I'm 19 years old and have been suffering with acne since I was 16. It all started as a couple of closed comedones on my forehead, which I never really payed attention to. Before this, I never had any sort of skin care routine. I didn't cleanse, exfoliate, moisturise, NOTHING. My diet was also poor, consisting of a lot of junk food and sugars. Even though all of this was happening, my skin was practically flawless. I even had a friend at the time who said she was jealous of my skin. Crazy right? 4 months before I turned 17, I started to break out more frequently on my forehead, in what I like to call "papules." They were red and hurt a little, but they never came to a head. I was taken back a bit as I had never dealt with any sort of skin problems before. As the months went on, my skin deteriorated. Soon, the whole of my face, (my forehead, chin, cheeks and nose) were full of papules, pustules, blackheads and whiteheads. No matter what I used, nothing helped. I was plummeting down a very dark road.
My skin type is dry. It's dry, period. I can never find any trace of oil on my face. My nose and t-zone are the worst parts. They flake constantly, I've been through every moisturiser possible. They only give temporary relief. Anyone who has dry skin knows how hard it is to find products that will help fight acne and keep your skin soft at the same time, as most anti acne products cause even more dryness and irritation.
For these past 3 years of HELL I have put practically everything on my poor face. I've also noticed because I've done so much to it, there are a lot of broken capillaries on my face. Below is a lot of things I have tried and tested through out the years, with minimal results:
- Antibiotics : Lymecycline and erythromycin
- Creams : Zindacylin, epiduo and panoxyl
- Silver serum
- Birth control pill
- All natural products : Coconut oil, argan oil, castor oil, hemp seed oil, jojoba oil, raw honey, green tea, egg whites, apple cider vinegar, tea tree oil, witch hazel, rose water, shea butter, black African soap
- Clarasonic brush
- Sudocreme
- Toothpaste
- TONS of different skin care brands : Mario badescu, Clean and clear, Michael Todd, Liz Earle, Proactiv, Cetaphil, Lush, Paula's choice, Neutrogena, Peter Thomas Roth, The body shop, Soap and glory, Burts bees,
Pai, Green people, Nip + fab, Pixi, Face theory, Clinique, Clearasil
- Supplements : Omega 3 fish oil, Multivitamins
- Other attempts : eating healthy, cutting out dairy, cutting out gluten, cutting out sugar, drinking 2 or more litres of water everyday, changing pillow cases, not touching my face, keep hair out of my face, exercising, getting at least 8 hours sleep every night.
I AM AT MY WITS END. As you can imagine, this has completely affected how I live. I suffer from social anxiety and I have zero confidence. Of course having horrible skin only makes it 10x worse, I feel ashamed and embarrassed of it. I absolutely hate having to cake my face with makeup every time I go out, I don't like how it feels on my face. The main problems I am facing today are blocked pores. I have a lot of under the skin bumps which just sit there for months and months. Salicylic and glycolic acid don't help me with this problem. I constantly pick at my skin, thinking if I try to squeeze them it'll help, but it only makes it worse. I have quite a lot of hyper pigmentation on my cheeks especially. At the moment, I'm currently dealing with a breakout on my chin, cheeks and forehead. My doctor doesn't take me seriously and thinks I have to stop worrying and "obsessing" over it. It's very VERY frustrating! Not once has he offered to refer me to a dermatologist, I've been to him around 5 times about my skin and each time he just shrugs me off.
For the past month I've been sticking to the same skin care routine. I cleanse twice a day, with a Cetaphil cleanser. I exfoliate a few times a week. I occasionally use a raw honey face mask and I use Eucerin to moisturise. I also drink lots of water and eat a lot of fruit and veg. I sometimes eat cheese and I'll occasionally eat junk food. I'm honestly not sure if my acne is diet related. Lastly, I take a birth control pill called "Dianette" I'd say this has helped around 40/50%. I still break out, I've hada few cysts on my face, even while on this pill.
If anyone has any tips/advice/recommendations that could help me please let me know! HELP ME FIGURE IT OUT! This is my first post and it feels good to get it off my chest, I'm sorry if it was too long for some to read. If you've took the time to listen to me, Thank you.
15 hours ago, Lindscunx said:I sometimes eat cheese and I'll occasionally eat junk food. I'm honestly not sure if my acne is diet related. ,
This. Sugar, bad carbs and dairy cause acne in some people. use google and youtube to understand more.
Also, look into anti-inflamation food. Inflamation triggers pimple formation.
2 hours ago, Greentea4ever said:This. Sugar, bad carbs and dairy cause acne in some people. use google and youtube to understand more.Also, look into anti-inflamation food. Inflamation triggers pimple formation.
Well, since the OP said he's tried cutting out dairy in the past and it didn't work (along with other diets), I don't think this is the cause. If someone is eating healthy and taking care of themselves most of the time, eating a few bad things every once and awhile should not be causing severe and persistent skin problems. This is a common misconception that pushes people to obsess over their diet and become anxious and miserable every time they eat something "bad". In the long run, that's is not a healthy or sustainable way to live. It is likely something else.
It's extremely frustrating that your doctor hasn't referred you to a dermatologist yet! I don't think you should wait for your doctor to refer you - just make an appointment yourself. If you can't go without a referral then you literally need to DEMAND one from your doctor. It's such a pet peeve of mine when doctors try to regulate their patients so strictly.
It sounds like you have a solid skin care routine & it's great that the BC pill has helped. One option for you is trying a different topical medication. I know you've said you've tried a few topical creams in the past, but perhaps now that you are taking the birth control pill and have a gentle skin care routine you would respond better. You should at least be using something. Acne is best combated with the combination of some type of oral medication (In your case, the BCP) and a topical medication. The topical, which can be prescribed by the dermatologist, will help fight the bacteria growth on the surface of the skin and help bring the pimples to the surface while the birth control pill fights it from the inside. Another option is trying combination hormone therapy. Some people who see improvement with the BCP but don't get completely clear might use another hormonal treatment like spironolactone alongside it.
When you say Salicylic and glycolic acid don't help, how are you using them? What strength? If you are just using a cleanser it won't be as effective because you are washing it off right away. Using something that you leave on the skin such as a toner, moisturizer or cream will be a lot more beneficial for taking care of hyperpigmentation, blocked pores, etc. This will also help smooth out your skin so make-up goes on nicer and looks less cakey.
i feel you..your not alone... i am suffering for alomost 7 years for acne and became more worst this past three years because i have perioral dermatistis on my chin which is really killing my life... controlling ym life... im now on my 4th day of using raw african black soap.. and i see little changes so i will paln to continue using it.. the redness is gone and oyliness on mychin became little dry now....
in my 7 years of suffering with stuborn acne i tried so many products from expensive to organics... and now i all organics users now... from head to toe... to avoid irritaion and flaring...
I hear you, I had acne from the age of 12 right up to 25. Unwilling to try accutane, I experimented a great deal. From using manuka honey face masks to cutting every sugar/carbohydrate from my diet, supplements, therapy lights, etc. In these years i visited two dermatologist. Their approaches actually made things worse. Nothing ever worked. That is, until i tried the Acne.org regimen!
As your tried treatments does not list the acne.org regimen, i would strongly urge you to give it a shot! You should be able to see great improvements within a month. However it is important to pay close attention to the instructions. The first ever treatment I tried for my acne was around the age of 13 and prescribed by my doctor, it was Benzoyl Peroxide. It worked somewhat, but since my doctor never gave my any instructions I failed miserably at the correct usage of a cleanser and moisturizer, i quit using BP shortly after because of the extreme dryness it caused back then. A hundred experiments and 12 years later, i returned to BP with strict following of the acne.org regimen and couldn't be happier!