Hey everyone,
My first post on here after being a member for years. I just need to reach out today, I read these forums all the time and they make me feel supported and like I'm not alone, but I still feel like I am.
Do you find yourself just staring at everyone's skin around you? Your friends have perfect skin, and although I'm 20, I feel like people think I'm disgusting, like I'm dirty and young and like I don't try hard enough because it comes so easily to them and it's so easy to take for granted. Acne is thought of as a "teenage" issue. But it's a disease. That's the word for it. It's a horrible emotionally afflicting disease with endless treatments, but every single person and every case of acne is different, so you spend your time, your money, your LIFE just SEARCHING for anything to help. You are desperate and willing to try anything. I would give up a finger or toe to have clear skin, I really would. It's breaking me down, it's ruining me, at an age I should be living I'm hiding.
7 years of acne. 7 years of wasting my time on this. It makes me stronger, one day I'll look back and say this made me who I am today, but right now I'm hideous. I won't see friends, hell I won't go grocery shopping or gym without putting makeup on. I'm so desperate for this to stop. I just want the answer to make this end. I wake up in the morning and immediately feel my face. Hoping by some miracle I don't have to stare back in the mirror at something I don't like. But it never happens.
It got better for some time, always one pimple or four, but the past week I've developed the worst I've had in years. My forehead and between my eyebrows is a catastrophe. My mom is my best friend in the world who has been my #1 supporter through all of my skin ailments, and I can't even look her in the eye. I feel like I'm being crushed, who I really am and know I can be is being destroyed over this. I can't look someone in the face without being immediately aware that they are looking at mine, and mine is deformed with a disease they probably can't understand.
Everyone on here says "I've done it all" and we all know that means all the dermos top 5 go-to's...But I want to see if there is something, anything I haven't tried. Acne is internal when it's as severe as mine, not topical. Health in the body normally reflects back on the skin. But what could I possibly be doing wrong.
I'm a vegan who eats occasional salmon or other fish. No dairy, no meat, tons of fiber, mostly vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, some healthy grains. I take cod liver oil in the mornings, drink 8 glasses of water, juice fresh veggies and fruit often, avoid processed and refined foods at all costs, have only used all natural products on my skin. Tea tree oil, baking soda, aloe vera, emu oil, apple cider vinegar, lavender, lemon, honey, face steaming, rosehip, straight vitamin E...truly, don't be afraid to make suggestions, but I have probably tried it.
I took this homeopathic, more natural approach after my 5/6 years of the medical approach. Accutane, antibiotics (3 or 4 of them, at least), spiro, birth control, you name it, and all the creams and topical ointments any doctor would give you. Facials, and easy thousands spent on different brands, different claims that this product would work, from this site and many others. Went to the best dermo acne specialist in Philadephia. Was prescribed spiro, and it ran it's course. Like everything eventually seems to. I have theories, maybe it's gluten. No, maybe it's my water not being filtered. No, I have a candida overgrowth. I clean my face too much, should stop washing it (haven't given this a shot all the way, I want to but if I go out of my house I have to wear makeup, and then eventually have to wash it off).
The only thing I can think of is my hormones. I take birth control, but I also travel a lot, so it gets messed up often and often the prescription changes in different countries if I have to. I'm on a steady one now and taking it consistently and have my fingers crossed it will help. I'm considering no hormones and getting a copper IUD, but I have also heard it can make acne worse.
The only times I've had clear skin was on my 4 day juice fast, so I think I'll go on another. And then when I camped in Fiji and lived off the land...bathed/drank filtered creek water, ate camp food, ate from the trees, didn't even have a mirror to look it, never touched my face. I try to replicate that but not popping these huge whiteheads is one of the hardest things to do. There's something I'm doing or consuming that is causing this and I'm committed to making it stop!
I'm sorry for the ranting. I'm just having a hard day. After all the work you put into this, the lifestyle change, and you wake up with a face like the one I have today, it really is heart breaking. Please give me something to try that worked for you. Thank you for listening and your help, we can do this.
I can feel your pain. One thing I will note is you mentioned being on birth control. For me birth control made my acne ten times worse and I am convinced had I never been on I would never have developed the hormonal acne that I had for 16 years. One thing to note too with the pill is that if you are having good success with one and then you switch to the generic then that could easily screw everything up as well. For me I broke out on Ortho-Tri-Cyclen but when I was accidentally switched to Tri-Nessa or Tri-Sprintec my acne got really bad. I believe its like starting all over again every single time you switch like that. Have you ever been clear on the pill? It would be good to get on the copper iud for now if you think the pill is screwing with your skin.
I was like you I tried every single thing that I could think of over the years and spent thousands and then when I got off the pill and on spiro things got a lot better for me and after 2 years I am still clear today but I also took a nice long course of Keflex for the first 10 months on spiro just to be sure it fully kicked in -ha!!
What is your regimen like too?
I can also completely relate to you! I've tried a lot of different treatments including the one I am on currently which is Cephalexin, Epiduo, and Vitamin D Cod Liver supplements. Honestly it's better so far but having just come off of Accutane in July and having flawless skin for 4 months I am devastated. I have, like you been dealing with this since I was about 15....I'm almost 27. It's had its phases of course, not completely broken out for 12 years but on and off. You mentioned hormones and at your age (which is still incredibly young) it's very likely. There are a lot of posters on this site that have hormonal acne theories, ideas, and cures for them and can offer a lot of hope and tips for you! It wouldn't be a bad idea to check the above link Siribai posted and make sure the one you are on the proper BC, and then like you said stick it out for at least a month or two. You never know, that could be the answer. Most importantly though, hang in there girly. Everyone on here knows how much it completely sucks to struggle with acne and finding a cure or treatment but hang in there! It will go away and probably sooner than you think! Keep your head up and keep that strong communication and relationship with your momma, those are important. My husband is my support system and he helps me more than he will ever know, even if he just listens and hugs me while I cry about it. Message me anytime if you just need someone to talk to! Keep smiling and remember this will pass!
First of all, you are making a huge mistake by using baking soda, lavender and lemon and other irritating ingredients products on your skin. STOP with that. Irritation is your skins worst enemy and if you irritate your skin for long enough, it will break down your skins ability to protect itself and break down collagen. Irritation will only make your matters worse and something as lavender is cytotoxic which means that it can create a toxic reaction when being exposed to sunlight and it also causes your skin cells to break down. You don't want that on your skin. Also, the PH of a lemon (and baking soda AND apple cider vinegar for instance) is way too low for your skins PH which will again mean irritation. Stop using those products and you will do your skin a huge favor. Also, just because irritation doesn't show directly on your skin doesn't mean it isnt taking place beneath the skin and the longer you are exposing your skin to irritation, the more damaged it will be and you will be more likely to break out more. Also, irritation can actually increase the oil production in oily skin which will make you break out even more. Steaming your skin will mosy likely also cause irritation.
Good luck! I hope you will find what works for you but i can assure you that those things definitely won't!
Hey, I know exactly how you feel. Just had to finish my second accutane course early because my cholesterol was too high. It's been only two weeks since I stopped taking it and I can slowly feel the oil coming back.
I came across a video on youtube from the sisters Nina and Randa and they said that Dr. McDougall and his "Maximum Weight Loss" diet cured their acne within 5 weeks. It is a low-fat diet. I'm thinking about buying this book and give it a try. I'm a bit sceptic because it says it's a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. I thought carbohydrates were something you're supposed to avoid. But apparently it worked for them (the before-after pictures are impressive).
My dermatologist said there a two birth control pills that reduce oil production of the skin - Belara and Valette. I'm gonna switch to one of them soon.
Here is the video that I was talking about.
I can totally relate! I'm also 20, and have been batling acne for 7 years now. I think about my acne 24/7. If i could change anything, ANYTHING, in my life i would defenitely be the acne. I don't know what else can i do. I can't be myself with acne. My life would be soooo different if i had clear skin. I've had clear skin for some months actually, after taking accutane, and i don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing. Because once you have experienced what life is like with clear skin, you NEVER want to go back. Well, apparently, happiness doesnt last too long for me. I really just go from home to college and college to work. I'm not living, i'm pretty much functioning. I totally know how you feel... and i know how much it sucks. There are days i cant even function though. I just skip college and stay in bed all day with my windows closed.
