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Hi all, this is my first post I turn 17 next month and first started getting acne when I was 12. Back then my acne was relatively severe, and due to my young age I had no idea to how to treat them. The severity of my condition lessened around age 14, when I mainly battled with comedonal acne. I would still breakout badly one from time to time and finally tried Accutane. It worked wonders! My skin COMPLETELY cleared, and even my stubborn blackheads were gone without a trace. However, my mom made me stop taking them after a year because of the adverse affects. Now I know Accutane does not cure acne from the root because as soon as I stopped taking it, my acne slowly came back
My mom then told me about how acne relates to lifestyle and how I had to cut back on some of the foods that were a regular part of my diet. I thought that was the most ridiculous thing, but she was like "alright if you wanna clear up your acne you can't keep this up" and banned me from eating foods that would aggravate acne. My acne significantly improved, and I started breaking out a lot less.
Since then, I have become extremely health conscious and take precautions before doing anything harmful to my skin. It's really hard for me, especially in a time when fast food is readily available and when my friends can eat as much of anything as they wish and not get a single spot (which infuriates me, haha). The problem is my skin just won't clear up?!? Obviously it's gotten loads better, but my nose is still littered with blackheads, and my forehead and cheeks still get those annoying whiteheads and small zits. My extremely oily skin is the main cause of my acne. I drink 8-10 glasses of water every day and stay away from dairy, desserts, white rice/bread, fried/greasy foods, seafood, and hormone-laden red meat (I went through trial and error to find out that these foods DO break me out). I wash my face morning and night with a foaming cleanser and change my pillowcase regularly. I live on brown rice, veggies, fruits, soy products, eggs, and occasional fish or chicken.. I feel so self-conscious when someone comes close to me and can see my face in detail So why does my stubborn skin refuse to clear up? Any help is appreciated!
Hey cakemonster, I agree with Mel that your acne is probably still hormonal for the most part. The boat you're in is the same one I have been in in the past too. Tried everything back when I was 14-20 with no success. Even now at age 22 I still basically NEED an antibiotic to help keep acne away. Have you given antibiotics a try? And did you actually experience negative side effects from Accutane?
I never knew antibiotics could be used to treat acne Which one do you use and is it effective? The only side effect I experienced from Accutane was really chapped lips that just wouldn't heal. I went to a dermatologist the other day, and she said my acne is a genetics thing and that I need to watch my diet until I'm in my mid twenties... ugh. but she did say I was already taking impressively good care of my skin.
Hey cake I feel ya... acne can definitely be genetic and if your immediate family has it or had it in the past, you'll probably have a higher chance too 
Diet is quite important too. Sometimes can make or break a regimen from what I've seen. For me, greasy foods = greasy skin = recipe for clogged pores and such. Good to hear you're taking really good care of your skin... a lot of times derms really don't emphasize the little non-medicinal things people should think of doing to combat skin issues. Medicine doesn't solve all problems, BUT, that being said, I have used multiple antibiotics for acne and basically just "threw a lot at the wall to see what sticks."
I have used two dermatologists in my life - one was god awful (the first one), and the second one that I switched to put me on Ceftin (antibiotic) twice a day the moment he saw me. Within a week, I saw resuls in my skin and while using it, have had the best looking skin I had since before ever getting acne. I have used it long term and it has worked long term... only one-two spots every blue moon, and when I took 2 months off from using it, my skin regressed noticeably. So, it sounds much like your accutane experience but still, it's better than nothing! Antibiotics are used quite frequently to combat acne. I've used Solodyn, Ampicillin, etc. They are not all created equally! But definitely look into whatever new thing you may want to try before taking the first step!
Regardless of what you decide good luck! 