Has anyone ever heard or dealt with an allergy to dogs/cats that manifests as acne?
The acne could be anything from small bumps to actual acne lesions/cysts.
I strongly believe that part of my acne is due to animals. I work with them and have numerous animals at home, and I feel that my facial skin reacts very badly when I come in contact with a dog or cat. I tested the theory and touched some of their fur to my face in a particular area, and as I thought, I broke out in that area. When I am very careful about keeping my face away from animals and washing my hands, my acne is better (never truly goes away though)
I talked to my dermatologist and he says its not possible, which I find ridiculous, because skin allergies present themselves in all sorts of ways, and I think something resembling acne is one of them. If acne can be caused by food allergy why not animal allergy?
Ive gone through two courses of Accutane and I still have acne cysts and these small stupid stubborn bumps that are not inflamed at all, just small bumps.
What do you think??
I dont know, I personally doubt it and think it's more likely related to diet/lifestyle/ and lack of certain vitamins and minerals for most people.
Even if it was related to animals I would never ever give up my dog. I'd choose her over clear skin, she's way more important to me. 
hair is perfectly made to go into a pore..
if the animals fur is not clean and oil-free.. then of course it would contribute to acne.. (if your acne prone that is, which we are).. but the same can happen with human hairfur. Let me rub my head on your face, you will most likely get some acne.. cus i hate shampoo Yo
If you were allergic to ALL animals (because I assume that there is more than one type of aninal where you work), then you'd have noticeable reactions such as itchy/watery/red eyes, sniffling, possibly itching skin, etc.
Not necessarily. There are delayed type reactions that do not involve those responses at all. And can cause all kinds of responses such as headache, fatigue, asthma and acne. And I see no reason why they can't be caused by animals, topicals, environmental pollutants, etc, in addition to the food intolerances that many of us have identified.
I don't know for sure about the animals... But, earlier this year I started breaking out pretty bad on my face and back (I've never had acne trouble before and I am in my 30's). Nothing I did would help and it was just getting worse and worse. About a month ago I started to get really bad hay fever (including itchy skin all over my body) so I've been taking an antihistamine for that, and I don't know if it's just a coincidence, but my skin has cleared up HEAPS since I've been taking it! I am thinking of getting a skin test to see what I might actually be allergic to to see if it helps. So anyway, what I'm saying is that I wouldn't rule it out - you just never know! Maybe try an antihistamine?? (I take Fexotabs, the strong ones).
Good luck! 
Glad I found this forum. Yes, I firmly believe that there is a connection between dogs and acne. I have two dogs about three years old. And have had acne for three years. I was out of town for almost four weeks, away from my dogs. For the four weeks I was away from my dogs my face was clear. Within one day of returning home, my face started breaking out - mostly those small bumps on my chin, the ones that don't respond to any medication. Also get some cysts on side of my face. The acne is my only reaction, no sneezing or watery eyes. My dogs are groomed and washed regularly. I am also under a doctor's care and taking medication.
As I mentioned, for the four weeks I was away from my dogs my face was clear, now it is breaking out again. I love my dogs, but don't want to live with acne for the whole time they are part of the family. So I am going to continue to try different treatment for both the dogs and myself to see if I can come up with a solution. I will begin with antihistamine as suggested in one of the posts.
Absolutely! I have serious contact dermatitis from cats! If I let a cat and touch my face- bam! And that acne lasts twice as long! If it happens I use an ointment like calydryl for poison Ivey or other skin allergies. If I come in contact with an animal on my face I wash right away and it keeps it from happening. I also make sure that nothing I sleep on has those things!
So I started getting bad spots when I was 9 and the doc said it was just pre menstrual pre teenage spots. But thinking about it, that was the time my parents got a dog. I'm now nearly 32 and still get horrendous breakouts. Every time I go to bed my nose feels blocked. When I was in London last year some guy stopped me in the park with his dog so I said hello. He asked if I had dogs to which I replied I have 2 golden retrievers. Then he started going on about my skin and that my skin is bad cause of the dust mites that come off dogs. One of our dogs always sleeps on the bed. He said to add dog flea and itchy skin shampoo stuff to my normal routine and to wash my pillow cases every 2 days. He used to work in a pharmaceutical place. I was mortified that he even mentioned it to me. So a year later my skin is worse than ever I'm actually going to give it a try and see if it works. I will let you all know if it works. X
I know this thread is several years old, but I just stumbled upon it from my own suspicion on the same topic.
I too have no scientific proof that dander can cause acne. However, I am currently in college and have noticed a huge difference in my ability to "maintain" my acne when I'm at home versus when I'm at school. Logic would say that due to stress, acne would be worse at school. Nope. Acne is almost always worse at home, where we have three dogs. 1 sheds seasonally. 2 shed year-round.
At school, I can get most pimples to heal within 2-7 days. At home, most of them never heal. Or if they do heal, it takes well over a week.
Usually, within a week of when I return to school, my skin looks fairly healthy again.
I can honestly say that I believe that my dog allergies play a huge part here with my acne. I live at home with a dog and my face is constantly irritated, red, and has acne. When I am out for hours, it calms down. If I am away from my dog for a day or more, my face begins to clear up more and more. After 3-7 days, all of my acne clears up. I cannot think of any other factors as I tend to eat the same, exercise the same, and sleep the same during most of my travels. The only exception is when I am eating better in Japan, but my skin is beautiful then too. I would attribute it to Japanese cuisine and skin care products only, but the same happens whenever I leave my pup at home during any my travels, where I seem to be away from my dog. Maybe I will test this next trip and stay away from all dogs for a week, then stay with a friend with a dog and see if it returns.