Hey guys,
This is my first ever post on here, but I've followed the forum for awhile.
So I've had acne roughly since fall of 2009 when I was 16. Before that
I had completely clear skin... literally never one blemish so I guess I was
a late bloomer. Also, I hit puberty later than most of my friends. It probably
peaked in severity in 2012-eary 2013 when I was a senior in high school
and freshman in college. In January of 2013 I went to the dermatologist for
the first time and got Epiduo, Acanya, and Doxycycline. Acanya in the AM,
Epiduo, and Doxycycline once daily. I went off doxycycline after three months
and was relatively clear for awhile, but it came back after some time with less
severity. I went on doxycycline again in May of 2014 and have been on that as
well as Epiduo and Acanya since (6 months so far on doxy). I also exfoliate twice
daily with this sugar based exfoliator that is more gentle than most exfoliators. It
is composed of green tea and emu oil extracts. Right now my acne is localized solely
on my chin and around my mouth. Previously, when I was younger, it was on my forehead
as well. I've heard that the sabescous glands near the chin age last on the face so maybe
this is why its only there now? The rest of my face is clear 95% of the time apart from a
random pimple once a month or something. I've gotten more self conscious about my skin
as I've gotten older, even though it is less severe now. I think it is just because I've had this
problem on and off for 5 years now and I'm just sick of it. Both of my parents recall having acne,
but they said it never was bad and they used over the counter products to deal with it. Both
of their skins are clear now and I've actually never seen either of them with a pimple. So my
question is when is this going to end for me? I'd rather not use doxycycline anymore because
I've been on it for 6 months now and I'm scared of antibiotic resistance. I don't want to go off
it though because I'm scared my skin condition will worsen. If anyone can offer their opinion on
when this might end for me or what I can do to worry less I'd greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
Please see my reply to your other thread. Unfortunately it can be hard to predict how long you may be acne prone. Parents experience may give you an idea but it isn't a sure fire indicator. About the only thing you can do while waiting to grow out of it is either just live with it or treat it. The Regimen works very well on its own if you want to give it a try. http://www.acne.org/regimen
Like you I have followed the forum for a while, few years actually. I can relate to your post. Have used lots of different antibiotics and doxycycline was one of the few to actually make a difference. I had to stop it as it really upset my stomach. I still feel like it has left side effects even after stopping. I have been using Zineryt and Duac so far. Seems to work ok so far but some weeks I break out suddenly.
Like you I have followed the forum for a while, few years actually. I can relate to your post. Have used lots of different antibiotics and doxycycline was one of the few to actually make a difference. I had to stop it as it really upset my stomach. I still feel like it has left side effects even after stopping. I have been using Zineryt and Duac so far. Seems to work ok so far but some weeks I break out suddenly.
Hey man thanks for the reply! Yeah doxy worked well for me the first time for 3 months but I think it's lost it's effectiveness for me now this second time on month 6. I feel like I'm "controlling" my acne with this and topicals, but I'm still not satisfied with results. It's very mild and only around mouth and on chin, but I'm sick of dealing with it and want to get rid of it, not just control it. I'm considering low dose accutane and will run it by my derm when I go in Decmeber. It's the only thing that seems to kill this shit forever. At 21 I'm simply sick of dealing with it
I'm 23 and I've had acne since I was like 15 and still get it. I've been on Accutane for months and my skin was extremely clear but now all of the sudden it's coming back while I'm still on it and almost finished with my course :/ And here I thought I was finally done with it, but being clear was fun while it lasted. I've tried doxycycline, Retin-A and tons of over-the-counter products also and Accutane was a last resort and the only thing that fully cleared me (until now anyway). It's not as severe as many people's but it's persistent. If you can get it, I recommend trying Accutane. The only side effects I've noticed are dry skin and lips.
I'm 23 and I've had acne since I was like 15 and still get it. I've been on Accutane for months and my skin was extremely clear but now all of the sudden it's coming back while I'm still on it and almost finished with my course :/ And here I thought I was finally done with it, but being clear was fun while it lasted. I've tried doxycycline, Retin-A and tons of over-the-counter products also and Accutane was a last resort and the only thing that fully cleared me (until now anyway). It's not as severe as many people's but it's persistent. If you can get it, I recommend trying Accutane. The only side effects I've noticed are dry skin and lips.
Awesome thanks! Yeah I'm tired of fucking around with these topicals and antibiotics. It seems like accutane is the only thing that gets rid of it for good. Hopefully my derm will give me it come December. And don't hang your head about it coming back! Wait til you're done your course and evaluate then. It affects everyone differently! Glad to hear about the minimal side effects too I feel like everyone always blows that out of proportion. One question that I have for you is did you get an initial breakout in the first month of accutane? I've heard a lot about this and it kind of scares me
Thanks man, I hope so lol. I was already broken out when I started it so it was hard to tell lol, but I remember it cleared me up super fast pretty soon after I started taking it and I made sure to always take it with high fat food like peanut butter. The acne I did get cured a lot faster too. By month 2 or 3 I was completely clear and would only occasionally get tiny zits. I did increase my dosage just about a week ago for my last month, so I wonder if that has anything to do with my huge breakout recently. I was using Retin-A just months before that and I remember that gave me an initial breakout.
First of all, stop scrubbing you face as that leads to more inflammation. Your acne can be only a result of physical irritation . In that case using a gentle cleanser , moisturizer& daily sunscreen is maybe the only thing you need to do. If your acne persists , add a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide treatment after cleansing.