Help. I'm New

[neverendingacne2 0]

I have been experiencing acne now for about 4 years. My cane started off very mild but has gotten worse over time.I really need some help as nothing i have tried seems to work.

First off I will describe my acne and treatment I have had:

The worst part is my chin and around my mouth and nose, here I have lots of red marks and get very noticeable lumps which can last weeks and never result in a head. This has now spread to the edge of my cheeks as well. Generally my cheeks are always very clear as is my forehead. My skin isn't excessively oily and can get quite dry in winter or if i use harsh products.

My acne seems to be worse when I am stressed rather than anything else.

I have been going back and forth to the doctors for about 2 years now and in that time they have put me on, OXY gel, Benzoyl peroxide gel, differin gel, erythromycin, zineryt and another cream which I can't remember the name of. I have also been on the contraceptive pill as well. None of these products have made the slightest bit of difference. All they did was make my skin extremely dry and itchy and as soon as the prescription was finished it got a lot worse again. I have also tried home remedies such as cider vinegar, toothpaste and tea tree oil. I have used freederm and neutrogena cleaners and creams which again didn't do anything. I read great reviews about sudocrem but that hasn't worked either nor has bio oil. I recently went to the body shop and decided to buy a good cleanser and toner as my skin has been feeling really damaged after all the harsh products so I was reccomended aloe vera as it is completely natural. I use there cleanser, toner and night moisturizer every day twice a day. its too early to see if there is any improvement but people seem to stress how a good cleansing routine helps.

I was hoping someone here could help me with suggestions of different products or a certain routine that improved their skin? I want to acne to go but I was also hoping on reducing the red marks as they are very unsightly. Thanks

[jmcsm 3]

Hi, I think the best advice I can give you is to do a search on the forums for success topics. People who are clear following some regimen or some specific diet. You can read up because there are so many different things that work differently for everyone. Its pretty hard to just recommend something.

Good luck and welcome to the org!

[ohsailor 11]

Treating acne is such a trial and error, and as jmcsm has said, its hard to recommend something for someone else. Its a matter of just formulating a regime based on what others have recommended and if it doesn't work, being willing to try again until you find the right products.

It may help to adjust your diet and experiment with healthy eating as some people (including myself) find that diet can affect the severity and frequency of acne. For example, I am sensitive to caffeine and gluten so I avoid them where I can.

Most people who join the Org start using Dan's regimen and it has been very successful for many people. I can see that you have said you have used BP but following Dan's regimen is very different to how doctors recommend to use BP. Maybe you could use Dan's regime as starting point and experiment from there?

Regarding red marks, there is a good part of the Org messageboard called Red Marks Left After Acne - this has lots of helpful threads regarding what products and natural methods you can use to heal the hyperpigmentation. Unfortunately though, time is the greatest healer and you have to be patient.