I'm sorry you're struggling, Dumondhatton! It would be frustrating to start having acne after puberty out of nowhere. If it helps any, your acne doesn't look bad at all. I personally think with some care you can clear it up fairly quickly.

What have you done to clear up your skin some so far? Do you take any supplements or vitamins? Sometimes even proper vitamin intake (like adequate amounts of vitamin D) clears people up.

What is your skin care regimen now? Do you use any topicals? How do you wash your face? If your acne is hormonal it shouldn't make a huge difference but it still can affect things. Even though most of my acne was hormonal, sometimes I would get random bursts of concentrated acne that wouldn't go away unless I used hydrogen peroxide to cleanse for a few days which would kill the bacteria.

I've read a few articles that suggest smoking pot can raise estrogen, but I have personally never had a problem with it and I am sensitive to even small raises in estrogen.

If all less-drastic measures don't work, there are plenty of other things to try. Have you ever been to a derm? I just ask because they usually put people on anti-biotics first to see if that helps. If it's hormonal, however, it probably won't. There are supplements you can buy to help with hormonal balance as well, but make sure you do your research on them before jumping in and remember to only start one thing at a time. Some common ones are Saw Palmetto and DIM.

I hope that helps a little. Try not to get discouraged (stress only makes acne worse) because there are plenty of things you can do and your acne really doesn't look that bad at all! (:

You probably have a genetic predisposition to acne that means you have to work ten times as hard as the next guy to have great skin. You'll have to make some more lifestyle changes and you will probably also have to rely on some supplements to help you get there. Yes, this is possible even if no one in your family has acne. Genes are pretty dang complicated. You just happened to get that unique mix that left you vulnerable to acne.

This is my short list of advice:

To reduce the negative effects of insulin/glucose and IGF:

- NO milk or milk products. Don't make the common mistake of replacing it with soy milk, which also has negative hormonal effects. If you need a milk substitute, go with unsweetened Almond or Rice milk.

- NO sugar. This is a big one. NO soda. NO fruit juice. NO candy. NO desserts. Avoid refined carbs if you can.

- NO caffeine. Caffeine is as bad or worse than sugar at negatively stimulating the insulin/glucose cycle. NO energy drinks. NO coffee. NO green/black/white tea.

I believe you in that stuff could potentially help one's skin, but I would be so depressed if I had to eliminate all of that stuff, haha! I'm clear (after severe acne for a decade) but I indulge in all of the above. XD

Does acne necessarily always have to be a genetic predisposition? What if it's just a temporary upset that goes away with a little effort? I think environment, stress, etc. have a pretty big influence, so it might be possible that one could have acne temporarily and not necessarily have to "battle" it their whole lives... just a thought. Not trying to argue with you though, you have a lot of good advice! (:

For sure. I didn't mean acne is always genetic. I just tend to give people the uh...benefit of the doubt that if they're bothering to post on here that it has been an ongoing thing. I mean by the time I was posting on acne forums I had exhausted so many avenues. I remember getting angry when I would ask about my acne and I would get things I had already tried... "see a dermatologist" "sleep more" "drink more water" "exercise more" "stress less" "get some ProActive".

I had to take a really serious regimented approach to get a hold of my acne after years and years.