I'm 20 and have had acne every since i enter high school. However my acne isn't as bad as it was in high school because i would get big pimples all over my face with puss. As of right now I have about 3 medium sized pimples and a couple of small pimples with no puss. I went to a dermatologist a couple of months ago to get a prescription refill on Clinagel and 5% benzoyl peroxide gel that i was using for my acne but instead of giving me what i asked for he instead told me that the only way for me to treat my acne is thru oral pills. In which he presribed me Solodyn 80MG and Epiduo 45MG. At first i was pissed because he didn't give me what i wanted but didn't express it and just said ok and it's until i got home and i read the side effects online about Solodyn to make me not want to take them. I have a busy life in which i go to college in the morning, homework/Study, and then work. I don't want to take a pill that will make my life worse with all the types of side effects it might give. So i didn't take them and i got them in April or May and it's now November. I did however the prescription refilled for the clinagel and 5% benzoyl after i contacted my family doctor.
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Now that i've ran out of it and i seriously want to get my acne and pimples under control. I want to ask the acne.org community for help and suggestions. I have been using this regimen for about 2-3 years now and still get acne. My regimen contisted of me using a face wash called clean and clear 3 in 1 exfoliating cleanser in the morning and then using the 1% Clinagel to slow down the Acne. Then i would wash my face again with it and this time i would use the 5% benzoyl peroxide gel and would repeat this step at night time before going to bed.
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1. 80MG Solodyn pills
2. Epiduo gel
Now all i ask is for your suggestions of products that i should try to use. Also whats with all the talk about fish oil and zinc pills actually helping clear up acne??? Can someone enlighten me on that? Also i have deep acne scars in which i would like to get removed but don't know what to do, so if someone can give tips on treating 4-5 years worth of acne scars that are deep i would appreciate it.
Without seeing pictures it is a bit challenging to give advice. If your acne is quite inflamed, which it must have appeared to be for your dermatologist to prescribe an antibiotic then you should've done the course of antibiotics and followed up with the dermatologist to at least settle your skin down and figure out what works best for your skin. Buy some maximum dose vitamin packs and start taking them if you want supplements (nature made makes some good ones). Make sure you're drinking enough water. Start using the epiduo (I believe only at night). The combination of that with BP may be too harsh on the skin though so I'd suggest changing to a milder cleanser like cetaphil to use. Also start using a sunscreen and moisturizer every morning too (cetaphil and neutrogena make moisturizers with sunscreen in them). Something is triggering your acne which you should try to figure out, hormones, food, touching your face etc. Deep scars you'll probably need to see a plastic surgeon.