So i went to my GP for acne problems. its nothing severe but its VERY persistent. i've been going to him for years and getting different antibiotics which just do not work. He's just referred me to the hospital and the appointment is the end of october and i just dont want to wait that long ESPECIALLY if at the hospital he says he cant do anything. its got the point where i wont go into shops because all of them have massive mirrors and I HATE seeing the inflammation and redness and the spots, it really gets me down! i've occasionally missed social events because of a few spots! now my spots are no where near severe but very persistent.
i researched this local private hospital and i made my gp surgery fax my referral to them and i have an appointment with the consultant for next wednesday. It's £180 for this one consultation, would you say this is reasonable? I'm kind of at my wits end with my acne, i just want to see if anything else can be done about it!
at the moment because it's summer i'm really quite tanned, so the inflammation is not very visible but the spots are, will the consultant take that into consideration because in winter I will go very pale and the redness is a nightmare then!
anything you have to say if you've been through this would really help!!
Sounds like you've been suffering with it for a while without success. Have you thought about it being related to diet at all? Even if you have a masked food sensitivity that doesn't give you other symptoms, it can manifest in your skin. The diet and holistic health forum can give you more information if you want to explore the possibility. It could explain why antibiotics aren't effective. Good luck!
You don't say what you are using, have you tried the regimine others have had great success. I personally was never a BP fan, salicylic acid worked better for me - but get on one system and give it a good try.
I agree with Wheatfree - if you are frustrated enough change your diet for a month and quit either dairy or wheat for a month (OR both!) and see what happens. Dairy is a big trigger for many and it's the easier one to give up first - wheat is tougher but that is also a key trigger for many. I am wheat free and only have a very small amount of dairy (a little milk in the morning tea and that's it).
So you need an action plan, topicals and diet - personally I would ditch the anti biotics, but that is a personal thing.
Sounds like you've been suffering with it for a while without success. Have you thought about it being related to diet at all? Even if you have a masked food sensitivity that doesn't give you other symptoms, it can manifest in your skin. The diet and holistic health forum can give you more information if you want to explore the possibility. It could explain why antibiotics aren't effective. Good luck!
You don't say what you are using, have you tried the regimine others have had great success. I personally was never a BP fan, salicylic acid worked better for me - but get on one system and give it a good try.
I agree with Wheatfree - if you are frustrated enough change your diet for a month and quit either dairy or wheat for a month (OR both!) and see what happens. Dairy is a big trigger for many and it's the easier one to give up first - wheat is tougher but that is also a key trigger for many. I am wheat free and only have a very small amount of dairy (a little milk in the morning tea and that's it).
So you need an action plan, topicals and diet - personally I would ditch the anti biotics, but that is a personal thing.
Thanks both of you!
So I've been on:
-Duac
-Trimethoprim (Dont know why my GP prescribed this it's mostly for UTIs)
-Erythromycin
-Lymecycilin
Also tried many vitamin supplements, swimming (chlorine i heard helps), sunbathing, alcohol free face washes/regimes, all the other brands of face wash. I've been through it all! My face is very very greasy though, it is natural though, this makes me think roaccutane is the best bet as it reduces the sebaceous glands.
All of these courses were 6 months or there about after needing repeats.
My doctor mentioned my diet. I can honestly say my diet is not the source I don't think. Sweets, sugary foods/drinks etc and that kind I dont even touch (dont like them!), my diet is very very healthy, my dad is a fitness instructor so takes diet very seriously along with exercise, so there's no junk food in sight! Brown rice, brown bread. I'm still 16 at the moment so I don't think cutting it out completely would be a wise thing to do! But thanks for the suggestion!
Don't underestimate the power of diet. Even foods that are considered healthy can wreak havoc if you have developed a sensitivity. Cutting out gluten or dairy for a couple weeks is safer than considering more drugs. If you are sensitive, it does not take long to see improvement. I saw a dramatic decrease in inflammation and new breakouts in three days, literally. I was not entirely convinced however until I returned to my bread and had a breakout. I conducted this experiment repeatedly and always had the same result. I could time my breakouts to 16 hours after consuming gluten. A nephew also had great success by eliminating gluten. He went from severe cystic acne that could not be controlled by anything the dermatologist threw at it to just a couple pimples every now and then. Dramatic! We believed that gluten was wholesome and safe, but found out OUR bodies couldn't deal with it. Just think about it and do some research before looking for accutane.