I've tried everything but nothing helps (acne)

[genniboo]

I've had acne since the age 13, I'm 18 and a half now.. I'd say my acne is moderate, not very severe but i do have some cysts in addition to the 'normal' zits. When I was about 14/15 it got progressively worse so my mom took me to the skin doctor.. I got Tetracyklin and Differin and it did improve my skin - for a while. The thing is after taking those for about half a year to a year (can't remember properly..) my skin was in better condition - almost clear - but about two months after stopping the meds it all came back

After that i've had the Tetracyklines at least two separate times and the result was always the same with the acne coming back (and also they didn't help as much as the first time). In the spring of 2008 I got birth control pills that were supposed to help my skin, and they did, but i had to off them because they made me really depressed and i gained weight because of them.

In the summer of '08 my skin was pretty good, still not clear, but definitely better than last year.. After reading lots on the Paleo diet I decided to try it and pretty much eliminated bread, pasta, rice and potatoes from my diet and supplemented them with veggies, fruit and nuts. I've been eating like this for half a year now and in addition to losing some weight and becoming more energetic my skin has also improved! I've now got my acne somewhat under control, but still, its there. I've taken car of my skin for years now: every morning and evening i wash my face with a cleanser (usually a gel on like Niveas for combination skin), use a toner and moisturize (day and night cream). I use an aloe vera moisturizer by the body shop because it doesn't irritate my skin because its fragrance, additive and color-free..

My question is: What more can i do about my skin? Nothing seems to really improve it anymore. I still have breakouts every month and i can never go anywhere without makeup because my face is gruesome: Its got a very uneven blotchy reddish tone, i always have at least five really bad zits on my chin, my nosewings are red, the skin on my nose is dry, i have too many blackheads and my forehead is uneven and zitty. I'm not a big fan of topical acne treatments and i cannot use drying products designed to help acne because out of experience i know they do not help and simply dry my skin out making my makeup look horrible. I guess my acne is hormonal but also very much affected by what i eat (i noticed this when i stopped eating grains: if i eat e.g. a lot of bread i can be sure to expect a mad breakout in the next couple of days :S

Oh yeah another question: What can i do about acne scars on my back & shoulders? I've got really bad ones and i hate that i can't wear sleeveless or backless tops without being ashamed of my skin :/

(sorry if this is too long

)

 

[eidetica]

1 You're probably cleaning it to death. Americans get acne and start scrubbing! But then you get dry skin, the oil goes into self defense overtime, downward spiral!
Your diet is great for so many reasons- keep that up! But get some excercise, sweat actually has a light antibactierial property and keeps things moving through the pores.
And ditch all that toner and stuff! That aggravates everything. Just get some Dove soap and warm water- not hot! No more than twice a day.

A decent dermatologist will tell you all this. That's where I got it.

2 You need to see a decent dermo. If there's a teaching program around they have gung ho young women who want to make everyone gorgeous. Retin A is the best thing ever invented. Cured my acne- Now it chases back my wrinkles. It's generic now and cheaper, and worth every cent. Wear the sunscreen Dr Derm tells you to. You'll get worse before you get better, Leave the toner alone! Alchohol is awful for skin. It's a very 1960's idea about medical ignorance and selling lots of products to the desperate. If you need anti bactierial action there's better OTC stuff that's gentle.

Some of us just have a tendency for inflamed pores. Sorry- a good diet and whatever exercise you think is fun is about best. Show your back to a doctor, it may heal up more. It may need cosmetic injections. You may just be doomed to dresses with backs. Go see an expert. I'm doomed to sleeves. But it's so minor as bad medical stuff goes- paint on some stunning eyes and learn to walk in heels and just take the world by storm anyway.

And if not Dove, Cetephil. And quit all that skin abuse! I bet it gets better.

A sister in zititude. Beats a lot of awful conditions though- and nobody else notices as much as you do.

 

[genniboo]

umm..thanks but i don't think i'm 'cleaning my face to death' - if i didn't use toner how in the world am i supposed to remove my makeup properly

. I mean, unless i use toner (mind you i use an alcohol free one) i'll end up with makeup residue on my face because simply cleansing my face won't take off all my makeup. And that if anything will cause breakouts. Also, never in my life would i use soap on my face?! That must be the worst possible thing for your skin

I'm sorry, i don't want to be rude - but i really think you misunderstood my situation quite a bit

.. I've got five years experience of acne and have tried a so many different treatments and i've been to a dermatologist many times. Sure i could do Roaccutan but the side effects scare me

and i'm not sure i want to go through all that flakiness and dryness it'll cause. I'm just looking for something that could help my skin because i'm sick and tired of it.

 

[Lauren1981]

i think maybe you should take a look at the ingredients in any topical things you use (i know u said you don't use many but still) because sometimes it's a case where you might be allergic to something. like me, the ONLY thing i can use to wash my face is dove. i've upgraded to the dove cucumber melon scent. lol! but it's VERY gentle on my skin. i also use a toner and it's called Dickenson's witch hazel. only 2% of it is alcohol so it doesn't dry out your skin but it does leave it very soft. and for moisturizer i just use one from st. ives. it says something about collagen on the front but i don't remember the full name. and it's in a big jar.
i had HORRIBLE acne up until i was about 15 (i'm 27 now) but looking back on it i think it was only mild. what made it worse is that everytime i broke out, i freaked out and started throwing all this shit on my face from alcohol to peroxide to noxema to clearasil to neutrogena to all kinds of clay and peel off masks. you see all that shit i named??!! lol! i can't even believe i went that route.
and i'm not saying you're doing the same. you're actually a lot smarter about it than i was. my mom ALWAYS tried to make me go to the doctor but i refused mainly out of embarrassment.
i don't think eidetica (previous comment) was trying to be rude but i think the bottom line of her post was just to say that a lot of times we tend to think that if we do more to our skin, then it'll get clearer when in actuality (from my personal experience) it only irritates it and makes it worse.
so honestly, even with it being as bad as you say, i would do a really mild treatment. very mild soaps/cleansers, PLEASE TRY THE WITCH HAZEL, and a light moisturizer with little to no fragrance. but yeah, check the ingreds. i know with me, i'm so sensitive to calycic (or however the hell you spell it) acid and thats in A LOT of stuff and it used to break me out and make my skin really dry and almost had a burned feeling. alcohol is not good for the skin period. and peroxide just dries the hell out of it also.
hope i helped.....
i feel like i rambled......

oh. and for the scars. i would suggest starting to use a scrub every few days. i was told (by a lady at the skin doctor but wasn't actually a doctor) that scarring is a layer of dead tissue that can be scrubbed away. not scrubbed everyday tho because you can cause skin cell damage. i use a loofah thingy. not that soft puffy looking one. the one that looks like it got scraped off the ocean floor. i use that mainly on my knees and elbows but every few days i use it on my back for any old scars i've had and i do see a difference.
okay now i'm done

 

[ohnna-lee]

I never had adolescent acne but at 25 I was diagnosed with acne vulgaris. I didn't go to a doctor until it got really bad. By then I had the scarring and pitted skin. I was horrified by my skin and went to a highly recommended dermatologist. She put me on pills which didn't help but the topical solutions cleared my skin in a few years. Now it is only a few spots that I need to lighten, instead of the catastrophe all over my face.

She gave me Brevoxcly to lighten the dark spots.
And Retin A Micro which is a time release formula that renews your skin and gets rid of blemishes, it does dry out the skin but it will level out after a while of use, as long as you are disciplined in applications.

To remove my make up I use Dermalogica Pre Cleanse and their eye make up remover. I also use Dermalogica Prep Scrub to exfoliate gently everyday or every other day. Dermalogica also has a Micro Foliante that is very nice but I haven't used it in a while. It is a very gentle scrub with no abrasives that slough off dead skin.

I just recently got into using Mario Badescu Rolling Peel, which is a much kinder version of the Biore pore strips. You can get black heads out of your face and neck with a light application all over then you rub your face and it takes all the nasty stuff that was missed by regular cleaning.

I use Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel for my everyday face wash, they have three or four different types suited for different skin conditions.

I always wear sunscreen, and if I have had a bad run with the Retin A and the face is sensitive I stay out of the sun and avoid wetting the face as it triggers the medicine in the Retin A and will make you raw.

I know I probably forgot some stuff, but I hope this gives you some more options. Hang in there, it does get better with time and the right routine.

oh... and Mederma for scars will lighten the ones on your back.

 

[Makeupaddict88]

I had the same problem when I was younger. This is exactly what I did.

Eliminate soda if you drink it. Not only will you clear up your skin, you can lose weight too.

Also, I went through Avon for my skincare products. I got the Anew cream cleanser (it's called Anew resurfacing cleanser now) and I also got the Anew moisturizing cream. (I don't think they make my exact one now but they have a bunch you can choose from that are all equally good).

All I started doing was washing my face with the cream cleanser and then putting the moisturizer on right afterwards. My face cleared up within a week. I still use it and I haven't had any major breakouts since I've been using these 2 products. I also tried everything they had at drugstores, and nothing would clear up my skin AT all. I would give Avon a try, their products are great and they worked for me and a bunch of people at my moms work also.