niacinamide's ability to improve skin barrier functioning. I think there is better evidence for the effects of topical niacinamide, but there are a couple of studies that showed some benefits of the oral version for treating acne. Other people seem to have trouble tolerating it though, and it actually irritates their skin, causes redness or bumps, etc. So, its possible that your skin might not tolerate it
I use Metazine Gel, which is 5% niacinamide, 2x a day. I use it for hydration, improvement of skin barrier functioning and redness reduction. My skin seems to love it.
I am wondering if some of the people posting about these mysterious chin bumps have sebaceous hyperplasia (enlarged oil glands)?
Well, it's good to know there is another possible culprit, although it seems lasers will be the ultimate solution no matter what.....
I developed a crop of small, white bumps that seem similar to what others have here. They are on my chin, in a small circle just below the dip in the chin area. They don't get inflamed, they aren't red, and my esthetician says they don't look like acne and they don't extract. I know they aren't scars, because I've had little to no acne in the center of my chin, just the occasional clogged pores. And they all cropped up at the same time, within a matter of a couple of weeks. I had no acne there beforehand and haven't had any inflamed acne anywhere in quite awhile. These bumps been there for about 3 months now and haven't budged. The area just looks rough and bumpy. If you look close you can see several tiny bumps that look like closed comedones and a couple of slightly larger bumps. They mostly form a perfect circle on my chin - one larger spot in the center and some tiny ones around the outside. Its very weird. They aren't too noticeable unless you are pretty close up, but they are really starting to bug me!! Topicals have done nothing for them, although I notice they look better when my skin is drier.
That's quite different from my experience. I've had some of the worst breakouts on my chin, the bumps don't budge or change size, they've grown in number over the years, and they can actually look better when my skin is oily & shiny (deflects from the bumps appearance I guess). Mine don't extract either though or look like acne really, and retin-a did nothing for the bumps (but did clear up clogged pores & prevent breakouts). I think scarring is more likely my case, but it's good to have another thing to ask the derm about in case it's not scarring (when I eventually get to a derm...hopefully sooner than later).
I am wondering if some of the people posting about these mysterious chin bumps have sebaceous hyperplasia (enlarged oil glands)?
Well, it's good to know there is another possible culprit, although it seems lasers will be the ultimate solution no matter what.....
I developed a crop of small, white bumps that seem similar to what others have here. They are on my chin, in a small circle just below the dip in the chin area. They don't get inflamed, they aren't red, and my esthetician says they don't look like acne and they don't extract. I know they aren't scars, because I've had little to no acne in the center of my chin, just the occasional clogged pores. And they all cropped up at the same time, within a matter of a couple of weeks. I had no acne there beforehand and haven't had any inflamed acne anywhere in quite awhile. These bumps been there for about 3 months now and haven't budged. The area just looks rough and bumpy. If you look close you can see several tiny bumps that look like closed comedones and a couple of slightly larger bumps. They mostly form a perfect circle on my chin - one larger spot in the center and some tiny ones around the outside. Its very weird. They aren't too noticeable unless you are pretty close up, but they are really starting to bug me!! Topicals have done nothing for them, although I notice they look better when my skin is drier.
That's quite different from my experience. I've had some of the worst breakouts on my chin, the bumps don't budge or change size, they've grown in number over the years, and they can actually look better when my skin is oily & shiny (deflects from the bumps appearance I guess). Mine don't extract either though or look like acne really, and retin-a did nothing for the bumps (but did clear up clogged pores & prevent breakouts). I think scarring is more likely my case, but it's good to have another thing to ask the derm about in case it's not scarring (when I eventually get to a derm...hopefully sooner than later).
I was actually quite acne prone on the sides of my chin over the last several years. Its calmed down a lot, but I just didn't get inflamed acne in the center of my chin where these recent bumps developed. Mine don't budge either, they sort of change in size depending on how oily my skin is, but they don't change much. You might also ask about whether they are benign keratoses, which is what my derm said most of mine are. It turns out that some of the permanent, flesh-colored little bumps that I have on a couple of other places on my chin are these keratoses as well. They've been there for awhile and are in the areas where I was more prone to inflamed acne. He used eletrocautery on mine, which might be something to look into if you don't want to go the laser route. I'm happy with the results of the two bumps I had done the other day - waiting to see how long before the red marks fade and then I'll get the rest done.
I am having such a hard time lately that im becoming so depressed over the state of my skin. Not only does my overall texture look horrible but these clogged pores are coming to the surface in droves. I dont know what does it. Last week I had smoothbeam and the next day I felt so good. Having a good skin day affects my demeanor in such a postive way. Over the weekend i noticed more and more kept coming out no matter what I put on them. I want to take a blackhead extractor to them so bad but i cant stand making a mess and having them come right back again. What is the best way to treat these? I swear they weren there this morning when I got ready and by mid afternoon there are two in the corners of my mouth that look like its bulging and has fluid or pus in it..I know these type and they dont have any pus but have a center to them...Why are they more apparent as I get oilier?
I am having such a hard time lately that im becoming so depressed over the state of my skin. Not only does my overall texture look horrible but these clogged pores are coming to the surface in droves. I dont know what does it. Last week I had smoothbeam and the next day I felt so good. Having a good skin day affects my demeanor in such a postive way. Over the weekend i noticed more and more kept coming out no matter what I put on them. I want to take a blackhead extractor to them so bad but i cant stand making a mess and having them come right back again. What is the best way to treat these? I swear they weren there this morning when I got ready and by mid afternoon there are two in the corners of my mouth that look like its bulging and has fluid or pus in it..I know these type and they dont have any pus but have a center to them...Why are they more apparent as I get oilier?
I have the same kind of problem... I recently did a 36 hour fast followed by probiotics and my face looked great for a week. Im going to do a 21 day liver cleanse (not a full oout crazy one) where I drink a juice mixture in the morning and then dont eat for the next three hours. I'll do this for 21 days to see if get similar results as the fast...
The two zapped bumps continue to heal - they are just small redmarks now. I'm going to wait several more days before deciding on when to make an appt to get the rest done. I want to see if the redmarks continue to fade. I'm a little concerned about having a bunch of new redmarks on my chin all at once. Overall, I'm happy with the outcome so far though. I thought about trying to get just a few done at a time, then I won't have so much scabbing and redness all at once. I don't know if that's an option though.
willow, glad to hear your spots are better. I would definetly take the slow route as I can stand two spots but never more than that when I already hate my face to begin with..If you would mid telling me where you purchased the Metazine gel so I dont have to read 8 pages of posts..Are you still using the stuff and if so do you still like it?n
Well, its been a week since I had the bumps treated - only some light red marks left at this point. The two bumps seem to be gone, so I'm pretty happy with the results. I made an appt to get the rest done in 3 wks. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and just get them all done at the same time. I'll just need to stay away from mirrors for a couple of days!!! Getting it done on a Thurs after work, then taking Friday off. With the weekend, that will give me three days of healing before I have to show my face in the office again!
In the meantime, I'm upping my zinc and vitamin C intake to boost healing.
willow, glad to hear your spots are better. I would definetly take the slow route as I can stand two spots but never more than that when I already hate my face to begin with..If you would mid telling me where you purchased the Metazine gel so I dont have to read 8 pages of posts..Are you still using the stuff and if so do you still like it?n
You can get it on the website Lifelinknet.com
Yes, I am still using it and still like it a lot.
Willow, I'm happy you got great results from the procedures. I had similar procedures done for a dozen spots on my face (to address completely different problems). The scars healed nicely, I thought. A month later I went on a scorching summer vacation at Vegas, and was equipped with Neutrogena SPF55. A few days after the vacation, I noticed the healed skin though still nice and smooth turned light brown then darker brown. Two years later, they're still like that. So take care of your new skin. Even if you put on SPF30, try not to overdo the sun until it's completely healed
Willow, I'm happy you got great results from the procedures. I had similar procedures done for a dozen spots on my face (to address completely different problems). The scars healed nicely, I thought. A month later I went on a scorching summer vacation at Vegas, and was equipped with Neutrogena SPF55. A few days after the vacation, I noticed the healed skin though still nice and smooth turned light brown then darker brown. Two years later, they're still like that. So take care of your new skin. Even if you put on SPF30, try not to overdo the sun until it's completely healed
Thanks for the advice (and sorry that happened to you!). I'll definitely be careful with the sun. Being a fair-skinned redhead, I don't spend a lot of time outside, but I do have a trip to Tahoe planned for a couple weeks after the procedure. I'll make sure to avoid being outside too much. I'm mostly going for a concert rather than to do outdoor stuff anyway. I'll probably wear my stronger SPF 41 product by Elta if I am outside at all.
I had hyfrecation on my bumps, before I had my biopsy - i was scabbed up for a week and couldn't leave the house! It made no difference at all which is why my derm did a biopsy - because if they were macrodones or comedones or anything relating to the oil glands they would have responded. I am a little unsure why your derm has not done a biopsy as yet, without it you are simply treating the problem blind. I have been diagnosed with post acne ostemona cutis - it's extremely rare. It's calcified bits of bone fragment as a result of severe acne. I have had a test patch of ER YAG Laser on 4 of them and the derm literally took them out once the skin had been ablated. I am now with plaster on my chin for the next 10days. I will then go back for whole treatment in 4 months time. The appearance of my bumps are hard under the skin bumps which can never ever be squeezed out and they have a slight off white blue-ish colour. They seem to go up and down in terms of size also. They don't hurt and you can only see them in certain lights - sunlight is the worst. I am just sick of them and will do anything i can to get rid.
I had hyfrecation on my bumps, before I had my biopsy - i was scabbed up for a week and couldn't leave the house! It made no difference at all which is why my derm did a biopsy - because if they were macrodones or comedones or anything relating to the oil glands they would have responded. I am a little unsure why your derm has not done a biopsy as yet, without it you are simply treating the problem blind. I have been diagnosed with post acne ostemona cutis - it's extremely rare. It's calcified bits of bone fragment as a result of severe acne. I have had a test patch of ER YAG Laser on 4 of them and the derm literally took them out once the skin had been ablated. I am now with plaster on my chin for the next 10days. I will then go back for whole treatment in 4 months time. The appearance of my bumps are hard under the skin bumps which can never ever be squeezed out and they have a slight off white blue-ish colour. They seem to go up and down in terms of size also. They don't hurt and you can only see them in certain lights - sunlight is the worst. I am just sick of them and will do anything i can to get rid.
Sorry that you are still struggling with getting rid of your bumps. Mine aren't hard, so I don't think we are dealing with the same problem. My derm didn't think a biopsy was necessary, he seemed to be pretty sure of what my chin bumps were from. I also think that since he only treated a couple of test spots, that's his method for ruling out other problems - if the eletrocautery worked on the spots he treated, then that helps narrow down the diagnosis options. It did work on the two spots he treated, so I'm pretty comfortable with his diagnosis of the problem.
I've heard of the calcification problem that you are dealing with. I watched a woman get a surgical procedure done for this by Dr. James Fulton (the derm who developed the original retin-a gel). He has a procedure that other derms won't do, but he and his patient said that the procedure was very effective. He rubbed each spot with an abrasive file until it popped out of the skin. It was a very bloody procedure though. The woman left with lots of little wounds covered in gauze. Don't know how she healed up afterwards though. She had it done once before and had been happy with the results though.