Hello all. My daughter has severe cystic acne. She has been on antibiotics and Retin-A for over 6 months now. She is 22 years old and has never had skin issues other than the regular "monthly" pimples in high school. Her doctor had her on so many antibiotics that she would almost always have an upset stomach. I am on opposite sides of the country since she recently moved. She has cleaned up her eating habits, more fresh veggies and fruits. Hardly any fried foods. More fish and chicken than red meat and still she gets those pimples that go 'underground' and don't come to a head but spread and hurt. She is talking about getting Accutane and that worries me. I joined this forum to read and see if there is something (anything) that can be learned to help my daughter to feel good and look good to herself again. I'm happy that the man in her life is supportive of her even with the issues and tells her she is beautiful just the way she is. Thank you for allowing me into the forum.
I did try accutane but sadly it didn't work for me...but it does for most.
So I had to go the hard way to clear my cystic acne, I kept a food journal and did a mild elimination diet- I started with the most common culprits on this site wheat and dairy....and for ME that cleared me of most of the cysts...I also used to use tazorac and I still use AHAs daily
it's a hard slog, because while accutane can give you a cure period where you don't need topicals or diet changes, I need to vigilant with the topicals and my diet (no wheat or dairy EVER).
Search about SPIRO on this site, I never tried it but that is a miracle for some women. Also if money is no problem then have her try photo dynamic therapy, similar to treatments for pre cancerous cells, acne skin is treated with an ALA acid and incubated then activated with a light source...insurance won't cover these treatments (they will cover accutane in the US) but they do work for many.
Lots to learn here..how wonderful for her that she has you and a BF- that support system is so important with this disease.
Thanks for the information. I plan on doing much research. I lean towards the dietary aspect. At 20 she developed several food allergies that were not present up to that point. Specifically shrimp and avocado. I have been to the dermo. with her and if you ask a question related to food allergies they look at you like you have two heads. I will go look at SPIRO now.