do you think it is quite severe then?
I've seen worse, but I think it's certainly severe enough to warrant a trip to a dermatologist. I really want to stress to you that there's no reason you should suffer with acne. There are so many products out there, and you and your skin are very young, and if you can control your acne now, you'll be much happier later on. You just have to be patient and give the treatments time to work.
Yeah seeing a specialist would be your best bet. Also when you see one tell them of your skin type - oily? Dry? A mix of both?- Is it sensitive? Tell them this because i always think it should be known prior to prescribing any medications orally or topically. Like i was given BP when i first went, and i had rosacea.... sooo yeah as you could tell it didnt work out so nicely.
Just witch hazel, I've never been to a dermatologist. I've tried treatments like BP but they just don't work!! I recently bought freederm overnight cleansing serum but that's just doubled my acne and made my face oily.
All freederm stuff made my acne so much worse, what bp did you try? I tried all other products before bp and it took a while, but it does work. I use quinoderm and it has been a god send!
I also think that you may benefit from trying the Regimen. Use a gentle cleanser morning and night with the BP and a gentle oil free moisturizer.
Or you could substitute salicylic acid for the BP if you found BP didn't work for you in the past.
Remember it usually takes a couple of months of a routine to see results so don't give up. Don't use anything too harsh on your skin or it could make things worse ie. if you use too much witch hazel it will over dry and so your skin will create more oil to compensate.
Don't feel too down most people have acne at some time or another. Once you try a few things you will probably find something that works for you.
Good luck!
A lot of it looks like active acne. You have at the least moderate acne, but it could qualify as severe if resistant to treatment and you have more acne than what you're showing us.
Moderate acne can be managed and occasionally treated OTC. It's still difficult though, because it often requires a round of oral antibiotics. Severe acne, however, is next-to-impossible to manage or treat OTC. That often requires Accutane. If acne does return after the course(s) and it's truly mild, then it can be managed OTC.
Thankyou both! I shall look into seeking help from a dermatologist, this may not be until a few weeks though. Have either of you got any products you could recommend?
Prescription products? I've found that it's really trial and error. What works for one person may not work for another. I would imagine that your dermatologist will begin with a retinoid and/or benzoyl peroxide. Just be sure to give each treatment a while to work. Weeks. Unfortunately, they tend to take a fair amount of time to start working on your acne. Take time to find a great dermatologist who is willing to work well with you. It took me a bit to find the right one, but I love my dermatologist, he truly cares about me as an individual, and was willing to aggressively treat my acne when others would not. And I couldn't ask for more.