Head to a derm and explain exactly what you told us. They will likely prescribe you an oral and topical medication. It may be a hassle, but in the end it becomes worth it. Also, listen and follow their instructions well.
Hope it gets better!

I agree. You should stop the home remedies and go to a derm. Get an opinion on what could help besides Accutane. You have other options. One is a retinoid, which helps speed up cell turnover and decrease acne in the long run, so it does not keep recurring in the same spot over and over. There are many different strengths as well, in case your skin is sensitive.

You say wheat and grains cause acne on your forehead. Have you ever been to an allergist? I highly recommend you get tested for general gluten sensitivity and other triggers to avoid causing more acne. I am just like you, I found when I began a diet and replaced junk food with wheat and grains I got way more acne. It is also indicative that you need to heal your gut from the inflammation caused by the grains and wheat. Are you eating fermented probiotic-rich foods and drinks?

In terms of taking something else internally, there is Spiro as a last result if your free T levels are super high and causing acne. It may not be a permanent solution, but it could be a temporary fix just to get you settled while you work on fixing your diet and find a retinoid that works. I also recommend getting a hormone test done if you choose to go the Spiro route. Remember, acne is a full body illness, it is not just related to your skin -- it's linked to the gut and your hormones.

On 10/13/2016 at 4:53 AM, cloudydreamer said:

I agree. You should stop the home remedies and go to a derm. Get an opinion on what could help besides Accutane. You have other options. One is a retinoid, which helps speed up cell turnover and decrease acne in the long run, so it does not keep recurring in the same spot over and over. There are many different strengths as well, in case your skin is sensitive.

You say wheat and grains cause acne on your forehead. Have you ever been to an allergist? I highly recommend you get tested for general gluten sensitivity and other triggers to avoid causing more acne. I am just like you, I found when I began a diet and replaced junk food with wheat and grains I got way more acne. It is also indicative that you need to heal your gut from the inflammation caused by the grains and wheat. Are you eating fermented probiotic-rich foods and drinks?

In terms of taking something else internally, there is Spiro as a last result if your free T levels are super high and causing acne. It may not be a permanent solution, but it could be a temporary fix just to get you settled while you work on fixing your diet and find a retinoid that works. I also recommend getting a hormone test done if you choose to go the Spiro route. Remember, acne is a full body illness, it is not just related to your skin -- it's linked to the gut and your hormones.

Hey, thanks for the detailed response. I have been to a derm a few times in the past and they only prescribe things like salicylic acid which was pointless for me. A lot of people also complain they don't agree with diet being a huge factor. I haven't ever been to an allergist - I do eat quite healthy (including probiotic rich foods).

Sorry for the late reply, however, I have found that grains are my main cause of acne. Sadly I ate something out of my regular diet and found it had a lot of barley... I woke up with a ton of spots and inflammation. Sadly it takes a lot of time to go but I'm really hopeful if I stop consuming grains fully then in a few months time my skin will be clear. There was a time in my past I didn't eat much at all for a month... weirdly my skin was clearer then with a worse diet lol.

Overall, I'm going to give it some weeks without eating any grains then update here. I'm curious though, once I'm out of my teens will this not be as much of an issue, if at all? And do you think it is worth taking probiotic supplements? the cost isn't an issue as I already have some.

On 10/15/2016 at 5:37 PM, killmepleaselmao said:

Hey, thanks for the detailed response. I have been to a derm a few times in the past and they only prescribe things like salicylic acid which was pointless for me. A lot of people also complain they don't agree with diet being a huge factor. I haven't ever been to an allergist - I do eat quite healthy (including probiotic rich foods).

Sorry for the late reply, however, I have found that grains are my main cause of acne. Sadly I ate something out of my regular diet and found it had a lot of barley... I woke up with a ton of spots and inflammation. Sadly it takes a lot of time to go but I'm really hopeful if I stop consuming grains fully then in a few months time my skin will be clear. There was a time in my past I didn't eat much at all for a month... weirdly my skin was clearer then with a worse diet lol.

Overall, I'm going to give it some weeks without eating any grains then update here. I'm curious though, once I'm out of my teens will this not be as much of an issue, if at all? And do you think it is worth taking probiotic supplements? the cost isn't an issue as I already have some.

You're welcome. Honestly I feel I am becoming somewhat reactive/allergic to SA as well. I used Neutrogena's oil free SA cleanser and I noticed my pores all began to look weirdly inflamed. Like tiny red bumps the size of a small dot were appearing all over. Now that I've stopped using it for like 3 days my skin texture and color looks way more normal.

With probiotics, it is a hit or a miss. I think I have mild leaky gut, because whenever I take probiotics I tend to get very tiny little whiteheads all over in weird places, like the side of my neck or cheek. It's not what typical 'acne' looks like. Some say it's normal purging, but in my personal experience no purging has ever been good for me and I don't like it. Who isn't to say it's a reaction? It's hard to tell. And if you purge and it ends up being a reaction, by then it could be too late to undo the damage. It might be less risky to try some pickled or fermented foods instead.

Grains and wheat caused a TON of pimples for me, too. I also think it worsened my underlying hormone imbalance, namely insulin resistance as well. I'm taking Tumeric and Ashwaganda once per day to correct the internal inflammation and damage. Your story sounds much like mine, where I went on a weird 'healthy' diet with a lot of grains, wheat and barley and it messed up my face. I'm sorry it happened to you as well. It was mainly the BREADS the did the most damage. I'm sure before when I ate unhealthy and I had some snacks with wheat flour, it wasn't as potent as extra grainy bread, 6-7 slices a day!

It's strange, I noticed antibiotics tend to worsen my face. I tried Doxy and I noticed weird itchy, stabbing lesions kept appearing on my face [and a few on my lower back], some were painful and burned. I never had that before until I tried the Doxy. I wasn't using weird products either... antibiotics aren't the best solution in my opinion. And once you stop them, the acne often gets worse after.

How old are you? Also, where is your acne primarily appearing, on your face only or is there a lot on your shoulders/back/trunk?

On 10/21/2016 at 1:52 AM, cloudydreamer said:

You're welcome. Honestly I feel I am becoming somewhat reactive/allergic to SA as well. I used Neutrogena's oil free SA cleanser and I noticed my pores all began to look weirdly inflamed. Like tiny red bumps the size of a small dot were appearing all over. Now that I've stopped using it for like 3 days my skin texture and color looks way more normal.

With probiotics, it is a hit or a miss. I think I have mild leaky gut, because whenever I take probiotics I tend to get very tiny little whiteheads all over in weird places, like the side of my neck or cheek. It's not what typical 'acne' looks like. Some say it's normal purging, but in my personal experience no purging has ever been good for me and I don't like it. Who isn't to say it's a reaction? It's hard to tell. And if you purge and it ends up being a reaction, by then it could be too late to undo the damage. It might be less risky to try some pickled or fermented foods instead.

Grains and wheat caused a TON of pimples for me, too. I also think it worsened my underlying hormone imbalance, namely insulin resistance as well. I'm taking Tumeric and Ashwaganda once per day to correct the internal inflammation and damage. Your story sounds much like mine, where I went on a weird 'healthy' diet with a lot of grains, wheat and barley and it messed up my face. I'm sorry it happened to you as well. It was mainly the BREADS the did the most damage. I'm sure before when I ate unhealthy and I had some snacks with wheat flour, it wasn't as potent as extra grainy bread, 6-7 slices a day!

It's strange, I noticed antibiotics tend to worsen my face. I tried Doxy and I noticed weird itchy, stabbing lesions kept appearing on my face [and a few on my lower back], some were painful and burned. I never had that before until I tried the Doxy. I wasn't using weird products either... antibiotics aren't the best solution in my opinion. And once you stop them, the acne often gets worse after.

How old are you? Also, where is your acne primarily appearing, on your face only or is there a lot on your shoulders/back/trunk?

To be honest in the years I've had acne... no products have really helped treat it. It has been a week now since I stopped eating any grains and I have had no new spots and my current ones seem a lot less inflamed. I'll give it a month or so and update here but I really think it's down to what you drink and what you eat. Healthy doesn't mean spot free obviously + water has really helped me with my skin tone primarily.

I'm 16 and my acne is mainly on my face (95%) but I have some on my back but no where near the extent of my face.

I'll update soon but I can definitely say I've seen improvement.

On 10/22/2016 at 2:48 PM, killmepleaselmao said:

To be honest in the years I've had acne... no products have really helped treat it. It has been a week now since I stopped eating any grains and I have had no new spots and my current ones seem a lot less inflamed. I'll give it a month or so and update here but I really think it's down to what you drink and what you eat. Healthy doesn't mean spot free obviously + water has really helped me with my skin tone primarily.

I'm 16 and my acne is mainly on my face (95%) but I have some on my back but no where near the extent of my face.

I'll update soon but I can definitely say I've seen improvement.

Can you go seen an allergist for contact irritants as well? Try VANICREAM. It is a miracle. Basically it's just glycerin soap with a few safe additives, nothing weird that could irritate you. My allergist gave it to me and all the weird tiny little red chicken skin bumps and throbbing/itchy pimples are already calming in 2 days' time. It is a lot safer than just washing with water IMO since there's pollutants in the air that get on your sin, you sweat and shed skin cells daily and tbh water isn't going to clear that. If your 'acne' itches, stings and burns at all as it did in my case it is likely a sensitivity or allergy issue and not true acne. I'm glad cutting grains is helping you too!

I think a lot of people who don't even get acne on their face can be prone to body acne from mechanical sensitivity [that's me] or heat or just sweating a lot with tight clothes. As long as you don't have huge patches of painful acne and lots of bumps, it's probably a non-issue.

Stop using chemicals period. I know it's hard but focus more on healing the internal problem bc acNE is a result of what's going on internally. Seriously think about cutting out processed meats, all dairy and sugar and get on a high powered probiotic. Wash your face nightly with warm water, rinse with cold and moisturize with a natural oil that is higher in linolic acid. I'm using evening primrose and my skin is in love.

17 hours ago, cloudydreamer said:

Can you go seen an allergist for contact irritants as well? Try VANICREAM. It is a miracle. Basically it's just glycerin soap with a few safe additives, nothing weird that could irritate you. My allergist gave it to me and all the weird tiny little red chicken skin bumps and throbbing/itchy pimples are already calming in 2 days' time. It is a lot safer than just washing with water IMO since there's pollutants in the air that get on your sin, you sweat and shed skin cells daily and tbh water isn't going to clear that. If your 'acne' itches, stings and burns at all as it did in my case it is likely a sensitivity or allergy issue and not true acne. I'm glad cutting grains is helping you too!

I think a lot of people who don't even get acne on their face can be prone to body acne from mechanical sensitivity [that's me] or heat or just sweating a lot with tight clothes. As long as you don't have huge patches of painful acne and lots of bumps, it's probably a non-issue.

I might try it but for now I'm going to stick to the grain idea as I'm seeing consistent results. I've had acne that stung quite a bit before I tried the grains idea and was trying treatments. It has only been almost two weeks and I see a massive improvement but it still has far to go.

15 hours ago, jspencer said:

Stop using chemicals period. I know it's hard but focus more on healing the internal problem bc acNE is a result of what's going on internally. Seriously think about cutting out processed meats, all dairy and sugar and get on a high powered probiotic. Wash your face nightly with warm water, rinse with cold and moisturize with a natural oil that is higher in linolic acid. I'm using evening primrose and my skin is in love.

You have no idea how many times I've heard it's an "internal" problem (I agree)... many people convinced me things like milk were the worst thing if I had acne. Yes these things can cause your acne but most of the time you are not affected by all of these things - some people may break out with milk, processed meats and dairy... whereas I don't. I think it's about finding what specifically triggers your breakouts.

Yes if it's more a food allergy problem but if it's digestive/hormonal then u don't want food that's packed in hormones like dairy. Our bodies react differently, sometimes the break out process can b up to a week so lots of times it's hard pinpointing it so I would just start with basics for a month cutting it all and just eat whole foods with no sugar at all. Even grains till u get results then add back your favs. Get on a high powered probiotic to really help get the digestive track in line. I take a 25 billion strand 3 times a day I'm telling u it will do wonders

Hey... good and bad news. After creating this thread I also moved house... got a new bed - this meant I slept laying on the other side of my face for some reason. While the one serious side of my face that was quite bad has gotten a lot better and is continuously improving... the other side has become a lot worse. I clean my pillowcases very regularly... not sure if I'm allergic to certain detergents or what? I can awkwardly sleep facing forwards but then I'll just get acne over my neck I assume.

What should I do?

Grains of course are still a cause for my acne and this is why my forehead has been clear (because I've been avoiding grains).

On 10/27/2016 at 8:16 AM, killmepleaselmao said:

I might try it but for now I'm going to stick to the grain idea as I'm seeing consistent results. I've had acne that stung quite a bit before I tried the grains idea and was trying treatments. It has only been almost two weeks and I see a massive improvement but it still has far to go. You have no idea how many times I've heard it's an "internal" problem (I agree)... many people convinced me things like milk were the worst thing if I had acne. Yes these things can cause your acne but most of the time you are not affected by all of these things - some people may break out with milk, processed meats and dairy... whereas I don't. I think it's about finding what specifically triggers your breakouts.

Yes, if you ever need a cleanser just get Vanicream. It has helped me even more since I last wrote you.
Try cashew milk if you want to nix dairy at some point. Avoid soy as well. It's estrogenic.