Closed Comedones - Not Blackheads OR whiteheads - HELP!

[bcampbell15 0]

Hey guys,

I'm a 19 year old guy and for the last 12 months I have got tonnes of small bumps that are not red or inflammed and are skin coloured. In areas with low lighting they are virtually impossible to see, but in broad daylight or in good lighting, or in any lighting really...especially when my face is at an angle where the light is behind me and only partially covering my face.

I have tried duac once daily gel and differin but neither seem to work. I am currently using a cream called ReTrieve which contains tretinoin and it seems to work, however my face becomes so oily from being over-dry that as soon as I give my skin a break the bumps reappear.

These bumps are not blackheads or whiteheads and they cannot be popped for the most part. They linger for a long time and greatly diminish the appearance of my skin. I have a few VERY, VERY shallow ice pick scars but without this and the bumps my skin would be great, as I hardly ever get any other type of acne. These bumps cause me a great deal of unhappiness and cause me to really withdraw socially, which really bums me out because I am an extremely sociable and bubbly person with lots of friends and I am missing out on pursuing things in life that I would otherwise jump at. I have heard that these bumps may be a type of fungus, but I have also heard that they are blocked pores or closed comedones - my dermatologist is a great guy, and seems to think that tretinoin will work, but he underestimates the emotional trauma this is giving me! My regimen is to wash my face daily with cetaphil and use tretinoin and occassionally duac (bp) at night, usually 3-4 times a week. I drink around 2L of water a day, quite often I drink more, and I never have junk food or soda.

I would really love if somebody could suggest ways that I could deal with this problem - whether you've been through it personally, or just have some ideas, I would greatly appreciate any feedback. I'm sorry that I sound like such a drama queen, but I just want these bumps to go away so that I can have smooth, nice looking skin and go back to enjoying my life - I am desperate - also if there is anyone who has any ideas about minimizing the size or enlarged pores and/or getting rid of ice pick scars I would be very appreciative - Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this 'mini essay'

[akko 31]

In my case it was fungal- For 2 years I had tons and tons of little flesh colored bumps on my forehead, temples and cheeks. Sometimes they would flare red or itch. I got rid of them by washing my face with nizoral shampoo twice a day. If you want to give it a try, just make sure you leave it on for 3-5 minutes before rinsing. If it's fungal you should start to see results after a few days. After two weeks I was completely clear.

[pellydog 0]

i have the same problem! but on my forehead and socially i feel the same way but i am a girl and it sucks sooo much it's soo ugly to look at and it looks like a rocky road

i've litterally have tried everything but nothing seems to work...i even went on accutane and it cleared it up but now after 6 months it's all coming back it's awful to see