Im a generally indecisive person, and I'm just not sure if its at the point where I need to go see my GP. Ive tried all the over the counter products and am currently using 5% BP twice daily, but this is the best it gets to. Within the last week it has improved a lot, but this is it now. I know its not anywhere near severe, which is why Im hesitant in going to the doctor, but would it be worth going to try something that may be prescription only just to clear the last of it up? Maybe birth control pill or a topical cream of some kind. Or should I just tough it out and see how it goes? I was on prednisolone a few months ago (unrelated reason), after which the acne was really horrible, all over my neck and back. Although its cleared up from then its been consistant ever since. Ive never had acne before this bout.
Any opinions to persuade me either way would be much appreciated ; )
I would go to your GP and get onto some antibiotics. The acne might come back after you've finished the course, but by then you should hopefully be starting with relatively clear skin for another regimen to work better. I wish I'd have started using BP the day I finished taking antibiotics a month ago. I have remained fairly clear apart from one side of my chin, and I think BP works better as a preventative than a treatment (though I do feel it works as a treatment too).
Skin Care Routine- wash with gentle cetaphil clenser then apply BP gel, twice a day. Swapped to BP wash recently becuase I was sick of bleaching all my clothes! I do wear a fair bit of make-up mostly because I just cant go out without it, but I do make sure its non-comedogenic, and wash it off as soon as Im home.
Diet is prety good. Mostly fresh fruit and veges. I dont eat red meat, but eat chicken or fish once or twice a week. Try to avoid caffiene and sugary foods, but sometimes lapse ; ) I also exercise regularly.
It started during a very stressful period (illness) but when that was over, I had a few very relaxing months, and it only seemed to get worse during this period.
hi, I had acne almost exactly like this. It was hormonal.
If youre open to birth control try yaz, it was the only thing which cleared my acne. In 4 months I went from acne like yours to clear skin. I still have clear skin, its awesome I dont have to worry about what I eat or topicals. I also take an anti-DHT supplement and spearmint.
Your diet sounds fine.
Your topicals are what I recommend, bp worked for me for a while but when my hormones got seriously out of whack, nothing helped but the birth control.
good luck!
Your acne is pretty significant. You definitely need to go to a doctor and go on prescription medicine. It shouldn't be that difficult to predict what you'll get... You should demand a topical retinoid (e.g. 0.04% tretinion) for use at night, and a topical antibiotic (e.g. 1% clindamycin phosphate, mixed with 5% BP to prevent bacterial resistance) for use during the day. You might also be started with an oral antibioitic (e.g. 100mg minocycline), but oral antibiotics can be damaging to your system and are also only temporary solutions, as they lose effectiveness over time.
Diet is really important. The two most common acne triggers, insofar as they cause excess sebum production, are:
1. Animal milk products.
2. High-glycemic load foods.
Make sure you are completely avoiding the first and minimizing the second, unless you are absolutely certain they are not triggers for you.
Women also have the option to go on hormonal treatments (e.g. spironolactone), although I don't know much about them.
Make sure you read the Wikipedia page on acne. Honest to god, you will not find a more comprehensive source of information about acne treatments. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acne_vulgaris#Management
Good luck.
Thanks for your input everyone! Im still undecided a little undecided though. Its cleared up a little more over the past couple of days, so I dont want to make an appointment then go in and have clear skin. I might just bite the bullet and do it, and insist that I'm not jsut making it up, despite how clear my skin maybe on the particular day. What topical cream have people had the best results with? Either a retinoid or an antibiotic?
u can try a bha wash(low% salicylic acid face wash).
is nt cetaphil suppose to cleanser for dry skin?am not sure.just check.
u dint mention moisturiser.do u feel dry?
u can increase the fish and eggs ur have.they are beneficial.
see if u need more zinc or vitamins through supplementation.
for that u need to consult a doc.
but except for zinc,other vitamins like c and b complex is not likely to be harmful even when in overdose.
they help with the oilyness of ur face.
check ur insulin level and avoid spikes.
have cinnamon.
have hot water with half a lemon in it 1st thing in the morning.
avoid dairy.see if u r intolerant to gluten or rice or night shade family members(or any other food item).
try elimination test.
keep urself active everyday.or just walk between other works or do something that would keep the blood flowing to ur face/body.
but i still feel u should visit ur derma.
Wash your face with DISTILLED WATER. Depending on where you live, the water can be very harsh on your skin because it contains excess minerals such as magnesium, chlorine, and calcium. So buy a jug of Distilled Water from the grocery store (It cost like a $1) and rinse your face with distilled water everytime you wash your face. It is okay to lather and wash with the tap water, but RINSE your face with Distilled Water.
My face was breaking out much like yours and I started rinsing with Distilled water. WOW what a difference it made. I could tell within the hour how less inflammed my acne looked.
Distilled water is the purest form of water containing no minerals or excess dirt.
Yes, your acne looks severe enough to treat it seriously! The pimples you have around your mouth look very similar to mine, so I'm guessing they might be hormonal as well. Do not listen to anyone's advice about antibiotics, it will only fuck up your digestion and gut flora and it addresses the wrong cause. Unfortunately it's the first thing you'll be suggested to take, if you never had any other acne treatment. You need to get your hormone levels in check and do ultrasound for PCOS. Try some MSM cream for the active breakouts, it's the best topical I've ever tried, and with 9 years of acne I've tried a lot!
don't listen to anyone. i am sure you are tired of spending money on creams, antibiotics, new skin regimes, and whatever. But it is simple. DISTILLED WATER. I tried everything from Muriad, Proactive, Shatavarri Herb Hormonal balance pills, Neosporin, Skinid...etc. Rinsing my face with distilled water everytime I wash my face was the best decision of my life!!! Dermatologist will tell you hard water (tap water) "should not affect your skin." But they only say that because they will lose money from not prescribing you different kinds of prescriptions and antibiotics. They lose money with less consultations and appointments.
It is simple. DISTILLED WATER and cleanser. I use Kate Somerville Detox. Or sometimes I use cetaphil. Eat healthy and eat everything in moderation.
- Med Student
don't listen to anyone. i am sure you are tired of spending money on creams, antibiotics, new skin regimes, and whatever. But it is simple. DISTILLED WATER. I tried everything from Muriad, Proactive, Shatavarri Herb Hormonal balance pills, Neosporin, Skinid...etc. Rinsing my face with distilled water everytime I wash my face was the best decision of my life!!! Dermatologist will tell you hard water (tap water) "should not affect your skin." But they only say that because they will lose money from not prescribing you different kinds of prescriptions and antibiotics. They lose money with less consultations and appointments.
It is simple. DISTILLED WATER and cleanser. I use Kate Somerville Detox. Or sometimes I use cetaphil. Eat healthy and eat everything in moderation.
- Med Student
Bullshit. Tell me, will it fix the cysts on my ovaries?
Yes! Make an appointment with a dermatologist. They really can help. A few years ago when I went to a dermatologist, they classified my acne as moderate and I literally only had 3 or 4 pimples on my face, but it was hormonal and persistent(actually it really wasn't but I had a bad chin breakout during this time with one cyst but because of my age they said persistent). I'm assuming, they would rate yours either as moderate or severe. Honestly, acne sucks but you're better off treating it before it gets out of control..my acne was never horrible but I constantly picked and now I have minor scarring from it and have had multiple procedures done to help it so I really wish I went to a dermatologist as soon as I had an issue..even if it was only a couple of pimples at a time. Good luck!
I went and saw my GP, and have started EpiDuo. I turned back the anti biotics for my own reasons, and although GP also thought it was hormonal, she was hesitant to put me on a contraceptive pill due to other medical condition. My skins actually started to clear on its own, but I wont be fooled, and Im expecting it to break out at any time. Ive started the EpiDuo, so Ill see how that goes! I was very hesitant to go because it seemed so mild, but then I look at other peoples skin, and think about how mine used to be, and decided I wanted it back to normal!
Oh. And we have tank water (not town/tap). So its pure, falling from the sky water Although using distilled water probably would help in some cases, I dont think that was my problem. Thankyou for your input though.
I went and saw my GP, and have started EpiDuo. I turned back the anti biotics for my own reasons, and although GP also thought it was hormonal, she was hesitant to put me on a contraceptive pill due to other medical condition. My skins actually started to clear on its own, but I wont be fooled, and Im expecting it to break out at any time. Ive started the EpiDuo, so Ill see how that goes! I was very hesitant to go because it seemed so mild, but then I look at other peoples skin, and think about how mine used to be, and decided I wanted it back to normal!
Oh. And we have tank water (not town/tap). So its pure, falling from the sky water
Although using distilled water probably would help in some cases, I dont think that was my problem. Thankyou for your input though.
Are you drinking rain water? 
Hope you filter it, and boil it before doing that...
Do you consider that strange? I always thought it was pretty normal. We live in a semi rural area, with no town water suply so everyone has tank water... and uses it for everything. It does get filtered by the pump but no additives. Truthfully, I cant stand the taste of town (tap) water now!
Do you consider that strange? I always thought it was pretty normal. We live in a semi rural area, with no town water suply so everyone has tank water... and uses it for everything. It does get filtered by the pump but no additives. Truthfully, I cant stand the taste of town (tap) water now!
Yes, because rain water can contain many pollutants and parasites... I would never drink rainwater without boiling it before, or purifying.
Do you consider that strange? I always thought it was pretty normal. We live in a semi rural area, with no town water suply so everyone has tank water... and uses it for everything. It does get filtered by the pump but no additives. Truthfully, I cant stand the taste of town (tap) water now!
I'm assuming by "tank" water you meant you have a well?
I think the other person may have thought you collect your water in rain barrels...
Do you consider that strange? I always thought it was pretty normal. We live in a semi rural area, with no town water suply so everyone has tank water... and uses it for everything. It does get filtered by the pump but no additives. Truthfully, I cant stand the taste of town (tap) water now!
I'm assuming by "tank" water you meant you have a well?
I think the other person may have thought you collect your water in rain barrels...
Well yea, because she wrote "water falling from the sky" 
Do you consider that strange? I always thought it was pretty normal. We live in a semi rural area, with no town water suply so everyone has tank water... and uses it for everything. It does get filtered by the pump but no additives. Truthfully, I cant stand the taste of town (tap) water now!
I'm assuming by "tank" water you meant you have a well?
I think the other person may have thought you collect your water in rain barrels...
Well yea, because she wrote "water falling from the sky"
LOL I know I know I just thought I'd try to help =P
I'd go to your GP. If he thinks it's not bad enough to give you drugs (or you don't feel comfortable with taking them) then he can prescribe you a cream that should help you 
I'd at least go and talk to him, I regret not going to mine sooner as now I've been left with scarring 
DO IT!!
Haha well this is awkward. The tanks (20000L) literally collect water falling from the sky..no well. Maybe its more an Australian thing? Its strange cause everyone around where I live has tank water only.... there's no other option, unless you buy bottled water. Ive never even thought of it to be strange or considered the purity of it, but obviously it does get filtered, and no one I have known in my 20 years of living here has ever gotten sick from it.
Mind=blown. Obviously I've lived a sheltered life!
Haha well this is awkward. The tanks (20000L) literally collect water falling from the sky..no well. Maybe its more an Australian thing? Its strange cause everyone around where I live has tank water only.... there's no other option, unless you buy bottled water. Ive never even thought of it to be strange or considered the purity of it, but obviously it does get filtered, and no one I have known in my 20 years of living here has ever gotten sick from it.
Mind=blown. Obviously I've lived a sheltered life!
Stay away from bottled water.. it is way worse. Your tank water is probably just fine.
Regarding your acne, I am glad you decided not to take oral antibiotics. Just curious, but did you decide against them because I told you so, or were you already against them? Nonetheless, good job. Your acne will clear in no time!