Hey! You are not alone. I feel exactly the same way.

You are doing the right thing by seeking a dermatologist who might help with your acne. Just remember to keep real expectations and that this thing with acne is more like trial and error. What works for some, might not be for you, but that's pretty much with OTC meds as well.

Just be patient! I know it is hard. I am on vacation right now with massive pimples on both of my cheeks. I don't want to go out at all, but I drag myself out because I can't ruin my life like this. I'm depressed too and lost the few confidence I had, but I am hopeful that my new medication will help clear my face in the future.

You are on the right track. See a dermatologist and keep eating healthy and exercising. Exercise not only is beneficial for your physique, but keeps your mind from thinking negative stuff. I too exercise, I don't drink alcohol and I try to eat healthy. I think my acne comes from my mom's side of the family.

Sorry you feel bad. Just remember that other people in this website are going through the same thing and some offer really good advice, others offer great support. Don't give up!

Well done on the healthy eating and i really really hope you keep that up for as long as you live!

I am a chemist and i do have a lot of people who clear up quickly following holistic methods, and some which don't, until we work together on weekly diets to change things around and find the cause of the problem.

Some people lack nutrients, some people upset their balance of sodium or potassium with zinc or metals or other salts, some people eat too many fish oils and overly consume omega 6, some people are simply not digesting well, some people are not expelling their toxins regularly, some people don't exercise, some people don't have oral hygiene, some people have overly oily skin, some people.. Blah blah blah..

I go through it close to everyday with someone new, but you know what i learnt?

It is about isolating the problem and there is always, always some link that is broken in your body that is creating your acne problems.

Stop with the combinations. Create a schedule for your daily intake throughout the week and keep to it.

Try to eat two apples a day with this schedual of foods to carry toxins through to your waste instead of out of your skin and keep your diet alkaline rather then acidic.

Take probiotics. This is vital. (If you are already taking them, up your dose.) This clears my patients 80% of the time.

At night, apply zinc topically and before it dries up, apply pure aloe vera on top to keep the zinc active.

Do this for a few nights and watch as your cysts turn into wonderful big whiteheads. - The key is to not pop these! You must wait until the whitehead falls off so you know that the cyst has completely been sucked out quite literally.

Use a sacralyc acid + zinc or tea tree oil as a toner straight after coming from a shower and allow it to completely dry before you apply a moisturiser.

Exfoliate only once every week (if your exfoliator contains a form of microbeads)- every other day, use a sensitive skin cleanser or gel wash - lathered, not straight on.

Lathering a product before application is very important and a great deal more effective then immediate application to face.

Best of luck!

And for the love of potatoes, do not try accutane.

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-6661-Accutane+Oral.aspx?drugid=6661&drugname=Accutane+Oral&pagenumber=6

Thank you very much for replying. It's a huge comfort to know that there are others out there which have to live with this awful condition. I'm trying very hard to be optimistic, but it's so hard when you feel you've exhausted every option available.

I won't give up!

'I wont give up' by Jason Mraz is also a very good song!

For now too, avoid mirrors, remember that what you see in the mirror is not what other people see at all or care about either and it really is only going to get you stressed.

I would also suggest a B-complex vitamin if you are stressed!

I think you should try with the dermatologist, for some people the food makes a difference because of alergies or intolerances but it´s not a general thing, some people will tell you not to take dairy, not to take carbs, nuts, meat....and blahblahblah, so what the hell should we eat?. I live in italy, where people eat pasta and bread every single day of their lives and here most of people appart from being slim don´t have more acne than in other parts of the world. Eat healthy, eat balanced, eat everything in a fair way, some people have good results taking omega 3 and zinc, but some people don´t, if you have already tried all that stuff and didn´t work don´t obsess with food.

don´t put a lot of stuff on your face because it can provoque you irritation and the production of more sebum, just go to the doctor, accutane has work for a lot of people (it didn´t for me but it really clears a lot of people), there are also a lot of options, have you tried the regimen? I´m in my third week and for me it seems the only thing that it´s working since I took accutane.

tonners and exfoliating are very irritating, I would tell you not to do it, or doing it very carefully. Good luck, and remember that you are not alone and you will find a solution, it´s just a problem of your skin, we cannot give it more importance than it really has, and people that judge us because of this are really ignorant and don´t deserve anything from us. Acne has treatments and solutions, stupidity don´t

Oh gosh, you sound exactly like me, except that I'm a straight girl I've dealt with some form of acne most of my life. Sometimes it would go away, sometimes it would just be a breakout here and there. However, three weeks ago I started getting cysts. Only cysts. I have had more than 20 cysts on my face in the last three weeks. I think I'm probably closer to 30 now. In the last week, I've been getting multiple cysts per day. This will be the third day in a row I'm visiting my derm for injections. I'm telling you this only because I want you know that you are so not alone, and I can feel the sadness. It sucks.

I too eat ridiculous healthy! Lots of green leafy vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, ZERO sugar, ZERO processed foods, ZERO dairy, and only complex carbs. In fact, my eating has become even more stringent since this has happened. And that sucks because I LOVE trying new food and going out on weekends, but I'm so afraid it will cause a breakout, I don't eat it. I mean I don't even get joy from eating anymore, let along going out. Yet even with the healthy eating, I continue to breakout. It's the worst feeling in the world when you feel like your body is basically saying, "f*ck you, I'll do what I want" and you feel helpless to it. That's how I feel.

So, how to fix it? I definitely think seeing dermatologist would be helpful for you. There are a variety of treatment options, but he/she will know what may be best to start with. In the meantime, you may want to inquire about injections. The "injections" are cortisone injections which will immediately reduce inflammation and the cyst will hopefully be gone within 1-2 days vs. weeks. Most insurance will cover it. It is slightly painful, but no more painful than how a cyst literally feels on your face.

It's crappy to have this, and many people don't understand the emotional toll it takes, but I think you'll find many people here are supportive and caring, and completely identify with you. You really aren't alone in this.

I can't offer much advice because I'm in the same boat as you..tried just about everything (except Accutane), spent thousands of dollars on OTC stuff, meds, makeup, cortisone shots, vitamins, you name it! I echo what others have said in that I've noticed that when I stick to one routine I usually see better results than trying a million different things at once. I know how tempting it is to try a bunch of stuff at once. Whenever I read reviews of products online that people have claimed to be the least bit effective in clearing up acne I rush to try it, hoping and praying that this will be the remedy that finally clears me up.. but alas that has yet to happen. So yeah, sticking with one simple regimen for at least 2-3 months (until you can see results) is probably your best bet. And I have heard great things about probiotics so that's definitely something to consider. For most people dealing with moderate-severe acne on this site it seems to always get significantly worse before it gets better

From the bottom of my heart I am so sorry you have to deal with this, especially since you are such a young, healthy, active guy! It's so easy to lose hope when you're battling such a debilitating disease, but I promise you it will get better. You are doing everything in your power to improve your skin, just continue to stay strong and healthy and know you are not alone. I completely empathize with everything you're experiencing and there's a whole community out here to provide support, advice and comfort. Big hugs!

Wcs you are not alone, I am 40 and I still breakout.

I first got acne when I was 12 and had it continuously up until the age of 30. These days, although I don`t have the severe cystic acne that I used to have, I still suffer from breakouts and at my age it is so frustrating. Think my genes are partly to blame as my mum and gran both had acne and continued to breakout well into middle age. Unfortunately, I have let acne dictate my life to such a degree that I am currently having CBT but that`s another story!

Like you I am very health conscious. I don`t drink any alcohol, I don`t eat red meat, I don`t eat any sweets, cakes, biscuits or junk food and I limit the amount of bread and dairy that I eat as I find that these play havoc with my skin. I cycle up to 60 miles per week and keep myself fit and in shape. However despite doing all of this, I still breakout from time to time.

You are doing everything in your power to be as fit and healthy as you can be so try not to be too hard on yourself - it is not your fault that you have acne. It is good that you are asking for a referral to a dermatologist - I know they are not always popular but in my opinion, a dermatologist is more equipped to help you than the average GP.

I`m going through some similar issues to you so I cannot really offer any specific help or advice. However if you can, try to bear in mind that acne and appearance only make up a tiny percentage of who you are as a person. People who care about you won`t care about your acne and if anyone does judge you, they are not worth knowing. Also bear in mind that whilst acne is unpredictable, it is not a permanent condition and there is a chance that it will clear.

All the best.

Thank you so much to everyone for replying. I hate this awful condition, but just knowing that I'm not alone like this makes me feel 100% better about everything.

P.S. I'm going to look into The Regimen as well. I've always been nervous about washing my face with products or moisturising, but I'll see how I get on with it.

Having acne sucks. I spent 6 weeks in my house. So long that when I went to the store driving I felt weird, like it was my first time driving.

Use this regimen 2 pumps of bp and 2 pumps of cetaphil moisturizer mixed with 30 drops of jojoba oil. Use CVS oilpads to wipe away shine. Your breakouts will stop immediately and within 2 weeks all existing pimples will be gone.