So I'm 24 and I've had mild to moderate acne since I was about 13 with brief periods of clear skin from taking medication. Here is a long list of what I have tried and how it worked for me:

Contraceptive pill: I was on Yasmin for nearly 10 years and while this helped a lot with my skin, after I stopped taking it I realised it had been giving me the symptoms of IBS. When I've tried to take it since then it makes me feel really nauseous. I've even tried a lower dose pill but it still made me feel so sick I couldn't keep taking it.

Roaccutane: did come with some side effects, my skin was amazing while I was on it but obviously the effects haven't lasted. I would consider a second treatment but the GP has told me that my skin isn't bad enough.

Various antibiotics: Only minocycline seems to work for me but I recently tried to take this again and it gave me really bad joint pain in my hands, arms and hips and also some strange pains near my heart that were obviously pretty concerning. Erythromycin and lymecycline didn't seem effective. These just seem to be a temporary measure as my skin gets worse again after stopping them.

Various topicals: both over the counter and prescribed including duac, differin, zineryt, Roche effaclar duo, silver serum etc. with varying effectiveness but none has worked that well. I've even tried the whole Vaseline, toothpaste, sudocrem thing.

Herbal remedies: I tried saw palmetto but it gave me really bad headaches and I also tried evening primrose but that messed with my digestion.

Diet: I keep a relatively healthy diet and don't eat dairy regularly. I don't think I'm disciplined enough to cut out sugar all together.

I've tried so many things and I'm feeling seriously disheartened. I start my masters course next week and the idea of meeting a bunch of new people while feeling really self conscious about my skin is really getting me down. I guess I just needed to have a rant as it just feels like I'm back at square one and I have no idea how much longer I'll have to deal with acne for. If anyone has any recommendations about what I could try they would be very welcome. Has anything worked for you?

I'm considering going to see a private dermatologist as well so I will see how that goes.

Many thanks!