First off, you're really beautiful! Hopefully this acne won't bring your confidence down!

I know how you feel, I had 'decent' skin when I was 19-21, but I've always had breakotus. I started Accutane 5 months ago to get rid of my blackheads and occasional breakouts, but now my face has gotten much worse on my cheeks, but everything else is cleared up though!

I'd recommend you Accutane if anything else fails, I think you'd be a great candidate for that

My acne got worse in my mid 20s too.If one birth control pill is giving you worse acne,you should try another one for sure!I tried them all just about and there were only 2 that helped my acne.Yasmin and Ortho tri cyclin.Now i am in my 40s and i can't take any BC pills because of migraines.I use primrose oil gel caps taken orally and that has helped a lot to balance hormones.I also tried black cohosh in the past and that helped too.I can only use Ivory soap and clean and clear moisturizer for acne prone skin.Your acne almost looks like it could be an allergy to something.You could try cutting back on wheat and dairy products to see if it helps.Glad you are going to the dermatologist.Hopefully they can figure something out for you.Have you tried Doxycycline? That helped my husbands cystic acne a lot!

i have the exact same kind of acne as you. my forehead is very clear like yours, and i have pretty bad acne on my sides, cheeks, jawline area, and temple. i think the cause of me breaking out was because of the cold weather, and my skin getting irritated by it. skin was a lot better during the summer. anyway, i think that one of the mistakes i made was causing my face to get irritated too much by not keeping it hydrated, especially during this cold weather. i did the regimen with benzaclin(5% benzoyl peroxide) and although it cleared a bit of acne, it irritated my face by a lot. anyway, i think u shud try to keep your skin as hydrated as possible. try to being outdoors as much as possible until it gets warmer

My gawd, you really are beautiful. What have you done to anger the Zit God?

May I suggest you stop using all skincare products, effective immediately, and follow the steps I outline below?

1. Start taking one tablet of Ibuprofen (eg. Advil) per day to control inflammation--take with food. Inflammation is what causes hideous scars like pits.

2. Use only WATER and and only wash following the Honey/Banana mask (see #3). Avoid using facial cleansers and exfoliants.

3. In the morning and evening, apply Honey & Banana mask for 30 minutes. They're both anti-inflammatory and moisturizing. To prepare, crush the banana with a spoon and stir in the honey. More honey, thicker the paste.

4. Get the following products (eBay links are provided for reference):

* DMSO

* Castor Oil

* Rosehip Seed Oil

If you would like to know about their respective benefits, I suggest you Google each of them.

But, on a personal note, allow me to state that I have never seen anything that zapped zits so quickly like DMSO, ever! So start applying this magic potion to all your acne. But beware, this stuff can smell and it will linger for hours. But the benefit definitely outweighs the nuisance of being sniffed by complete strangers.

Castor oil, which I've been using for ages, should be used by everyone who suffers from acne. It's highly anti-inflammatory and I use it post-needling session to control puffiness. It's also known to break up scar tissues. How cool is that? Anyway, I wear a thin coat of Castor oil to bed overnight. Then I apply Honey/Banana mask directly over the oil in the morning.

Rosehip Seed Oil, also known to rejuvenate scar tissues, is a miracle concoction that works wonders for sensitive skin. And, geezus, it's the best moisturizer around. Hence, wear this as your everyday moisturizer.

That's it. Try this regimen for at least 90 days and see the transformation for yourself.

Serius Lee?

Peace out!

At age 21, I had flawless skin. I didn't even need to wash it! Then I started up on BC which started my moderate chin/neck acne and quickly turning into cystic acne. I've had some bumps that last over 6 mos, and when they do get cleared up, one wrong *bump* against my face, it flares the same cyst back to the surface!

I have not went back on BC since but will be up in the upcoming months for other reasons. Has anyone seen a flare occur after taking BC?

Also, summertime and swimming is normally a good time for my skin...kinda. It has helped smooth my skin out but I do have bad scarring and indentation from chronically picking at my skin. Bad habit, I know. haven't been able to control it

I've spent hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on skincare products. OTC, Clinque and all other department store brands, some differin given to me by a friend, Proactiv and all the copycats, tea tree oil, all-natural tee tree soap, witch hazel, etc

Now I'm 24, and quite frankly given into my acne. I know it's there, I know its disturbing to look at but it's been 3 years now with it only spreading more and more. I tried not washing my face for awhile, and although it helped bring a lot of stuff to the surface, my face felt dirty. It's hard to even notice when its getting better because the massive red scarring that occurs on my face. Would love to do some microdermabrasion one day but I still have a lot of open sores.

Right now, my regimen is simple... dr bronner tea tree oil (helps dry my skins surfaced spots) and using the clearsonic scrubber mia thing. have no found a moisturizer I like on my skin since i have such bad problems with touching!

In a few weeks, I'll be in Puerto Rico and going to enjoy all the sun I possibly can!

Anyone have any advice for me? Also, once I get to where home is late February, a dermatologist appt is in talks (no insurance but I cant keep living like this!)

PS I know how bad touching/picking your skin is. I'm consciously trying to reduce this, its not easy when it becomes a habit...

Pics below!

Photo on 1-28-14 at 5.32 AM #2.jpgPhoto on 1-28-14 at 5.32 AM #3.jpgPhoto on 1-28-14 at 5.32 AM #4.jpg280557_2252536558922_5666678_o.jpg

Since you don't have health insurance you can go to your local medical clinic. Depending on your income you could pay like $75-$0. Tell them you want Bactrim. It really works.

I wanted to clarify that the bottom picture is a month before my face started to really breakout. It started out gradually and would move from side to side, then basically became symmetrical breakouts- Which I always found somewhat interesting.

[uPDATE]: I've been suffering from this condition for YEARS! I'm from the midwest where we love dairy and carbs! (or maybe its just me) Along with trying a diet out, I've been on the east coast for roughly 2 weeks now. For once, my face has gotten SO MUCH BETTER! It's kind of crazy...

So here's what I did to my diet: practically cut out most carbs and dairy. I used to eat pasta once a day, now it's once a week and rarely any bread. Not sure if this is making the difference but it seems to coincide! My boyfriend does Keto diets to drop weight fast in 30 days, so I start to eat how he eats more during this time. I've also continued my daily routine is Dr. Bronner's tea tree soap in the large bottle on my Clearisonic Mia scrubber followed by Boots No. 7 Perfect & Protect Perfection & Protection Hypoallergenic Serum. It's probably worth mentioning, while here on the east coast I am showering in large 7 headed shower that basically turns into a sauna- that can definitely help out a lot!

I'm traveling to AZ in less than a week and Puerto Rico in 2 weeks, then I'll finally be home at the end of February. Will update again... * fingers crossed that my skin continues to only improve! *

You are really beutfiul,just dont let acne to put you down....You have type of acne that will go away by time and dont worry about scars,just dont scrub your acne...

Things are looking much better!! Fingers crossed it stays that way!

I would do some research on using the Clarisonic on skin with active acne. I don't know much about it, but my first thought is that it would be extremely irritating and could possibly be spreading the infection.

Have you ever tried chemical exfoliation? It has worked wonderfully to help control my hormonal acne. I currently use Alpha Hydrox 10% AHA cream, but I am going to try mandelic acid. I know for me physical exfoliation is way too harsh for my skin.

Don't be too hard on yourself with the picking though. It really is a difficult habit to break. I have extreme OCD so I obsess about every little imperfection, so to help control it I wear gloves. It really helps protect me from myself!

Have fun in Puerto Rico! And don't forget the sunscreen.

I've heard the same thing about the Clarisonic scrubber. I dont turn it on, so I'm not getting that back and forth, vibrating motion. I've noticed when I don't use it for days at a time, my bumps become more dominant versus using it once a day. Using a rag irritates my skin more and when using my hands to cleanse, I tend to start picking. This smooths my skin out and helps combat my habit.