All about ACNE

[kayla]

junkalunk: GO TO YOUR DERM!!!! im on the beginning of my 4th month on accutane and it is the best thing in the world. to me it really isnt a scary thing. yeah it causes birth defects, but as long as you take you birth control, youre fine. i usually take mine with the accutane at night right before bed (i put the pills on my nightstand so i see it). the side effects are crappy but TOTALLY worth it. i used to get nosebleeds everyday, but they were very minor. just like a few drops. my lips are dry, theyve only cracked once, but at night a put layer after layer (its like an inch thick) of aquafor on it and in the morning theyre relieved. i broke out bad in the first 3 months, im just now starting to clear, and yeah it was depressing. i think thats why people get so depressed on this pill is becuase it gets worse. you just gotta keep telling yourself that you'll have great skin in a few months. dont let anybody scare you about this pill. its not as bad as you think. i got so tired of taking all of those other pills, topicals, pro active, changing my diet, sometimes water only for 6 days straight. it just isnt worth it b/c it didnt do anything for me. only accutane. i understand the whole dad thing too. i had to move in with mine at 17 and that was like his first time really taking care of a kid. it wa so hard to talk to him, but once you get it out there and tell him how you really feel and how miserable the acne is, im sure he'll understand.
my first advice though would be to try going on a birth control to even out your hormones. a lot of my friends tried that and it helped. everybody's different, for me it was ACCUTANE!!! hope that helps. good luck

[MAC_addict_77]

I have the same problem with my skin. I just break out on my cheeks and chin and on my cheeks they are usually painful huge cyst like zits that take forever to surface.
I have started using St Ives cream cleanser and I do the Queen Helen Mint Julep Mask (you can buy it at any drugstore for $4). My skin has totally cleared up. If you have red marks from old zits I would recommend St. Ives Apricot Radiance Age-Defying Cream Cleanser. You leave it on for 3 minutes and for best results you wipe if off with a tissue instead of washing it off.
Make sure you moisturize your skin well. I use Olay Moisture Therapy Cream with Aloe for Sensitive Skin. It has no oils or fragrance in it. You won't see results right away but they will come with time, I promise.
Also a big no no is constantly touching your face, and don't pick at your zits.
Good luck and I hope this helps

[MeganGMcD]

I am glad there are people who had postivie effects with accutane. But 3 out of the four people I know had the worst side effects. One almost flunked out of school because of it. Just be really careful, it is only the last ditch effort.
Retin A is freaking BRILLIANT!!!

[caffn8me]

Ok - my update on Retin-A after about a week (bearing in mind that they say it takes several weeks to have a full effect). I am flaking like crazy day and night but as long as I don't stratch myself or rub my face it's not noticeable during the day. The redness I've had from acne scars has diminished significantly and after exfoliating my skin feels incredibly smooth. I am sure the pores on my nose have diminished in size and get less clogged - they are certainly much less noticeable. Friends are already commenting on how great my skin looks. I think I've fallen in love with this stuff and wish I'd tried it years ago. I might even be brave enough to get a close up picture when I'm round at my sister's as my own camera is worse than useless.

[Nathalia]

I hardly ever break out but this summer I had one break out right before back to school of about 3 cysts on my cheek and a couple of my chin. Since this is abnormal for me my mom took me to the doctor and she gave my clindoxyl and Mito cyclin? Or something in pill form. I admit I really didn't need them before but now that I take them it's sure fire I won't break out. I really like them and think they'd work really well for you.

[Manny]

Ok..i have acne on my face as everybody does, but I really don't know how it gets on my entire body!! It's not that severe, but I have acne on my back, neck, and arms!! It is so annoying that I just want to peel it off!! The worse part of the situation is that my prom is in 2 WEEKS!! Im wearing this tube style dress, and I don't know what I can do to get it off!!! Can anyone give me advice to try to get them off!!! Im so desperate, and I'm really trying hard to eat right!! I'm drinking water like crazy, but I really don't know how to get it off, and from it to never come back!! So PLEASE feel free to give me any advice, remedy, or anything for this problem!!

[alurabella]

Keep drinking tons of water. Also, do NOT touch your face... or other places where you break out... it can spread the bacteria causing the breakouts. also, try to wear natural clothing products... ie, cotton and such... it's more breathable for your skin. Synthetics can cause irritation.

Do you use a scrub on your back and arms? You might want to try. Especially a scrub with salycic acid in it (Murad makes one that I use!) Also--- for my face, I wash with cetaphil for normal to oily skin, and once a week do a clay mask (I use Queen Helene's Mint Julepe... I HIGHLY reccomend it, and it's sold everywhere!!! -drugstores, grocery stores, etc.)

[Shimmer]

Go to a dermatologist hon. :/
Also, the advice about scrubs with salicyclic acid in them is good.

[Selenite]

A nightly mask of pure honey really does wonders for my acne.

[greekskatula]

derm. works wonders.
and tanning. especially for the back acne. outdoor is nicer cuz its like natural but indoor tanning helps out too..


so that honey thing really works? what do you do just wash your face then put it on? for how long?
whats the after feel like?

[x3_kimchee]

Does anyone know any thing that works to get rid of acne on your back? I reallly really would appreciate your help.

[MAC_Whore]

I would first see a doc or dermatologist to see what they say. It could be acne or for example, keratosis pilaris (like the red bumps some people get on the back of their arms. Harmless, just annoying). I mention this, as acne and keratosis pilaris have diff means of treatment and the recommended treatment for one, could worsen the other.

Acne could be reduced by regular, gentle exfoliation and a treatment. Clinique makes a spray bottle acne med. That would be easier for application to the back area. Don't overdo the exfoliation and treatment though or your skin could get too dry and begin to produce more oils and possibly more acne. HTH.

[ShirleyK]

Well I heard ACV is effective...

[ShirleyK]

Use ACV...

Forgot to add this:

http://www.lacetoleather.com/acne.html

I use Bragg brand... http://www.bragg.com/

[mspixieears]

http://www.specktra.net/forum/showth...hlight=peeling

It has something about Murad & Proactiv as treatments, but I put it here for the Murad info.

[mspixieears]

All about ACNE

I bumped this thread for you, I do hope it helps, but it might be best to see a dermatologist if it's so aggressive.

[mspixieears]

Again, this is covered in the following thread:

All about ACNE

I'm pretty sure back acne is discussed.

[mspixieears]

Sorry, I merged your thread with this bigger one, hope you don't mind.

[JunkaLunk]

Thank you all so much. I wasn't checking up on this thread so much, didnt realise all the advice that was given- SO THANKS!!!

But I did go to the derm. And my skin is sooooo clear. I've been on doxycycline (antibiotics) for about a month. I didn't have serious enough acne for accutane, not even tetracycline (which is the next step up I beleive). I'm also on some topical treatments that work wonders.

again thank you all for your help. I hope this thread has helped others too.

[faerie_bel]

I used to have bad acne on my back. It was awful. I tried Doxycycline and it didn't work. The only thing that worked for me was going on Diane 35 bcp. I've been clear on my back for 10 years now. And I stopped taking Diane about 7 years ago...

[kellyxbean]

For the record, I have had acne for... oh... 10 years or so. It went away briefly while I was pregnant and for a year afterwards. It has sprung up again so badly that a doctor finally said, "Uh yeah, we're going to get you referred for Accutane". Great.

The scars are still there though, and it sucks. My skin could look practically flawless, were it not for the scars. I have some bad "pock marks" as they're called. I really would like to have something done to 'fix' the damage, but I don't know what could be done. I feel like I have halfway decent makeup skills but because of the remnants of acne, my face just makes my eyes look terrible (I focus on my eyes as far as makeup goes)

Also, as far as smaller, angry red pimples go - what in the world can I do to get rid of them? I am attending a pretty dressed-up event on Thursday w/ my hubby and it would be nice if my face didn't look so... angry.

Sorry for the rant. lol. I'm just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences.

[Bey28]

Are you using anything to lighten the scars? Hydroquinone (doctor prescribed %) works wonders. However, post accutane I still had red marks but it will take time before that fades. Get a good light weight concealor and depending on how long you've been off the Tane you can do some gentle exfoliation to brighten the skin. I just finished my accutane course so I know what your going through. However, I'm just 1 month post-tane and the scars and redness are nearly gone.

[Kim.]

On a few Tv shows (10 years younge w/ dermatologists who are "with" all the new advances etc) I've seen them inject fillers into pock marks and scars which has really made a difference.

[BinkysBaby]

I heard that microdermabrasion can help with the pot marks.

[sarahpeart]

My frustration has brought me to seek recommendations from my fellow users on acne solutions that actually work! Your recommendations and experiences would be very vauable to all that visit this spot