Hello!
Help..... I guess is the best word I can think of.
My face makes me miserable.
I don't know what else to do, try, or fix.
i'm definitely at my wit's end.
Wish it was zit's end...oh word play.
A brief history:
I'm 28, female, white, natural red hair, freckles, irish descent... I burn so easily out in the sun.
I first got acne when I was about 10 years old (puberty started when I was 9.. first period when I was 11).
I would get the large ugly white heads on the side of my nose.
I had normal skin during my teens...with the odd zit here and there, nothing that really made me feel horrible.
In college I started to get more acne....and by graduate school, it was a full blown attack.
This last year was a stressful year with my father passing away after a short battle with cancer, and my mom was finally diagnosed with lupus after a 20+ year fight to figure out what was wrong with her. She almost passed away in the summer, but pulled through so she could make it home to spend time with her dying husband. Yup, it was sad times, stressful times. All that plus school, relationship, new house, etc... it was too much for my face.
I know my anxiety of the year played a role in how bad my acne got. I really started picking at it to relieve stress and try and gain some form of control over my chaotic life.
It just made matters worse. I wasn't on birth control at the time, and my acne seemed to forever be on attack. Atfer my dad passed away I tried birth control, and my skin cleared up.. until that 7 day break between packs. My face went into the worst beakout I have ever had (in the attached photo/link...it's the picture on the top left). So, what this told me was that, it's hormone related.
I've had my hormones tested a few times before...to rule out PCOS... The ratios were either far off, or borderline. Hormones were okay.
The doctor told me to just jump into the next pack instead of waiting 7 days between them. So, I tried this over December/January... I did the back to back idea. Only that gave me a period that lasted for 46 days.
So I went back to the normal pattern, the 28 day birth control pack.
It was working, but i fear that week of 7 days of placebos....because I know what's going to come my way.
The acne I get is painful. It hurts to smile. That's how inflamed my skin is. I used to love to smile... i'd smile if i was uncomfortable, it was the best defense mechanism ever. But now that defense mechanism fails... it only makes my acne bleed and leak. And who wants to talk to hot men and smile at them only to spontaneously start bleeding from disgusting "cakey camo'd" zits on your face? And mine bleed... and i mean... BLEEEED. I soak through 3 kleenexes before I can get it under control.
I take multivitamins, get extra zinc, vita C, b vitamins, i used vitamin A cream, I eat as healthy as I can (I really do eat my fruits and vegetables). I'm not a big sweets person. I do love dairy- cheese especially...and ice cream, but i can't afford to eat these every day... so, few times a week. I love coffee (a weakness...). I have a peanut allergy. I don't eat meat very often (and if I do it usually birds or fish).
I went back to the doctor last week for help. I'm just miserable and have NO IDEA what the next steps should be. This isn't working and it's affecting my life. It's painful, it makes me want to be a shut-in, and it's making me feel soo discouraged... I graduate in the summer, and I should be excited at the prospect of getting my first real career., Yet I'm terrified. My face problem speaks louder than any words I put on a resume, or any confidence I can muster my way through in an interview.
The judgement I get from my acne hurts so much. If i walk into a drug store they immediately try and sell me cover-up or acne products. There was one lady who said I shouldnt be outside with chickenpox/scabies/impetigo. And old lady behind me in a lineup at the grocery store asked me if I ever washed my face before because I'm young and should look pretty, but look at all of those pimples! and scars! you poor thing! (took everything in me not to sit there and cry). The last straw, this was yesterday, a bunch of teenage boys asked me for drugs. When I told them I was not a drug dealer..they said sorry, your face just looks like a meth addict's face so we thought you would have the good drugs!
Can you believe that!?
So I find myself here.
I've tried to stay strong with this acne, but I can't do it anymore. There's only so many products I can buy, so many times at the doctor that go no where, and so many days of comments/staring that I can take.
I put together some pictures of my acne, and wrote some stuff... I am not sure if it will work, if the text is too small.. etc... If it looks too blurry- sorry!
[removed]
So, this is me, reaching out to you. What's your story? Have you had any luck with your doctor? Or is this acne journey a D.I.Y. adventure?
Thank you,
ZDD
What is your skincare routine? Which birth control are you on? Do you only break out on your face or body as well? If nothing has worked, it's time to take some drastic measures to try to help your acne! You should try not eating dairy for a few weeks and see if it makes a difference. That's somewhere to start, there's a lot of topics on this site for diets that help acne though, I believe low glycemic is key, reducing dairy, sugars and processed food. I've never really dealt with my doctor for my acne problems, but I've realized my dermatologist is worthless. She still believes acne is simply caused by genetics or something being externally applied to the skin even though I only get acne on my chin and jawline (clearly hormonal). I will be seeing my doctor soon about my acne though to have my hormones tested and changing my birth control pill. Acne really is a DIY journey, everything affects each of us differently so what works for one person may not work for the next. If all else fails the last resort really is accutane.
On 2/3/2013 at 1:25 PM, ZitzyDitzyDotz said:Hello!
Help..... I guess is the best word I can think of.
My face makes me miserable.
I don't know what else to do, try, or fix.
i'm definitely at my wit's end.
Wish it was zit's end...oh word play.
A brief history:
I'm 28, female, white, natural red hair, freckles, irish descent... I burn so easily out in the sun.
I first got acne when I was about 10 years old (puberty started when I was 9.. first period when I was 11).
I would get the large ugly white heads on the side of my nose.
I had normal skin during my teens...with the odd zit here and there, nothing that really made me feel horrible.
In college I started to get more acne....and by graduate school, it was a full blown attack.
This last year was a stressful year with my father passing away after a short battle with cancer, and my mom was finally diagnosed with lupus after a 20+ year fight to figure out what was wrong with her. She almost passed away in the summer, but pulled through so she could make it home to spend time with her dying husband. Yup, it was sad times, stressful times. All that plus school, relationship, new house, etc... it was too much for my face.
I know my anxiety of the year played a role in how bad my acne got. I really started picking at it to relieve stress and try and gain some form of control over my chaotic life.
It just made matters worse. I wasn't on birth control at the time, and my acne seemed to forever be on attack. Atfer my dad passed away I tried birth control, and my skin cleared up.. until that 7 day break between packs. My face went into the worst beakout I have ever had (in the attached photo/link...it's the picture on the top left). So, what this told me was that, it's hormone related.
I've had my hormones tested a few times before...to rule out PCOS... The ratios were either far off, or borderline. Hormones were okay.
The doctor told me to just jump into the next pack instead of waiting 7 days between them. So, I tried this over December/January... I did the back to back idea. Only that gave me a period that lasted for 46 days.
So I went back to the normal pattern, the 28 day birth control pack.
It was working, but i fear that week of 7 days of placebos....because I know what's going to come my way.
The acne I get is painful. It hurts to smile. That's how inflamed my skin is. I used to love to smile... i'd smile if i was uncomfortable, it was the best defense mechanism ever. But now that defense mechanism fails... it only makes my acne bleed and leak. And who wants to talk to hot men and smile at them only to spontaneously start bleeding from disgusting "cakey camo'd" zits on your face? And mine bleed... and i mean... BLEEEED. I soak through 3 kleenexes before I can get it under control.
I take multivitamins, get extra zinc, vita C, b vitamins, i used vitamin A cream, I eat as healthy as I can (I really do eat my fruits and vegetables). I'm not a big sweets person. I do love dairy- cheese especially...and ice cream, but i can't afford to eat these every day... so, few times a week. I love coffee (a weakness...). I have a peanut allergy. I don't eat meat very often (and if I do it usually birds or fish).
I went back to the doctor last week for help. I'm just miserable and have NO IDEA what the next steps should be. This isn't working and it's affecting my life. It's painful, it makes me want to be a shut-in, and it's making me feel soo discouraged... I graduate in the summer, and I should be excited at the prospect of getting my first real career., Yet I'm terrified. My face problem speaks louder than any words I put on a resume, or any confidence I can muster my way through in an interview.
The judgement I get from my acne hurts so much. If i walk into a drug store they immediately try and sell me cover-up or acne products. There was one lady who said I shouldnt be outside with chickenpox/scabies/impetigo. And old lady behind me in a lineup at the grocery store asked me if I ever washed my face before because I'm young and should look pretty, but look at all of those pimples! and scars! you poor thing! (took everything in me not to sit there and cry). The last straw, this was yesterday, a bunch of teenage boys asked me for drugs. When I told them I was not a drug dealer..they said sorry, your face just looks like a meth addict's face so we thought you would have the good drugs!
Can you believe that!?
So I find myself here.
I've tried to stay strong with this acne, but I can't do it anymore. There's only so many products I can buy, so many times at the doctor that go no where, and so many days of comments/staring that I can take.
I put together some pictures of my acne, and wrote some stuff... I am not sure if it will work, if the text is too small.. etc... If it looks too blurry- sorry!
[Removed]
So, this is me, reaching out to you. What's your story? Have you had any luck with your doctor? Or is this acne journey a D.I.Y. adventure?
Thank you,
ZDD
That meth addict comment was just awful, they were just taking the piss, they knew you weren't really a meth addict if it's any consolation. Maybe one day they'll suffer with acne and know how it feels.
Have you talked with your derm about accutane? If accutane is the absolute last resort, no questions asked, then maybe looking into Saw Palmetto could do wonders for you. I've read about people (women too) that suffer with adult cystic acne and after taking Saw Palmetto (the standardized version from GNC to be exact) for a couple of months, their acne drastically cleared up.
Hi. You sound like me. In the end after the doctors gave me different lotions, creams and gels, I found myself cutting out all dairy and gluten on the advice of a food expert. This made me lose plenty of weight but made the skin 10 times worse, and all the supplements I had to take, was leaving me with a huge dent in my purse!. I stressed so much about going to work or going out as I didn't want people to see me. Could not wear make up as my oily skin made it slip off and also made the spots worse, so I was totally exposed. I finally went and put my foot down at the doctors, and told them how it was making my life hell. Had to go to the hospital but I then found out I was expecting so they couldn't do much for me. Anyway, three children later, and now been on tetralysal for over a year, my acne now coming back. I do think you have to be forceful with the doctors, after all they are suppose to be there to help. You do almost have to tell them what action you want to take. I do like taking the tablets every day, as I don't have time to put on creams etc. mine was worse when I hit 30.
Try not taking B vitamins and just stick to one multi a day with maybe some vitamin C instead of all the other stuff you're taking. Taking large amounts of B6 or B12 can cause or worsen acne if you already have it and basically, supplementing with too many vitamins in general can cause acne for a lot of people. I mean think about it: acne is basically a symptom of an imbalance and if you're already eating healthy you don't need to be taking taking vitamins at all--though i understand the compulsion so I'd just stick with one standard multi a day that is already balanced with 100% of everything. My acne got way way worse when i started taking a multi that had all this crap in it--like 500%-800% of some of the B vitamins and ginseng for some reason (it was some "performance" multi but i never bothered to read the label until i realized it might be worsening my acne). It also got really bad every time i decided to start supplementing with zinc, which i think must be due to the fact that zinc is always paired with like 500% of B6. B-complexes also give me instant cystic acne. So does too much caffiene, because that is another thing: it keeps me in a constant state of stress if i drink it throughout the day so i only drink it in the morning. My derm also told me that while food is rarely the cuase of acne it definitely worsens it for a lot of people. She warned me that dairy and sugary proccessed foods are the most common ones.
If you have already tried antibiotics and spiro I would consider accutane if I were you. Don't waste all this time trying to figure out the cause of your acne because not matter what the cause of it you still need to treat it the same ways that all acne it treated (and if you've tried all of those ways its time for accutane). I dunno if you're getting cystic acne, but if you are, it's like an infection and sometimes you just need to kill it any way you can cause it'll only get worse. I'm around the same age and i'm currently on accutane for the second time because (lol, or hopefully because) i never finished my first course. I get side effects so I've only ever done it low dose, but it always gets me clear within weeks. If it doesn't clear me forever this time (which i dont expect it to) oh well; it's not the end of the world and it'll hopefully be milder next time.
Oh, another thing to consider is if you're not eating meat much, then are you eating lots of legumes and soy to make up for it? A lot of times when people go on diets for acne they just try to eat as many veggies and fruits as possible and forget about essential nutrients like protein and fat, but if you don't get enough of these your body cannot even abosorb much of the vitamins you take and eat--plus if you're starving or maintain a low bmi your skin will suffer for it becuase your body basically diverts all its energy towards protecting your internal organs. You need lots of protein every day for basic cell function so if you're not healing or fighting off infection well maybe this is part of it? Being depressed or stressed out all the time makes me lose my appetite and i already have issues with anorexia....i'm not saying you have the same issues but alls i know is I can defintely look like a crackwhore sometimes if let myself get too down or try to restrict my food intake too much.
On 2/3/2013 at 1:25 PM, ZitzyDitzyDotz said:Hello!
Help..... I guess is the best word I can think of.
My face makes me miserable.
I don't know what else to do, try, or fix.
i'm definitely at my wit's end.
Wish it was zit's end...oh word play.
A brief history:
I'm 28, female, white, natural red hair, freckles, irish descent... I burn so easily out in the sun.
I first got acne when I was about 10 years old (puberty started when I was 9.. first period when I was 11).
I would get the large ugly white heads on the side of my nose.
I had normal skin during my teens...with the odd zit here and there, nothing that really made me feel horrible.
In college I started to get more acne....and by graduate school, it was a full blown attack.
This last year was a stressful year with my father passing away after a short battle with cancer, and my mom was finally diagnosed with lupus after a 20+ year fight to figure out what was wrong with her. She almost passed away in the summer, but pulled through so she could make it home to spend time with her dying husband. Yup, it was sad times, stressful times. All that plus school, relationship, new house, etc... it was too much for my face.
I know my anxiety of the year played a role in how bad my acne got. I really started picking at it to relieve stress and try and gain some form of control over my chaotic life.
It just made matters worse. I wasn't on birth control at the time, and my acne seemed to forever be on attack. Atfer my dad passed away I tried birth control, and my skin cleared up.. until that 7 day break between packs. My face went into the worst beakout I have ever had (in the attached photo/link...it's the picture on the top left). So, what this told me was that, it's hormone related.
I've had my hormones tested a few times before...to rule out PCOS... The ratios were either far off, or borderline. Hormones were okay.
The doctor told me to just jump into the next pack instead of waiting 7 days between them. So, I tried this over December/January... I did the back to back idea. Only that gave me a period that lasted for 46 days.
So I went back to the normal pattern, the 28 day birth control pack.
It was working, but i fear that week of 7 days of placebos....because I know what's going to come my way.
The acne I get is painful. It hurts to smile. That's how inflamed my skin is. I used to love to smile... i'd smile if i was uncomfortable, it was the best defense mechanism ever. But now that defense mechanism fails... it only makes my acne bleed and leak. And who wants to talk to hot men and smile at them only to spontaneously start bleeding from disgusting "cakey camo'd" zits on your face? And mine bleed... and i mean... BLEEEED. I soak through 3 kleenexes before I can get it under control.
I take multivitamins, get extra zinc, vita C, b vitamins, i used vitamin A cream, I eat as healthy as I can (I really do eat my fruits and vegetables). I'm not a big sweets person. I do love dairy- cheese especially...and ice cream, but i can't afford to eat these every day... so, few times a week. I love coffee (a weakness...). I have a peanut allergy. I don't eat meat very often (and if I do it usually birds or fish).
I went back to the doctor last week for help. I'm just miserable and have NO IDEA what the next steps should be. This isn't working and it's affecting my life. It's painful, it makes me want to be a shut-in, and it's making me feel soo discouraged... I graduate in the summer, and I should be excited at the prospect of getting my first real career., Yet I'm terrified. My face problem speaks louder than any words I put on a resume, or any confidence I can muster my way through in an interview.
The judgement I get from my acne hurts so much. If i walk into a drug store they immediately try and sell me cover-up or acne products. There was one lady who said I shouldnt be outside with chickenpox/scabies/impetigo. And old lady behind me in a lineup at the grocery store asked me if I ever washed my face before because I'm young and should look pretty, but look at all of those pimples! and scars! you poor thing! (took everything in me not to sit there and cry). The last straw, this was yesterday, a bunch of teenage boys asked me for drugs. When I told them I was not a drug dealer..they said sorry, your face just looks like a meth addict's face so we thought you would have the good drugs!
Can you believe that!?
So I find myself here.
I've tried to stay strong with this acne, but I can't do it anymore. There's only so many products I can buy, so many times at the doctor that go no where, and so many days of comments/staring that I can take.
I put together some pictures of my acne, and wrote some stuff... I am not sure if it will work, if the text is too small.. etc... If it looks too blurry- sorry!
[Removed]
So, this is me, reaching out to you. What's your story? Have you had any luck with your doctor? Or is this acne journey a D.I.Y. adventure?
Thank you,
ZDD
Awww, girl I'm so sorry to read your story and so sorry for what all those people have said to you! I don't think your acne is that bad, it just looks irritated and since you're pale it's more evident (I have the same problem!). I agree with the other posters about going to see a good derm, ask your family/friends/coworkers for a recommendation, or your primary care doc for a referral (depends on your insurance). It sounds like stress is a trigger for you, which is the same for me along with genetics. I started accutane a couple of months ago (after years of off and on acne and trying many things) and it has been going fine. The dryness is annoying but other than that I haven't had any other side effects. I can't say if this is the solution for you, but if it's affecting you this much then it's something to consider.
Chin up and good luck to you! xoxo
ZDD, I saw your post and just want to start by saying how sorry I am for what you are going through and the unbelievable cruelty you have encountered. But it sounds like you have risen above it and are serious about meeting this problem head-on.
Have you scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist yet? When you mentioned going to see doctors in your post, I couldn't tell if you were referring to dermatologists or other physicians you see. I would suggest that you make an appointment with a dermatologist who prescribes Isotretinoin (f/k/a Accutane), and you should call in advance of the appointment to verify this. I say this because I have absolutely no doubt that you would be a prime candidate for Isotretinoin (fka Accutane) and judging from your pictures, my guess is that topical treatments would be a complete waste of your time at this point.
I am a 30 year old female who began another round of isotretinoin one month ago after taking several rounds of it in my teens. I decided to start taking it again not because my skin was completely out-of-control or anything like that, but because I knew that I was never responsive to tropical treatments and didn't want to waste time on something that wouldn't completely get rid of the problem. So I found a dermatologist (had to go to a few; the first doctor I went to doesn't prescribe it because it's such a hassle) who knew I meant business and was willing to listen to me 
Some people say that this treatment should be a last resort, but I can tell you that it is the only resort that has ever worked for me.
I don't want to write a novel here, so I'm going to throw in just a few of the most important things I think you should know about the drug:
- causes extreme dryness (depending upon dosage, etc.) and sun sensitivity;
- your skin is likely to get worse before it gets better. But believe me, when it starts getting better, it's completely worth all of the side effects you might experience;
- there's this federal program called iPledge that makes you go through all these hoops EVERY month to get the drug (blood work, online pledge, monthly dermatologist appt.);
- nosebleeds and chapped lips are the order of the day ;
- can cause severe depression or other psychological problems in some patients. While I have never experienced these particular side effects, they have been the subject of numerous class action lawsuits against manufacturers of the drug.
Finally, they just came out with a new drug last year under the brand name Absorica that makes it possible for you to take the medicine without taking 50mg of fat with your pill(s) every day. In other words, it's fat-soluble, so you don't have to eat all the fat with each meal just to get the medicine to absorb into your system. (I wasn't ever even told to take the medicine with fat as a teen, so I'm not sure how much I really absorbed). The only drawback to Absorica is that since it's new and still under patent, it's very, very expensive unless you've got a health insurance provider who will cover it. Most pharmacies don't even carry it in-store yet, but I go to Walgreen's and they can order it and have it in the next day. Most pharmacies will try to substitute the drug for generic versions such as Claravis, but Absorica's literature specifically states that it is not interchangeable with other forms of isotretinoin.
I've never posted on here before, but your post just struck a chord with me. I really hope that you find something that clears you up and makes you feel good about yourself!