# How did you defeat your adult acne? (



## Pepperminty (Jun 30, 2016)

Has anyone had really bad adult acne and actually gotten rid of it? I am seriously at a loss right now. I am 24 and have been fighting what I believe is hormonal acne for almost 2 years now and I am so tired  I feel like I have tried so many things short of Accutane and none have worked long-time. It all started when I had to switch birth control pills because my old brand wasn't being produced any more. The new pills made me emotionally unstable and gave me the worst acne of my life. When I was a teen I did have occasional breakouts, but this was different. I was getting at least 5 new nasty breakouts a day. After five months of this torture I went on a different pill and my emotions went back to normal but my skin pretty much stayed the same. I would look into the mirror every night and morning when I didn't have my makeup on and just cry at how disgusting I looked and how physically painful my breakouts were... 

Last November I had the mirena IUD inserted and stopped taking birth control pills. Within a few months my acne got much better, but it's still not great. I started getting facials and after the first 2-3 sessions my skin actually began to look semi-normal, but each session is so expensive and I just don't have the money to make it a regular thing. So now I'm 2 months out from my last session, and the break outs are coming back again. I'm SO frustrated. I am so diligent with washing my face, I clean my makeup tools after almost every use, and I wash my pillow every week and don't use the same face towel more than a couple times. I even went on a low-fat diet to see if that would clear my face up, but it seemed to make my skin even worse. 

I feel like I work so hard to be acne-free, while some of my friends do absolutely nothing and go to bed with full faces of makeup after a night out and have the freshest looking skin. I've been told that I should try cleaning my pillowcase and face towels every day, and to try to meditate more to relieve stress. I'll try it, but it is just so much work and at this point I doubt that it will have any effect whatsoever. I fear that I am going to have acne for the rest of my life  I could really use some stories of people (especially women) beating their persistent adult acne right now...


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## busybee (Jul 10, 2016)

I used to have really bad skin which I had for 10 years! I realised it was an allergy because I only got new spots after food and never got new ones over night. I started eliminating foods from my diet them bringing them back in. Eventually I realised that Dairy is the culprit! I have cut it out and my skin is perfect ! 
Could it be an allergy do you think? 

I use the oil cleansing method to clean my face, eat loads of avocados which have been great for my skin too and use tropic skincare. 


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## Pepperminty (Jun 30, 2016)

busybee said:


> I used to have really bad skin which I had for 10 years! I realised it was an allergy because I only got new spots after food and never got new ones over night. I started eliminating foods from my diet them bringing them back in. Eventually I realised that Dairy is the culprit! I have cut it out and my skin is perfect !
> Could it be an allergy do you think?
> 
> I use the oil cleansing method to clean my face, eat loads of avocados which have been great for my skin too and use tropic skincare.
> ...


It could be an allergy, I'm not sure where I would start to figure out what it could be though :/ But I do get new ones over night, constantly, so maybe not. 

I'll have to look up the oil cleansing. That doesn't make your breakouts worse?


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## Candy Apple (Sep 10, 2015)

@*Pepperminty* 

Did anything particularly stressful happen two years ago aside from a change in birth control pills? 

What are your meals and snacks like now and is it consistent?

About the pillowcase... it helps if you turn it over, if you don't do that already.

What is your acne like now? And how is your skin? Is it dehydrated, etc.?

What is your skincare regime like and what cleansing and moisturising products do you use?


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## Pepperminty (Jun 30, 2016)

Weekend said:


> @*Pepperminty*
> 
> Did anything particularly stressful happen two years ago aside from a change in birth control pills?


Not that I recall.. I graduated, but I wouldn't call it a stressful time. 



> What are your meals and snacks like now and is it consistent?


I currently eat mostly home-cooked meals like vegetable stirfrys with a grain like rice and quinoa or beans and peas. Sometimes pastas but I try not to eat pasta too much. For breakfast I usually have a banana smoothie or oatmeal with fruit. Snacks are variable, depending on what I have in my fridge/cupboard. I'll try to eat fruits but sometimes lose out to temptation by starchy or fatty foods. I could probably stand to eat less processed vegan foods (I don't eat animal products), but I definitely don't eat them on a daily basis. 



> About the pillowcase... it helps if you turn it over, if you don't do that already.


I'll try that. And maybe switch it out for a new one every other day..



> What is your acne like now? And how is your skin? Is it dehydrated, etc.?


Right now I'm healing from 3 of those nasty, deep red ones... I can already feel a couple more starting to come up. I have a bunch of smaller bumps along both of my lower cheeks and chin. My skin just looks red and inflamed.. I have combination skin with an oily T-zone and my cheeks and the skin around my mouth can get tight-feeling and dry. 



> What is your skincare regime like and what cleansing and moisturising products do you use?


So I'll try to take my makeup off as soon as possible if I know I won't be going out later. I use makeup remover wipes and then wash my face with a salicylic face wash gel. I use a soft spinning brush every other day. Then I use an oil-free moisturizer and eye cream when I'm finished. In the morning I use the face wash again and same oil-free moisturizer. Occasionally I'll use a hydrating face mask if my skin is feeling really inflamed.


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## busybee (Jul 10, 2016)

Pepperminty said:


> It could be an allergy, I'm not sure where I would start to figure out what it could be though :/ But I do get new ones over night, constantly, so maybe not.
> 
> I'll have to look up the oil cleansing. That doesn't make your breakouts worse?


The oil cleaning method is supposed to make the acne better. In a container mix 1/3 castor oil and 2/3 olive oil. Mix it up, then apply a small amount and rub it all over your dry face and neck. Use a flannel put under water as hot as you can stand, then put it on your face and leave it to go cold, repeat until all your face is done. If your skin is dryer use more olive oil, if more oily use more castor oil, the above ratio is a guide. 

I had an allergy test done at home to start with (it was cheap, through the post sort and only told me if I had an allergy, I had to pay more money to find out what I was allergic to, ) so I took my allergy confirmation letter to the doctors where they tested me again and apart from dust that all came back clear. So then I eliminated everything and started bringing it back in. I
s there a pattern to your spots coming? 

If I were you I would stop using the makeup wipes as they give both me and my daughter spots, try the OCM, have you been using the moisturiser for a long time? Also I forgot to mention, the dark pigment in makeup gives me spots too. Have you changed your makeup? 

I really feel for you, it's awful having bad skin, xx 


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## VeronicaHarris (Aug 17, 2016)

I think oil therapy would make the acne more worst.


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## busybee (Jul 10, 2016)

Apparently not ... Read up here 
http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/how-to-cleanse-with-oil




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## Vahyavishdapaya (Sep 2, 2014)

I have very mild acne wherever I shave, I think my skin is sensitive to razors or something


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## katemess (Oct 21, 2015)

First of all, have your hormones tested. It's a quick, comprehensive blood test. It's a quick way to eliminate or confirm your suspicions about hormones being the root cause. 

I broke out constantly on my cheeks etc. until I decided to stop taking a fish oil and evening primrose oil tablet that I had been taking for years. Immediately my skin began to clear up, and now it only mildly breaks out when I'm stressed. I haven't had a single big spot since I stopped. I figure I must be allergic to one of those pills (or both, though I suspect it's the fish oil). Allergies are huge, often overlooked, cause of skin problems. My friend had a dairy allergy which didn't present in any other way than in skin breakouts. It took her a long time to figure it out, but her skin is near flawless now. 

Try not to change up your skin routine too often, because it can upset your skin. And try to avoid taking too many different types of medication for it. Whatever you do, do _not_ take Doxycycline/Monocycline or any other kind of oral or topical antibiotic. Those things are the devil; they clear your skin up, give you false hope, work for 6 months and then stop overnight, causing worse breakouts than you've ever had previously.

Also, in reference to previous posts, the right kinds of oils are beneficial for your skin and won't break you out. I have used rosehip oil religiously for years and swear by it. It's certainly never negatively affected my skin.

This works for my skin (and is fairly inexpensive):
Morning:
- Wash face with just warm water on a washcloth
- Bioderma micellar cleansing water
- Either Nivea pure and natural moisturiser (if I'm staying indoors) or sunscreen (I like the Sunsense anti-aging face one, or any kind of baby/kid one; also, Lancome does a primer/makeup base with SPF50 and it's great but more expensive)

Night:
- QV _cream_ to take my makeup off (any cleansing oil/balm will work the same)
- Neutrogena extra gentle cleanser (use twice)
- Lush teatree toner
- Trilogy rosehip oil
- Nivea pure and natural night cream


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## janpers (Jul 10, 2016)

Keep a food and medication (including supplements) diary. Some things can take more than overnight to have an effect, for example a couple of days, or a week, so having a diary can make it easier to figure out patterns. It's also a good reference, so if you had a good week, you can look back and see what you did around that time.


From reading the posts above, there's one thing you mentioned that had an effect on you.



Pepperminty said:


> I even went on a low-fat diet to see if that would clear my face up, but it seemed to make my skin even worse.


It begs the question, to me, whether going on a higher-fat diet makes your skin better. You could do this temporarily as a food experiment, just to see whether it does or not.



busybee said:


> Eventually I realised that Dairy is the culprit! I have cut it out and my skin is perfect !





katemess said:


> My friend had a dairy allergy which didn't present in any other way than in skin breakouts. It took her a long time to figure it out, but her skin is near flawless now.


2 posts mentioning dairy. (For me, dairy is not a problem, but Parmesan cheese always makes me break out without fail. It's one of my favorite tastes, but I avoid it pretty much completely. To a lesser extent, chocolate and deep-fried foods, but that's just me.)



katemess said:


> I broke out constantly on my cheeks etc. until I decided to stop taking a fish oil and evening primrose oil tablet that I had been taking for years. Immediately my skin began to clear up, and now it only mildly breaks out when I'm stressed.


Another post for oil as having an effect, that happens to be for a negative effect. Different oils have different characteristics. kateness mentioned the oil cleansing method, and though it's used on the exterior, the method has two different oils with different properties doing different things. You could try including some lauric acid in your diet, mentioned on this website to combat acne. It's found in coconut, coconut oil, butter, and egg yolks. This is at least consistent with your observation that a low-fat diet seemed to make it worse. You could try it out for a few weeks and see what happens. (One website says that coconut oil used externally has been good for some people, but bad for others. Another says it's not worth the risk because it's potentially comedogenic.)

One last factor I'd like to mention is ratio. For some nutrients, it's not always more is better, but a ratio of that nutrient to some other nutrient that should be optimized. For example, if you have nutrient A and nutrient B and the optimum ratio for your body is 2 to 1, then depending on how much nutrient B you already have, you could use either more - or less - of nutrient A. It can get pretty complicated, which is why a food/medication/supplement diary would be a good reference to see what combinations of foods work for you.


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## Aridela (Mar 14, 2015)

I used to have very bad adult acne. 

Turns out I was allergic to *milk*. Once I eliminated it from my diet I cleared up completely within a couple of months. I still get the odd spot now and then but let's say my skin has never felt better. Almost like a baby's bottom


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## marblecloud95 (Aug 12, 2015)

see a doctor


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## Gossip Goat (Nov 19, 2013)

I know tazorac is for adult acne, maybe try that out.


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## MolaMola (Jul 28, 2012)

*GET ON ACCUTANE. SERIOUSLY. ASK YOUR DOCTOR. *

I had horrrrible acne in high school, and I literally tried everything including various antibiotics (tetracycline, minocycline, etc until I developed a resistance) and I went on accutance my freshman year of college. It sucks for the time you're on it but TRUST ME it fucking WORKS.

I have NEVER had an acne problem EVER AGAIN since going on accutane. I just had to do a course of it once and never again.


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## MolaMola (Jul 28, 2012)

Also Retin-A is really good, but Accutante will seriously cure you of severe acne. It was amazing, godsend, how well it worked.


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## camous (Jul 12, 2015)

Diet was really important for me so no dairy, avoiding grains and processed food, sugar and eating a lot of greens, you can make veggies juice and such. Also I have a very simple routine to wash my face, less is more, so take natural product like coconut oil and a mild cleanser and only wash at night and moisturize with coconut oil or other oils actually. Also i noticed kombucha helps


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## dragthewaters (Feb 9, 2013)

I'm still working on it. I have mostly closed comedones and occasional acne. My dermatologist just prescribed me tretinoin, but I have yet to try it out.

For the past couple of weeks I have been using Paula's Choice products -- 2% BHA liquid and 8% AHA gel. I use these every night and top with Andalou Naturals Revitalize Serum (it's basically an antioxidant serum that I use as a light moisturizer in the summer, as well as underneath a heavier moisturizer year round). I'm also using the CeraVe foaming facial cleanser in the shower as both a face wash and a makeup remover (not that I've really been wearing much makeup with the 90-degree weather).

Since I started using this routine my skin has actually gotten much worse. Once I got five pimples in one day. However this is considered to be normal because your skin goes through a purging stage after you start using BHA and AHA. Basically they exfoliate layers of skin, and all of the gross stuff that has been causing the closed comedones underneath the surface of your skin is brought to the surface, causing you to break out.

TBH I haven't been noticing much reduction in my closed comedones. I have only actively noticed one of them going away (the stuff inside dried up and fell out while I was doing my skincare regime one day) but it can take months for them to go away especially if they've been there for a long time. My dermatologist says she recommends the products I am using for these types of skin problems, but she did say not to use the AHA with tretinoin because it will be too much exfoliation for my skin. I think I'm only supposed to use the tretinoin twice a week or something.

Unfortunately I can't really cut out dairy because I'm a vegetarian and my morals and a healthy diet are more important to me than acne. But I am making substitutions for dairy in some situations. For example I changed the recipe of my morning protein smoothies to be vegan but it still has all the nutrition of the old recipe.

I barely even had acne as a teenager. I probably did have closed comedones but I didn't notice them or know what they were. It only started becoming noticeable for me two or three years ago.

The most annoying thing is finding makeup especially for the summer. I sweat a lot in the heat, so any cream or liquid product will be sweated off my face within the hour if I go outside. But any powder product will just make my closed comedones and fine lines even more noticeable. I have like extremely combination skin. It's VERY oily in the summer (although the BHA and AHA are keeping that under control to some extent now) and VERY dry in the winter (I have to moisturize at least twice a day or my skin will be itchy and painful).


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## kittenmogu (Jun 19, 2014)

Someone pointed out that I was making a really miserable face as I was reading your story, probably because I have my own experiences with feeling bad about my skin and trying so many things without end in sight. It's emotionally exhausting. I'm sorry that you're going through this. I'm not sure if anything I say will be helpful, but I'm going to be throwing out some thoughts about habits that I have, maybe they might be useful to you or someone else one day.

I sleep with rotating clean towels on my pillow so I don't have to wash my pillowcase for a fresh sleeping surface (so I end up with some towels that have touched my face, but I can still use for getting out of the shower). But I'm also generally neurotic about what's touching my face as I'm sleeping.

I don't wash my face every day, and when I do, it's with really gentle all-natural cleanser. I'll blot the oil using those little papers or use a gentle cleansing wipe (Aveeno) on days where I feel gross but don't feel like subjecting my skin to a stripping (lol). Putting this out there because products with benzoyl peroxide/salicylic acid always irritated and dried out my skin... sometimes even burned it. That stuff is so harsh on the surface. (*It sounds like your acne might have deeper roots*, under the skin, especially if it started with hormone changes and if manifests so painfully and viciously. I associate whiteheads and other little guys with more surface issues).

I've tried out some Korean beauty/cosmetic products and they are pretty nice. Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner is something I use once in a while. My BB cream is a 3-in-1 moisturizer, sunscreen, and foundation.

My acne was likely hormone and stress/sleep based and still is. It was the worst in my adolescence. I never had clear skin in my teens. But there was a lot out of my control and my own skin became my enemy! Such a hard way to live.


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## Twelve (Jul 23, 2016)

You should get traditional chinese medicine. Either herbal tea or acupuncture. I had acne for years and 20 days of herbal tea and I got ride of it. No second-side effects, but it was very gross to drink. In TCM they believe that there is different kind of acne caused by different organs that are unbalanced, so if you get some herbal tea they'll adapt it to your own case.


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## Blue Soul (Mar 14, 2015)

Decapitation. 

No, but seriously now. Take a look at your diet to see if there's something that could be changed for the better, and keep your skin clean before you go to bed. If everything else fails see a dermatologist.


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## Zster (Mar 7, 2011)

NewMango said:


> *GET ON ACCUTANE. SERIOUSLY. ASK YOUR DOCTOR. *
> 
> I had horrrrible acne in high school, and I literally tried everything including various antibiotics (tetracycline, minocycline, etc until I developed a resistance) and I went on accutance my freshman year of college. It sucks for the time you're on it but TRUST ME it fucking WORKS.
> 
> I have NEVER had an acne problem EVER AGAIN since going on accutane. I just had to do a course of it once and never again.



My response to Accutane was _not_ permanent, sadly. I lost my hair on the drug and have had significant (requiring medication) colonic side effects thirty years since. I ended up with pretty severe adult acne from my thirties on. ):


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## Zster (Mar 7, 2011)

OP, if all else fails, menopause might cure it. I had severe scarring acne as a teen into 20s, then cleared it with Accutane, only to get it again a few years later. Was not worth it, for me. Menopause cured me of the acne. I am having to use moisturizers on my face and hair now!

In the interim, a healthy diet (fruits, veggies, seed, nuts, whole grain, lean small meat portions) along with general cleanliness was my best bet. For "zonkers", I treated with Epiduo (prescription in US) with some success, and few side effects.

Realizing, now, how much hormone switching impacted it, I wish I had tried something along that line earlier, rather than suffering as I did.


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## Surreal Snake (Nov 17, 2009)

I cured it by diet. Stopped drinking pop and energy drinks. Stopped eating most processed foods and limit my sweets. Though I am a bit of an chocolate addict..


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## MolaMola (Jul 28, 2012)

Zster said:


> My response to Accutane was _not_ permanent, sadly. I lost my hair on the drug and have had significant (requiring medication) colonic side effects thirty years since. I ended up with pretty severe adult acne from my thirties on. ):


Oh yikes wtf. 0.o sorry to hear that

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## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

I had moderate, not really severe, so I can't speak for oral meds. At this point I am dealing more with "backne".. that's also improved, but there's the scarring from having it for a long time. 

What worked for my face was using a ceramide cleanser rather than soap, max strength (10%) benzoyl peroxide, and prescription antibiotic (Clindagel). This didn't give me much success until I kept to it every day. Salicylic acid products didn't seem strong enough, didn't work. 

Another thing that helped me is tea tree oil. (It is antimicrobial). The 100% oil has to be diluted - it's too strong and can irritate skin - but rather than using water, I diluted it to about 10% w/ witch hazel and a small amount of alcohol, then put it in a spray bottle.That's what seems to help my back (which is probably more similar to your problem), just haven't been consistent with it lately.

At this point, since most of it is gone (I still get a stray zit or two once in awhile), I just make sure to wash my face and use peroxide at least once a day where I usually break out. I just use a simple olive oil soap now since the ceramide cleansers are more expensive. But I think it worked better than soap for actively inflamed acne. Too much soap and scrubbing can actually make acne worse. I'm using the olive oil soap on my back too. I find it less drying/irritating. 



Tommy Vercetti said:


> I have very mild acne wherever I shave, I think my skin is sensitive to razors or something


I have this problem with my face, that's why I still keep to the routine. I think it's from irritation, like razor bumps (I get that too, but this seems like actual acne, and I clean the blades w/ alcohol so..). I can relate to the OP though, some people basically don't regularly wash their face, and don't have acne. Does the skin clean itself or what? lol.


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## L'Enfant Terrible (Jun 8, 2014)

Pepperminty said:


> Has anyone had really bad adult acne and actually gotten rid of it? I am seriously at a loss right now. I am 24 and have been fighting what I believe is hormonal acne for almost 2 years now and I am so tired  I feel like I have tried so many things short of Accutane and none have worked long-time. It all started when I had to switch birth control pills because my old brand wasn't being produced any more. The new pills made me emotionally unstable and gave me the worst acne of my life. When I was a teen I did have occasional breakouts, but this was different. I was getting at least 5 new nasty breakouts a day. After five months of this torture I went on a different pill and my emotions went back to normal but my skin pretty much stayed the same. I would look into the mirror every night and morning when I didn't have my makeup on and just cry at how disgusting I looked and how physically painful my breakouts were...
> 
> Last November I had the mirena IUD inserted and stopped taking birth control pills. Within a few months my acne got much better, but it's still not great. I started getting facials and after the first 2-3 sessions my skin actually began to look semi-normal, but each session is so expensive and I just don't have the money to make it a regular thing. So now I'm 2 months out from my last session, and the break outs are coming back again. I'm SO frustrated. I am so diligent with washing my face, I clean my makeup tools after almost every use, and I wash my pillow every week and don't use the same face towel more than a couple times. I even went on a low-fat diet to see if that would clear my face up, but it seemed to make my skin even worse.
> 
> I feel like I work so hard to be acne-free, while some of my friends do absolutely nothing and go to bed with full faces of makeup after a night out and have the freshest looking skin. I've been told that I should try cleaning my pillowcase and face towels every day, and to try to meditate more to relieve stress. I'll try it, but it is just so much work and at this point I doubt that it will have any effect whatsoever. I fear that I am going to have acne for the rest of my life  I could really use some stories of people (especially women) beating their persistent adult acne right now...


The moment I stopped giving a fuck they went away. Not completely but it's tolerable.


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## L'Enfant Terrible (Jun 8, 2014)

Zster said:


> My response to Accutane was _not_ permanent, sadly. I lost my hair on the drug and have had significant (requiring medication) colonic side effects thirty years since. I ended up with pretty severe adult acne from my thirties on. ):


Accutane gave me moderate hair loss as well. It's still much worse than it was before even 10 years after accutane. Also gave me some other health issues. Plus, it didn't even work that well for me. No wonder it was banned in most of Europe.


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## MolaMola (Jul 28, 2012)

L'Enfant Terrible said:


> Accutane gave me moderate hair loss as well. It's still much worse than it was before even 10 years after accutane. Also gave me some other health issues. Plus, it didn't even work that well for me. No wonder it was banned in most of Europe.


Dang, I'm sorry to hear you guys had such a horrible experience with it. I feel lucky but also guilty that it worked for me.

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## L'Enfant Terrible (Jun 8, 2014)

NewMango said:


> Dang, I'm sorry to hear you guys had such a horrible experience with it. I feel lucky but also guilty that it worked for me.
> 
> Enviado desde mi SM-G920V mediante Tapatalk


Do not feel guilty! It has worked for a lot of people with minimal side effects. I regret taking it as a teen though. I am now a medical student almost finishing studies and with what I know now I would have never tried it or recommended it for anyone, especially a hormonally imbalanced teen. 

My acne went away by itself. I'm nowhere near 100% clean. I have my good and bad days. But I like how I look and as I age up I grow more and more confident.

For everyone that's dealing with it I suggest going to a good dermatologist. To the untrained eye a lot of pustule and papules look like acne when they are in fact fungal infections or allergies. For those that have ruled fungal infection/allergies I suggest getting your hormonal levels checked (testosterone for starters), especially in women since the acne can be a side effect of a myriad of endocrine diseases. There are also people who naturally produce more sebum and that's normal. These people will have acne even when diet/hormones are ok. For these people Accutane usually works well (I do not recommend, take it on your own risk). If you have enough money there are also better options than Accutane - light therapy, lasers etc. The end result is the same as Accutane - basically kills your sebum glands. The mechanism of Accutane is unknown but the end result is apoptosis (death) of certain cells in the body ( aside from killing sebum glads cells Accutane also kills meibomian glands cells - these are like sebum cells for your eyes and it's what prevents your eyes from getting uncomfortable, dry and sick - that's why people on Accutane have dry eyes, and also it kills hypothalamic and hipocampic cells (there are brain areas vital to life). I did not make this up. Search for isotretinoin (accutane) scientific articles on the internet and see for yourselves.


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## Pepperminty (Jun 30, 2016)

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions! This past week I have been trying to be mindful of what is going on with my face, what I've been eating, how I've been feeling, what products I've been using... I stopped using my 2% salicylic acid face wash and switched with a gentler one. My face doesn't seem as dry and irritated which is a plus. I've been eating pretty clean, and I already don't consume any animal products so I don't think my acne is from what I'm eating. I'm trying extra hard to drink lots of water, not touch my face, and have been replacing my wash cloths and pillow after one use. I've noticed however, after sleeping on my right side I now have a couple new blemishes on my right cheek and I'm wondering if sleeping on my side/stomach is causing some of my breakouts, even if the pillow is newly washed. They aren't the deep, painful kind, thankfully, and will probably go away soon enough if I leave them alone. I've also been a bit stressed the past few days thanks to work, which may be another possible cause. 

If the new breakouts are indeed from sleeping on my side/stomach, that's kind of frustrating because thats the most comfortable sleeping position for me. I've tried in the past sleeping on my back, but usually cannot go to sleep and end up turning over on my side/stomach while I'm sleeping anyways.

It's been almost a year since I saw my doctor last, so maybe at my next checkup I'll ask about doing a hormone test and ask about possible food allergies/intolerances. Although to be honest, my doctor really wasn't much help last time and basically told me my breakouts are normal... I can tell you, this is NOT normal.. :/

As for Accutane, I've heard an equal number of good and bad stories. My best guy friend went on it a few years ago and it pretty much completely cleared up his cystic acne. However I've heard it can cause depression, and that it really isn't for women past puberty and sometimes doesn't even completely cure the acne. It's just not something I'm willing to risk my health on. 

I did put my name on a waiting list for a dermatologist who specializes in acne issues and is supposed to be really good, but the wait supposedly takes months so I don't know when I'll be able to see her. And then theres still the question of whether or not I'll be able to afford however many treatments she may think I need... But if she's as good as people say she is and helps me control my acne, I might just be ok with blowing all my money on treatments :/


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## MolaMola (Jul 28, 2012)

Pepperminty said:


> Thank you everyone for all the suggestions! This past week I have been trying to be mindful of what is going on with my face, what I've been eating, how I've been feeling, what products I've been using... I stopped using my 2% salicylic acid face wash and switched with a gentler one. My face doesn't seem as dry and irritated which is a plus. I've been eating pretty clean, and I already don't consume any animal products so I don't think my acne is from what I'm eating. I'm trying extra hard to drink lots of water, not touch my face, and have been replacing my wash cloths and pillow after one use. I've noticed however, after sleeping on my right side I now have a couple new blemishes on my right cheek and I'm wondering if sleeping on my side/stomach is causing some of my breakouts, even if the pillow is newly washed. They aren't the deep, painful kind, thankfully, and will probably go away soon enough if I leave them alone. I've also been a bit stressed the past few days thanks to work, which may be another possible cause.
> 
> If the new breakouts are indeed from sleeping on my side/stomach, that's kind of frustrating because thats the most comfortable sleeping position for me. I've tried in the past sleeping on my back, but usually cannot go to sleep and end up turning over on my side/stomach while I'm sleeping anyways.
> 
> ...


For what it's worth, I was definitely past puberty when I was on Accutane (age 18 or 19) and it literally changed my life. But I totally understand your reluctance. I did some research; it seems that the depression symptoms are actually not well supported by research. The study I read comparing Accutane vs Antibiotics had no difference in suicidal/depressive thoughts. They theorized that, since acne itself causes depression/psychological harm due to social factors, people with severe acne would have that in higher numbers aka more people in Accutane w/depression.

As for the IBS thing, I have no idea... I tried to look for some research studies super briefly but didn't come up with anything. Then again, I only searched for about 2 minutes. The one study I did find was for the depression bit.

The birth defect thing is 200% real though, and when I was on it my lips were CONSTANTLY chapped, etc. I mean it is super intense.

My apologies if you have already mentioned it: @Pepperminty, have you asked your MD for Retin-A? Retin-A is DEFINITELY safe and many people use it even without acne as it actually has anti-aging properties. Other than the antibiotics (which I eventually became resistant to), Retin-a is the other thing that worked really well for me.


I'm going to be honest with you, @Pepperminty : People here have given you good advice, but at least in my personal experience, having suffered with terrible acne etc, the constant facewashing, the acid stuff (stay awaaay from those, they damage your skin), changing pillowcases obsessively, even diet etc, yeah it might help some people but if you have a bad case I'm positive it's got something to do with your genetics.

Unless you are a super dirty person who eats Taco Bell and Skittles all day (which clearly you aren't), I seriously doubt anything other than medication is going to work. Although eating a super clean diet is a great idea too.. I just think ultimately all of these things I listed above that don't have to do with medications are just going to needlessly stress you out for a very minimal result if the issue is indeed genetics. 

So, I really think that seeing a specialist is a great idea. Be careful with general MDs...unless they're a specialist they often are not useful for specific things like acne (as you're discovering). You're unable to find one with your insurance though? 

KEEP IN MIND I AM NOT A DOCTOR, JUST SOMEONE WITH AN UNRELATED RESEARCH SCIENCE BACKGROUND BUT BASING THIS ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES


Re: birth control for acne. I tried that one (seriously I tried fucking EVERYTHING before Accutane). Protip: If you're worried about having crazy moodswings and depression be careful with birth control. X.x Yeah my acne went away while I was on it, but I also gained like 10 lbs in water weight and had random weeping spells. Also let's not forget the blood clot risk, etc... *shudders* Then when I got off birth control cuz the side effects were intolerable, it came right back. YMMV, however.


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## SummerHaze (May 18, 2016)

I went to beautician and made a few cleanings and peelings. Also she prescribed me Acnecycline pills. I found it in online store rxcoupons.org with a great discount. I have already seen how acne is disappearing.


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## Rose for a Heart (Nov 14, 2011)

I use this:

Detoxifying Black Cleanser - boscia | Sephora

And it's really good. It's expensive but it's worth it and it lasts you a while.


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## dawnriddler (Sep 14, 2016)

@Pepperminty Literally baby powder, they disappear in 2-3 days.


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## shameless (Apr 21, 2014)

That is easy I do not use product on my face when ever it can be avoided. (Even products marketed for face or acne). I actually do not wash my face directly like scrub. Just rinse in shower. 

My lil sis had a bad acne spell back when we were in highschool when she was brought into the dermatologist basically he told her to stop fucking with her face and switching chemicals around etc. And her diet she had to curb her sweet tooth a slight bit.

Grr I actually go round and round with my eldest daughter because she will not listen to me and leave her face alone. She keeps wanting to conceal instead of let be. Well not to sound like stuck up but my skin is aged decent and I totally attribute alot of that with not applying foundation daily and then rubbing harsh chemicals on my skin to clean it. Your skin actually needs some natural oils and it really messes with PH balance when one starts tampering with all that. Just rinse your face with normal water in the shower and leave it alone. Do not pick, do not conceal, just leave. If you have severe acne then you may need a dermatologist and medicated product which helps with ph levels. I do not recommend over the counter product tho for you face. My two cents.


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## Supplant3r (Oct 24, 2015)

I have found that changing your diet does help to some degree. In my opinion, the most important thing for getting rid of acne is just washing your face consistently and getting enough sleep. When I was in high school, I used stuff like proactive and other facial scrubs, but that stuff never really worked for me. (I also used some sort of an antibiotic or some sort of hydrate substance in a pill that was supposed to dry my face out, but that didn't work either) Over the last few months though, I have just used an exfoliating scrub and washed my face and my acne has really cleared up. Although, I have also gotten really serious about fitness and health I'm recent months. I am now fasting, eating a bit cleaner, consuming less sugar, and working out. I'm pretty sure that all of that has factored into my acne clearing up.


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## Broc13 (Sep 13, 2016)

sweat as much as possible to flow out the pores and then Shower before the ache causing bacteria takes hold. I worked for a moving company and sweat to the point I was drinking 3 gallons of water a day... My skin liked this. A sauna might do the same.


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