Acne sufferers?

[KC-Blu-Eyez]

Anybody else suffer from acne? I do and it makes my SA ten times worse! I use proactiv and it works well for me but I recently ran out and couldn't get anymore because I have to order it online and it takes awhile so I've been using crap like neutrogena which doesn't work for me.

Last week I went Christmas shopping and ran into my brothers girlfriends sister who I've never met before. She recognized me from pictures on facebook. As she was saying hi and all that stuff she kept staring at me. I was like OK maybe she just wants to get a good look at me or thinks I look like my brother. I knew my face was breaking out at that time but weird enough I didn't think that was what she was looking at. So a couple of days later my brother comes home and gives me a bag with proactive in it and say it's from his girlfriends sister. WOW! I felt like total crap. I don't know if he told her I use it while having a conversation or what but I felt terrible.

Do you think I'm making to big a deal out of it? My sister says I am and that maybe my brother just told her I use it and she had some to give away. I wish I didn't have it at all another freaking hurdle in my life to deal with.

[Want2Bconfident]

I can see why you feel the way you do, but don't worry trying to read too much into it, I mean its really unlikely that that girl would have gone out of her way to spend money buying some of this product just for you when she doesn't really know you, almost certainly she had some of that product and maybe doesn't need it and so she won't be thinking really bad or nasty things if she had spots too. Its probably a nice gesture and she understands how much it sucks to have bad skin.

I used to get a lot of spots when I was in my late teens, I hated it so much, I felt so awkward and uncomfortable face to face with people as I hated people looking at my spots. I stopped eating chocolate and bought a sun lamp and that worked wonders, it really dried out my skin and gave me a bit of a tan and the spots went, I've hardly had a spot since. Maybe its coincidence about the sun lamp, but I'd definitely recommend it just incase it wasn't.

[Grim619]

Maybe your brothers girlfriends sister goes through the same acne thing and knows it works. Coulda been that she was just trying to help you out. Most women care about appearance and some even like to help others

[bheslop]

I have suffered from acne my entire teenage life. It also makes my SA worse. I have used everything, and the only thing that worked was accutane. The drug is very serious and not recommended for people with depression because it sometimes causes it however i didnt notice any. I stopped taking it a year ago and i still have breakouts but no where near as much. Honestly she was probably just reaching out to you. I lived in another country fro a year with serious acne and noticed how bold and open people were in letting me know i had acne, it sucked. However they were not making fun of me they were trying to help me. take a look at people around you. Just about everyone suffers from acne at some time in their life. We see our own acne as worse when it really is not. I have many people i know who have acne that i would have never noticed had it unless i did myself. Good luck with it!

[KC-Blu-Eyez]

Yeah my mom said I should get accutane but since I have anxiety and depression I don't think that's a good idea. It sucks having acne though it's bad enough being anxious around people then having to worry about your face is even worse.

[pita]

If you don't want to try accutane, try retin-a. It's like topical accutane, so you don't get those crazy side effects.

[Kush]

who cares about the side effects accutanes worth it caus it works for %99 of the people

[xboxfreak]

I've had acne since I was a teenager. I can sympathize with you. It sucks and makes SA much worse. I have avoided going to classes before because of my acne. It also makes me quite depressed at times. I wish I could find something that works. I have been through so many treatments and nothing works consistently. I have not tried accutane because of bad side effects like depression and once you go off your acne may come back. Is clear skin worth bad depression (since I may already be predisposed to depression)? For me I don't think so but I know accutane works for a lot of people and maybe someday I will breakdown and try it.

It sucks when people bring acne up. One person told me not to eat certain food because it would make me breakout. I think he was trying to help, but it was kinda hard to take. Another friend was talking about a girl to me and said she was cute. Then he saw her closer and started talking about her weird acne. I was thinking is he really talking to me about this (since I have acne)? Some people are quite insensitive and don't realize how bad they come off.

I wish people would realize that you cannot just use soap and water and expect never to have acne. People seem to think those with acne are unclean. This could not be further from the truth. I take better care of my skin than most of my friends with clear skin and yet I still get acne. Plus I take tons of supplements that are supposed to be good while they don't.

Hopefully we will grow out of it someday.

[Grim619]

Originally Posted by xboxfreak

I've had acne since I was a teenager. I can sympathize with you. It sucks and makes SA much worse. I have avoided going to classes before because of my acne. It also makes me quite depressed at times. I wish I could find something that works. I have been through so many treatments and nothing works consistently. I have not tried accutane because of bad side effects like depression and once you go off your acne may come back. Is clear skin worth bad depression (since I may already be predisposed to depression)? For me I don't think so but I know accutane works for a lot of people and maybe someday I will breakdown and try it.

You kinda get depressed because of it but you can take something that will get rid of it that may cause depression. If your depression isn't hideously bad you should at least try it. May boost your self esteem to counter the depression.

[xboxfreak]

Originally Posted by Grim619

You kinda get depressed because of it but you can take something that will get rid of it that may cause depression. If your depression isn't hideously bad you should at least try it. May boost your self esteem to counter the depression.

Yeah I see what you are saying. I am already on the SSRI Celexa which has helped my minor depression and helped quite a bit with my SA. I may talk to my doctor in a month or two if my acne still hasn't cleared up (hope it will but that's kinda doubtful). I'd just like to avoid something (if possible) that may play with my brain receptors.

[nightwalker]

my acne got cleared up for a year when i was using proactiv. but then i stopped for a few months, and it came back again. and when i tried using proactiva again, i got an allergic reaction. so now i have a lot of acne. not a lot, but some BIG ones lol

[mypasswordneverworks]

have you been to the dermatologist? I had two pages printed out at the pharmacy of acne meds I went on that never worked well. I finally went on accutane and it changed my life. It's an extreme drug, but there are many other options at the doctor if you have less severe acne. Proactive, according to my dermatologist, wasn't much more effective that things you buy at walmart. You have to go after the source in your body, not just rub stuff on your face.

Acne is so terrible for people. People look at you as if you don't wash your face enough and that is totally not what causes it at all.

I think they were trying to help you even though it was hurtful.

[CrumbsInTheBed]

I can't quite understand why some members here would dismiss accutane so hastily without trying it and even after reaching a point desperation with regards to their skin. I know when I had bad acne I would have damn near cut off a body part if it meant my face would clear up. Why suffer if you don't have to? If acne is causing you severe mental distress, I think you owe it to yourself to take the necessary steps in resolving the issue. I, as well as three of my closest friends (former friends) have all taken the drug with resounding success, and not one of us experienced any negative mental side effects whatsoever.

Personally, I'm very skeptical about claims of accutane causing depression or suicidal ideation. In 2000 there was an incident where the son of a U.S. house member committed suicide while taking the drug, and it is my belief (along with many others) that his father was simply looking for a scapegoat to explain the situation, whether to others or for his own mental comfort. It goes without saying that the vast majority of people taking accutane are teenagers... with acne. Teenagers, especially those with acne severe enough to be treated with accutane, are already much more likely to be depressed and contemplate suicide then the general population. Accordingly, it is inevitable that sooner or later someone taking accutane is going to commit suicide, and thus the controversy.

I suppose I'm probably preaching to the choir here though, as I would think that any person who has truly reached rock-bottom because of their skin would have already exhausted the option of accutane. But, if not, I implore anyone who has not been helped by other methods to at least give it chance. I know what it's like to keep trying all these crappy treatments day in and day out without seeing real results, continuing to use them for fear only that if you stop your skin might regress to an even more unbearable level. I must admit though, in the end, accutane really has had a significant effect on my mental state, making me happier and more confident as a result of no longer having acne.

[toaster ovens]

Originally Posted by xboxfreak

It sucks when people bring acne up. One person told me not to eat certain food because it would make me breakout. I think he was trying to help, but it was kinda hard to take.

It does suck. In tenth grade while outside of a store, I had a complete stranger walk up to me and tell me I should stop eating chocolate and drinking soda so that my skin would clear up. I didn't do either of those things then! It was really embarrassing.

I've been on Accutane twice with no luck. The second time I took it I became really depressed and would spend days sobbing, so they reduced my dosage and put me on an anti-depressant. I also had some brain swelling issue the first time around.
That said, I'd consider trying it one last time if I can't get rid of it on my own in the next year or two. Though I hear now you practically have to sign your life away (if you're a female)!

[Cerberus]

I had extreme acne for around ten years, starting when I was 12. I had pimples all over my face, my arms, my back, and my chest. Then, I used accutane around two years ago for six months, and I hardly get acne anymore. I only get a few pimples here and there. I don't even think or worry about acne anymore. I tried way too many acne medicines before accutane. The only thing that really worked effectively was accutane. Actually, accutane was more like a cure for me, since the amount of pimples I get nowadays is negligible. Amazing stuff.

[styler5]

I graduated hs 2 years ago and still have acne problem. I take isotretinoin instead of using proactiv. It's not good for the liver and makes my lips severely chapped, but it works way better than proactiv.

[Drew]

Acne is something I've dealt with since I was 16.

Some things I've learned along the way:
- Diet *does* matter, despite what a dermatologist may tell you. They are basing their "diet doesn't matter" opinion on a couple old, flawed studies. For more info on this, check out The Clear Skin Diet: http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Skin-Die.../dp/1581825749
- Whenever I eat cheese, I get acne. It's inevitable. It's either the hormones or my allergy to casein protein. Regardless, if I eat a lot of cheese I will get acne.
- Different treatment regimes work for different people. Don't give up it trying new things out until you find something that works for you, even if that includes trying different dermatologists.

What's worked for me:
As an adult, I have my acne under control now, but will still get it when I eat poorly, most often, it's when I eat too much sugar or cheese, usually over a couple days in a row. Otherwise, the combination of using a Clarisonic brush with a salicylic acid wash (to clear away dead skin) and applying Duac Gel (benzoyl peroxide AKA BP, plus an antibiotic which takes care of the cystic acne) plus a moisturizer every morning and night keeps acne away.

It took me a while to find this "winning" combination and at first it felt like a hassle to do twice every day, but boy is it worth it. Now, it's a habit just like brushing me teeth and I know I have control over my acne. When I do get it, I know it's because of a change in my diet.

I've found Acne.org to be the best source of information on acne, especially their treatment reviews section:
http://www.acne.org/rate.php

[IllusionOfHappiness]

I agree that diet definitely factors in - at least for some people. Sugar or fast food overdoses do it for me. At least it helps me stay out of the unhealthy foods
Excess oil, sweat, makeup...are all going to make you break out. I switched to oil free concealer.

Diane-35 and Proactiv have helped immensely. If I get anything now it's maybe one random zit.

Your sister is probably right, by the way.

[Derekgnr]

Acne ruined my life. I tried just about everything except accutane. I know it wouldn't work anyway. I just have the worst skin you can possibly have. It's in my blood. I will have it my whole life. All I can do is try to control it the best I can. I get it all over me. And I have really bad scars too.

[copper]

Originally Posted by CrumbsInTheBed

Personally, I'm very skeptical about claims of accutane causing depression or suicidal ideation. In 2000 there was an incident where the son of a U.S. house member committed suicide while taking the drug, and it is my belief (along with many others) that his father was simply looking for a scapegoat to explain the situation, whether to others or for his own mental comfort. It goes without saying that the vast majority of people taking accutane are teenagers... with acne. Teenagers, especially those with acne severe enough to be treated with accutane, are already much more likely to be depressed and contemplate suicide then the general population. Accordingly, it is inevitable that sooner or later someone taking accutane is going to commit suicide, and thus the controversy.

That was Bart Stupak's son. He represents the district I live in.