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i'm a 33 year old male. the older I get I swear my acne gets worse. i'm frustrated. confidence is shot. I figured signing up for the forum and asking advice to everybody might give me some insight on what I feel like is a winless battle.
quick backstory. about 4 years ago my acne did a 'turn for the worse'. my dermatologist put me on epiduo, then epiduo forte. I saw no change with the upgrade to the forte and my acne was still persisting. it was an 8 week wait period before i could see my derm again, which i feel is ridiculous, so i just switched to another derm who could fit me in right away. the new derm put me on 0.05 tazorac. the taz worked great and I was happy and satisfied with my skin. I was at a point where I thought I was finally over acne.
after about a year of the 0.05 taz my face started breaking out again, which started several months ago. i had to wait another 7 weeks so see my derm. side rant: is this the norm with all dermatologists? waiting weeks on end just to see him/her for a total of 5 minutes? absolutely ridiculous. side rant over. so she put me on 0.1 taz. I've been on 0.1 for about 2 weeks now and there is no change in my acne. absolutely none.
my follow up appointment isn't until jan 2018. should i just tough it out? give the extra strength taz some more time? i was already on taz to begin with so i feel like the "break in period" should be minimal. instead, should i make an appointment with my PCP who could see me the day i make the appointment?
some info about me:
-acne is just on forehead
-i run several days per week
-i'm a 90% vegan. i eat raw fruits/veggies/nuts/beans/legumes for a vast majority of my meals. one or two meals per week i eat a "normal American meal."
26 minutes ago, MrBakery said:ive given up with my doctor regarding acne. im in my 30s now also.
just wondering, did you ever get an tests done - hormonal levels etc?
why did you give up?
I haven't had testing done. what hormones would be tested? testosterone? anything else?
i gave up with gp's years ago regarding acne because i realized they couldn't help me and they really didn't care. (i was going back and forwards asking for help from my teens to my late 20s) - i ended up doing a lot of research online about acne and joined the forums.. i sort of helped my self. (not saying im 100% clear but tones better than any time in my 20s)
ive never had any tests done, ive just read about members getting different checks which can identify a problem(?). ive often wondered if i have a hormone problem.
quick update: I think I found my issue(s) and I thought I would share them because it might help others.
1.) I started to moisturize after washing my face. I saw IMMEDIATE changes with moisturizing. when I say immediate I mean IMMEDIATE. every where you look everybody says the same thing regarding acne care, but nobody really emphasizes moisturizing. let it be known: I AM EMPHASIZING MOISTURIZING.
2.) I stopped eating any/all products with caramel coloring. I eat a lot of salads and would go through a bottle of balsamic vinegar very week or less it seemed. somebody told me caramel coloring may contribute to acne. is it true? I don't know, but I definitely will be severely limiting my balsamic vinegar intake.
i'm not sure if both helped, but moisturizing was DEFINITELY the big change I needed. I've gone a full week without a single breakout now.
On 18/12/2017 at 10:49 PM, seamaster said:quick update: I think I found my issue(s) and I thought I would share them because it might help others.
1.) I started to moisturize after washing my face. I saw IMMEDIATE changes with moisturizing. when I say immediate I mean IMMEDIATE. every where you look everybody says the same thing regarding acne care, but nobody really emphasizes moisturizing. let it be known: I AM EMPHASIZING MOISTURIZING.
2.) I stopped eating any/all products with caramel coloring. I eat a lot of salads and would go through a bottle of balsamic vinegar very week or less it seemed. somebody told me caramel coloring may contribute to acne. is it true? I don't know, but I definitely will be severely limiting my balsamic vinegar intake.
i'm not sure if both helped, but moisturizing was DEFINITELY the big change I needed. I've gone a full week without a single breakout now.
Moisturising is super important.......even if you struggle with oily skin and/or acne. Supposedly, if you don™t Moisturise after cleansing your face, there™s a chance you™re pores will produce more oil since it™s compensating for the oil lost during your cleanse. I suggest sticking to a consistent routine of cleansing, toning and moisturising. Everyone™s skin is different so what one product may work for someone may not for another. If you haven™t used a toner before, there™s a witch hazel toner that claims to be natural and help with skin issues. It does contain alcohol though which sometimes should be avoided.......especially with problematic skin. I have used the toner myself and have no complaints 