Hi all - my name is Eloise and I've just joined this community after finding myself here for research many times over the last 3 years.
I need help understanding acne. I have an understanding of what it is (POTENTIALLY), what it is POTENTIALLY caused by, and what can POTENTIALLY treat the symptoms, but I want to understand this:
Does acne ever go away for good? Is acne entirely treatable? What causes acne to appear initially, especially after years of clear skin, and why - most importantly - does nothing seem to work for so many people? It all seems like a bad joke, and as the sufferers of acne, we're the punchline.
Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge the thousands of products available that show positive results, and I applaud this community for providing a safe, supportive space for people from all around the globe to explore their symptoms, treatments and their acne evolution. I understand there are many ports of help available, whether it be through a GP or a dermatologist. I just feel like I can never be given a concrete, definite answer of what is causing my acne, and what is triggering breakouts - this is what makes my acne so personally traumatizing. Are there any measures available to receive a concrete, conclusive explanation to the skin woes of so many of us? Diet, genetics, stress, hormones - why is it so difficult to pinpoint one root cause?
Next, I really want to understand why I do not hear of 100%, never-looking-back success stories. Everybody has different skin, and different treatments, and different outcomes, but it is so frustrating knowing that we can spend thousands on various treatments that may APPEAR effective and then receive disappointing results, only to repeat the vicious cycle again with new products. One positive out of this is that we all seem to keep hopeful - losing hope would be horrible.
I apologise if this post sounds negative or angry, but after yet another frustrated night attempting to research yet another (hopefully) successful product that will (hopefully) "help", I feel like I am at my wits end.
3 hours ago, eesiolee said:Does acne ever go away for good? Is acne entirely treatable? What causes acne to appear initially, especially after years of clear skin, and why - most importantly - does nothing seem to work for so many people? It all seems like a bad joke, and as the sufferers of acne, we're the punchline.
D Are there any measures available to receive a concrete, conclusive explanation to the skin woes of so many of us? Diet, genetics, stress, hormones - why is it so difficult to pinpoint one root cause?
Next, I really want to understand why I do not hear of 100%, never-looking-back success stories. Everybody has different skin, and different treatments, and different outcomes, but it is so frustrating knowing that we can spend thousands on various treatments that may APPEAR effective and then receive disappointing results, only to repeat the vicious cycle again with new products. One positive out of this is that we all seem to keep hopeful - losing hope would be horrible.
Hi Eloise,
Your frustration is understandable. But like you pointed out...it's important to never lose hope. To answer your first question: Yes, acne can and does eventually go away for good! Great news!! I'm living proof of that...and there are more of us than you'd think...it's just that few people bother to hang around once their acne resolves. I think one of the frustrating things is not knowing when acne will resolve for each of us. For most, acne resolves in our late teens to early 20s. Mine didn't resolve until my late 30s...after battling acne for 24 years and finally discovering the Acne.Org Regimen...back when I was a teen there was no Acne.Org, no Internet even....just Clearasil, Stridex, and little else. So that's all I knew about. The Regimen gave me relief from my symptoms...it's NOT A CURE!....what ultimately cured my acne was time. My acne resolved on its own about a year later, and despite quitting treatment, I continued to stay clear. I've been clear ever since. Wish I'd discovered the Regimen sooner...I could have been enjoying clear skin all that time! I often wonder if my acne would have resolved anyway even if I'd never found the Regimen...most likely. Whatever was making my hormones go wacko finally went away and things stabilized. So moral of the story: Once acne resolves on it's own, you'll no longer need treatment to stay clear. Hallelujah!! So that's the good news!
The bad news is...acne is a very individual experience for all. There's rarely a one-size-fits-all explanation for why it happens. It's often a combination of some or all the things you mentioned...genetics, diet, stress, hormones, etc. There's rarely a one-size-fits-all treatment plan...my son for example needed a combination of therapies to bring his acne into remission (The Regimen, tretinoin, a course of minocycline, plus supplements like zinc, D3, EPA omega 3 fish oil, and NAC for the inflammation and detoxing). He now stays clear with the Regimen, and still takes the supplements. But we went through a very frustrating several months doing trial and error until we found the right therapy combo that seemed to work for him. Unfortunately, the Regimen wasn't quite enough on its own for his individual skin, while for me it was my savior. And it took far longer for him to clear up. I was wrong to assume since I cleared up in about 6 weeks that he would clear up in a similar amount of time.
We have countless success stories on here from people who beat their acne. There's a whole section devoted to Regimen success stories on this website...literally thousands posted. My son's success story is also posted on there, although he still needs treatment to stay clear. There are countless other success stories (diet, Accutane, antibiotics, retinoids, combo therapies, etc.) scattered throughout the various forums. It would be great if there were a forum/section for other success stories so people could see these rather than search for them. It's been suggested in the past, maybe someday this will be available. But in the meantime, know they're out there, just need to look for them.
I hope this helps answer some of your questions and gives you a little more hope. 
-DeLovely