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My Life Has Been Ruined By Acne

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(@tatibel)

Posted : 03/06/2014 8:16 pm

I'm 17 and have had severe acne since i was 9. I have been to various dermatologists over the years, i've been prescribed dozens of medications, i've used every acne product you could think of (it's been a long 8 years) and my mom has been willing to pay for expensive facial treatments. Nothing has worked. I can't tell you how many times i've been putting on makeup to go to school to cover my horrible acne up and i just become repulsed with myself and i start to scream and cry hysterically. I cancel plans with my friends because of my acne. I can't take it anymore. I'm considering skipping school tomorrow to avoid having to show my face. I've been on antidepressants and in therapy but still my skin makes me miserable. Something i just slap and hit myself until i get blisters to release my anguish. I envy people with perfect skin. my best friend is always complaining about her "acne" and how "bad" her skin is while i look like a dalmation with all my spots. Acne has truly ruined my life. I haven't had a day without spots or pimples since i was 8 and i'm tired. What do i do?

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(@dunedain)

Posted : 03/07/2014 12:00 am

Have you tried Accutane? I know you said you've tried a lot of medications, but you didn't mention Accutane specifically, and that's usually the BIG one and the last resort for most people. Did it not work out for you?

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(@michelle-reece)

Posted : 03/07/2014 12:32 am

I'm 17 and have had severe acne since i was 9. I have been to various dermatologists over the years, i've been prescribed dozens of medications, i've used every acne product you could think of (it's been a long 8 years) and my mom has been willing to pay for expensive facial treatments. Nothing has worked. I can't tell you how many times i've been putting on makeup to go to school to cover my horrible acne up and i just become repulsed with myself and i start to scream and cry hysterically. I cancel plans with my friends because of my acne. I can't take it anymore. I'm considering skipping school tomorrow to avoid having to show my face. I've been on antidepressants and in therapy but still my skin makes me miserable. Something i just slap and hit myself until i get blisters to release my anguish. I envy people with perfect skin. my best friend is always complaining about her "acne" and how "bad" her skin is while i look like a dalmation with all my spots. Acne has truly ruined my life. I haven't had a day without spots or pimples since i was 8 and i'm tired. What do i do?

I agree with dunedain. You very likely have to go on Accutane now, if not another course assuming you've taken it already.

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(@bubbles55)

Posted : 03/07/2014 12:36 am

Accutane.

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(@glyde)

Posted : 03/07/2014 1:37 am

Accutane.

I'm 17 and have had severe acne since i was 9. I have been to various dermatologists over the years, i've been prescribed dozens of medications, i've used every acne product you could think of (it's been a long 8 years) and my mom has been willing to pay for expensive facial treatments. Nothing has worked. I can't tell you how many times i've been putting on makeup to go to school to cover my horrible acne up and i just become repulsed with myself and i start to scream and cry hysterically. I cancel plans with my friends because of my acne. I can't take it anymore. I'm considering skipping school tomorrow to avoid having to show my face. I've been on antidepressants and in therapy but still my skin makes me miserable. Something i just slap and hit myself until i get blisters to release my anguish. I envy people with perfect skin. my best friend is always complaining about her "acne" and how "bad" her skin is while i look like a dalmation with all my spots. Acne has truly ruined my life. I haven't had a day without spots or pimples since i was 8 and i'm tired. What do i do?

I agree with dunedain. You very likely have to go on Accutane now, if not another course assuming you've taken it already.

Have you tried Accutane? I know you said you've tried a lot of medications, but you didn't mention Accutane specifically, and that's usually the BIG one and the last resort for most people. Did it not work out for you?

And here I thought this board was supposed to be for emotional help...

Well, Tatibel, it can be rough. I get what you're saying here, I've got a best friend with perfectly clear skin. He'll mention a pimple or two on his forehead and I'm like "seriously"?? My acne was very bad at your age. It covered both of my cheeks, was around my mouth, and I had a ton of open cysts on my chest and back. Two years later, I cleared up immensely. I still struggle with a bit of acne around my mouth (I'm suspecting an infection like folliculitis) and the emotional trauma that comes along with it; I'm trying to stay positive and tell myself I'm still "OMG SUPER H0T" even with the bumps, but it's hard, even though I know it could be worse. What I'm trying to say is that you have a lot of time to clear up before now and your adult life; you're only 17! I know it probably feels like you've tried everything. I'm not saying accutane is a bad option, but I personally had a bad experience with it, and have never completed a full course of the stuff, so I get way more frustrated than I was to begin with when people suggest I go on it.

I still have days where I feel 100% drained, like I'm a disgusting monster, and like my life has completely gone down the shitter because of my acne. I have days where I feel on top of the world despite it. I am, by no means, out of the woods. I imagine I probably have quite a few years of acne to come. But I can't let acne ruin my life, it isn't fair to me.

IMPORTANT: You're on antidepressants, so I'll be straightforward and say that depression won't go away no matter how many times you're told it'll all be okay! You know that better than most. You can't just get over it and be happy, unfortunately. It's tough. It sucks, and its hella unfair. You deserve to be upset, but please don't hurt yourself. I know from personal experience that self harm only makes things worse. No matter how angry you are, you don't deserve to be punished for things you can't help. The most you can do is remember that you have a lot ahead of you to experience if you want to, and that your life isn't ruined by acne until you decide it is. I know you'll feel better for a bit and then feel like you've sunk even lower than before. You're not alone! You're not the first person to feel this way, and you won't be the last, but you're all that matters right now. Sometimes you have to put yourself first for awhile. All I can give are my words and support.

I can't tell you what to do because I don't have the answer yet. But you can take small steps every day like forcing yourself to only think about your acne when you're doing your regimen. When you're done, you're done. Remind yourself that it's temporary, and pity the people who are too shallow to see it as just another part of you. Don't think of acne as negative thing to look past, just think of it as a badge of honor: you're young, and you're strong enough to deal with shit every day that would eat other people for breakfast. I don't care if your entire face is an open flesh-wound, you can still be beautiful and feel that way too. You control your life, not some blemishes on your face. Being depressed is okay; thinking you're less than you are for having acne is not.

I hope you feel better very soon!

edit: sorry, that was longer than I meant it to be! Hope it wasn't TLDR for you

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(@michelle-reece)

Posted : 03/07/2014 2:01 am

Glyde, you do have a point, especially about the depression part.

To clarify, I answered the way I did because I don't want him to be on antidepressants or increase the dose so he could become emotionally numb, when he could go on an Accutane course and potentially reduce the problem, if not put him into remission.

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(@senoritastephie)

Posted : 03/07/2014 10:50 pm

Accutane has some risks (I only took it for a few weeks and ended up with a severe adverse event from it that I'll have till the day I die -_-, didn't complete it).

Tatibel: Take some time to mourn your skin. I had bad skin all my life (well ok, probably from the time I was ten, at the latest, till now-age 26 soon 27 in 2 months -_- ). It's tough especially at your age. Once you mourn for a bit, realize you have other things in your life that others may not.

I ended up focusing on getting great grades in school and focused on college. Not only did this help take away the attention from my skin, but I ended up making better choices during high school and college than most of my friends (ie not partying, keeping in great shape, eating really well-I did that for my skin and everyone knew I was the one to go to for advice on nutrition). I was pretty proud of the fact that I ended up getting in great shape in college and high school while everyone else ended up eating and drinking whatever they wanted and gained an incredible amount of weight. At times I was able to control my acne, but when I focused on these other areas sometimes I just didn't care. It helped my self esteem to know that I did a whole bunch of these other things. Heck, right now I'm training for a half-marathon.

I know it's probably difficult to think of things you can achieve or do right now, but maybe start to brainstorm. You are allowed to have your bad days. I have them from time to time. Even though I have acne, the acne scars get me way more at times though for the most part I don't care. I just now try to have a lot of other things to focus on to achieve and I don't let the list get short. If you are a girl, see about getting your hormones checked. I ended up finding out mine were so off. I didn't end up finding out till a year ago when I was out of the age range for acne, as my derm said. She had me go get them checked out and sure enough my problems were more than what could have been fixed with acne meds. And seriously, my acne and scars haven't made it difficult for me to date, get jobs, get in shape, etc. I actually have no problem getting dates even though I have tons of divets on my face, haha XD I think it's just the confidence. You're allowed to have bad days, but I do hope things get better and all the stories you'll read will help you realize that all hope is not lost.

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(@binga)

Posted : 03/10/2014 6:16 am

 

If you have severe acne then there is no other option than accutane.

 

 

If you have severe acne then there is no other option than accutane.

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(@theemoacne)

Posted : 03/13/2014 2:18 pm

I know how you feel. I'm so depressed because I can't even walk to school without everyone staring at me. I'm a 16 year old boy but I'm really tempted just to wear make-up so people won't judge me for what I look like...

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(@beautyandblemishes)

Posted : 03/21/2014 3:32 pm

Stay strong! I know your struggle!!

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(@k3tchup)

Posted : 03/23/2014 5:19 am

As one poster said. These are supportive boards, not advisory boards. Accutane may have helped some, but its also made worse others. There is a reason for all the legal lawsuits surrounding this drug. The decision rests on them to accept or seek other methods.

Antidepressants work wonders on some while others have minimal improvement requiring even more antidepressants and antidepressant boosting drugs. And the all carry side effects.

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