Please, take a look at this and see if it applies to you:

http://www.drbaileyskincare.com/blog/pityr...80%99t-go-away/

http://www.drbaileyskincare.com/blog/pityr...dont-know-this/

At least, it did apply to me and the "million gazillion deep little braille-like whitehead that never healed or went away" finally disappeared in just two weeks, because it was not acne to begin with, but fungus! But apparently all the useless derms I'd seen in my life weren't able to figure that out.

You should try pomada de la compana its a mexican cream that helps get rid of acne and scars.

Have you tried lasers? I know that when I go for laser hair removal on my face, it kills any pimples that were there overnight. I think the lasers somehow damage the sebaceous glands so they don't produce so much oil. How old are you? And at what age did it start? While you were using the above medications...did they clear you while you were on them?

Don't worry : ) We are all going through the same thing...no difference in how big the breakouts are or how they look...it matters what they do to us on the inside.

Have hope. This CAN'T last forever!

You are not alone.I do know what your talking about im 42 & have tryed so many things over the years.The list would go on for ever,yes even accutane dident help me & have had lazor hair on my neck which looks the worst it ever has

I can get clear through meds,diet,exercise & be clear for months but for some reason my acne always comes back.

Im stresed out & emointonaly drained.I really dont understand it

Maybe that's the cause for the return of acne. Although acne can cause stress....stress is linked to acne as it causes our cortisol levels to go up. I myself am a stress case lol...so I'm sure it has something to do with it.

Thanks for replying to my random rant, everyone!

I'm 31-- my acne started at age 11. It didn't reach the point of really bothering me until I was almost 13.

I think laser treatment is the only thing I haven't tried-- although when one considers insurance doesn't cover it-- I doubt I ever will.

I have tried Nizoral and the like *in case* it was actually some kind of yeast, but I have no positive outcomes from it.

Have you tried lasers? I know that when I go for laser hair removal on my face, it kills any pimples that were there overnight. I think the lasers somehow damage the sebaceous glands so they don't produce so much oil. How old are you? And at what age did it start? While you were using the above medications...did they clear you while you were on them?

 

Don't worry : ) We are all going through the same thing...no difference in how big the breakouts are or how they look...it matters what they do to us on the inside.

 

Have hope. This CAN'T last forever!

Im interested in knowing what laser you had for the hair removal that helped with the sebaceous glands? I have developed fine peach fuzz hair on the sides of my face down toward my chin in the last two years which is about the time I've noticed the pores in my chin getting clogged with embedded whiteheads. They are so small and are in the corners of my mouth down and some seem to attach to the hair follicle. They are tough to remove because they are hard and seed like. I literally have to dig them out and its not easy because alot of the time I dont get the seed and it retreats deeper into the skin and takes forever to heal. I've recently had two treatments of Smoothbeam laser which did squat for my sebaceous glands in my chin but was thinking about some sort of laser hair removal as this could be the real culprit. I cannot stop getting these clogs no matter what OTC or perscription topicals I apply. My derm wants to put me on an ultra low dose of accutane on Sept 26 after trying spironolactone for a year with zero results. I'm 44 and have suffered for 31 straight years with this. No one knows the struggle i've had with my skin except me. My husband knows but truly cannot even fathom what a day is like in my own head. I think of my skin every minute of every day. I cant watch TV, play with my kids, go to dinner or enjoy one aspect of my life. I cant imagine the rest of my life like this and sometimes dont want to.

I CAN TOTALLY RELATE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR GOING THROUGH. My acne has completely consu?ed me and destroyed every aspect of my life. I enjoy nothing anymore and feel so terribly guilty about it. My skin is all I think about. Its literally killing me.

I've tried everything...to no avail. I have tried every cream and topical available OTC.... not to mention the countless prescriptions and derms I've been to. I've been prescribed retin a in everyb strength, yas, spiro, doxy, mino, tetra, BP, hydroquinone... I even had a $3500 laser treatment which left my skin in really terrible shape. My pores are huge and stretched. My skin is sagging from all the tugging, rubbing , picking ,pulling , scrubbing , washing, topicals, and everything else I've put it through!plus my face is hairy!

Ifeel like a hideous monster. My most recent escapade involved the use of nair over my face...cheeks chin temples and forehead. I had did this before several years ago and remember it burning, but indeed removing the hair along with any acne that was on my face, but did leave a bleeding lesion.

Well, I decided to give it a go last night... I mean I'm having a pretty bad breakout right now. And was desperate for something to initiate some type of healing as I had about 9 to 10 huge blemishes that were not going away. And in my experience, a small scab heals a whole hell of a lot faster then a huge swollen red enflamed aggravated pimple/blemish/cystic acne lesion thingy...soooo....

I put the nair on for about 3 minutes...wiped it off , rinsed my face in cool water. Well the nair completely dissolved the entire blemish off my face leaving a huge weepy gaping wound on my face and my whole face burned like hell. I bit the bullet and decided an alcohol cleansing was in order. I applied some to a cotton ball...how to you say OWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!?!!!!!....burned like hell. ..... didn't sleep at all last night. My face was sore and tender and burning. Very uncomfortable. However the nair nicely removed all the hair...

And today I have nice scabbies and 1st degree burns all over my face. I am just cleaning with cool water and applying a little rubbing alcohol twice a day... I'm hoping in a few days these little scabs will fall off and I can enjoy semi clear skin for a few days. ;/

Anybody else in the same boat here? I'm sure there are...

It started out in 1991 as your garden variety T-zone pimples, in the mid 90s to cysts, to a million gazillion deep little braille-like whiteheads (cysts?) that never heal or go away-- and pop up on my neck, my chest, everywhere... My lovely AGE makes each SCAR look even WORSE than it did in my teens-- when they'd dissappear like magic after a week!

Has anybody else here been on every conceivable antibiotic known to mankind, only to become "immune" to all of them?

Has anybody else been on Accutane and still no results?

Any body else been on Yaz, Yazmin, Orto-Tri-Cyclin Lo, Spirolactone, and every other "miracle" hormone pill with nothing to gain but WEIGHT and WORSE ACNE???"

Retin A does NOTHING. Topical antibiotics do NOTHING. BP does NOTHING.

And please-- someone just DARE try to suggest Proactiv to me ONE MORE TIME... I DARE you!

My neck is so hideous, my face looks SOOO hideous right now. I wish burkahs were in style here. I wish I could get a face transplant. I feel like I'm 31 going on 13, I'm tired of stressing out over this _________ !

Somebody please tell me they know what I'm talking about here!

I know exactly what you are going through. I have tried all types of BC and nothing has helped, it only made it worse not to mention the severe weight gain. I did a course of accutane and all of the cycline antibiotics. I am 27 btw, disgusted with my weight gain to go along with my broken out face I decided to try the Belly fat cure diet. To my amazement not only did i drop a little weight but my face cleared up significantly. I am about 99% clear now because of cinnamon and chromium supplements, and a mega green vitamin i take twice a day. My scarring is terrible. I tried retin-a topical but it made my hair fall out. About 50% did, because i am ultra sensitive to vitamin A. So now that i am recovering, from all the abuse i put my body through I believe t hat sugar/carbs caused my hormones to go wacko. I still eat carbs but in a limited amount and low sugar. Its worth a try, however when i tried eliminating all carbs it was like my body went toxic and i started breaking out even worse. Even though i am left with bad hyper-pigmentation i am grateful my acne has cleared up.

I never heard of the Belly Fat Cure Diet. I would be interested to learn more as the current diet regimen I've been on for the last 10 months has not been producing the results I had hoped. I eat low card(only good grains, quinoa, brown rice) and very low gluten and sugar. I eat no dairy and miniimal fruits as I'm thinking some fruits might be causing so red bumps and hives. I take a probiotic and vitamin B5 right now and am weaning off of Spironolactone. My derm wants to try ultra low dose accutane on septembber 26 after so many failed attempts at topicals. My biggest problem is my chin area that clogs tremendously and builds up with both hard and soft sebum. What kind of things do you eat every day? thanks

One thing that irritates me, although it is slightly off topic, is the concept of "skin purging" when one goes on a new acne treatment via the dermatologist. I usually read about "skin purging" in regards to retin-A products. In all my years of acne treatment, especially in my youth when things *would* sometimes work for a short period of time-- if a new treatment "worked" at all, it usually "worked" right away. Perhaps I wasn't clear overnight, but I would become clearer day by day. I never had to wear a topical for months on end in order to wait for clear skin. This whole concept of "skin purging" is unacceptable in my book. Honestly, who wants to deal with five months of new zits and acne scars just to wait for something to work? What other treatments for common diseases involve months of "worsening symptoms" before improvement? "Oh yes-- this new hypercholesterolemia drug will work, but it will make your cholesterol spike to over 400 for five months until it works". Yeah, right. "Oh, this insulin will make your diabetes symptoms become less dangerous, but your blood sugar will go through the roof and you'll be in a coma for five months." Sure. Oh, nevermind, I forgot that it takes somewhere about FOUR MONTHS to get an appointment with a dermatologist if your treatment isn't working... Oh, I forgot, this is just our FACES we're talking about. In our inner beauty world, we shouldn't worry about our FACES should we?? Oh, and by the way, I'm sure looking like a meth addict or small pox victim is GREAT for your psychological being and social life. I'm sure it's GREAT for interviews.

Same happens to me, nothing is working. I am 42 years old , female, I got acne when I was 13. I have tried everything, including accutane, but none of this products is able to get rid of the sebum stones under my skin all over my body.

The only product that work a little, was Diane (birth control pill). I m not clear, but in the past I had enormous cyst internally, and actually after taking diane for years, I have hard sebum like stone under my skin but not that huge pimple I had before.

in response to your comment about "skin purging". I have also found that topicals would work straight away if they were going to work... They also never lasted.

I'm currently using retin a, in my third week, I am just starting to get a lot more breakouts. I believe this does need to happen as even when previous topicals have dried up spots I have always had pus under the surface... Tiny little bumps that just never cleared.

My skin is healing better and old marks have lightened from using this also.

I'm giving it 12 weeks to make up my mind about it!

I hope you find something acne sucks!

24 years of "bliss" here

16 years of BC

2 rounds of accutane

just started spironolactone

It has been about 17 years for me, moderate acne, whiteheads, blackheads, and large pores.... you pray every day it will go away....but it never does.

I feel for u mate!

Same happens to me, nothing is working. I am 42 years old , female, I got acne when I was 13. I have tried everything, including accutane, but none of this products is able to get rid of the sebum stones under my skin all over my body.

The only product that work a little, was Diane (birth control pill). I m not clear, but in the past I had enormous cyst internally, and actually after taking diane for years, I have hard sebum like stone under my skin but not that huge pimple I had before.

 

This is exactly the way I'd describe my acne-- like little stones, pebbles, under my skin. They never come to a head on their own, and if I am able to extract any, they still manage to grow back. This wouldn't be so bad, except that I get about 10-15 new ones every day. My derm finally suggested accutane, again... Even if it only works for a few months, at least I can take a "vacation" from this agony. Retin A just seems to make my skin thinner-- it's as if the pimples are so deep, the Retin A can't reach them. Then the scarring becomes more hideous than usual.

I've had 30 years of acne! I have been on Shitutane for 3 courses, and nothing! I have been prescribed every topical under the sun, and nothing! Even tried Retin-A, it made my skin worse, and burned like hell! These topicals are NOT the answer.At least the women out there can get BC, and some kind of relief. Us guys out there, just have to weather the storm, and suffer! 30 years is a LONG time, I'm talking about 70% of my life here, NOT FUN Every derm I've ever been to has had the brilliant deduction that whatever medication I'm given is going to "pull-out" the acne, well...it's been getting "pulled-out" for 30 years now! What about something to make it stop??? I'm sorry there is NOTHING they can do! There is light at the end of the tunnel, I'm definitely on to something, or maybe it's just FINALLY burning itself out. I believe for myself that it's hormonal, for a guy this could be bad, and good! Not to mention the terrible shaving issues I've had to go hand-in-hand with the cystic acne, BLAH!

Unfortunately, the bc pill never did anything for me but make my acne worse. I would imagine the shaving thing being pure he#... , although sometimes I envy a guy who can grow a beard and cover half his face... my acne seems to gravitate towards those areas a man would get a beard. I have been tested for polycystic ovaries (ultrasound), which revealed nothing. I firmly believe I have some kind of infection that is along the same lines as MRSA-- super antibiotic-resistant acne.

I sometimes think my diet is at fault, but honestly, who can SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS a week on gluten-free, dairy-free, 100% raw, nut-free, meat-free, no caffiene, all organic, no artificial hormoes, Evian water-only diet? ... and also have a normal work/home life? Certainly not me. Some of the pains people go through, even though they may have "found the answer" and made themselves clear through diet, seems like torture to me. Working out most days of the week at the gym seems like sacrifice enough, some things I refuse to give up, unless an MD with a speciality in food allergies can certify me as allergic to a particular food.

Greetings to all. Sadly 25 years for me 'under the cloud', man & boy. It's just nice to know I am not alone in wanting, just to be normal really. Some guys dream of fast cars, big houses and beautiful women. I do to, but would swap it all to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about what my face looks like. People without acne take this very simple notion for granted. It's been so long I cannot even remember what that feels like anymore. Don't give up the fight, and stay strong.

WOw, good luck. I wish I could say something to help but it sounds like you have tried so much! All I can say is I noticed my acne declined muchwhen I cut out refined sugars and fried foods and drink mostly water or green tea. I use topicals but its not for everyone...life truly isnt fair!

I hope you manage to stay strong and eventually find something for you, I know exactly how it feels to be fed up with acne. And its true my own acne has been on the mild side lately with few breakouts but I live in constant fear of it coming back, God bless.

A

I feel you pain...and mine as well. 30+ years of frustration here. I have been frustrated by acne, slight to moderate, for over 30 years now. I have tried numerous topicals (little to no help), Tetracycline, short stint on Accutane, too many other remedies......but, it has made little to no difference.

I wish I could grow a beard on my forehead and neck to cover up the more problematic areas, but then I would have to choose between visible acne or a Werewolf impersonator. Bad attempt at humor, but yes, you are not in this boat of frustration alone......

Wow, so glad I am not alone here. 40 years old and have been suffering from breakouts for 20+ years. I always thought "well, it will go away when I get older." Yeah, not so much! Now I'm just praying for early menopause.

Hey, I used to be a frequent poster about 8 years ago and my acne clearer up so I haven't been on a lot, but my current GF has some acne problems so I've been on here recently ordering some stuff (I still use the BP and occasionally order the moisturizer, she's a cosmetic chemist by the way and says the products on this site are solid). Your post encouraged me to sign back up to post because I remember the hopelessness one feels with acne. I didn't want to go outside or meet people, slathering on 10% (oh yah, I know you remember that) BP at night, not being able to smile or talk properly because my skin was so tight.

Anyways, there are a few gold standard things that I KNOW work well for acne. I'm sure some people on here have mentioned them:

1. Sleep. It's the end all and be all for acne. If you're getting a lot of sleep, your body as more time to repair. How much sleep do you generally need before you wake up naturally? If you don't know, start by aiming for 9 hours (yes, 9) and work your way down. It became hilarious how much I could gauge my skin based on how much sleep I got (4 days - EXACTLY - my skin would be at its worse 4 days after a night where I got little sleep and didn't wash my face)

2. Water. Are you drinking enough water? Every time you go to the bathroom your urine should be clear, if it's not, it means you either just took a B supplement (see below) or you're dehydrated. Being dehydrated causes your skin to get dry, which causes more oil, etc etc. You know the cycle.

3. Zinc. It's amazing. I used to follow my acne very, very closely (closer than Dan I bet) and Zinc, anywhere between 15 mg to 30 mg (don't take more than 15 in one sitting, it'll make your stomach upset and you'll piss it all out) a day. It decreases inflammation and improves healing time. Do Zine Gluconate.

4. The Regime. Seriously. Washing your face (removing bacteria from your skin), applying BP (preventing bacteria from entering pores), while keeping it hydrated with moisturizer (keeping your skin from creating more sebum for bacteria to live), is the main topical thing you can do to the skin. You're old enough (same age as me) that hormones should no longer be the main cause of your acne. Just wash your face every morning and night with a light wash, throw on some BP in the T-zone (I'd bet dollars to donuts you suffer mostly in the T-Zone or right on the top of your cheeks) and be liberal with the moisturizer.

5. Your diet: I know Dan has addressed diet many time on this site, but you need to try avoiding red meat (I LOVE LOVE red meat, but it causes inflammation), avoid sugar everywhere (too complicated to explain but sugar is a killer on every level, including your skin), and increase your vegetable intake. Drop your carb intake, do a bit of exercise. Try this for 5 weeks. 2 Weeks for the diet to take effect. 2 weeks for your body to squeeze out clogged pores. 1 week to heal up. If you don't see improvement I'd be shocked.

6. B-Vitamins: you lose a lot of B vitamins due to stress, and a lot of acne can be caused because of stress. You can't over-dose on B-Vitamins, so find a good time released B-Vitamin supplement and you should see improvement not only with your skin, but your well-being.

7. If you don't see improvement, shoot me a message.

18 years for me--since I was 11. I used to get the one big red one on the tip of my nose or chin, like Rudolph, and then they got worse over time--big hard sore ones all along my chin. Recently, I've started breaking out on the same place over and over--on my cheek under my eye---the "sunglass's sweat line" next to my nose. I used to pretty much exclusively break out on the right side of my face (was my "bad" side ) and now I'm ever the more balanced as it's switched to my left as well.

I was on hormonal bc for 11 years which I'm realizing now helped--but never really did the trick. I got the Paragard IUD last year (Copper--no hormones) and have felt amazing off hormones. I didn't really know who I really was without them. I feel things now in a way I didn't for all those years--physically and emotionally. I feel more like myself. But my breakouts have gotten worse. It used to be that I'd at least have a little break. I miss those days. Once my face starts to clear, it's like there's a long waiting list for more lil jerks just waiting to break through.

I'm 29 and feel like in a way I've been cheated through my young adult life. I've lacked the confidence I feel everyone deserves. It's so devastating how something like this can prevent you from becoming the person you want to be. I'm starting to see gray hairs and lines on my face and I feel like I don't have any more time to waste.

I went to a Dermatologist last year and she put me on Doxy. After using it for a couple months I was feeling so sick all the time. I would have to leave class or get up in the middle of interviewing a patient at work. My stomach was torn to shreds. She wanted me to go on Spiro --gave me the Rx and everything. But I came home and was not willing to do that. If I couldn't tolerate antibiotics, how would I tolerate a medication like that? Do I really want to live my life taking hardcore meds? What the heck is the issue anyways? Why is this happening?

I started getting acupuncture from a friend. I truly believed it helped. I haven't seen him for a couple months and my acne has come back again. He was working with me and educating me about the connections. The acne on my chin stems from my Endocrine--hormones. My Kidneys and Gallbladder have blockages which prevents me from ridding myself of toxins. It's just so amazing how inter-connected the systems in our bodies are. I really think acupuncture helps. It's relaxing and is just one method for reducing stress and helps to center/ground me. I've read that it's 90% effective in treating acne. Not sure where those stats come from.

I'm also trying to get to the point where I stop wearing makeup regularly. It's so hard to feel presentable to the world without it, but even cleaning my brushes regularly---I do think it's majorly contributed to my problem.

I'm a pretty healthy person for the most part. I'm active---ride my bike, walk my dogs, rock-climb, eat well, good weight and all, but I feel like when people look at me, they see a "sick" person. Because acne is a sign of internal upset. And I feel like it's so contradicting my lifestyle. Am I sick?

There's no one cure. There never is. But the best we can do is work to feel better about our lives. I feel like trying to focus on becoming the kind of person I want to be is the best I can do. Maybe my skin will heal itself once I shift my focus. But I know it's so hard. More than hard.

I truly feel for all of you and have found tremendous support in reading your posts.