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I just wanted to share my acne story. I'm now 29 and for the past few years I've had cystic acne. I always had pimples and the odd small cystic now and again. However a few years ago I had a huge cystic breakout, the majority of my face was covered and its been like that pretty much ever since. I had not changed anything in my regime / routine, I wasn't allergic to anything, I hadn't changed my make up and always drank plenty water (these were later to become the questions I heard time and time again when people inquired about my face). My face became incredibly painful and even got to a point when I couldn't wash my face without crying.. Regularly having to take painkillers after. Make up was a no for a time too as I couldn't touch my face. So I went to the doctors and I was prescribe Retina A gel 0.5 and another dab on ointment so following instructions I stayed on the Retina A for 6 months to which nothing happened, my skin got greasier and this in turn aided my acne. Not to mention the fact that the Retina A was incredibly painful to apply on cystic acne. So my doctor referred me to a derm who said my only option was to take a course of Roaccutane (Accutane). This was my big problem. I do not, nor will I ever use Roaccutane. For me one pill that has so many side effects, so much potential damage I find it incredible they can prescribe it. So after losing all faith in my GP and my derm I decided that I would source my own treatments. I went to skin clinics that offered expensive treatment for the oil glands etc but it felt like these people were sales men who really didn't care they just wanted to see my wallet. However after talking to a few girls that work there they told me about Lymecycline which is an antibiotic that doctors won't prescribe unless specifically requested (it's quite expensive). So I went to my doctors and ask him to write a prescription which he did. I've been taking Lymecycline for the past 3/4 weeks and after the first initial breakout (after a week) it's has dissolved all of my acne. What I noticed first was that if a spot did come up it was gone within a few days.! Now all my acne has cleared. I'm still taking them but I'm nearing the end if my course however I have heard that once you stop taking them the acne can return so I'm trying to slowly come off them now only taking them once every 2 days rather than the 1 a day prescription. So far so good my skin is settled and now the acne is under control I can look towards scarring treatments as I've been very unfortunate with the trauma to my skin. There was a time when I was incredibly desperate and very low because of my acne and I know how you all feel and how it can effect your life.. I lost all my confidence. No matter how many products you try there will be something out there for you, for me it was Lymecycline, some it is Roaccutane and others could be topical creams. I would love to hear success stories.!!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm about to see my dermatologist and get put into the iPLEDGE program for accutane. Since I know it will be at least a month until I can actually start taking it, I'm going to ask about lymecycline in the mean time. She had put me on doxycycline last time, and it did not do anything for me. My face is out of control right now. How quickly did you see results with it? It's an oral antibiotic, correct? Topical treatments never seem to work for me and always make my face unbearably dry and scaly.
Okay, I just researched lymecycline, and it seems to show up only on UK sites. Do you happen to know if it is available in the states?
Megelizab - Hey, so I started Lymecycline 18th of last month and I've been clear for a week or so now with just the odd pustule which I can totally deal with after experiencing cystic acne. I have a course of oral tablets which are taken once a day.. I did have an initial break out after a week or so BUT my acne can be quite stubborn and spots would hang around for weeks however when my breakout happened I upped my dose to 2 tablets a day (which is fine to do by the instructions) and it was cleared within the week. It has been like a miracle solution for me personally.. I know it may not help everyone but I would certainly recommend you try it before Roaccutane as these antibiotics have such a mild and minimal side effects if you even get any at all. I'm not sure if they are available in the US as I'm in the UK.. There's a chance try are given a different name.? They're from a company called Actavis which is had an address for Iceland and the UK on the box so I'm unsure where they are based.
Aanabill- it's a tetracycline antibiotic it works by blocking bacteria from the environment in which it will be able to grow (as I have read from my research on tetracyclines it stops its binding process) so it won't directly kill the bacteria in your skin but it will inhabit it.
Hope this helps
So here are a few pictures for you to take a look at, this was me at a moderate stage.. I was able to wash my face and apply make up during these periods so all in all they were 'good' days. I had been much morse than this as you will be able to see from the red and purple scarring. The Lymecycline (US equivalent is tetracycline I believe) has been a miracle for me as my acne is now under control. I did have images of my 'severe' period but I deleted them (they were too distressing).
http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/tetracycline/antimicr.htm here is where I read my information, this may help you as I am unsure of the other treatments you mentioned.
http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/tetracycline/antimicr.htm here is where I read my information, this may help you as I am unsure of the other treatments you mentioned.
thank u.
check these :
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16971315
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-azithromycin-and-doxycycline.htm
i'd add that if ur antibiotic is working for u,congratulations!u've found something that works for u!
Hayleylou- thanks for sharing your story, great to hear you have found your 'cure' and your skin looks good!, you marks will clear up in due time- they really don't distract from your natural beauty. best of luck 
Biotin supplement works to. I started taking biotin from Hercules Vitamins and it helps me maintain a healthy skin. I know how stressing it is to deal with pimples but never lose hope. Biotin helps. And stop worrying about your pimples too much to avoid emotional stress.
After using proactive for years I decided it was time to call it quits. My face never looked so horrible; I was never so insecure. Desperate to find a solution and not able to visit a dermatologist, I felt so hopeless. Obviously I still tried those over the counter stuff, and I would glob it on to no avail. I tried leaving it alone. I tried a new diet. I would like to say I tried everything short of putting urine on my face.
Some of you may look at that picture and get disgusted. Others may sympathize. Imagine walking around with that all day long. Imagine the comments you might get. The stares you would notice. The horror of looking in the mirror. That was my life for months. And even now after my skin is clear I avoid light, and I don't like to get close to people. Acne is so emotionally painful, its not vanity. Its pure pain that you wear on your skin that everybody sees.
So after ranting on the proactive review on acne.org I did some researching. I was on this website for hours and hours. Searching for ANYTHING that could end my nightmare, could end the 'advice' people try to give that just make me feel worse. I read about natural products. I read that it takes a while to kick in but it could help. I also read where the creators of this website wrote that its not that reliable.But me, despising having red and dried out skin (from salicylic acid, benzonyl peroxide), decided to go for something more gentle.
Now I really feel my self esteem coming back. I am only left with subtle scars. As long as you keep strict to the treatment your pimples should go away and stay away!
This is my blog of my journey through all the products. A warning, it will probably not work for everyone. But it worked for me! My face was covered in big red pimples, whiteheads, and scars. Now I just have to wait for the scars to heal! I would advise to try it!
Below are before and after. I only started this treatment a month and a half ago! Now I do not get ANYMORE pimples (except when I get lazy with the regimen). My skin feels soft and healthy. I now do not have oil pouring out of my skin every second. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have left all of those drugstore products away! And even better is that the products are actually good for your skin!
I will post my regimen soon Share your story with me, ask any question, or just say hello. I know how painful it is. I'm here for you and you will get great skin.
Just a friendly reminder, don't be discouraged if you don't see results right away. It takes patience. Because it is natural it takes longer to work HOWEVER it keeps the pimples away permanently.
After using proactive for years I decided it was time to call it quits. My face never looked so horrible; I was never so insecure. Desperate to find a solution and not able to visit a dermatologist, I felt so hopeless. Obviously I still tried those over the counter stuff, and I would glob it on to no avail. I tried leaving it alone. I tried a new diet. I would like to say I tried everything short of putting urine on my face.
Some of you may look at that picture and get disgusted. Others may sympathize. Imagine walking around with that all day long. Imagine the comments you might get. The stares you would notice. The horror of looking in the mirror. That was my life for months. And even now after my skin is clear I avoid light, and I don't like to get close to people. Acne is so emotionally painful, its not vanity. Its pure pain that you wear on your skin that everybody sees.
So after ranting on the proactive review on acne.org I did some researching. I was on this website for hours and hours. Searching for ANYTHING that could end my nightmare, could end the 'advice' people try to give that just make me feel worse. I read about natural products. I read that it takes a while to kick in but it could help. I also read where the creators of this website wrote that its not that reliable.But me, despising having red and dried out skin (from salicylic acid, benzonyl peroxide), decided to go for something more gentle.
Now I really feel my self esteem coming back. I am only left with subtle scars. As long as you keep strict to the treatment your pimples should go away and stay away!
This is my blog of my journey through all the products. A warning, it will probably not work for everyone. But it worked for me! My face was covered in big red pimples, whiteheads, and scars. Now I just have to wait for the scars to heal! I would advise to try it!
Below are before and after. I only started this treatment a month and a half ago! Now I do not get ANYMORE pimples (except when I get lazy with the regimen). My skin feels soft and healthy. I now do not have oil pouring out of my skin every second. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have left all of those drugstore products away! And even better is that the products are actually good for your skin!
I will post my regimen soon
Share your story with me, ask any question, or just say hello. I know how painful it is. I'm here for you and you will get great skin.
Just a friendly reminder, don't be discouraged if you don't see results right away. It takes patience. Because it is natural it takes longer to work HOWEVER it keeps the pimples away permanently.
Wow that's story so inspiring. You're definitely right there; it takes lots of patience to wait for the results we're longing to see. During my pimple days I resorted to using mild astringents, plenty of liquids and lots (I mean lots) of rest for all my pimples to clear up. Thank God scars are not that noticeable. What i learned from it is that one must live a healthy lifestyle and be positive in life. I learned to watch what i eat and include a dietary supplement that helps maintain my skin health and that's biotin (from Hercules Vitamins). Biotin really works for me not only in terms of skin health but it also boost my body metabolism. I can say that biotin is a dietary supplement that offers multiple health benefits.