Hi all. I joined a few days ago and this is my first post. I decided to ask for a bit of advice here as nobody understands a person with acne better than someone with the same problem.
I have had hormonal acne ever since I was 14, I am almost 21 now. I have been absolutely failed by the doctors I have been to in my country due to their lack of understanding of how this affects me and their incapacity to try out effective treatments because they are simply not educated enough. I was eventually put on birth control and following the same probiotic+antibiotic combination for years, my acne was kept at bay and was easily covered with makeup (my acne never actually improved though). To my bad luck, everything took a turn for the worse roughly two months ago.
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I moved to China last September to pursue my studies. It took my body 3 months to get used to the toxins, bugs and food here and a couple of weeks after I was FINALLY feeling okay again, I had the worst acne breakout EVER. It could be because I stopped birth control prior to coming here (about 4 months before) but I have started it again now or it could be because of the awful atmosphere and even more awful food that's either soaked in 500ml oil or thrown in sugar. I went from having moderate acne to severe acne. I have whiteheads popping up every other day, cysts all over and although my back was clean for a few years, it's now full of acne too. I could deal with the itchiness and the flare up in general IF I could use makeup. I cannot. If I do, my acne ''flares up'' with vengeance the day after. I'm at a loss here. I have been to the dermatologist (visited a supposedly famous dermatology good department) and they gave me some Chinese stuff and minocycline hydrochloride capsules. It's the Chinese Spring Festival now and we're off school but I've caged myself in this room for 2 weeks now. It's taken over my life. I hate what I see in the mirror and I hate how I can't cover it up because if I try, it gets worse.
Finally, this brings me to my point:
Do you think I should stay and try to deal with the psychological effects or go back home and continue my studies after I'm feeling better? I don't want to go but I feel like I have to. My family doesn't have much money right now and jobs back home can be counted on one hand (not exaggerating) so I feel like I should stick it out and continue studying here. However, the pollution, food, water and pretty much everything here is an acne-prone person's worst enemy. If I go back home I can go on spironolactone or try something more drastic that doctors wouldn't prescribe me in the past because they felt ''it's not needed'' (most doctors never even realised this could be hormone related)
I feel like my head is going to burst. I don't want to go back, I'll feel like a loser for quitting school here but I..can't stand this.
Any advice is appreciated.
Agh... going abroad can wreak havoc on your body. I gained a ton of weight in France.. I couldn't really tell until I saw the pictures.
I don't know what your food situation is like. Do you live with a family who cooks for you? That can be hard, and I definitely get how one can feel stuck in that situation because you can't be rude and not eat what you're given. If you're shopping for yourself, though, do you have access to fruits and veggies? Or are you mainly eating off the street?
Can you exercise while you are abroad? I know that always helped me immensely. I felt better about my body and about my mind when I was able to do something nice for it.
I think you need to be gentle to your skin. Make sure your cleanser is gentle and that you are using a good moisturizer if you can find one that doesn't break you out. That will help the irritation and calm your skin down while the minocycline runs its course.
I know when I was abroad we had access to counseling if we needed it. I wish I had taken advantage of that (I experienced some severe depression while abroad - believe it or not this is a common problem. I know that I felt very isolated and alone, going through such a rough time when I was supposed to be having the most amazing experience. I thought something was wrong with me, and then I learned about culture shock and what it can really mean. It's very common, even if you are open and excited about living in a new place. It typically sets in after a few months. I wonder if perhaps you are going through a similar experience. Your acne could be related to that, or it could be unrelated, I don't know.
Going off birth control may be a factor, as I'm sure you know. Skin usually is clear for a few months and then acne flares up again...
Anyway.
In the immediate timeframe, I think you need to take advantage of your time off school and go traveling. Put on some sunglasses and a scarf so you can cover part of your face if you want (i tuck my chin into my infinity scarfs all the time when I feel self-conscious) and go sightseeing. No one will pay you any mind and you can think about something other than your skin. I promise you, you'll feel better. You're in an amazing part of the world and I bet there are unforgettable things to be seen.
Take a journal with you and write and sketch about your experience.