Hi, I'm 22, Male. I've had cystic acne for 7 years now and its getting worse.
I ONLY get acne on my cheeks, absolutely nowhere else on my body. 100% of my acne is on my cheeks.
Accutane did not work that much. It only reduced the size of pimples and it actually made red blemishes not go away by their own and my cheeks now leave scar after every single little spot.
2 important things I'd like you to help me with:
INFLAMMATION: A small spot that would not be visible in ~3 days gets massively imflamed, heals in like a week or two but leaves big red blemish under skin that doesn't go away.
CHEEKS: Why do I *only* get acne on cheeks ? I know that must mean something. I have perfect skin everywhere on my body but cheeks are total disaster.
WHAT I'VE TRIED:
Accutane: Made my skin from very oily to quite dry. Basically removed my ability to heal ANYTHING from cheeks, any small cut, pimple, etc.. Never had a problem healing huge cysts with no scar/hyperpigmentation left until i took Accutane... big mistake.
Benzoyl peroxide: was using before I started accutane. not going on it again my skin is dry enough already
Thyroid checked: came back normal
Drinking various teas, and many things I wont remember now...
LIFESTYLE:
-I dont exercise but when I did it had no effect on my skin
-I used to drink milk A LOT when i was 13-15
-I dont drink milk at all now, but i do eat cheese products sometimes. Should i try to avoid that too?
-I stopped having long hot showers for a month but that did not help
-I do eat a lot of pasta
-Been seeing derms since i got my first cyst (wish I never have)
OTHER SYMPTOMS: (may or may not be related to acne)
-cold hands & feet (even if not cold)
-excessive sweating even if I'm cold & not in stress
-inability to gain weight. I actually weight the same as when I was 14, I'm quite skinny
-my growth stopped once I started getting acne. I used to be the tallest kid in class, now im the lowest
-gray hair since 14
-my dentist always says that my gums are inflammed too
-oily skin & hair (not anymore after accutane)
-I dont even have to have a pimple to get hyperpigmentation / inflammation under skin
-I'm always tired despite getting enough sleep
Any ideas why cheeks ? Why the inflammation ? How to reduce / cure / remove inflammation ?
Pics: first one is what a small but inflammed pimple look like, second and third are scars & blemishes they leave (looks much worse IRL than on the photos)
I can't hep because I'm in the same boat, sorry. But OMG the resemblence between us is eerie. Even our cheeks looks the same.
100% of my acne is on my cheeks. Accutane didn't do much. I'm the same skinny size I was since I was 14 (though I'm 30 now). I've had gray hairs since my teens. Cold hands and feet too. Blah, if you replace 22 y/o Male with 30 y/o female, your post is my acne journey spelled out to the T. Hopefully someone answers this thread because something tells me we have very similar root causes behind our acne!
I can't hep because I'm in the same boat, sorry. But OMG the resemblence between us is eerie. Even our cheeks looks the same.
100% of my acne is on my cheeks. Accutane didn't do much. I'm the same skinny size I was since I was 14 (though I'm 30 now). I've had gray hairs since my teens. Cold hands and feet too. Blah, if you replace 22 y/o Male with 30 y/o female, your post is my acne journey spelled out to the T. Hopefully someone answers this thread because something tells me we have very similar root causes behind our acne!
Hi! Have you tried giving up dairy ? Any diets ?
I can't hep because I'm in the same boat, sorry. But OMG the resemblence between us is eerie. Even our cheeks looks the same.
100% of my acne is on my cheeks. Accutane didn't do much. I'm the same skinny size I was since I was 14 (though I'm 30 now). I've had gray hairs since my teens. Cold hands and feet too. Blah, if you replace 22 y/o Male with 30 y/o female, your post is my acne journey spelled out to the T. Hopefully someone answers this thread because something tells me we have very similar root causes behind our acne!
Hi! Have you tried giving up dairy ? Any diets ?
I tried various diets....vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, paleo, fruitarian, dairy/sugar/gluten free, etc... They helped a little, but they definitely weren't a "cure".
After all the experiementing with different diets, the only thing I noticed that makes a marked difference is sugar. Giving it up doesn't cure things per se, but it helps a lot. Eating lots of it in one sitting (damn you "day after Halloween" candy sale!) gives me many many many cysts the next day, no fail. So I try to keep sugar to a minimum.
I can't hep because I'm in the same boat, sorry. But OMG the resemblence between us is eerie. Even our cheeks looks the same.
100% of my acne is on my cheeks. Accutane didn't do much. I'm the same skinny size I was since I was 14 (though I'm 30 now). I've had gray hairs since my teens. Cold hands and feet too. Blah, if you replace 22 y/o Male with 30 y/o female, your post is my acne journey spelled out to the T. Hopefully someone answers this thread because something tells me we have very similar root causes behind our acne!
Hi! Have you tried giving up dairy ? Any diets ?
I tried various diets....vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, paleo, fruitarian, dairy/sugar/gluten free, etc... They helped a little, but they definitely weren't a "cure".
After all the experiementing with different diets, the only thing I noticed that makes a marked difference is sugar. Giving it up doesn't cure things per se, but it helps a lot. Eating lots of it in one sitting (damn you "day after Halloween" candy sale!) gives me many many many cysts the next day, no fail. So I try to keep sugar to a minimum.
that's weird... since I dont like sweets I believe I consume minimum amount of sugar. Do even little amounts of sugar (ketchup, for example) cause you breakouts? How about fruits ?
I can't hep because I'm in the same boat, sorry. But OMG the resemblence between us is eerie. Even our cheeks looks the same.
100% of my acne is on my cheeks. Accutane didn't do much. I'm the same skinny size I was since I was 14 (though I'm 30 now). I've had gray hairs since my teens. Cold hands and feet too. Blah, if you replace 22 y/o Male with 30 y/o female, your post is my acne journey spelled out to the T. Hopefully someone answers this thread because something tells me we have very similar root causes behind our acne!
Hi! Have you tried giving up dairy ? Any diets ?
I tried various diets....vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, paleo, fruitarian, dairy/sugar/gluten free, etc... They helped a little, but they definitely weren't a "cure".
After all the experiementing with different diets, the only thing I noticed that makes a marked difference is sugar. Giving it up doesn't cure things per se, but it helps a lot. Eating lots of it in one sitting (damn you "day after Halloween" candy sale!) gives me many many many cysts the next day, no fail. So I try to keep sugar to a minimum.
Hi, I'm 22, Male. I've had cystic acne for 7 years now and its getting worse.
I ONLY get acne on my cheeks, absolutely nowhere else on my body. 100% of my acne is on my cheeks.
Accutane did not work that much. It only reduced the size of pimples and it actually made red blemishes not go away by their own and my cheeks now leave scar after every single little spot.
2 important things I'd like you to help me with:
INFLAMMATION: A small spot that would not be visible in ~3 days gets massively imflamed, heals in like a week or two but leaves big red blemish under skin that doesn't go away.
CHEEKS: Why do I *only* get acne on cheeks ? I know that must mean something. I have perfect skin everywhere on my body but cheeks are total disaster.
WHAT I'VE TRIED:
Accutane: Made my skin from very oily to quite dry. Basically removed my ability to heal ANYTHING from cheeks, any small cut, pimple, etc.. Never had a problem healing huge cysts with no scar/hyperpigmentation left until i took Accutane... big mistake.
Benzoyl peroxide: was using before I started accutane. not going on it again my skin is dry enough already
Thyroid checked: came back normal
Drinking various teas, and many things I wont remember now...
LIFESTYLE:
-I dont exercise but when I did it had no effect on my skin
-I used to drink milk A LOT when i was 13-15
-I dont drink milk at all now, but i do eat cheese products sometimes. Should i try to avoid that too?
-I stopped having long hot showers for a month but that did not help
-I do eat a lot of pasta
-Been seeing derms since i got my first cyst (wish I never have)
OTHER SYMPTOMS: (may or may not be related to acne)
-cold hands & feet (even if not cold)
-excessive sweating even if I'm cold & not in stress
-inability to gain weight. I actually weight the same as when I was 14, I'm quite skinny
-my growth stopped once I started getting acne. I used to be the tallest kid in class, now im the lowest
-gray hair since 14
-my dentist always says that my gums are inflammed too
-oily skin & hair (not anymore after accutane)
-I dont even have to have a pimple to get hyperpigmentation / inflammation under skin
-I'm always tired despite getting enough sleep
Any ideas why cheeks ? Why the inflammation ? How to reduce / cure / remove inflammation ?
Pics: first one is what a small but inflammed pimple look like, second and third are scars & blemishes they leave (looks much worse IRL than on the photos)
Have you tried a low-carb diet? As LeadingForce said, carbs cause inflammation.
Have you had a blood test to determine your iron levels? From the feeling tired and the cold hands and feet, it sounds to me like you might be anemic (iron deficiency). Since you also seem to have stunted growth and an inability to gain weight, have you looked into celiac disease? Quite a few of your sympoms fit the bill.
As for your acne, what products are you currently using?
-OP's post-Have you tried a low-carb diet? As LeadingForce said, carbs cause inflammation.
Have you had a blood test to determine your iron levels? From the feeling tired and the cold hands and feet, it sounds to me like you might be anemic (iron deficiency). Since you also seem to have stunted growth and an inability to gain weight, have you looked into celiac disease? Quite a few of your sympoms fit the bill.
As for your acne, what products are you currently using?
Hi, I have got my iron levels tested and you are right, I am anemic. I also thought about celiac disease so I bought home testing kit and it came back negative (are they reliable?) so I dismissed that . My cheeks are in horrible condition since Accutane. They are red, they hurt, they never heal and I even get red wounds out of nothing (I mean no pimple was present at that place before) so except for moisturizer I dont use anything at the time.
Note that my cheeks were always in perfect condition before Accutane even when I was using very harsh chemicals. Even though they WERE inflammed before, even the biggest cysts healed nicely and left NO blemish at all. So I'm pretty much done with putting chemicals on my face after the Accutane course that didn't work.
Hi, I have got my iron levels tested and you are right, I am anemic. I also thought about celiac disease so I bought home testing kit and it came back negative (are they reliable?) so I dismissed that . My cheeks are in horrible condition since Accutane. They are red, they hurt, they never heal and I even get red wounds out of nothing (I mean no pimple was present at that place before) so except for moisturizer I dont use anything at the time.
Note that my cheeks were always in perfect condition before Accutane even when I was using very harsh chemicals. Even though they WERE inflammed before, even the biggest cysts healed nicely and left NO blemish at all. So I'm pretty much done with putting chemicals on my face after the Accutane course that didn't work.
I'm not sure about the reliability of the home tests. There's normally just a few percent change someone with celiac disease will come back negative. Do you happen to know what kind you got? There are a few different antibodies tests. Were you eating food with gluten in it at that time of the test or were you on a gluten free diet? If you were eating a diet with gluten in it at the time of the test, there's usually just a small (less than 10%) margin of error.
So your cheeks were fine before the Accutane.. hmm. Here's a quote from cureceliacdisease.org:
"Can Accutane trigger celiac disease?
Although there is no clinical data yet to prove that Accutane (or any forms of retinoic acid), which treats severe acne, can trigger celiac disease, it is true that retinoic acid in animal systemsin the context of a mipre-existing even minimal intestinal inflammationmay amplify an inflammatory response. If we put this in context of celiac disease, then the implication could be that retinoic acid triggers celiac.
Even in the absence of a clear clinical evidence, we suggest caution with the use of Accutane in subjects who have the gene(s) for celiac disease."
So maybe there's something there. I think it's worth it to get tested by a doctor- even if it's just to rule it out- since you have such an issue with inflammation. Or you can try eliminating gluten from your diet and seeing if you feel any better. Have you tested your blood sugar? Have you had your T4 and TSH checked (thyroid)? All three can cause issues healing, and all three can be linked (but not have a direct symptom of) acne.
Do you take any vitamins (besides iron)? The slow healing could also be a sign of vitamin deficiency.
Sorry for asking so many questions
Hi, I have got my iron levels tested and you are right, I am anemic. I also thought about celiac disease so I bought home testing kit and it came back negative (are they reliable?) so I dismissed that . My cheeks are in horrible condition since Accutane. They are red, they hurt, they never heal and I even get red wounds out of nothing (I mean no pimple was present at that place before) so except for moisturizer I dont use anything at the time.
Note that my cheeks were always in perfect condition before Accutane even when I was using very harsh chemicals. Even though they WERE inflammed before, even the biggest cysts healed nicely and left NO blemish at all. So I'm pretty much done with putting chemicals on my face after the Accutane course that didn't work.
I'm not sure about the reliability of the home tests. There's normally just a few percent change someone with celiac disease will come back negative. Do you happen to know what kind you got? There are a few different antibodies tests. Were you eating food with gluten in it at that time of the test or were you on a gluten free diet? If you were eating a diet with gluten in it at the time of the test, there's usually just a small (less than 10%) margin of error.
So your cheeks were fine before the Accutane.. hmm. Here's a quote from cureceliacdisease.org:
"Can Accutane trigger celiac disease?
Although there is no clinical data yet to prove that Accutane (or any forms of retinoic acid), which treats severe acne, can trigger celiac disease, it is true that retinoic acid in animal systemsin the context of a mipre-existing even minimal intestinal inflammationmay amplify an inflammatory response. If we put this in context of celiac disease, then the implication could be that retinoic acid triggers celiac.
Even in the absence of a clear clinical evidence, we suggest caution with the use of Accutane in subjects who have the gene(s) for celiac disease."
So maybe there's something there. I think it's worth it to get tested by a doctor- even if it's just to rule it out- since you have such an issue with inflammation. Or you can try eliminating gluten from your diet and seeing if you feel any better. Have you tested your blood sugar? Have you had your T4 and TSH checked (thyroid)? All three can cause issues healing, and all three can be linked (but not have a direct symptom of) acne.
Do you take any vitamins (besides iron)? The slow healing could also be a sign of vitamin deficiency.
Sorry for asking so many questions
The celiac test looked almost exactly like the ones you can see when you type 'celiac home test' on youtube. I have never been on gluten free diet and I even had a pizza a few hours before I took the test. I took it twice to be sure.
My cheeks were getting a lot of acne also before Accutane but they were actually healing, not leaving scars/blemishes, etc...They weren't fine, they just could heal the deepest wound.
I have not had my blood sugar tested. Which kind of doctor can do that tests ?
I have had my TSH tested. Came back normal.
About the vitamins... I eat fruits & vegetables quite often. Now if I have acne because of vitamins deficiency IMO it would be my body's problem to absorb it rather than me not having them in my food.
Hmmmm I'd say it's down to two things - your pillow/ duvet cover or your hormones .
Try putting a clean towel over your pillow every night for two weeks , if that doesn't work it's probably down to hormones ( kinda seems like that could be the culprit for the grey hair/no weight gain thing too . For balancing hormones to correct levels id say take a herbal supplement called maca , I took 3/4 500mg capsules and it within two weeks they had nearly all gone , its a adaptogenic herb so it basically adapt to your body's needs to restore the level right for you .