1 hour ago, Colorado69 said:

I'm a 24 yo male

I can't do this anymore. This is extremely taxing on me psychologically and I'm sick of my life wasting away while I sit in a room trying different products and never seeing any success.

I had pretty bad acne when I was a teenager in late high school.. probably 16-18 was the worst. I eventually got in the habit of using a benzoyl peroxide wash in the mornings and salicylic acid pads at night. From 19-21 I was still on the same routine with the same products and I honestly don't remember acne being a problem. In fact whenever I ate healthy and stayed away from pop and energy drinks, I'm pretty sure I was just about 100% clear. I had actually forgotten nor do I remember acne being a problem during this period of time. Then in my late 20s within about 2-3 months of turning 21, all of a sudden I started having serious issues again. Painful cystic acne.. I eventually figured out that I had an intolerance to caffeine, although I swear there have been weeks on end when I was completely clear and still drinking coffee every single day. Last August I had a really really bad painful cystic breakout for the first time in a long time and I stopped drinking coffee. I still continued to have occasional bad breakouts but stayed off of the coffee. Last winter (in Jan), I was 80% clear through a majority of the winter. I remember going out of town and I had absolutely no acne issues for several weeks. The persons house I was staying at had coffee and I drink 1-2 cups a day for 2 weeks for the first time in months, then after being clear for weeks I had my first breakout and had a few painful deep cystic pimples. I came to the conclusion that coffee or any high amount of caffeine must be causing the worst of it, and haven't drank it since. There's a lot more I could tell you but let me get to the point.....

 

I've tried everything. Topical, vitamin supplements, no sugar, no gluten, no caffeine, etc. I can't figure out what the hell the problem is and can't get it to stop. Whenever I finally clear up for a month and think I have it figured out I break out again and I lose all hope. A few months ago, I would be clear for several weeks, breakout and clearup in a week, be clear for several weeks, and the cycle continued. Now I'm clear-ish for maybe a day out of each month. It's getting ridiculous.

 

Here's what I've tried (each product I've tried I give 3-4 weeks to work):

• SA Wash (Oxy daily defense wash)- No effect, still had bad breakouts
• SA Pads (Oxy Pads) - Stops cystic pimples, MUST use every night.. completely eliminates acne everywhere except for around mouth and chin with the exception of lately I've still been getting bad breakouts.. they would be much worse and cystic if I don't use these though, so they definitely help
• BP 2.5% spot treatment cream - Started using this earlier this year to replace 10%. I really can't tell if it does much good or not because I usually apply a thin layer in the problem area each night and I have done this while clear for weeks but also continue to do it while breaking out and can't notice if it's helping at all
• BP Exfoliating Wash (in place of the spot treatment) - didn't do much I don't think
• All natural exfoliating wash - My skin FELT a lot better up until I started having cystic acne again from not using the SA pads and I had several of the worst breakouts of my life using this
• Vitamin A 10,000 IU daily + 3,500 IU in multivitamin - Been using it for the last 4 weeks, no results
• Vitamin D3 2000 IU daily- Been using for the last 6 weeks, no results
• Walgreens Men's Multivitamin - I feel as though whenever I stop taking these every morning, even if I miss one day, it makes me break out or makes it worse, so I believe these DO help... plus I think everyone should take a basic multivitamin

 

It's really hard to tell what works and what doesn't when you continue to break out without understanding why. I also moisturize when I feel my skin is too dry in the morning after a shower.

Just about everytime I remember being cleared up for any good length of time, I remember I had about the same routine:

• Mornings: Multivitamin with breakfast, wash face in shower with warm water (after washing hands with antibacterial handsoap)
• Balanced diet throughout the day, but not really any hardcore restrictions. Just a balanced, semi-healthy diet.
• Nights: Wash face with warm water, pat dry, 1 oxy pad maximum strength, thin layer of BP spot treatment around problem areas

 

Every time I remember being clear for an extended period of time, that was my routine.

 

But here's the thing guys, no matter what's happened or how long I've cleared up I always break out again. Now when some people breakout, they have a few minor pimples. When I break out, I get 5-8 extremely red inflamed pimples around my mouth and chin that are extremely noticeable. Rarely, as long as I'm using oxy pads every night, do these result in deep or painful cystic pimples.

 

But I just can't do it anymore guys.. I finally realized I NEED HELP. I don't like my doctor nor do I feel comfortable talking to her or any other doctor because I feel as though they just want to push harsh products that will do more harm than good. She gave prescribed Retin-A once but told me to keep using BP and SA and my skin would literally peel all day no matter how much moisturizer I used.. big chunks of it would just start peeling off like sunburn. I had to stay in my house and not show my face for a month. It was terrible and I will never EVER try retin-a again due to that experience.

This is absolutely ruining my life and I'm really really hoping someone out there on these forums that is or knows someone my age and gender with the same type of acne might be able to offer a solution.

Here's how this is effecting me:

• I quit a job I loved because I couldn't keep ruining my reputation and work record calling in sick when I had a bad breakout
• I barely ever spend any time with friends or family anymore
• I barely ever leave my house and have a new job working from home because of this
• I can't make plans with people. Whenever I do, I end up having to cancel because 99% of the time I look disgusting the day of the plans
• I broke out bad for the first time in weeks yesterday and ended up calling my family and telling them I would not be joining them for Thanksgiving (this really hurt me emotionally - this is the first time that I've had a holiday ruined due to acne)

 

All I want to do is live my life. I want to go out and do amazing things. I want to help people and save lives (I worked in public service). I want to travel. I want to date again. I want to spend time with my friends. I want to make commitments. I want to get my dream job. But I can't, all because of acne. It's ruining my life and I've been absolutely distraught over it for 3 years now because only in the past 3 years did it start holding me back.

I lay awake every night and I think about everything I would do with my life if I didn't have to run to the mirror every morning or every time I leave the house to make sure I look presentable. I think about what I could do if I could actually make plans and commitments and knowing nothing could stop me. I think about what it would be like to travel and not have to worry about bringing enough acne products or eating the right food to avoid acne. But then I wake up in the morning, and I see myself in the mirror, and I go back to wasting my life away.. sitting in my house all day having to respond "can't today, sorry" to all of my text messages and invites from friends and family. Even if I am cleared up for a couple of weeks I worry knowing that at any moment my life will come back to a halt, as it always has and did again yesterday.

PLEASE HELP ME ACNE.ORG... I want my life back. I'm open to anything, but I honestly do not want to have any silly answers about 12 damn products that I need to put on my face in the morning and night. Acne is obviously caused by an internal issue.. and I need to figure out what that is. I don't mind a face cleaner or face wash, but I don't want any crazy 20 step morning routine... I just want to be a normal person. I don't care about a small pimple here and there like most people get, I don't want perfect skin, I just want to be normal... average.. like everyone else, so I can live my life and enjoy it with those I love.

I should add that I recently ordered (continuing to waste money trying EVERYTHING) Omega-3 supplements as well as an exfoliating cleanser (not SA or BP), just a face wash by clean and clear with exfoliating beads in it so I can try physical exfoliation). I'm also considering probiotics but I try one thing at a time so I know if it works or not. I probably won't start testing omega-3 until after the holidays in case it makes things worse....my thanksgiving was already ruined this year I don't want my Christmas to be too.I'll try the new wash every other morning as soon as it gets here to ease into it.

Please help... I want my life back.

I want to ensure everyone that in no way am I suicidal or anything, I'm just very upsetthat this is how my life has been the past few years. I think I'm about to the point where this is borderline depression though, although I don't plan on seeking help for that because if we can fix this damn acne problem I will be one happy camper!

 

Thank you in advance.

 

 

Not a big fan of pills/ accutane so give the regimen a try.

I am currently facing the same problem. I'm a female, have hormonal acne, and am having a very hard time figuring out what the hell is going on my face. In my case, I have PCOS, so it's very hard to treat it naturally, but I'm having verynice results with diet changes.

I knowdiet tips may be the last thing you want to read, buthave you tried to go meatless for a while to see if your skin improves? My face clearedlike 80% after reducing animal products (that includes dairy too). Also, try to stay away fromsoy and things like aspartame or artificial sweeteners --a doctor once told me they mess up with testosteroneand, coincidently, theymake me breakout SO bad. Artificial sweeteners are virtually in everything (gums, soda, food), so maybe is the cause of your pimples.

Try to go as natural as possible on your diet to see if improves. I myself have learned that pure sugar doesn't make my acne worse, yet industrial products, full of ingredients which namesI can't barely speak, make my face get tons of cysts.

I'm sorry I can't help you very much. I hope you'll soon find a way to make your acne get better. I know it's so frustrating, but hang in there!

11 hours ago, katsc said:

I am currently facing the same problem. I'm a female, have hormonal acne, and am having a very hard time figuring out what the hell is going on my face. In my case, I have PCOS, so it's very hard to treat it naturally, but I'm having verynice results with diet changes.

 

I knowdiet tips may be the last thing you want to read, buthave you tried to go meatless for a while to see if your skin improves? My face clearedlike 80% after reducing animal products (that includes dairy too). Also, try to stay away fromsoy and things like aspartame or artificial sweeteners --a doctor once told me they mess up with testosteroneand, coincidently, theymake me breakout SO bad. Artificial sweeteners are virtually in everything (gums, soda, food), so maybe is the cause of your pimples.

 

Try to go as natural as possible on your diet to see if improves. I myself have learned that pure sugar doesn't make my acne worse, yet industrial products, full of ingredients which namesI can't barely speak, make my face get tons of cysts.

 

I'm sorry I can't help you very much. I hope you'll soon find a way to make your acne get better. I know it's so frustrating, but hang in there!

I have not tried no meat but I already avoid dairy as much as possible (I'm lactose intolerant already so this isn't too hard for me). I'm going to be very disappointed if I eat no red meat though, it's one of the only things I enjoy that I can still eat. I've already given up cheese, coffee, sugar, and other good food. Most of the meat that I eat, at least the red meat, is farm fresh and not store-bought. What is the reasoning behind how meat may affect acne?

I already go as natural as possible. The most manufacture thing that I eat is probably Cheerios in the morning, which are gluten free and not very high in sugar. Usually for lunch I eat pretty light... vegetables and all natural hummus (again, gluten and dairy free), things like that. Dinner just depends on where I am and what I'm doing (lately held up in my own house) but it can vary. Regardless of where I go for dinner I still watch what I eat.

Thank you for your advice though, I do appreciate it!

Well, I heard meat in general (chicken included) can mess up with hormones and things like that. Some people also say that a diet full of proteincan make your acne worse as well. Don't know if it's true, but when I eat too much meat, I get painful cysts coincidently. I try to limit itto one time per week, but it's really hard, since I love it.

I'm also following a very strict diet -- no gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, coffee, artificial sweeteners,alcohool, etc. -- and I know it's frustrating to give up another thing. But, in the other hand, maybe your acne will get better and at least you'll know what's causing it. I would definetly give it a try andstay away from meat for1 or2 weeks, just tosee what happens.

Also, how is your vitamin D levels? Do you have any other food intolerance?

OP,

I am in the exact same situation as you. I am a 24 y o male. I could have wrote that myself.

I recently ordered afew books,clear for life by seppo pussa andclear skin forever by Devin Mooers.It goes into detail the causes of acne and some things you can do to help such as diet, supplements, topicals,stress reduction, etc. Most of the content from both books arebacked by scientific studies, so theymay be helpful if you want to look into them. The only thing is eating healthy for clear skin is pretty expensive,time consuming and restrictive,and i don't know if it's something someone would be willing to dotheir entire life .

There is a free ebook called SKinDeep out there that may be helpful as far as helping with reducing stress associated with /causing acne andwhat you can do to help it and your skin.

Personally I'm to the point where I may consider a very very very low dose of accutane,as I don't know if I can handle dietary restrictions and all thee supplemnetsand the amount of money it takes to follow the diets recommended anymore. Like you said, I want to live a normal life and eating a normal diet is part of that.You eventually reach a point where enough is enough. The very low dose accutane is a last resort(I know a lot of people here are against this).Here is the link: [removed] or you could research yourself.

I feel that we, asacne sufferers,are denied the right to live a normal life. It's absolute bs. All we want is to even the playing field. Imagine all thatcould be accomplished if acnewasn't in the way.Good luck to you and I hope you find what your looking for.

Joe

On 11/29/2015 at 12:09 AM, katsc said:

Well, I heard meat in general (chicken included) can mess up with hormones and things like that. Some people also say that a diet full of proteincan make your acne worse as well. Don't know if it's true, but when I eat too much meat, I get painful cysts coincidently. I try to limit itto one time per week, but it's really hard, since I love it.

 

I'm also following a very strict diet -- no gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, coffee, artificial sweeteners,alcohool, etc. -- and I know it's frustrating to give up another thing. But, in the other hand, maybe your acne will get better and at least you'll know what's causing it. I would definetly give it a try andstay away from meat for1 or2 weeks, just tosee what happens.

 

Also, how is your vitamin D levels? Do you have any other food intolerance?

Hmm I've never noticed any issues with meat personally. I eat a lot of meat, even when I'm clear for weeks, and haven't noticed any issues. Thank you for the information though.

Last year I had a blood test done by my doctor to check my vitamin and hormone levels and she said everything "looked normal". I used to work night shift and especially don't get much sun in the Winter, but I just tried Vit D3 supp for a month with no results (700 IU in my multi, 2000 IU extra supp). Also a majority of the time I'm cleared up for weeks on end is IN the winter time, even when I was on night shift, so I don't believe Vit D is the issue.

As far as food intolerance go I'm lactose intolerant but I used to be able to eat cheese and ice cream with no issues. I just get bad stomach problems if I drink a glass of milk or cream or anything heavy in dairy in large amounts. The only reason I stopped eating cheese and dairy was to help the acne. But I've also snuck cheese during those periods I'm clear for weeks with no harm done, just in small amounts and usually sharp cheeses which are lower in lactose than other cheeses.

I know the diet affects my acne but I don't think I need to go as strict as yours based on results I've had in the past. In fact when I'm cleared up for weeks at a time as well as what I eat is well balanced and not super high in sugar or dairy I've had no issues. When I am on a super restrictive diet and eating not much more than vegetables I still end up breaking out anyways.... so idk if my diet affects it as much as I want to believe.

On 11/29/2015 at 3:32 AM, jm22mast said:

OP,

I am in the exact same situation as you. I am a 24 y o male. I could have wrote that myself.

I recently ordered afew books,clear for life by seppo pussa andclear skin forever by Devin Mooers.It goes into detail the causes of acne and some things you can do to help such as diet, supplements, topicals,stress reduction, etc. Most of the content from both books arebacked by scientific studies, so theymay be helpful if you want to look into them. The only thing is eating healthy for clear skin is pretty expensive,time consuming and restrictive,and i don't know if it's something someone would be willing to dotheir entire life .

There is a free ebook called SKinDeep out there that may be helpful as far as helping with reducing stress associated with /causing acne andwhat you can do to help it and your skin.

Personally I'm to the point where I may consider a very very very low dose of accutane,as I don't know if I can handle dietary restrictions and all thee supplemnetsand the amount of money it takes to follow the diets recommended anymore. Like you said, I want to live a normal life and eating a normal diet is part of that.You eventually reach a point where enough is enough. The very low dose accutane is a last resort(I know a lot of people here are against this).Here is the link: [removed] or you could research yourself.

I feel that we, asacne sufferers,are denied the right to live a normal life. It's absolute bs. All we want is to even the playing field. Imagine all thatcould be accomplished if acnewasn't in the way.Good luck to you and I hope you find what your looking for.

 

Joe

Thanks for the information. Unfortunately stress reduction isn't really a possibility in my line of work (I worked in public service and was put in life or death situations on a daily basis), and I don't think it's causing any issues since I left my job last year. I'm willing to go back into it as soon as I can get my health and acne issues under control.

Something that I realized yesterday - the Oxy pads make a huge difference when I stop using them, but I only use 1 per night. The directions on the bottle say that you can use them 1-3 times a day unless your skin gets irritated. I figured, if 1 makes that big of a difference, maybe 2 (morning and night) would fix the rest of the issue. So I began that this morning and I will let you guys know how it works out. Since it is salicylic acid based on my history and results I should see a difference within a week or two. I will use one before I work out in the morning so it has a couple of hours to sit on my face before I shower, and I'll go from there.

I really want to stay away from accutane as much as possible and quite frankly am embarrassed to even schedule a doctor appointment about acne. I feel like I've been so close to fixing it myself the past year I just haven't quite figured out the key. I'm going to try a few more things, starting with bumping up the SA to twice daily. After that I will try the exfoliating wash in the mornings since I don't do any mechanical exfoliation, only chemical, and then after that I will get the omega-3 supplements a go. If none of that helps I'm going to be devastated. I'm wasting so much money but more importantly wasting so much of my life away trying to figure this out.

Thanks for the help everyone - keep the suggestions coming and I'll keep filling you guys in with results.

I'm about to go get breakfast with a friend (something I wouldn't of even been able to do 3 weeks ago) so I don't have time to reply the way I want. Im going to reply to you when I come back,

I'm a 24 y/o male as well and felt the exact same as you up until a few weeks ago.

I feel obligated to pass on what helped/is helping me, give me an hour or so and I'll be able to read your post properly and respond bro.

in the meantime, keep your head up and remember no one else cares HALF as much as YOU do about your acne.

We'll talk soon my g.

I can tell you are struggling HARD.I'm so sorry.

Maybe you need a break. Just buy a normal facewash and moisturizer, do a normal routine and focus on other things. It's apparent to me that your skin isn't going to clear up tomorrow. In your 20's...being afraid of going out in the world is not a way to live. Life is out there, and the greatest discovery you could have today is realizing it's right there.

Life is worth living NOW and acne literally won't stop you from anything. Maybe a date or two, I guess...But you don't want to date someone who can't tolerate or understand your breakouts. I'm not a hippie by any means (AKA finding someone who loves you no matter what you look like), but for ACNE, yeah, you want to date someone who understands.

Pro tip:At my skin's worst, I started going to school without makeup (girls will understand). Best exercise I've ever done. Because nothing happened. Surprise! Now I have friends who cry about ONEzit that they can't cover up and I roll my eyes. Just get over it man...people act like acne is a death sentence. It's not fun, I admit, but if you could be one of those special individuals who learnto live beyond their bumps, it'll reward you.

On 11/29/2015, 943, StarPower said:

I'm about to go get breakfast with a friend (something I wouldn't of even been able to do 3 weeks ago) so I don't have time to reply the way I want. Im going to reply to you when I come back,

I'm a 24 y/o male as well and felt the exact same as you up until a few weeks ago.

 

I feel obligated to pass on what helped/is helping me, give me an hour or so and I'll be able to read your post properly and respond bro.

in the meantime, keep your head up and remember no one else cares HALF as much as YOU do about your acne.

 

We'll talk soon my g.

I'm definitely interested in any advice you may have and look forward to hearing back from you.

On 11/29/2015, 1202, Vanbelle said:

I can tell you are struggling HARD.I'm so sorry.

Maybe you need a break. Just buy a normal facewash and moisturizer, do a normal routine and focus on other things. It's apparent to me that your skin isn't going to clear up tomorrow. In your 20's...being afraid of going out in the world is not a way to live. Life is out there, and the greatest discovery you could have today is realizing it's right there.

Life is worth living NOW and acne literally won't stop you from anything. Maybe a date or two, I guess...But you don't want to date someone who can't tolerate or understand your breakouts. I'm not a hippie by any means (AKA finding someone who loves you no matter what you look like), but for ACNE, yeah, you want to date someone who understands.

Pro tip:At my skin's worst, I started going to school without makeup (girls will understand). Best exercise I've ever done. Because nothing happened. Surprise! Now I have friends who cry about ONEzit that they can't cover up and I roll my eyes. Just get over it man...people act like acne is a death sentence. It's not fun, I admit, but if you could be one of those special individuals who learnto live beyond their bumps, it'll reward you.

I've tried a normal face wash before for several weeks and no results. In fact it got worse. Like I said, if I don't use those oxy pads and go heavy on the SA I get cystic acne. Although I'm still breaking out at least it's not cystic. I've doubled up on the pads (using them both morning and night now) for a few days, can't really tell if it's making a difference yet. Unfortunately no matter how hard I try I can't live with this issue.. meaning I can't do the things I want to do with acne. I can't simply ignore it. Sure I can stop looking in mirrors, but the simple fact of knowing what other people might be seeing causes me to have a serious anxiety issues. This is really just the worst.....

Not sure if this will help you at all, but I sure hope it does in some way. I really really do.

I'm a 29 year old male and have been through all the things you've described (cancelling plans, staying inside, etc) since I was 13 years old. It's hard man, it's really hard.

In the past year or so, for the first time in my life, I've started living a little bit. Have a new girlfriend, hang out with friends, make plans and don't cancel that often. For the first time since I've gotten acne, I have hope.

Here is what I've done to get the best skin ive had since 13. Granted, it's still not perfect, but it's 99% percent better than it used to be. Some days it look nearly perfect which I am extremely thankful for. So what did I do? Stopped everything. I stopped using any and all products on my face, I stopped taking supplements (multivitamins and vitamin d3 broke me out)...I stopped everything. I don't care how natural or beneficial supplements claim to be...in my opinion they aren't good for the body, and it really shows on people prone to acne. Also, as a male, we have to shave. It sucks. I stopped using any shaving cream on my face. Anything seemed to break me out. I made an investment and bought a conair i-stubble trimmer (get the hair as short as possible) and a Braun 790cc electric shaver. This combo gives me the smoothest shave I've ever had without irritation. It was about $200 for everything, but so worth it.

So that's my suggestion. Just stop putting products on your face or taking supplements which aren't natural for your body. Just let go of everything. You are going to FREAK out and be extremely anxious at first, but it's worth a shot. One other thing I did is avoid dairy as much as possible. I'll still eat it, but not as often. I found that stressing about what I eat just made things worse.

I wish someone would have told me 10-12 years ago to stop using acne products and supplements. Who knows where I would have been now. With the confidence I have nowadays compared to the past, I feel like I can do anything.

Good luck to you.

11 hours ago, brain85 said:

Not sure if this will help you at all, but I sure hope it does in some way. I really really do.

 

I'm a 29 year old male and have been through all the things you've described (cancelling plans, staying inside, etc) since I was 13 years old. It's hard man, it's really hard.

 

In the past year or so, for the first time in my life, I've started living a little bit. Have a new girlfriend, hang out with friends, make plans and don't cancel that often. For the first time since I've gotten acne, I have hope.

 

Here is what I've done to get the best skin ive had since 13. Granted, it's still not perfect, but it's 99% percent better than it used to be. Some days it look nearly perfect which I am extremely thankful for. So what did I do? Stopped everything. I stopped using any and all products on my face, I stopped taking supplements (multivitamins and vitamin d3 broke me out)...I stopped everything. I don't care how natural or beneficial supplements claim to be...in my opinion they aren't good for the body, and it really shows on people prone to acne. Also, as a male, we have to shave. It sucks. I stopped using any shaving cream on my face. Anything seemed to break me out. I made an investment and bought a conair i-stubble trimmer (get the hair as short as possible) and a Braun 790cc electric shaver. This combo gives me the smoothest shave I've ever had without irritation. It was about $200 for everything, but so worth it.

 

 

So that's my suggestion. Just stop putting products on your face or taking supplements which aren't natural for your body. Just let go of everything. You are going to FREAK out and be extremely anxious at first, but it's worth a shot. One other thing I did is avoid dairy as much as possible. I'll still eat it, but not as often. I found that stressing about what I eat just made things worse.

 

 

I wish someone would have told me 10-12 years ago to stop using acne products and supplements. Who knows where I would have been now. With the confidence I have nowadays compared to the past, I feel like I can do anything.

 

Good luck to you.

Thanks. I don't know if I could do that though. I'd be too afraid that cutting the SA would cause cystic acne again, and if it did I would be devastated.

Hey there, new to the forum, thought I'd pitch in to help. I honestly think that @jm22mast's book recs are spot on. I really liked Seppo's book, so much so that it inspired me to research and write my own, with similar knowledge combined with my own insights/updates/skin care. A little backstory on me ..23 yrs old, suffered from painful/cystic/hormonal/scarring acne since oh ...about my junior yr in h.s. Had acne before then but wasn't too bothered by it. Looking back my acne got way worse as my parents officially divorced, which makes some sense to me now. I'm 99% clear now, unless I indulge my sweet tooth  But too bad I had the habit of picking at my acne because I'm left with textural scars. Sigh.

Okay enough backstory. Your post almost made me cry because it took me right back to when I had really bad, persistent acne. IT SUCKS. I feel you there. You don't have to live with acne for the rest of your life. You've come to a great forum with lots of acne veterans and great advice.

My best recs for you can go two ways:

1) If you can't be bothered to see a doc and don't wanna go the prescription route, then try Seppo's book. If you can't be bothered to buy it for like 30 bucks then msg me and I'll send you mine for free. If you can't be bothered to do that then try a Low-Fodmap diet (developed for IBS patients but can be of huge help in acne patients) to pinpoint what you're sensitive to. I don't know too much about your lifestyle but I'm gonna be fairly certain that you also have irregular bowel movements that precede or correspond with acne breakouts.

2) See a derm or a doc and go on Accutane or some such that will clear up your acne in the short term. This is the better option in my opinion. Um, why you may ask? The answer comes in part of what I would recommend to my younger self when I was struggling with cystic
acne, getting nowhere, and slowly developing scars. Because even if you're convinced acne prescriptions are the devil, most often the potential side effects of prescription acne medication are outweighed by the potential benefits. Especially if you already seem to be doing everything right in your life (i.e. healthy diet, stress management, exercising, appropriate skin care routine, supplements, no picking, etc.) for at least 6 months and you have moderate or severe acne that isn't improving. If this is the situation, please look into taking a prescription or talking with a knowledgeable professional. It may be far more damaging to continue with no improvement than to follow a temporary prescription regimen with potential side effects.

Hope this helps and it's not too overwhelming!

12 hours ago, Luna878 said:

Hey there, new to the forum, thought I'd pitch in to help. I honestly think that @jm22mast's book recs are spot on. I really liked Seppo's book, so much so that it inspired me to research and write my own, with similar knowledge combined with my own insights/updates/skin care. A little backstory on me ..23 yrs old, suffered from painful/cystic/hormonal/scarring acne since oh ...about my junior yr in h.s. Had acne before then but wasn't too bothered by it. Looking back my acne got way worse as my parents officially divorced, which makes some sense to me now. I'm 99% clear now, unless I indulge my sweet tooth  But too bad I had the habit of picking at my acne because I'm left with textural scars. Sigh.

Okay enough backstory. Your post almost made me cry because it took me right back to when I had really bad, persistent acne. IT SUCKS. I feel you there. You don't have to live with acne for the rest of your life. You've come to a great forum with lots of acne veterans and great advice.

My best recs for you can go two ways:

1) If you can't be bothered to see a doc and don't wanna go the prescription route, then try Seppo's book. If you can't be bothered to buy it for like 30 bucks then msg me and I'll send you mine for free. If you can't be bothered to do that then try a Low-Fodmap diet (developed for IBS patients but can be of huge help in acne patients) to pinpoint what you're sensitive to. I don't know too much about your lifestyle but I'm gonna be fairly certain that you also have irregular bowel movements that precede or correspond with acne breakouts.

2) See a derm or a doc and go on Accutane or some such that will clear up your acne in the short term. This is the better option in my opinion. Um, why you may ask? The answer comes in part of what I would recommend to my younger self when I was struggling with cystic
acne, getting nowhere, and slowly developing scars. Because even if you're convinced acne prescriptions are the devil, most often the potential side effects of prescription acne medication are outweighed by the potential benefits. Especially if you already seem to be doing everything right in your life (i.e. healthy diet, stress management, exercising, appropriate skin care routine, supplements, no picking, etc.) for at least 6 months and you have moderate or severe acne that isn't improving. If this is the situation, please look into taking a prescription or talking with a knowledgeable professional. It may be far more damaging to continue with no improvement than to follow a temporary prescription regimen with potential side effects.

Hope this helps and it's not too overwhelming!

 

 

Hi Luna - Yes, I'm hoping that finally using acne.org can help. Even though I'm completely anonymous on here I still feel very weird talking about acne. I hate saying the word, typing the word, etc. and I have problems talking to my doctor about it even. I only bring it up when I'm there for another reason and I do not tell the nurses about it when I schedule the appointment, only the doc when we are alone. I know that sounds weird but even as I guy I am extremely self-conscious about it. I also don't have the best doctor in the world. She's a small town doctor and although I trust that she knows what she's talking about I don't always feel that she puts her mind to finding the correct solution.

As far as IBS and my bowel movements go I have not noticed any direct correlation. I rarely ever get diarrhea and am never constipated, especially since I eat a lot of healthy foods like vegetables, hummus, etc. HOWEVER, with that being said I have had a lot of digestive issues in the past and continue to have them. My stomach has been upset all week even though I've been eating extremely lite and mostly gluten-free. For example this morning I had a regular size bowl of cheerios (gluten free) with almond milk (unsweetened original) and nothing else however I still have minor cramps and a little bit of bloating. I'm not necessarily having any painful cramps or irregular stool but my gut is definitely uncomfortable a majority of the time. The anxiety doesn't help either, but I haven't experienced much anxiety this week since I've been held up in the house. I currently work from home for a company that a family member owns so stress levels couldn't be any lower and I am very thankful for that.

I hate to make this reply so long but I want to get you the proper info so maybe you can have a better understanding...

A little bit of history on my digestive issues and possible correlation to acne... When I was a kid I never drank soda/pop. I hated anything carbonated, and besides having a sweet tooth and eating a occasional junk food I ate pretty decent. Most food when I was a kid was from home, not a lot of fast food. I believe we had McDonalds (which I don't go anywhere NEAR now) every Friday as a treat but that tradition died out as I got older. When I was about 13 or 14 years old, I started drinking Mountain Dew (this sh** should be illegal). I was a kid, I had a perfect complexion at the time, and I didn't know any better. Now, I wasn't paying much attention to this because I was so young, but I'm almost positive that right when I started drinking Mountain Dew was when my acne problems started and got extremely bad. The issues were the worst from that point until I was about 18. When I turned 18 I believe that I cut the pop out of my diet and for the most part immediately cleared up. I drank coke and energy drinks on and off until I was about 20 and then drank diet pop for a few months before finally quitting all together and I haven't touched it since. I moved my caffeine addiction to coffee and I swear that there were periods of time when I drank coffee regularly and was clear for weeks to a month. What I realized the other day though is I feel like the period of time when I drank soda and energy drinks basically poisoned my system and I have not fully recovered since. That's when all digestive and acne issues started and although cleaning up my diet has helped tremendously I have never been completely cured. Neither of my parents had acne issues and I honestly feel like my poor diet choices destroyed my system when I was younger. I'm starting to wonder if probiotics would help restore some of the helpful bacteria to my gut. I have no idea what I'm talking about though, it's just an idea that I keep in the back of my head.

I don't have many choices for a derm around here and would honestly probably be too embarrassed to go, although obviously at some point enough is enough and I'll need to fix this once and for all no matter what it takes, I just want to continue to try and do it by myself first. I'm thinking about talking to my doctor about being screened for Celiac Disease though and anything else she might think is wrong with my digestive system because that could subsequently be causing the acne issues. I'm not trying to be stubborn, and if there was anything else wrong with me I'd be happy to see a doctor, acne is like the 1 thing that I don't want to talk about or be talked to about which is why I'm turning to acne.org first.

In your opinion (or anyone willing to chime in here), do you believe that I might be onto something with thinking that I destroyed/deteriorated something crucial in my system when I made those diet choices when I was younger? Do you think trying a probiotic would help? I also have a $20 bottle of Omega 3 Fish Oil supps that just came that I was going to try but I'm going to wait until after the holidays in case it makes things worse. For now I'm going to try and go completely gluten free. Another contributor to how persistent my acne has been recently may be because I've been eating more sugar. Not a lot, no candy or anything, just a little more than usual. I thought that my acne was being made worse by never eating sugar because when I did eat something with sugar I felt as though it would spike my blood sugar levels a lot higher since my system was taking in minimal sugar. Therefor over the past couple of months I've been attempting to keep it balanced and consume small amounts of sugar all day long such as juices, fruit preserves/jam, and occasionally treats that were probably doing more harm than good, just small amounts of them. I'm going to go back to minimal sugar and see if that helps, at least for the holidays.

I stopped using the SA twice a day and am going back to just once a night and washing with warm water in the shower (not too warm) and moisturizer in the mornings. The cause of acne is so hard to figure out when it could be a million things... 

Thanks for the recommendations though! I'll keep updating this threat with progress for now especially if I take anyone's recommendations.

hey man,

sorry it took me so long to actually type out my message, i've had some family issues going on lately.

so a little backstory on me, i'm a 24 year old white male, living in canada. i've dealt with acne off and on, mostly on, since i've been about 16 or 17.my acne was never considered moderate or even mild for that manner. whenever i have had breakouts, they last for months and ill have as many as 3 or 4 active spots on my face, usually deep pimples forming, some turning cystic, some just deep pimples that grow, come to a head and heal/last for weeks at a time. there's been months where i've been acne free completely with my skin care routineconstantly changing (not understanding acne at the time and not giving anything a chance),one minute i used OXY pad wipes on my face morning and night, the next minute i was using noxzema (which actually helped a lot for a period of time).

at the time, proactiv was popular, and once it got to a point of being bad, in my opinion anyway, i ordered a month-supply kit. it did clear up my face, but didn't come with a moisturizer, and I didn't know much about acne/skin at the time so I didn't moisturize and my face being overly flakey made me stop using it, although it did clear me up.

fast forward about 6 months ago, the whole time in between I wasswitching products, using the proactiv scrub one day and a neutrogena cream the next, noxzema again, etc..my face was fairly clear anyhow, so who cares right..anyway, just before the summer, i started having the worst breakout of my life. me being a white, fair skin male its easy to see and noticeable when any red marks are on my face. anyway, I started developing a really bad breakout. it was deep pimples forming and new spots literally every morning i'd wake up. over the summer i had some good weeks, because of the slight tan i had i assume. regardless, i spent at least half of the summerin my apartment and canceled countless plans because i didnt want friends to see my facethe way that it was. thankfully i have an amazing and gorgeous girlfriend who understood and stuck with me.

I went to the local drug store, and bought a bottle of every type of cleanser/exfoliator/scrub etc. i started trying everything, giving creams and such weeks to show any change but nothing. my girlfriend bought me this Dermologica kit, called Dermologica medi-Bac kit. it's a salicylic based treatment, and it cleared my face up for a couple of weeks but then I started breaking out once again, as bad as ever.

i caved, and decided before i went to a derm that i'd order the Acne.org regimen kit, and try this, once and for all.

25 days later and it's turning out/showing to be one of the best decisions i've ever made. i only ordered the basic kit; the cleanser, BP treatment and moisturizer, as well as the glycolic acid. i did order the big bottles because i was determined that this was the last thing i was going to try before finding and going to see a derm.i read reviews on the forum about the kit, bad ones and good ones, some horror stories, some success stories, etc.. i came across the fact that some people were experiencing flakiness and redness weeks and weeks in. i was hesitant to start the regimen so close to christmas for this reason alone, but after having the kit sitting on my kitchen table for a couple of days and realizingmy acne getting nothing but worse with dermologica, which again is a topical SA treatment, I said f*ck it and started the regimen that night.

everyone has different experiences with it i assume as it adjusts to the skin on your face, but for me;

the first few days and couple weeks I had some burning after applying the moisturizer, and developed small red patches by my nose for a few days at one point. the thing is, with the burning, my face didn't turn red like most people have experienced. i still feel burning sometimes after applying the moisturizer as i assume my skin is still getting used to the BP, but the slight burning , when it does happen, doesn't show.

my acne started healing and clearing up in a matter of a few days. acne continued forming for a few days after starting the regimen, but stopped..

after a couple of weeksi had a SMALL breakout of one or two spots but they went away within two or threedays and didn't look nearly as bad as they would've if i hadn't started this.

man listen, i used to wake up and feel my face from my bedroom to see if i had any deep pimples forming before i went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror because i was so worried about what i'd see that i didn't know was there and/or forming.

right now, i can honestly say iwake up and acne isn't the first thing on my mind. i get up and usually get in the shower right away, and of course i'll check my face in the mirror but it's rare for a new spot to have popped up over night. funny as it is, yesterday morning i woke up with a deep pimple on one side of my nose. literally the only pimple on my face right now. its completely painless, not near as swollen as it would be if i was still on dermologica or anything else, and won't even have time to come to a head. after i cleanse treat and moisturize its hard to see unless i point it out, and again, it'll be gone within a day or so and i'm literally not worrying about it... thats a luxury I haven't had in a LONG time.

over the period of the summer when I began the bad breakout, i was drinking more water and eating healthier than i ever had. i do believe diet SOMEWHAT has a correlation to acne, but only in certain people and only to a certain extent, not an extent that cant be combated with an acne product as good as this.

i've always been pretty pale-white, and anytime i get on an acne regimen it makes my pale skin look worse..

the acne.org moisturizer has actually almost completely evened out my complexion and leaves my skin with a tanned look. my parents, girlfriend, friends, have all commented on how clear/evenmy skin is over the last few weeks.

i was honestly disgusted when i looked in the mirror and dreaded it.. now i actually like what I see..

long story long (lol), i literally don't know where i'd be mentally if it wasn't for this regimen. i deal/have dealt with depression and anxiety for years.. this helped and is helping my anxiety more then I could even explain.

i swear to you i'm in no way affiliated with this site and i'm not trying to sell you the regimen, i just want you to know what helped and is currently helping me.

i still haven't submitted a "success story" to the site because I'm just in the middle of week 3, but it seems like I've gone thru all the motions that come with the regimen and now i'm starting to cruise.. in a couple more weeks, if my skin stays this way, god bless, i will 100% submit the best success story y'all ever heard lol.

i can actually be asked to go out without thinking about my face immediately or see/talk to people without thinking about them looking at any acne i may have had, even though it was barely mild, it was ALOT to ME.

anyway bro, i hope i helped you make a decision.. if you have any questions at all don't hesitate to ask and you can inbox me if you don't wanna ask on the forums.

i hope your journey goes as well as mine is and you will feel like a new person, i promise you that.

6 minutes ago, StarPower said:

hey man, 

 

sorry it took me so long to actually type out my message, i've had some family issues going on lately. 

 

so a little backstory on me, i'm a 24 year old white male, living in canada. i've dealt with acne off and on, mostly on, since i've been about 16 or 17. my acne was never considered moderate or even mild for that manner. whenever i have had breakouts, they last for months and ill have as many as 3 or 4 active spots on my face, usually deep pimples forming, some turning cystic, some just deep pimples that grow, come to a head and heal/last for weeks at a time. there's been months where i've been acne free completely with my skin care routine constantly changing (not understanding acne at the time and not giving anything a chance), one minute i used OXY pad wipes on my face morning and night, the next minute i was using noxzema (which actually helped a lot for a period of time). 

at the time, proactiv was popular, and once it got to a point of being bad, in my opinion anyway, i ordered a month-supply kit. it did clear up my face, but didn't come with a moisturizer, and I didn't know much about acne/skin at the time so I didn't moisturize and my face being overly flakey made me stop using it, although it did clear me up.

 

fast forward about 6 months ago, the whole time in between I was switching products, using the proactiv scrub one day and a neutrogena cream the next, noxzema again, etc.. my face was fairly clear anyhow, so who cares right.. anyway, just before the summer, i started having the worst breakout of my life. me being a white, fair skin male its easy to see and noticeable when any red marks are on my face. anyway, I started developing a really bad breakout. it was deep pimples forming and new spots literally every morning i'd wake up. over the summer i had some good weeks, because of the slight tan i had i assume. regardless, i spent at least half of the summer in my apartment and canceled countless plans because i didnt want friends to see my face the way that it was. thankfully i have an amazing and gorgeous girlfriend who understood and stuck with me. 

 

I went to the local drug store, and bought a bottle of every type of cleanser/exfoliator/scrub etc. i started trying everything, giving creams and such weeks to show any change but nothing. my girlfriend bought me this Dermologica kit, called Dermologica medi-Bac kit. it's a salicylic based treatment, and it cleared my face up for a couple of weeks but then I started breaking out once again, as bad as ever.

 

i caved, and decided before i went to a derm that i'd order the Acne.org regimen kit, and try this, once and for all. 

 

25 days later and it's turning out/showing to be one of the best decisions i've ever made. i only ordered the basic kit; the cleanser, BP treatment and moisturizer, as well as the glycolic acid. i did order the big bottles because i was determined that this was the last thing i was going to try before finding and going to see a derm. i read reviews on the forum about the kit, bad ones and good ones, some horror stories, some success stories, etc.. i came across the fact that some people were experiencing flakiness and redness weeks and weeks in. i was hesitant to start the regimen so close to christmas for this reason alone, but after having the kit sitting on my kitchen table for a couple of days and realizing my acne getting nothing but worse with dermologica, which again is a topical SA treatment, I said f*ck it and started the regimen that night. 

 

everyone has different experiences with it i assume as it adjusts to the skin on your face, but for me; 

the first few days and couple weeks I had some burning after applying the moisturizer, and developed small red patches by my nose for a few days at one point. the thing is, with the burning, my face didn't turn red like most people have experienced. i still feel burning sometimes after applying the moisturizer as i assume my skin is still getting used to the BP, but the slight burning , when it does happen, doesn't show. 

my acne started healing and clearing up in a matter of a few days. acne continued forming for a few days after starting the regimen, but stopped..  

after a couple of weeks i had a SMALL breakout of one or two spots but they went away within two or three days and didn't look nearly as bad as they would've if i hadn't started this. 

 

man listen, i used to wake up and feel my face from my bedroom to see if i had any deep pimples forming before i went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror because i was so worried about what i'd see that i didn't know was there and/or forming. 

 

right now, i can honestly say i wake up and acne isn't the first thing on my mind. i get up and usually get in the shower right away, and of course i'll check my face in the mirror but it's rare for a new spot to have popped up over night. funny as it is, yesterday morning i woke up with a deep pimple on one side of my nose. literally the only pimple on my face right now. its completely painless, not near as swollen as it would be if i was still on dermologica or anything else, and won't even have time to come to a head. after i cleanse treat and moisturize its hard to see unless i point it out, and again, it'll be gone within a day or so and i'm literally not worrying about it... thats a luxury I haven't had in a LONG time. 

 

over the period of the summer when I began the bad breakout, i was drinking more water and eating healthier than i ever had. i do believe diet SOMEWHAT has a correlation to acne, but only in certain people and only to a certain extent, not an extent that cant be combated with an acne product as good as this.

 

i've always been pretty pale-white, and anytime i get on an acne regimen it makes my pale skin look worse..

the acne.org moisturizer has actually almost completely evened out my complexion and leaves my skin with a tanned look. my parents, girlfriend, friends, have all commented on how clear/even my skin is over the last few weeks. 

 

i was honestly disgusted when i looked in the mirror and dreaded it.. now i actually like what I see..

 

long story long (lol), i literally don't know where i'd be mentally if it wasn't for this regimen. i deal/have dealt with depression and anxiety for years.. this helped and is helping my anxiety more then I could even explain. 

 

 

i swear to you i'm in no way affiliated with this site and i'm not trying to sell you the regimen, i just want you to know what helped and is currently helping me.

 

i still haven't submitted a "success story" to the site because I'm just in the middle of week 3, but it seems like I've gone thru all the motions that come with the regimen and now i'm starting to cruise.. in a couple more weeks, if my skin stays this way, god bless, i will 100% submit the best success story y'all ever heard lol.

 

i can actually be asked to go out without thinking about my face immediately or see/talk to people without thinking about them looking at any acne i may have had, even though it was barely mild, it was ALOT to ME. 

 

 

anyway bro, i hope i helped you make a decision.. if you have any questions at all don't hesitate to ask and you can inbox me if you don't wanna ask on the forums. 

 

i hope your journey goes as well as mine is and you will feel like a new person, i promise you that. 

Totally agree with you  I'm 2 months and 2 weeks in and it's been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I hardly breakout anymore thanks to acne.org. I always recommend this regimen.

On 11/28/2015 at 10:05 AM, Colorado69 said:

I'm a 24 yo male

I can't do this anymore. This is extremely taxing on me psychologically and I'm sick of my life wasting away while I sit in a room trying different products and never seeing any success.

I had pretty bad acne when I was a teenager in late high school.. probably 16-18 was the worst. I eventually got in the habit of using a benzoyl peroxide wash in the mornings and salicylic acid pads at night. From 19-21 I was still on the same routine with the same products and I honestly don't remember acne being a problem. In fact whenever I ate healthy and stayed away from pop and energy drinks, I'm pretty sure I was just about 100% clear. I had actually forgotten nor do I remember acne being a problem during this period of time. Then in my late 20s within about 2-3 months of turning 21, all of a sudden I started having serious issues again. Painful cystic acne.. I eventually figured out that I had an intolerance to caffeine, although I swear there have been weeks on end when I was completely clear and still drinking coffee every single day. Last August I had a really really bad painful cystic breakout for the first time in a long time and I stopped drinking coffee. I still continued to have occasional bad breakouts but stayed off of the coffee. Last winter (in Jan), I was 80% clear through a majority of the winter. I remember going out of town and I had absolutely no acne issues for several weeks. The persons house I was staying at had coffee and I drink 1-2 cups a day for 2 weeks for the first time in months, then after being clear for weeks I had my first breakout and had a few painful deep cystic pimples. I came to the conclusion that coffee or any high amount of caffeine must be causing the worst of it, and haven't drank it since. There's a lot more I could tell you but let me get to the point.....

 

I've tried everything. Topical, vitamin supplements, no sugar, no gluten, no caffeine, etc. I can't figure out what the hell the problem is and can't get it to stop. Whenever I finally clear up for a month and think I have it figured out I break out again and I lose all hope. A few months ago, I would be clear for several weeks, breakout and clearup in a week, be clear for several weeks, and the cycle continued. Now I'm clear-ish for maybe a day out of each month. It's getting ridiculous.

 

Here's what I've tried (each product I've tried I give 3-4 weeks to work):

• SA Wash (Oxy daily defense wash) - No effect, still had bad breakouts
• SA Pads (Oxy Pads) - Stops cystic pimples, MUST use every night.. completely eliminates acne everywhere except for around mouth and chin with the exception of lately I've still been getting bad breakouts.. they would be much worse and cystic if I don't use these though, so they definitely help
• BP 2.5% spot treatment cream - Started using this earlier this year to replace 10%. I really can't tell if it does much good or not because I usually apply a thin layer in the problem area each night and I have done this while clear for weeks but also continue to do it while breaking out and can't notice if it's helping at all
• BP Exfoliating Wash (in place of the spot treatment) - didn't do much I don't think
• All natural exfoliating wash - My skin FELT a lot better up until I started having cystic acne again from not using the SA pads and I had several of the worst breakouts of my life using this
• Vitamin A 10,000 IU daily + 3,500 IU in multivitamin - Been using it for the last 4 weeks, no results
• Vitamin D3 2000 IU daily - Been using for the last 6 weeks, no results
• Walgreens Men's Multivitamin - I feel as though whenever I stop taking these every morning, even if I miss one day, it makes me break out or makes it worse, so I believe these DO help... plus I think everyone should take a basic multivitamin

 

It's really hard to tell what works and what doesn't when you continue to break out without understanding why. I also moisturize when I feel my skin is too dry in the morning after a shower.

Just about everytime I remember being cleared up for any good length of time, I remember I had about the same routine:

• Mornings: Multivitamin with breakfast, wash face in shower with warm water (after washing hands with antibacterial handsoap)
• Balanced diet throughout the day, but not really any hardcore restrictions. Just a balanced, semi-healthy diet.
• Nights: Wash face with warm water, pat dry, 1 oxy pad maximum strength, thin layer of BP spot treatment around problem areas

 

Every time I remember being clear for an extended period of time, that was my routine.

 

But here's the thing guys, no matter what's happened or how long I've cleared up I always break out again. Now when some people breakout, they have a few minor pimples. When I break out, I get 5-8 extremely red inflamed pimples around my mouth and chin that are extremely noticeable. Rarely, as long as I'm using oxy pads every night, do these result in deep or painful cystic pimples.

 

But I just can't do it anymore guys.. I finally realized I NEED HELP. I don't like my doctor nor do I feel comfortable talking to her or any other doctor because  I feel as though they just want to push harsh products that will do more harm than good. She gave prescribed Retin-A once but told me to keep using BP and SA and my skin would literally peel all day no matter how much moisturizer I used.. big chunks of it would just start peeling off like sunburn. I had to stay in my house and not show my face for a month. It was terrible and I will never EVER try retin-a again due to that experience.

This is absolutely ruining my life and I'm really really hoping someone out there on these forums that is or knows someone my age and gender with the same type of acne might be able to offer a solution.

Here's how this is effecting me:

• I quit a job I loved because I couldn't keep ruining my reputation and work record calling in sick when I had a bad breakout
• I barely ever spend any time with friends or family anymore
• I barely ever leave my house and have a new job working from home because of this
• I can't make plans with people. Whenever I do, I end up having to cancel because 99% of the time I look disgusting the day of the plans
• I broke out bad for the first time in weeks yesterday and ended up calling my family and telling them I would not be joining them for Thanksgiving (this really hurt me emotionally - this is the first time that I've had a holiday ruined due to acne)

 

All I want to do is live my life. I want to go out and do amazing things. I want to help people and save lives (I worked in public service). I want to travel. I want to date again. I want to spend time with my friends. I want to make commitments. I want to get my dream job. But I can't, all because of acne. It's ruining my life and I've been absolutely distraught over it for 3 years now because only in the past 3 years did it start holding me back.

I lay awake every night and I think about everything I would do with my life if I didn't have to run to the mirror every morning or every time I leave the house to make sure I look presentable. I think about what I could do if I could actually make plans and commitments and knowing nothing could stop me. I think about what it would be like to travel and not have to worry about bringing enough acne products or eating the right food to avoid acne. But then I wake up in the morning, and I see myself in the mirror, and I go back to wasting my life away.. sitting in my house all day having to respond "can't today, sorry" to all of my text messages and invites from friends and family. Even if I am cleared up for a couple of weeks I worry knowing that at any moment my life will come back to a halt, as it always has and did again yesterday.

PLEASE HELP ME ACNE.ORG... I want my life back. I'm open to anything, but I honestly do not want to have any silly answers about 12 damn products that I need to put on my face in the morning and night. Acne is obviously caused by an internal issue.. and I need to figure out what that is. I don't mind a face cleaner or face wash, but I don't want any crazy 20 step morning routine... I just want to be a normal person. I don't care about a small pimple here and there like most people get, I don't want perfect skin, I just want to be normal... average.. like everyone else, so I can live my life and enjoy it with those I love.

I should add that I recently ordered (continuing to waste money trying EVERYTHING) Omega-3 supplements as well as an exfoliating cleanser (not SA or BP), just a face wash by clean and clear with exfoliating beads in it so I can try physical exfoliation). I'm also considering probiotics but I try one thing at a time so I know if it works or not. I probably won't start testing omega-3 until after the holidays in case it makes things worse....my thanksgiving was already ruined this year I don't want my Christmas to be too. I'll try the new wash every other morning as soon as it gets here to ease into it.

Please help... I want my life back.

I want to ensure everyone that in no way am I suicidal or anything, I'm just very upset that this is how my life has been the past few years. I think I'm about to the point where this is borderline depression though, although I don't plan on seeking help for that because if we can fix this damn acne problem I will be one happy camper!

 

Thank you in advance.

 

 

 

Hellooooooo my names sabaah im new on here

Wow i actually got quite emotional reading ur post

Sounds like you have candida overgrowth or a gut related illness... im no doctor and i certianly dont know ur medical history but i would reccomend you a book. Gut and psychology syndrome by Dr Natasha campbell mc bride. Even for the healthy person its an insightful read and stems back to my main motto ALL DISEASES START FROM THE GUT. 

I have candida overgrowth myself and also have coeliac disease . Im currently with a homeopath/naturopath on a journey to recover from more serious things but i do have mild acne. By adjusting my diet i have seen a massive improvement in my acne, my digestive system, my energy levels and overall wellbeing and my goal is to be free from all food intolerances.. gluten and eggs!!! But its not about cutting one or two things out of ur diet and taking a supplement here and there.. you will have to be strict !!! I suggest maybe researching candida and giving the book a go. I know everyone is different and i hope you find your solution.

Probiotic supplements are ur best bet to restore the good bacteria in your gut and consuming anti fungals like coconut oil before eating. 

I also reccomend black seed oil... "the cure for everything except death" 

Take care good luck to you x

Have you ever tried dropping all the products? Maybe your moisture barrier has been compromised. Definitely research your moisture barrier. Hugs bro, remember you are who you are. Only shallow people will judge you on your appearance, the people who matter care about who you are on the inside.

Doctors are useless don't bother with them.

however, taking .05% tret is only going to help you at your age. Especially with anti- aging and potential acne scars. So deff get on tret .05% and cycle it.

Keto diet. Trust me on this I'm 30 and had same adult acne as you. Get on a keto diet. Keep carbs under 20g a day.

I need to know if you have a very oily face throughout the day. Your acne is same as mine. Due to our older age it's not just simply going to go away on it's own.

im going to go ahead and guess you have very oily skin but it also gets very dry easily but still over produces lots of oil.

I also need to know if you have a very oily scalp. Do you have to wash your hair a lot due to so much oil. If that's the case and you have family members who have male patern baldness then I'm afraid Your numbers almost up. I started losing hair at 25. That massive oil sebum production and dht is going to start destroying hair follicles soon. It's going to come out of no where. Just one day you are going to notice some hair falling.

ive had it happen to me and I've seen it happen to many others over the years.

having acne and hairloss is a different kind beast.

so if you have super oily face and scalp at 24 I'd go jump on DUT or fin if I were you.

Duts going to help with acne. It's going to stop that overactive oil production and balance your hormones out, plus help with hair from ever falling.

dont apply harsh products on the skin it's all bullshit. I've been at this game many years I know what I'm talking about.

Just wash your hands with antibacterial soap. Then wet your face and wash it with a cetaphil gentle soap bar at store. Then use ALCHOL FREE neutragena toner on a face wipe. Then apply tretinoin and moisturizer. That's all you need for skincare. Also, don't forget a quality sunscreen or sunblock. Use it EVERYDAY. I've read a recent study about the effects of fluorescent lights and getting sun through windows and the great deal of damage they actually can cause. Sunscreen will improve elasticity too. Tret and sunscreen nothing beats it for anti aging.

now remember what you put on your face doesn't mean shit because your problem is the oil production. That's why we keep it less harsh as possible and simple.

Get on dut or fin to stop that oil production and never go bald. The shits a wonder drug even made my skin look younger from stoppingharmful effects of DHT. Increased collagen too strangely enough.

Don't be scared of side effects don't let people fear monger you. If your a super horny guy then you won't get sides it will just make you a normal guy and normal is what youreseeking.

i just saved your life thank me in one year.