Hi everyone, after being a long time visitor to the site I finally decided to sign up and here is my first post!

I am a 20 year old male from the UK that like many of you has struggled with acne for much of adolescent and early adult life.

I started getting very mild acne when I was around 14-15, and although it did bother me at the time, I got over it as I thought it was just a part of growing up and something that would go in a few years.

When I was 16 going on 17 the acne started to become more persistent and it started to bother me a lot more, I was at that very self conscious stage in life and as a result constantly obsessed over my face. I decided to visit the doctor who prescribed me a benzoyl peroxide cream amongst other things, and for a while that seemed to be effective.

However, like all things it stopped working, and for the next 1-2 years I was going back and forth to the doctors every few months and went through countless topical treatments that were prescribed to me.Long story short, none of them were ever 100% effective and they all eventually stopped working.

Between 18 and 19 my acne became even worse and went from mild to moderate, so I decided it was time to again see the doctor but this time demand antibiotics, as at the time I believed these would definitely clear me up. I was prescribed lymecycline, which like all topical treatments before it was effective for around 6 months and then lost its effect.

Cue another visit to the doctor and another visit, in which I went through two different antibiotics: tetracycline and my current one trimethoprim.

It got to the point that when I last visited the doctor I was so determined to be put on roaccutane as I felt that this was the only solution, and I had no plenty of people from school who used to have severe acne and were now clear thanks to the drug. However, I was told I did not meet the criteria for the drug as my acne was only moderate and not severe.

So here I am today, taking my trimethoprim and using my topical epiduo treatment religiously but yet again 6 months down the line my face is breaking out worse than ever and I have again lost all hope and started to become desperate. The problem with my acne is that it is taking over my life, it dictates whether or not I leave the house, what I eat, basically the reflection I see in the mirror in the morning dictates whether I am going to have a good day or just feel miserable because my skin is a mess.

For me the psychological effects of having acne are worse than anything, ever since my acne has worsened I have changed as a person and become much more shy and retiring.

So here I am now, sat at home on my bed having skipped another day of uni because I couldn't face leaving the house today feeling the lowest I have felt for quite some time. I tell myself I am being pathetic and I know that regardless of the fact I have acne, that ultimately I am fortunate to be in otherwise good health and have a loving family, but despite this I just can't seem to get out of the mental state I am in.

Anyways, sorry for the long post and thank you for taking the time to read. Just felt I had to get this off my chest as my friends and family don't seem to understand what the "fuss" is about.