in recent years i suffered mainly from what u described as un-inflamed acne, which in my opinion is worse than inflammed since its so much more resistant and caused me alot more scarring than the regular inflammed acne that i had before that.

sadly i also given up and the only thing that helps is accutane. i am on a 2nd course. so u can try taking accutane again, maybe even try a low dosage like 10mg a day and see how it works for u.

Hi everyone, I'd really appreciate your advice!!!!

I'm a 19 year old female and have had cystic acne since I was 12. After trying every antibiotic under the sun, none of them worked... I even did a course of accutane when i was 15 which cleared me for 6 months only, and my acne came back worse than ever.

I know for sure that my acne is hormonal. However I have non-hormonal acne as well: a TON of un-inflamed clogged pores, blackheads all over my face, sometimes infected, not-deep papules.. It's like

i have two sources of acne going on!

MY CURRENT REGIME

TOPICAL (on rotation.)

-no cleanser, no soaps, wash face with water.

-Azclear (20% azelaic acid) on infected papules

-Retin-A 0.1%

-Anti-fungal cream with 1%hydrocortisone

-Skin Doctors salicylic, lactic and glycolic acid moisturiser.

i know it sounds very strong but I've been using retin-a on and off for 3 years, and have a really good tolerance for acids/peels, almost nothing irritates my skin to cause infected acne, only clogs.

SUPPLEMENTS

-Vitamin A, 40,000 IUD

-Vitamin B multi

-vitamin C, 600mg

-Lysine (i get inner mouth ulcers so i thought the acne might be herpes simplex related)

-50mg of zinc chelate (6mg zinc)

-Probiotics

-Calcium, 600mg

-vitamin D, 500 iu

-Spirulina, 7000mg

I'm also on the contraceptive pill jasmine, the best for acne apparently because it has an anti-androgenic progesterone.

I do own a clarisonic, but barely use it because it really didnt do anything for me at all. I only used it when i used to wear really heavy foundation to go out, but that was before my skin got REALLY bad.

i haven't worn any makeup at all for about a month now and my acne has gotten worse

I literally do not leave the house at all. it gives me so much anxiety... i don't hang out with friends, see boys, go to the gym (my face would probably burn from sweating!!!)

When i go to uni, my classmates literally say "oh my god! what happened to your skin/face?!!? What's wrong with it!!!"

It's so embarrassing... I feel so defeated that i still haven't figured this out after 6 years.

There are several things you should STOP or modify.

B vitamin multi - notorious for causing acne, the exception being if you only take B5 (pantothenic acid) by itself. B vitamins causing acne has been shown in several studies. The reason is still unknown.

Hydrocortisone - should NEVER be applied topically long term, even on rotation, especially for acne, you can actually cause hydrocortisone-induced rosacea this way.

Spirulina - contains high amounts of iodione which is also notorious for stimulating acne

Vitamin A - your dose is really high. I don't follow all the FDA rules exactly but I wouldn't take more than 10,000 IU a day.

Vitamin D - too low. The vitamin D council recommends a minimum of 5,000 IU a day with an upper limit of 15,000 IU.

As far as adding something, the supplement that has helped me the most is Betaine HCL with Pepsin. It improves my digestion and makes me less reactive to the things I eat.

Maybe look into Vitex. I JUST started taking that today for my hormonal acne. I've heard really good things about it. I pretty much take the same supplements as you but also take magnesium, omega 3, and iron in liquid form. I also drink a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with water which seems to help acne.

Maybe look into Vitex. I JUST started taking that today for my hormonal acne. I've heard really good things about it. I pretty much take the same supplements as you but also take magnesium, omega 3, and iron in liquid form. I also drink a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with water which seems to help acne.

What the hell is wrong with your avatar! Now I'm gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life!

 

Maybe look into Vitex. I JUST started taking that today for my hormonal acne. I've heard really good things about it. I pretty much take the same supplements as you but also take magnesium, omega 3, and iron in liquid form. I also drink a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with water which seems to help acne.

What the hell is wrong with your avatar! Now I'm gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life!

Whaa??? It's just a fwuffy widdle kitty! You be crazy.

There are several things you should STOP or modify.

B vitamin multi - notorious for causing acne, the exception being if you only take B5 (pantothenic acid) by itself. B vitamins causing acne has been shown in several studies. The reason is still unknown.

Wow.. thank you SO MUCH!!! I completely forgot about pantothenic acid, but also had absolutely zero clue about b vitamins causing acne! Doh... and I'm such a google freak and a nursing student!

Plus, I had a blood test done and my vitamin D levels were horrifically low, even though i consciously try to get some sun everyday (on my legs only, yep, thats me being paranoid again). I'm now taking 10,000 IU of D3 in tablet form. gonna research the difference with the capsules though

This helped me shed so much light on areas i hadn't even thought to research, thanks again a million times over

Maybe look into Vitex.

Got anything to report on the vitex, kitty? also, are you on the pill along side of it if you don't mind me asking?

ahhh i break out so badly on omega 3 from fish or krill oil even though i eat fish and seafood just fine, might need to get my butt to the health food aisle and pick up chia seeds soon

 

There are several things you should STOP or modify.

B vitamin multi - notorious for causing acne, the exception being if you only take B5 (pantothenic acid) by itself. B vitamins causing acne has been shown in several studies. The reason is still unknown.

Wow.. thank you SO MUCH!!! I completely forgot about pantothenic acid, but also had absolutely zero clue about b vitamins causing acne! Doh... and I'm such a google freak and a nursing student!

Plus, I had a blood test done and my vitamin D levels were horrifically low, even though i consciously try to get some sun everyday (on my legs only, yep, thats me being paranoid again). I'm now taking 10,000 IU of D3 in tablet form. gonna research the difference with the capsules though

This helped me shed so much light on areas i hadn't even thought to research, thanks again a million times over

 

>Maybe look into Vitex.

Got anything to report on the vitex, kitty? also, are you on the pill along side of it if you don't mind me asking?

ahhh i break out so badly on omega 3 from fish or krill oil even though i eat fish and seafood just fine, might need to get my butt to the health food aisle and pick up chia seeds soon

I stopped taking vitex. I got it from a natruropath and am not sure if it was the formula she gave me which also had echinacea, burdock root and goldenseal in it as well but it made my regular acne turn into cystic acne. I don't know why it would but I am in worse shape than before. I'm not on the pill but am actually really considering it again. I stopped taking the pill a couple years ago because I felt it was causing emotional problems like feeling bipolar and depressed. But now this acne is making me depressed so I don't know WHAT to do. The whole time I was ever on the pill I had really clear skin but it's just not very healthy. Got to pick your battles, I guess.

From what I remember Vitex stimulates progesterone. There are a few rare cases where increased progesterone helps people with acne. If I had to pull a number out of a hat, though, I would say that's a lowly 5% or less. More often than not increased progesterone (by itself) stimulates acne. Hormonally the safer bet is to decrease testosterone and/or increase estrogen.

For example, many women clear up when they're pregnant. Progesterone does increase during pregnancy, yes, but estrogen also increases. My obgyn said that a woman will produce more estrogen during one pregnancy than she will during her entire non-pregnant life.