Am i THE only one here with PIMPLES aka ACNE?

[p0ntif]

I had bad acne for several years, was on antibiotics a lot. they kinda helped, but not much, sveral medicated cremes etc. Went on accutane for 6 months. Cleared up and never had a problem again, that was about 3 years ago. My self confidence has never been so great. my only regret is that i didn't get on it sooner.

Note that there is a HUGE list of side effects from this medicine. the only one i expreienced was dryness of skin (and i mean severe dryness, especially during the winter (get lots of chapstick)). Also, the sun will burn you very nicely while on this medication, saty out of the sun, you become very sensitive to it. at least i did. but hey, its worth it.

It has worked so well, i don't even wash my face anymore, i use regular bar soap on it in the shower in the morning, and that;s all that's needed. Never used to do that before

 

[gopunk]

yup, you're the only one.

 

[Jerboy]

<< If anyone who is less fortunate like me suffering from the bacteria that causes Pimples/Acne, pls offer your advice here, thnks.

Any shelf or professional brand cream that effectively kills and helps prevent pimples would help me alot.

Facial wash etc...

and lastly, all my previous pimple scars... anyone know how to deal with it?

Pls no plastic surgery or expensive extensive surgery/facial uplift.

THnks again! >>




Take a look at my collection of zit meds

Obviously Accutane works the best. Zapzyt worked pretty good for me compared to Cleocin.

 

[geekybear]

if your acne is bad enough to leave scars on your face and it's not responding to treatment, you should most definitely look into accutane. after going through everything except the zapit on jerboy's list (you forgot the azelex and retin a) i went through two rounds of accutane (the first didn't take) and now rarely get acne. if i do get a few pimples, they're now very small and only last 1-2 days tops. the treatment is not bad, but you'll have to apply moisturizer religiously and have some chapstick with you at all times. also, if you decide to go this route, switch to a mild soap that is NOT antibacterial (ie: Neutrogena, Basis) and use a moisturizer (Cetaphil-USE THIS) that's oil free and nonmedicated.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

thank god i'm not a whiteboy. No acne here. I also keep myself in good shape and eat good food so that helps too i guess. I still use the neutrogena deep facial clean stuff every night too, just to keep my face clean.

 

[freemanteo]

one of the problems for me is i'm not a whiteboy..... i come from a country with only one season~ SUMMER 365/yr. So it is hot and humid all day long..... i sweat alot and my swaet glands, oil glands produces too much and blocks the pores and etc.....

I just came to America a yr ago!

 

[conjur]

I was on accutane in my late teens and it really dried up my skin...too much. My lips peeled a lot and I also felt fatigued. I got tired of that (and the regular blood tests) and stopped taking it.

I just tried that infomercial stuff, Proactiv. It's too early to tell much it seems to be helping (my biggest problem is my nose/back of neck/and middle of my back - very oily skin). You have to use the stuff religiously and it can be a little expensive (I basically need double the supplies because of the larger area - no, not just my nose

 

[hans007]

i stopped eating fried foods, stopped drinking soda, i wash my face enough, and i have taken accutane (That helped a lot, but even accutane they said it would come back occasionally a little).


so well, my acne is pretty good, except when i'm under a lot of stress, like this past finals week. oh well, it'll go away eventually, i'm lucky mine doesnt leave permanent scars, it just leaves redness that takes a long time to heal, but does heal eventually.

 

[Sir Fredrick]

Yeah, stress definitely makes it worse...I've got a lot more zits right now because it's finals week. speaking of which, I have a final in a few minutes. eek.

 

[Justin218]

My buddy took accutane for awhile, and he was a different person while on it, all depressed and sh!t like that

 

[zeeb]

yah showering helps

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

I have a horrible shoulder / back acne problem... my Dr. gave me a $hitload of creams and antibiotics to use. Next up is Accutain.

I feel your pain, bro...

 

[Lucky]

Am i THE only one here with PIMPLES aka ACNE?


I hear a guy named russ has some experience with pimples.

 

[HappyFace]

<< Am i THE only one here with PIMPLES aka ACNE? >>

Don't listen to the rest of them. You are obviously the only person who has Pimples aka Acne - therefore you are a loser, and I am leaving now because I do not want to be associated with your dirty kind. I am a Diamond member and have uber clean finger nails - you must respect me.

By the way, try this stuff. It's worked wonders for ... uh ... my friend's hamster.

 

[HappyFace]

.

 

[damac]

im dealing with a terrible case of acne and infectionof the hair follice right now. I not only get zit type breakouts all over my forehead, and neck, but on my body its a constant cycle of large suckers. I get them on my arms, trunk, legs andit sucks bad.

I don't have a family history of any skin problems. im 26 now and it started at 24 and progressed until I saw a derm months ago. I go in every 2 months to checkup on the pills and washes and topicals Im using but nothing is clearing up.

I just got some bloodwork done and call next week for the results to check everything and prepare for my only hope accutane.

Unfortunately for me I have literally let it ruin my life. I don't leave the house and family is patient with me. I have a failed business that im liquidating now and money problems all because of my skin. I just don't care and can't manage to leave the house until the stuff lets up. So I have no social life either.

Im amazed at how little medical science can do for people. I don't have it as bad as many but all the body stuff scars and I have some scars on my forehead and the breakouts don't stop. some are painfull when they get agitated in real life.


Its impossible for me to get over it and not be stressed though because I feel like I can't function in the real world. How can I go get a real job and socialize with breakouts all over me, even my arms? I have to cover up with clothes so I don't scare anybody and wear a hat. It just looks like some terrible disease to people who don't know.

its messed up its so out of my control also. I eat very healthy daily and only snack like once/week and get my exercise in.

 

[unclebud]

no
and tried tetracycline and retin-a already?
good luck

 

[Jerboy]

If you can, get a Dermatologist to give you a prescription for Benzamycin, its Benzoyel Peroxide and some Antibiotic together. Worked great for me.


Thats the white jar in far right in my pic. It has to be refrigerated, loses its potency in 90 days and its raw price is surprisingly high at $125.

 

[freemanteo]

i wish not to resort to taking Accutane cos i hate medicines that have side-effects. Retin-A is pure vitamin A, right?

it may be good for maintaing or making a person look younger, but i doubt if it will help to fight and prevent acne.
i may be wrong!

So no cheaper stuffs? I am using clearasil creme with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide. not too good!

My pimples are not so bad, just that i know it is because i donot have enough sleep that causes the breakouts. And my scars are from my younger days when my hands are dirty and i kept sqeezing the zits till they burst and etc...

 

[p0ntif]

for your information, there is no medication without side effects. Retin-A has side effects, it dries your skin out, as do many acne fighting medications. Asprin thins the blood, do you take that? Tylenol can degrade your liver and kidneys, do you take that? Alcohol works your heart, kidneys and liver, and brain. Living in a pollutted area can have effects on your lungs, as can living in older homes. Just so you know, merely living in a specific area can cause 'acceptable' health risks. Accutane is a temporary medication plan which will ameliorate your condition in the long-term, and any side effects are temporary. Abstaining from medication due to insignificant temporary side-effects is absurd.

 

[veryape]

Oh yes, I have suffered this cursed bacteria and I know what it can do to your self esteem and your life in general.

All you can do is try whatever the doctor prescribes and roll with the punches, it does go away for the most part. I still get the occasional acne outbreak and I am twenty-eight years old. It doesn't even phase me anymore and I have a gorgeous girlfriend so who cares anyhow, if you are good looking acne won't hurt you too much in the looks department. It will give you character. I know you don't want to hear that right now but take it from someone who has suffered with severe cystic acne, it's not the end of the world.

I know you said you didn't want to hear about any operations or anything like that but the medical field has made some huge steps in the last couple of years. No longer is it dermabrasion where they sand your face with a wet sander basically. No No, now they actually use a laser and you go in for numerous laser treatments that are very unintrusive. I have not done this yet but am seriously considering it as I have a friend who did it and the results are miraculous, so don't rule it out, it's not even surgury.

Good Luck,
John-Paul

 

[freemanteo]

thnks for the info... i seldom take asprin, i donot take Tylenol and i donot drink alcohol.

if the only side effect is dry skin i can live with that... but if it causes lots of other complications as mentioned by some members, i hope to stay away from that unless that is my last resort!

 

[iamshady]

I can totally sympathize with you, I used to be really bad until I started using Neutrogena Acne Wash. Ever since then I've had a clear face and I noticed if I go a day without using it atleast twice I get a bad break out. Also as others have stated, try to refrain from touching your face if you haven't cleaned your hands, breakouts usually develop around those areas.

 

[veryape]

Oh BTW, don't bother with anything over the counter because it's all useless garbage aimed at the misfortunate and uninformed teenagers who are willing to do anything and spend any amount to get rid of the curse of acne. The only thing that works is washing your face with non-astringent soaps, and not too frequently because that just irritates your face and makes acne worse, so only wash your face twice at the most a day. I only wash my face once a day when I shower. Also, go to a doctor and use prescribed meds like acutane because those medications work wonders, but remember, nothing sold over the counter works and will likely actually make it worse, but if you don't believe me try it, you will see very quickly that it does not work and makes it worse. It's a sad fact that so many companies are willing to take advantage of the uninformed.

On a side note, if any over the counter stuff does work for you, it's because you don't wash your face and it's acting as a face clothe. If you wash up you have no need for that crap. All it is is peroxide and alcohol, which are irritants.

 

[digme]

I know the solution, it's called Five In One or GF!!!

NOT FROM EXPERIENCE!