Hey! I can see why you're hesitant to stay on an abx for so long, I would be too! I've battled the acne fight since the 6th grade, (I'm 26), and I finally just bit the bullet and started accutane this summer. I've just always had mild to moderate persistent acne on my face, chest, and back, and I finally just couldn't take it anymore. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner! What I would do previously would be that I would only go on abx to clear flare ups for a few months and stick to topicals/washes other than that, and do facials and other temporary measures to keep breakouts at bay. If I were you, I would try to just go see another dermatologist and get a second opinion. Be honest that you're uncomfortable being on abx for so long and would like to try something new. Tell them 100% of what your acne is like and what you're feeling. They're there to help! For seborrhoea, have you tried a shampoo with selenium sulfide? What is the reason why you can't go on accutane?

Thanks for the reply.

Good points- Ill get a second opinion next chance I can. We only have one dermatologist in our area and he is big on accutane. I cant do it because I have Chrohns in my family and Ive heard theres a link between it.

ketaconozole has worked best out of all options but ultimately because the breakouts stretch all over my body it makes it hard with topicals.

thanks again

have you tried weaning off of them instead of quiting cold turkey?

Yes. Im down to quarter dose but cant seem to get any lower without breakout

Have you tried a topical retinoid? Accutane is just an oral version of it basically so maybe just applying it to your face would give you the benefits without the systemic problems ?