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Severe, Moderate, Or Mild Acne?

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(@ruch0901)

Posted : 10/31/2012 2:37 pm

Hey everybody.

Returning user here.

My acne has gotten very very bad lately I havent had a day in a few months where I have had less then 15 spots/scars/scabs on my face.

Wondering if this would be considered severe, moderate, or mild pictures below.

I also have about 5 pitted scars, small but ugly.

I have a dermatologist appointment in Decmber, so pretty far away.

Would accutane be right for me? I've been leaning that way for probably the last two years but only until now made an appointment.

Feedback would be great. Thanks.

 

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MemberMember
1
(@armadillo)

Posted : 10/31/2012 3:32 pm

Looks like moderate acne. We wouldn't know if Accutane was the right thing for you - how is your overall health? Do you have joint problems? Do you have a perfectly functioning liver? It depends on a lot of different things, basically, your dermatologist should be able tell you nod.gif

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MemberMember
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(@ruch0901)

Posted : 10/31/2012 3:47 pm

No im overall very healthy I eat right and excercise often.

Do you think accutane is even an option?

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MemberMember
568
(@leelowe1)

Posted : 10/31/2012 6:33 pm

It depends on the derm. Accutane is an option if you have truly exhausted other options beyond the typical antibiotics such as :

 

retinoids, diet changes, natural skin care, supplements,birthcontrol etc

 

This is a serious drug that can have serious and in rare cases permanent side effects so other options should really be considered first. Your acne could be mild/moderate

 

Good Luck.

 

While you're waiting for your appt, take a look at the nutrition forum - it never worked for me but it has for many others with much worse acne than you

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MemberMember
1
(@armadillo)

Posted : 11/01/2012 11:32 am

No im overall very healthy I eat right and excercise often.

Do you think accutane is even an option?

 

This really depends on the dermatologist. What have you tried to combat your acne so far?

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MemberMember
0
(@ruch0901)

Posted : 11/01/2012 6:41 pm

I've done almost all natural treatments I could think of ex: tto, honey, oatmeal, sea salt, vitamins, majority of washes, creams, scrubs you can buy at the store, microdermabrasion treatments, retin-a, epiduo, birth control, glycolic peels, ocm, only water to wash with. So quite a bit. I don't really want to take antibiotics because more than likely I'll have to stay on them for years and years and I've read numerous times that they stop working after a while.

Also I've been taking maximum greens supplement for over a month and 50mg zinc nightly for about 6 months and no difference with either.

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MemberMember
5
(@rentedname)

Posted : 11/01/2012 11:59 pm

do you have any digestion problems? or a history of antibiotics/meds?

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MemberMember
1
(@armadillo)

Posted : 11/02/2012 11:03 am

I've done almost all natural treatments I could think of ex: tto, honey, oatmeal, sea salt, vitamins, majority of washes, creams, scrubs you can buy at the store, microdermabrasion treatments, retin-a, epiduo, birth control, glycolic peels, ocm, only water to wash with. So quite a bit. I don't really want to take antibiotics because more than likely I'll have to stay on them for years and years and I've read numerous times that they stop working after a while.

Also I've been taking maximum greens supplement for over a month and 50mg zinc nightly for about 6 months and no difference with either.

 

Is Retin-A the only retinoid you've tried? What about benzoyl peroxide? Have you tried any topical antibitiotics? Have you had a hormone test and if yes, did you have abnormal results?

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MemberMember
0
(@ruch0901)

Posted : 11/02/2012 12:51 pm

do you have any digestion problems? or a history of antibiotics/meds?

 

Not that I know of. I've done full system cleanses and cut dairy out for a while and everything seemed the same. And no medicines only small amount of anitbiotics if I get really sick.

I've done almost all natural treatments I could think of ex: tto, honey, oatmeal, sea salt, vitamins, majority of washes, creams, scrubs you can buy at the store, microdermabrasion treatments, retin-a, epiduo, birth control, glycolic peels, ocm, only water to wash with. So quite a bit. I don't really want to take antibiotics because more than likely I'll have to stay on them for years and years and I've read numerous times that they stop working after a while.

Also I've been taking maximum greens supplement for over a month and 50mg zinc nightly for about 6 months and no difference with either.

 

Is Retin-A the only retinoid you've tried? What about benzoyl peroxide? Have you tried any topical antibitiotics? Have you had a hormone test and if yes, did you have abnormal results?

 

Yes it is. Benzoyl peroxide and retina have only made things worse for me. Topical antibiotics such as what? Ive had tests and nothing was wrong or out of the ordinary.

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MemberMember
1
(@armadillo)

Posted : 11/02/2012 4:04 pm

do you have any digestion problems? or a history of antibiotics/meds?

 

Not that I know of. I've done full system cleanses and cut dairy out for a while and everything seemed the same. And no medicines only small amount of anitbiotics if I get really sick.

I've done almost all natural treatments I could think of ex: tto, honey, oatmeal, sea salt, vitamins, majority of washes, creams, scrubs you can buy at the store, microdermabrasion treatments, retin-a, epiduo, birth control, glycolic peels, ocm, only water to wash with. So quite a bit. I don't really want to take antibiotics because more than likely I'll have to stay on them for years and years and I've read numerous times that they stop working after a while.

Also I've been taking maximum greens supplement for over a month and 50mg zinc nightly for about 6 months and no difference with either.

 

Is Retin-A the only retinoid you've tried? What about benzoyl peroxide? Have you tried any topical antibitiotics? Have you had a hormone test and if yes, did you have abnormal results?

 

Yes it is. Benzoyl peroxide and retina have only made things worse for me. Topical antibiotics such as what? Ive had tests and nothing was wrong or out of the ordinary.

 

Such as clindamycin, eryhtromycin, etc. the good thing about topical antibiotics is that they don't affect you internally, so you wouldn't have to worry about stomach problems

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MemberMember
5
(@rentedname)

Posted : 11/03/2012 2:21 am

Well not so much what your habits are as what your bm's are like... but if those are fine, i think you should consider a hormonal cause. i notice that a lot of girls who do everything right but still get acne usually have issues with their hormones.

 

also, since your acne flared up just recently, you should really scrutinize your health in the past few months and look for ANY potential factor that could have caused your outbreaks. In the end, acne is a result of something not working right with your body. it's not natural to have acne.

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MemberMember
1
(@lady_c)

Posted : 11/03/2012 3:25 pm

In my humble opinion your acne looks mild/moderate, as for whether or not you would be a good candidate for Roaccutane, it's hard to say really. If your skin is scarring then yes something like Ro might be ideal, but it's advisable to explore ALL avenues first. Moreover, It's subjective to the derm and your medical history. Prehaps another retinoid like differin for instance? I took Roaccutane back in 2008 and my acne returned, that and the side effects were bothersome. Additionally, I've been battling acne for 15 years now (I'm still trying to find what works for me). A lot of women have been using spiro, have you looked into that? also, you might want to determine if your acne is hormonal, genetic etc..? how long have you dealing with acne for? I'm not trying to discourage you from considering Roaccutane, just giving you some food for thought first of all,

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MemberMember
0
(@emt813)

Posted : 11/03/2012 6:43 pm

I've done almost all natural treatments I could think of ex: tto, honey, oatmeal, sea salt, vitamins, majority of washes, creams, scrubs you can buy at the store, microdermabrasion treatments, retin-a, epiduo, birth control, glycolic peels, ocm, only water to wash with. So quite a bit. I don't really want to take antibiotics because more than likely I'll have to stay on them for years and years and I've read numerous times that they stop working after a while.

Also I've been taking maximum greens supplement for over a month and 50mg zinc nightly for about 6 months and no difference with either.

 

How was your experience with birth control and what kind did you take? There are many different birth control pills on the market today and everyone reacts to them differently (but some are known to be better than others at clearing acne). I also agree with others' suggestions of altering your diet. From the list you provided, I can tell that you would prefer to clear your skin in a more natural way. The great thing about elimination diets is that there are virtually no side effects so, even if you discover that dairy or gluten or whatever you choose to cut out does not contribute to your acne, no harm is being done to your body. My best advice is to find a really good dermatologist who you feel comfortable with and will work with you to find the best treatment instead of taking a quick glance at your skin and starting to write on their prescription pad. Good luck to you!

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MemberMember
0
(@baller55)

Posted : 11/05/2012 4:25 am

I can promise you that if you use Oxy 10 percent Maximum strength BP found almost anywhere it will clear your face. Use it daily you can wash it off after 30 mins or let it dry and keep it there all day it doesn't matter. This stuff destroys acne. It has worked for me for 1 year and if i dont use it with 2 days i break out. I am still trying to eat better and excerside more but right now I work 50+ hours a week and am in college full time. PM me if you have any further questions. you should be clear in 2 weeks to 1 month and it might get worse before it gets better because all the pimples that havent surfaced yet will surface (these typically go away faster than normal though). Good luck!

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MemberMember
0
(@ruch0901)

Posted : 11/05/2012 5:11 pm

Well not so much what your habits are as what your bm's are like... but if those are fine, i think you should consider a hormonal cause. i notice that a lot of girls who do everything right but still get acne usually have issues with their hormones.

also, since your acne flared up just recently, you should really scrutinize your health in the past few months and look for ANY potential factor that could have caused your outbreaks. In the end, acne is a result of something not working right with your body. it's not natural to have acne.

 

I know my health is good I work at a gym and work out and eat very good nothing about my diet has changed I know for a fact. Hormones might be a cause but I havent seen a female for some time.

In my humble opinion your acne looks mild/moderate, as for whether or not you would be a good candidate for Roaccutane, it's hard to say really. If your skin is scarring then yes something like Ro might be ideal, but it's advisable to explore ALL avenues first. Moreover, It's subjective to the derm and your medical history. Prehaps another retinoid like differin for instance? I took Roaccutane back in 2008 and my acne returned, that and the side effects were bothersome. Additionally, I've been battling acne for 15 years now (I'm still trying to find what works for me). A lot of women have been using spiro, have you looked into that? also, you might want to determine if your acne is hormonal, genetic etc..? how long have you dealing with acne for? I'm not trying to discourage you from considering Roaccutane, just giving you some food for thought first of all,

 

I have been scarring not after every pi ple but the occasional one will scar mostly cheeks and in between my eye brows. I hated the retin-a all it did for about 4 months was make my skin super dry and constantly peeling I dont think it worked at all.

My dad had bad cystic acne which I get but only between my eye brows and occasionally on my upper cheeks. Those always stay for about 2 weeks.

I've had acne since I was 12 but it got really bad with cystic acne when I was 16 and im almost 20 now. So about 8 years.

I've done almost all natural treatments I could think of ex: tto, honey, oatmeal, sea salt, vitamins, majority of washes, creams, scrubs you can buy at the store, microdermabrasion treatments, retin-a, epiduo, birth control, glycolic peels, ocm, only water to wash with. So quite a bit. I don't really want to take antibiotics because more than likely I'll have to stay on them for years and years and I've read numerous times that they stop working after a while.

Also I've been taking maximum greens supplement for over a month and 50mg zinc nightly for about 6 months and no difference with either.

 

How was your experience with birth control and what kind did you take? There are many different birth control pills on the market today and everyone reacts to them differently (but some are known to be better than others at clearing acne). I also agree with others' suggestions of altering your diet. From the list you provided, I can tell that you would prefer to clear your skin in a more natural way. The great thing about elimination diets is that there are virtually no side effects so, even if you discover that dairy or gluten or whatever you choose to cut out does not contribute to your acne, no harm is being done to your body. My best advice is to find a really good dermatologist who you feel comfortable with and will work with you to find the best treatment instead of taking a quick glance at your skin and starting to write on their prescription pad. Good luck to you!

 

Birth control was not good for me it made me nauseous all the time so I ended up stopping. I dont remember the brand it was a while ago. This is a new dermatologist I will be going to next month so I will see how it goes with them.

I can promise you that if you use Oxy 10 percent Maximum strength BP found almost anywhere it will clear your face. Use it daily you can wash it off after 30 mins or let it dry and keep it there all day it doesn't matter. This stuff destroys acne. It has worked for me for 1 year and if i dont use it with 2 days i break out. I am still trying to eat better and excerside more but right now I work 50+ hours a week and am in college full time. PM me if you have any further questions. you should be clear in 2 weeks to 1 month and it might get worse before it gets better because all the pimples that havent surfaced yet will surface (these typically go away faster than normal though). Good luck!

 

I've tried 10% bp before and same as the retin-a it just dried my skin up and made my acne worse. I tried that for months and months.

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MemberMember
0
(@ruch0901)

Posted : 11/28/2012 4:09 pm

My acne has gotten worse since those photos here are current ones from today.

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MemberMember
1
(@jarrit)

Posted : 11/29/2012 1:55 am

No im overall very healthy I eat right and excercise often.

Do you think accutane is even an option?

 

How can you tell you are eating right?

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MemberMember
0
(@ruch0901)

Posted : 12/07/2012 10:10 am

Went to the derm yesterday and immediately he gave me the choice of accutane and of course I'm going to take it. Next month I go in again and get my first perscription.

I'm very excited!

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