Hi Acne.Org Community,
I live some advice from you guys. Here is my acne journey.
Basic Info:
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Acne History: Occational pimple or two during college
I started getting hundreds of tiny bumps on my forehead last January and they didn't go away with clindamycin phosphate gel or with calamine lotion and stayed on my face to 3 weeks, Someone asked me what happened to my face in the middle of an office meeting. I decided to pay a visit to the dermatologist.
Derm 1:
Since the acne was only on my forehead he said this was nothing serious, but I did indeed have closed comodones and that they would take a few weeks to go away. My cheeks were very clear at this point.
He prescribed retin A (tretinoin) cream and erythromycin. I had a horrible breakout after week 3 and went back to him, he said that i how tretinon works and asked me to continue with the cream for another month. I continued and noticed no change. My face was getting worst, I went back to him.
He put me on Doxy (100mg) for 20 days. At this point I decided to go to another derm.
Derm 2:
She diagnosed me with Acne Vulgaris Stage 2 with PIH. She asked me to continue the doxy dose and prescribed two topicals. Calomine lotion during the day nd clyndamycin during the night. I went back to her after 20 days and there was a slight improvement in my skin. For some reason my hair started to fall out like crazy, I'm slowly going bald 
She then put me on roxythromycin (150 mg day and night) for a 10 day dose along with two more topical:
Differn (Adaphene Neno Gel) - Im supposed to apply this after coming home from work and wash it off after an hr
Femcinol A Gel - Apply this overnight on acne
After the anti-biotics my condition acne flared up again. I went back to her and she told me to continue using those topicals for 1.5 months. Those topicals started to work for 3 days but now my face is red and dry. I hurts to open my mouth and eat. I wont even go into the emotional scarring that this journey has been causing me.
Is accutane the only option? My derm and I agree that we should try to avoid accutane as it causes hairfall even at a low dose of 10mg.
Has anyone been through a journey like this? Did your hair grow back? Did your acne clear up?
Does crying cause more acne??? Please help me
P.S: Im very active and healthy and do not have PCOS.
7 hours ago, ArdentMinnow said:Anyone? Please answer
accutane will destroy your health. It causes many problems longterm. you must know this already and i suspect it is the reason why no one has responded to you.
There are many many things hat are worse than acne.
Most people enjoy sex and having a family - accutane may steal theses from you!
I think you are doing the right thing by trying topicals before all first. As to whether or not you should do Accutane is ultimately your choice. The majority of people can tolerate Accutane fairly well and even more so at a lower dose as side effects are rare.
You are 23 and it seems you enjoyed an acne free youth so I don't know why you'd be so distraught. There are so many ladies who documented their Accutane journeys all over the web. You are educated and more than capable to research and make your own decision.
DON'T USE ACUTANE.Has something changed in your life recently that might be causing extra stress or something in your environment that has changed. Or a new diet or hormonal? Try going to a spa and get deep cleansing acne treatment before bombing your body with all those pills hun.
I think antibiotics are more effective for inflammatory types of acne so the little bumps you describe initially probably wouldn't respond so well although 20-40 days didn't really give it a proper chance. Did your derms discuss BC pills with you as an option to try?
Topicals are usually the first thing to try before moving to oral medications but nothing is a quick fix...all options take time to work.
4 hours ago, Jazzguy said:I think antibiotics are more effective for inflammatory types of acne so the little bumps you describe initially probably wouldn't respond so well although 20-40 days didn't really give it a proper chance. Did your derms discuss BC pills with you as an option to try?
Topicals are usually the first thing to try before moving to oral medications but nothing is a quick fix...all options take time to work.
what are BC pills?
6 hours ago, VickiNano said:DON'T USE ACUTANE.Has something changed in your life recently that might be causing extra stress or something in your environment that has changed. Or a new diet or hormonal? Try going to a spa and get deep cleansing acne treatment before bombing your body with all those pills hun.
that is what I'm not able to figure out! I don't think anything has changed. I have closed comodones. What kind of treatments are available in spas? Acne facials?
7 hours ago, macleod said:It is very strong. But low dose is the way to go if anything. Just consult with family and derm and weigh out the options. It's a big decision.
yes, my hair is a major concern too.
On May 6, 2017 at 5:22 AM, ArdentMinnow said:Anyone? Please answer
Hey there! I'm sorry about your struggles and all those dermatologist appointments - I can totally relate. I felt the same about my skin, super frustrated and looking for answers - until I discovered Rodan+Fields. I decided to give it a try and it has produced AMAZING results. Have you heard of R+F and if so , would you be interested in learning more?
On 5/8/2017 at 9:53 PM, rachgentry said:Hey there! I'm sorry about your struggles and all those dermatologist appointments - I can totally relate. I felt the same about my skin, super frustrated and looking for answers - until I discovered Rodan+Fields. I decided to give it a try and it has produced AMAZING results. Have you heard of R+F and if so , would you be interested in learning more?
This is absurd! Acne suffers have much to deal with already. Please don't spam and give us false hope!
4 hours ago, Cecek said:Accutane will not "destroy" your life f you use it correctly ! but it should only be the last resort because its not the easiest thing to go through..
did u try changing your hair products?
make sure to never ever use any products with oils in it
I only use Garnier Shampoo and Tressame conditioner. Been using it for years.
@cecek: switched shampoos now.
Still experiencing hair loss and dryness round the mouth area along with acne.
Not sure why I'm experiencing accutane side effects before taking it lol
@ all acne veterans :
Is there by specific blood test that I get to determine what is causing my acne?
Like vitamins D3, B12, K? Androgen levels?
Embarassed to say this, but I stopped going to work because of this =[