I have quite bad acne. I've had acne since I was 10, and now have it and I am close to 15. It has been moderate-severe for about 3 years now, and I have tried pretty much everything. I know this may be hormonal acne or whatever, but it's pretty serious. The only thing I haven't tried is birth control, any tips? I would appreciate any. It's starting to being me down, because it's only getting worse. These pics are my better days, and I am currently using Proactive, which my dermatologist suggested as well.
Mine was as bad as yours for a long time. I wrote this for a few other ppl on here but I want to share what has worked for me as much as possible, so I'll copy it below:
What helps me the most is taking omega 3 with every meal, and lots of it. 4-6 caps of sundown naturals omega 3, with every meal.
Topicals I find are the best are cerave wash, Stridex in the red box (this will break you out at first, it's bringingall the yuck to the surface. Don't give up too quickly. It took almost a month but was worth it), and cerave moisturizer when the liquid from the Stridex pad has dried.
Good luck!
Also I want to note that I tried omega 3 years ago but it didn't work bcuz I didn't take nearly enough!
It takes courage to post here and include pictures so kudos to you for seeking help! I have gone on birth control for acne, and even though I was originally against it, it helped clear my acne in the short term while I worked on lifestyle changes to keep me clear for the long term. When I went off birth control, my acne wanted to come back but by then I could keep my skin clear with lifestyle adjustments.
Your acne seems quite similar to how mine was, and it would make for a pretty long post butI would behappy to share what's kept me clear if you pm me.
But then, when you get off birth control. Acne comes back. That happened to my cousin.
On December 5, 2015 at 128 AM, DearDashing said:I have quite bad acne. I've had acne since I was 10, and now have it and I am close to 15. It has been moderate-severe for about 3 years now, and I have tried pretty much everything. I know this may be hormonal acne or whatever, but it's pretty serious. The only thing I haven't tried is birth control, any tips? I would appreciate any. It's starting to being me down, because it's only getting worse. These pics are my better days, and I am currently using Proactive, which my dermatologist suggested as well.
Hey, Don't take Birth control, go to the dermatologist or use the acne.org regimen. It works.
5 hours ago, oyinkan98 said:But then, when you get off birth control. Acne comes back. That happened to my cousin.
Hey, Don't take Birth control, go to the dermatologist or use the acne.org regimen. It works.
Thats a possibility. But alot of people find success going on birth control/spiro and working on their diet/supplementing hand in hand with a naturopath, then weaning off and still having clear skin. Just because something has not worked for you or your cousin, does not mean it wont work for everyone else. You cant say "dont take birth control." or "go to a dermatologist" If you havent read already, she said she has already seen a derm and tried everything.
In that case, PERSONALLY i would highly recommend spironolactone or birth control. If you're too scared of going on birth control, you can see a naturopath and discuss natural solutions. But in all honesty, everyone is different and you have to find out yourself through trial and error. Also make sure to give everything at least 3-6 months to work. Best of luck & keep us updated!
1 hour ago, Chloe123 said:
Thats a possibility. But alot of people find success going on birth control/spiro and working on their diet/supplementing hand in hand with a naturopath, then weaning off and still having clear skin. Just because something has not worked for you or your cousin, does not mean it wont work for everyone else. You cant say "dont take birth control." or "go to a dermatologist" If you havent read already, she said she has already seen a derm and tried everything.
In that case, PERSONALLY i would highly recommend spironolactone or birth control. If you're too scared of going on birth control, you can see a naturopath and discuss natural solutions. But in all honesty, everyone is different and you have to find out yourself through trial and error. Also make sure to give everything at least 3-6 months to work. Best of luck & keep us updated!
I meant another derm but okay, lol. Was just giving my own opinion. I just don't want her to use these 'drugs' at 14/15. I've seen worse and they didn't have to 'take birth control'. And I would always say the regimen because it's not as expensive as other treatments and it definitely works. I've had acne like hers and all I used was the regimen and I hardly breakout anymore. But apparently, your ideas will work better lol. I'm not familiar with 'drugs'.
On 12/6/2015, 1039, oyinkan98 said:But then, when you get off birth control. Acne comes back. That happened to my cousin.
Hey, Don't take Birth control, go to the dermatologist or use the acne.org regimen. It works.
I agree with @Chloe123on this one and I put it best in another forum why:
"... The answer comes in part of what I would recommend to my younger self when I was struggling with cysticacne, getting nowhere, and slowly developing scars [don't pick folks!].Because even if you're convinced acne prescriptionsare the devil, most often the potential side effects of prescription acnemedication are outweighed by the potential benefits.
Especiallyif you already seem to be doing everything right inyour 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 acnethat isn't improving. If this is the situation, please look intotaking a prescription or talking with a knowledgeable professional.It may be far more damaging to continue with noimprovement than to follow a temporary prescription regimenwith potential side effects."
So I'm speaking from experience here. I knew birth control was more of a "quick fix" than a permanent solution, and I knew the potential side effects,but I was being strategic and planning ahead for going off of it. Also after educating myself about birth controland knowing that it didn't have to be a permanent prescription (in my case I worked on healing my gut imbalances to prevent acne), it helped mefocus on lifestyle improvements because I wasn't obsessing over my skin while the birth control cleared it.
I think the biggest benefit was that going on birth controlhelped me prevent more permanent scarring that I could have had in exchange for thinking "all chemicals are bad."
On 12/4/2015, 1028, DearDashing said:I have quite bad acne. I've had acne since I was 10, and now have it and I am close to 15. It has been moderate-severe for about 3 years now, and I have tried pretty much everything. I know this may be hormonal acne or whatever, but it's pretty serious. The only thing I haven't tried is birth control, any tips? I would appreciate any. It's starting to being me down, because it's only getting worse. These pics are my better days, and I am currently using Proactive, which my dermatologist suggested as well.
I don't suggest proactive. It's super harsh and that definitely contributes to a continuous breakout. I have suffered with severe hereditary acne and I cleared up for the first time in my life with a product called Crema de Rebeca. Its an all natural product from Mexico.i only know of one person that sells it in the USA and I found her on the offer up app. It's popular within the Hispanic community that have herd and tried it and swear by it. It works so well that their is others trying to imitate the recipe but isn't the same. It cost $40 per jar tho. Let me know if you want my suppliers info.
On December 5, 2015 at 128 AM, DearDashing said:I have quite bad acne. I've had acne since I was 10, and now have it and I am close to 15. It has been moderate-severe for about 3 years now, and I have tried pretty much everything. I know this may be hormonal acne or whatever, but it's pretty serious. The only thing I haven't tried is birth control, any tips? I would appreciate any. It's starting to being me down, because it's only getting worse. These pics are my better days, and I am currently using Proactive, which my dermatologist suggested as well.
First of all, don't let it get you down. You are way too young to even be considering birth control - it will mess up your hormones especially at such a crucial developmental stage. Don't do it.
Second, some of your acne seems like folliculitis, not typical acne. I would recommend first of all going to a better dermatologist to get a proposer diagnosis. If it's folliculitis, it's a fungal, not bacterial infection, and each are treated differently, both topically and internally.
Third, you need to clear up the infections otherwise it will spread - regardless of whether you take anything or not. An infection spreads. Go to a good aesthetician and get some extractions and gentle calming masks, like aloe vera masks. Also try high frequency facials to disinfect your skin.
Fourth, get your hormones tested, and also get tested for food intolerances AND allergies (not the same thing). I think you are too young to be having hormonal issues. This could be an infection or allergic reaction.
Fifth, it doesn't hurt to remove these from your daily life: SLS (any cleanser with sodium laureth sulfate or any type of sulfates), if the water quality in your area is bad try to use filtered or bottled water to wash your face (try it for at least a week consistently to see if it makes a difference), switch to a hypoallergenic laundry detergent and try not to put your face directly on the pillow at night (keep your face as uncovered as possible/ sleep on your back).
Try these and report back in a couple of weeks.
Don' t use birth control it will mess you up.
I know someone who used to use birth control and now she can't get pregnant.
I had acne worse than yours. But I cured it by changing my diet.
I found out I'm allergic to nuts and dairy, so I stopped eating those.
Also, I did a lot of juicing and stopped eating junk food.
Miracle, my acne was completely gone in 3 months.
Also, wash your face regularly with soap and be in the sun. It kills the bacteria in the acne.