Really looking for help.
and yes I read the stickies on this board.
I'm 16, 5'11 and 180lbs.
What I'm using:
Prescribed Doxycycline 100mg twice daily for the past year
Oxy Facewash 3-4 times a day
Oxy Facepads 3-4 times a day
Sleeping with a fresh towel on my pillow nightly
Changing bedding/pillowcases weekly
This hurts my self-esteem terribly and I am not as confident as I need to be successful. It's seriously affecting my social life.
I don't really know much about acne, can someone tell me what kind this is, or anything about it at all?
pic is me, looks like this on both sides of my face. also have it bad on my shoulders and mildly on my back.
I'm also 16 my acne was worse.That's because I took accutane and it make it worse (at the beginning of the course) now after aboout 5-6 months post accutane,my face is still red meaning I have red marks from where the acne was meaning all over my face.But I learned not to quite give a shit about what people say or think.Fuck em'.
If you go to a dermatologist he will most likely put you on accutane(or he may try doxy first) but the fact is that acctuane works really well for acne.
Take care and cut all the bullshit with not masutrbating and changeing the pillow so often.All you need is acctuane , and you can have a 100 year old pillow and you can masturbate 10 times daily(if you can).
I've been on doxy 100mg twice daily for the past year. It worked fine but now it's just worse. I can only assume since doxy is an antibiotic that my body has just grown immune to the effects after taking it so long, but all I've been told is "doxy is not a traditional antibiotic". Whatever that means.
Do you happen to have a log with photos of your experience with accutane? I'd be more than interested to see it.
Yesterday, 11:49 PM
I suffered from acne for about 11 years. 8 of those years it actually affected my life for the worst. So much that I wouldnt be where i am today or be the person I am today because of it. That thought of that alone blows my mind away. It still upsets me from time to time because of what I could have done and learned in that time. But as I look at it I would never be able to help anyone like I hope I can.
I havent had acne problems in 10 years. Hell , I rarely use any cleansers anymore. I will pretty much stick to my guns on this solution because anything less would be 10 steps back and I would die trying to help at least one person understand this. Because I know others feel like its killing them or that they want to die some days. I mean I wanted to die but somehow instead I ended up willing to die for this realization... until I gave up. So I will just sum up some 6 principles to healing that came out about from the miracle I had.
Just a few facts that I learned on my own about acne that no doctor could ever tell you because he has probably never had to heal his own acne. (Plus, he would be out of business.)
First before you read this just stop whining. Stop looking for someone to make it go away for you. Its your acne. You're the one who created it ,you're the one prolonging it. Trying to whine about it on here and not take anyones advice that has put an end to the problem even though you "want a solution" is basically saying you want to keep the acne. To paint a better picture its like paying a personal trainer to get in shape but instead of you lifting the weights you want him to lift them. LOL.
1. Acne is not out there trying to get you. It is not a separate entity from you. It is an extension of you. It starts in your mind ( like any other thing).
Acne thoughts + emotion( "I can't stand acne!") = Acne
2. Since it is in your mind it is created by your thoughts.And since it starts with a thought it can be ended with...no thought.
Acne thoughts - acne emotion( I can't stand acne)= Healing
3. You have an emotional attachment to acne. " I can't stand acne". It must be let go. Forgiven. But first let me emphasize any form of medicine or naturopathic home remedy, or no remedy, you wish to take has to go through this process to heal.
Forgiveness is what heals. Right now you're at "F@ck you acne". when you need to be at "Acne is ok. " Then eventually you will get to "Who's acne?"
When you cut your finger most of the time there is no grudge with the cut , so you let it heal. Its not "F@ck you cut! or F@ck you kitchen knife(well sometimes but only for a minute hehe). When you make up with a friend its not "I forgive you for breaking my Justin Bieber but when you get a chance burn in hell" Its either "I forgive you "or it what I call " No need to forgive because, I was never upset." You simply cannot have peace without letting yourself have it.
4. You have to change your mind about acne. You think it makes you ugly and unattractive. But since your so wrapped up in yourself, you've never bothered to look around and realize theres really no such thing as ugly. There is nothing unbearable to look at.
Think about it. Take a look around at people with it and without it. Does acne change how you feel about them? The ones that do have it can you tell it bothers them? Can you tell how it makes them feel at all? Usually not. And why is that? Because its all in their head! If you can't perceive a problem with your eyes then it must be in the mind, right?
5. Stop resisting the acne. Let it be there. Remember its there because you cant stand it. So for now on tell yourself its ok to have it.
Because it does not matter. ITs like bird shit on a car. Its not going to change how you feel about a car. It would never keep you from buying a car you love. You'd have to scour a car just to see it anyway. If it was a ferrari you wouldn't even care! The problem is taken care of you just need to get out of the way because you have been in the way the whole time by caring about acne.
6.The BEST ACTION to take to release your attachment to it is to affirm : "I don't care if it stays or goes, I'm not going to do this to myself anymore. I going to live my life and be happy." Then start living your life like someone who doesn't have it. Stop putting all this crap on your face. pick one cleanser use it no more than twice a day if you need that to make you feel at ease. Stop looking for zits in the bathroom for an hour. Stop picking. Stop hiding. People that don't have it don't do that crap. So stop taking it so seriously. Laugh at yourself once in awhile and spend time trying to always be laughing or doing something you enjoy.
Keep in mind if you took Accutane or something and it went away, your attitude towards it would be different. You will eventually feel "safe" but it will just take longer and cost more. Eventually you may even forget your grudge and approve of yourself and actually be happy but only conditionally. You'll never know unconditional happiness or love.
So to conclude if you can't understand at least one of these then saddle up for a long ride on a road to nowhere and good luck with your next battle. Acne's cousin cancer.
You tried chemical to stop acne but have you tried the safest first?
Do you think just taking these drugs will eliminate acne? Heck even accutane isnt a sure fire. Infact a lot of people get their acne back.
And some even have BAD side effects PERMANENTLY! If you searched this forum, there is a thread where people are talking about the long term side effects and how to cure them. Unfortunately they HAVE NOT found a cure for it.
But if you still wanna go with accutane, go with it but dont regret it.
Do you know that anti biotics not only kills bad bacteria but also the good ones. These good bacteria fight the bad bacteria.
Did you check your cleansers? Did you check the list of ingredients? Theres a thread here which says which ingredients you should avoid. For example parabens, sulfates, fragrance, etc.
check every thing you put on your skin.
Do you eat healthy? What is your diet like? This is VERY IMPORTaNT. My gosh i cant emphasize this enough. Research it in this forum.
Also, you should know that you are a teenager. Hormones are crazy during this time. Always consider that.
Your mental health is also very important. Stress causes acne. Cosmic makes good points.
You need to find your allergies too.
Now, do all of that and come back here after a month or two. Update.
You need to understand that acne isnt just because of bacteria or dirt. It is more than that. Our skin is a major elimination for toxins in our body.
Acne is caused by a lot of factors and you need to attack it in every possible way. THE right way.
Im 16 too and i had the same acne as you did 7 months ago. Now i have mild acne almost clear actually. All that's left are the scars. What did i do? I did what i mentioned above.
And take note, what i mentioned above have almost no risk at all. And if it doesnt get rid of your acne, im pretty sure it will help your body a lot. I doubt it wont help your skin. Im pretty sure at the very least it will reduce it. You'll feel much better too and your body is going to thank you for it.
Look and examine your skin. Does it look happy to you? Or is it irritated? Angry? Calm?
Also, be patient. You already took anti biotics and used harmful and harsh chemicals on your skin. Assuming also that you had an unoptimal diet. Your body is gonna remove all the toxins first and start repairing the inside before it does the outside. So the results would most likely start after months. If your lucky then you may see improvements in weeks.
This is my attemp to help you. I know how it feels, trust me.
Also, accutane takes atleast 6 months to a year. What i told you is really a better option. Im pretty sure about it. And accutane will reduce your healing factor too. There's a lot of risk and side effects associated to it. You need to do a thorough research about it. Look for the good AND bad.
Your acne looks very angry, almost like it is reacting to something, have you had food intolerance/allergy tests ran? Have you also had your testosterone levels checked?
No and no. I'm going to the dermatologist on the 26th, is that something they can test?
and thank you very much, AghhNe, I'll try what you reccomended. It's nice to hear that you had acne like mine and hadn't used accutane to fix it.Not gonna lie, accutane is a terrifying thought to me, and I DO know the side effects. I'm really only considering that as a last resort.
You're using oxy face pads too much I think... 3 to 4 times a day. i think those pads are aggrivating it. Is it what I think it is.... The over the counter medication? Or is it prescription? It looks more so of inflammation and irritation along with the acne.
Try looking into the acne.org regimen. Browse the galleries and compare the photos of other people's progress. A lot of people had acne like yours and got cleared. it's not for everyone, but its worth a try for at least a month or two and see if you get improvement.
The regimen should make those inflamed red marks turn brown, then the brown fade away on its own. The longer you have active red marks, the higher chances of indented scarring developing.
I believe in 'Functional Medicine' not 'Western Medicine'.
Dr Mark Hyman, six time winner of the New York Bestseller describes "Medicine as it is practiced today is like taking the battery out of a smoke detector while a fire burns down your house!"
Go to your dermatologist app. - but refuse their drugs, they mask symptoms rather than treating the root cause. Also don't expect them to be supportive of allergy testing etc, GP's are (to me anyway) sales representatives for pharmaceutical companies, & they will push their drugs, whilst monitoring their effects on you like a lab rat.
The point is, if a persons acne is being caused by a gluten intolerance, no amount of acne medication is going to suppress that reaction, they have to stop eating gluten (that's one example.)