I'm so desperate to talk to somebody who has this same problem, I'm 16 I've been dealing with acne since I was about 11 and I'm just SO fed up. My acne is at its worst right now nothing makes it better only worse. I haven't had clear skin in so long I've almost forgot what it feels like to feel pretty with out tons of makeup on I've completely lost all of my self confidence, I feel so discusting all the time. I just wanna give up.. Nobody understands how acne impacts our life, and its sad that not even my own family can see how much pain this causes me.. I just needed to vent somewhere, where I know there's people who understand.. Any advise on treating scars or any good products for this kind of acne?
Hiya Kristeng,
I feel your pain! Acne has plagued me now for a good 3-4 years! I'm a 19 year old male turning 20 in a months time so I know how hard it is to deal with acne and have it completely smash your confidence. While acne damages your self image, it is manageable
I use a topical form of Vitamin A known as Tretinoin (Retin-A) to manage my outbreaks! If you use Cetaphil (or another VERY LIGHT cleanser) it can minimise the side effects associated with Retin-A. (Redness, flakiness, etc). If you do choose to use Tretinoin, make sure you use a Sunscreen (at least SPF 30, I personally use Coppertone) as well as a moisturising with Cerave lotion. The brilliant thing about Retin-A is that it promotes collagen production which is an amazing bonus as well as drying out those spots that have called your face home. Been using it for a while now, really helps!!
Hope this helps! Stay strong, you're beautiful
first of all take a deep breath and realize it could be worse..it doesn't look deep so I don't think it will scar too bad or if at all. second do your parents have insurance, maybe u can go to the dermatologist..if u have a job u could look for a good skin clinic as well that could help u by treating your skin naturally. I currently am on Accutane and never had really bad acne before and I am a grown woman . My acne is worse then yours and its quite depressing. I wouldn't recommend u Accutane tho but it could be an option
I'm 31 years old and just now finally got a handle of my acne that's been around since age 12........I know EXACTLY what you are going through. I have tried all of these products:
-Proactive Solution (2.5% and the 10% Extra Strength Formulas)
-All the Clean and Clear product lines
-Murad Skin Care
-Neutrogena bars, soaps, cleansers, etc
-Oxyclean
-Clearasil
-Acne Free
-Clarisonic
And a lot of other stuff I just forgot about.....the Proactive did work but not fully well like I wanted it to. Than it ended up making my skin way worse in the end.
I would kill to have your skin right now. It's all a matter of perspective, really. I think your complexion is amazing and can easily be treated seeing as there isn't too much inflammation!
Please never give up, there have been people battling cystic acne & acne conglobata for years but they're all clear now because they never lost hope.
Everyone around me has clear skin which is why it's so hard to talk to people about it, because they just don't understand the emotional devastation acne can leave on you.
But acne.org is a community and we're all here to help.
Good luck with your skin!