It can happen.

 

There are a wide range of physical health problems that can cause or exacerbate (my favorite word of late, for some reason) social isolation. If it's a long-term or chronic issue, that isolation from people could "condition" your brain to avoid or be anxious around other people, even long after the physical aliment has cleared up--- and lead to SA.

 

We're all different, but for me acne wasn't ever a trigger for SA.

What you describe sounds a little bit like body dysmorphic disorder. Basically, BDD is a mental condition that causes people to obsesses over minor imperfections.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder

 

hmmmm that's very interesting. i've never even heard of BDD, but that's really interesting. i don't think i have that, just because my situation is not as severe as the criteria on that link, but it's still something i'm gonna bring up with the therapist next time we meet...thanks for mentioning that. oh and James--- thanks for your input, too. ciao.

-Gianluca

 

I've had SA most of my life. I agree that acne can make it worse. At one point, my face was covered in acne. Around age 20. I felt really self-conscious, that my face looked gross. I felt embarrassed talking to people, because I knew they could see my face. Plus, I didn't see that many girls my age with acne, especially serious acne like I had. I felt alone.

I got a prescription medicine from my doctor, BenzaClin. It was a topical cream. Boy, did it work wonders! My face cleared up in a couple of weeks. I felt so grateful. Before my acne problems, I really took clear skin for granted. Not anymore.

I used the cream for about a year, and I think my hormones must have balanced out or something, LOL, because I don't have acne anymore. I stopped using the cream, and besides the occasional pimple or two, I have nice clear skin. It's about time! I'm glad that phase of my life is over.

 

I see signs of SA to my new friend, not that sure though.. and acne is the main reason of her being withdrawn to people...

 

i feel like my SA combined with the acne is just turning into a whole bunch of shi t .... BDD (body dysmorphic disorder) and makin everything soooo much worst. i never had socially impeding anxiety until the acne

 

I've had acne since 7th grade, but it was the worst in high school. I do think it is one of the contributing factors to my SA. Now that I've graduated, many of the previous pressures that were present in high school have gone away, so I've been quite a bit less socially anxious. I still have SA, though, not quite as severe.

 

Acne makes my SA 10x worse.

I take two different topical meds, an antibiotic, and lots of fish oil to remedy the situation and I have pretty good skin.

 

I have to use Rx acne medication, too. What kind do you use, Chris? I use Retin-A Micro 0.1%

 

Just one pimple is enough to ruin a social day for me. I cannot go out unless i've got some of this makeup stuff on it. It definitly makes SA worse, and i don't have a real bad case of acne, just stubbornly persistent blemishes. I used Neutrogena healthy skin cream-powder, it goes on evenly and looks like i'm not wearing any and is said to even improve your skin. I don't normally wear makeup unless i'm going out/special occassions, but i do notice that that kind didn't aggravate my skin and looked completely neutral. I think i'll keep it. I have alot of OCD-ishness about my physical, it's a source of stress for me daily, afraid if i might not look attractive, i would take scrutiny or any rude comment very personally, so i've become almonst perfectionist about it. It's really annoying.

 

Hi korey,
I'm taking 200mg of minocycline, and benzaclin and tazorac .1% topically.

 

Didn't really affect me. I had sa before and after having bad acne.

 

Hi korey,
I'm taking 200mg of minocycline, and benzaclin and tazorac .1% topically.

I was on 100mg of minocycline per day for a while, and it worked really well along with my Retin-A Micro, but it started killing off the good bacteria in my GI system, so I had to stop taking it.

My dermatologist gave me a sample of Tazorac to use one time, but all it did was make my face oily. Retin-A Micro is much more effective for me.

My derm. also suggested Benzaclin to use together with Retin-A Micro interchangeably, but I didn't want to do that because...well, it was just getting to the point of being silly :b

I did eventually get a prescription for clindamycin topical gel, however. It worked well with my Retin-A Micro. I ran out of it quite a while ago, however, and haven't refilled it since. I'll just stick with the RAM.

Word of warning: Once you stop taking any antibiotic for acne, your acne will come rushing back, probably worse than before. It sucks, I know. :|

Have you considered going on Accutane? My dermatologist suggested Accutane from our first appointment, but my mother wouldn't let me get on it because it's incredibly expensive (For comparison, it costs about the same as most of the newer atypical antipsychotics :sigh)

 

i had severe cystic acne. it was at its peak from ages 17-21. (im almost 29 now).

i now have disfiguring acne scars. that isnt an over statement. my scarring is severe.

acne certainly didnt cause my deppresion or anxiety. but as someone else said, it makes it a lot worse.

im currently taking doxycycline.

 

YES! Acne definately heightens my SA. And no, I do not suffer from BDD.

I've fought acne for about 3 years now being in my late 20's. I use ProActive but went off it for about 4 months just to see if less harsh products would work. Others didn't work and my skin went from good to bad. During that time I hardly wanted to leave the house - depression really set in. I felt ugly and less than anyone I encountered. I recently went back on ProActive and it's looking good - and so is my self-esteem - it is much easier to be out and about.

 

I can't even begin to tell you how much acne has royally screwed me... and I won't.

 

YES!

Its winter now where I am, and I don't have acne but my skin has turned pasty and I'm getting annoying outbreaks around my nose and chin. It has just ruined my confidence completely. I need the sun and surf back so I can clear my skin up and get a nice tan.

The hands down worst thing ever is catching your reflection in the mirror of a cosmetics department. Whenever I walk into the local department store I have to go through the cosmetics department and I stare at the ground until I'm well and truly out of there because I'm deathly afraid I'll catch my reflection in a mirror.

 

My dermatologist gave me a sample of Tazorac to use one time, but all it did was make my face oily. Retin-A Micro is much more effective for me.

My derm. also suggested Benzaclin to use together with Retin-A Micro interchangeably, but I didn't want to do that because...well, it was just getting to the point of being silly

I did eventually get a prescription for clindamycin topical gel, however. It worked well with my Retin-A Micro. I ran out of it quite a while ago, however, and haven't refilled it since. I'll just stick with the RAM.

Word of warning: Once you stop taking any antibiotic for acne, your acne will come rushing back, probably worse than before. It sucks, I know.

Have you considered going on Accutane? My dermatologist suggested Accutane from our first appointment, but my mother wouldn't let me get on it because it's incredibly expensive (For comparison, it costs about the same as most of the newer atypical antipsychotics)

So far I like tazorac. I like benzaclin too but it's a little bit high-maintenance; it leaves a funny residue that is easily rubbed off. It works pretty well though, if I stick to the regimen.

I'm supposed to go down to 100mg of minocycline and I started that yesterday. I've thought about accutane but I think it would be too harsh for me, and anyway I think I have things under control with what I'm taking. Mostly.

 

I've had acne off and on since the fourth grade!!! I'm 33 now, and still have breakouts. Fortunately, I can wear makeup to mask the pimples, and luckily, I don't have pock marks.

I think that many things can make SA worse, such as having acne, being overweight, and having any other attribute that makes one feel self-conscious (having a large nose, etc.).

I guess the challenge is to have enough going on in one's life - such as relationships, hobbies, and purposeful work - that these imperfections don't seem as important. I know that's easier said than done.

 

For years I had bad cystic acne, which definitely made my SA a lot worse. Now that my skin is almost clear, I am much more comfortable with my appearance.

 

correlation and causation

I observe that acne and SA seem to correlate. The most anxious people I know also have bad skin, self included.

Also, when my skin is at its worst, SA is at its worst. When I look good, I gain some serious self-confidence and SA is visibly reduced.

Going on second round of Accutane next month, hopefully.

 

Yes, acne has caused me some very depressing days. I had horrible acne starting at 13 and obsessed over it. I felt horrible and would just try to get through the school days so I could go home and not be around anyone except for my family.
I continued to be treated topically for it. Years went by and I was prescribed medicines (not naming any) but finally had to take the most potent of them all. My acne went away for about 10 years with only a flare up on occasion.

But back to the middle school and high school days- I had a bully in my class that would yell out things at me. He literally called me "ZIT". It was horrible. I did not know what to do. I was ashamed of my face and was shy. It seemed he would always say
Hello, Zit as we were entering the school each day.

It hurt my self esteem so much. I was in pain every day all day. I would go home, attempt to do my homework, and cry.

Well, the bully got acne about 3 years later and I remember him being really upset about it.
I never said anything to him about it because I am not that type of person.

I have some scarring from the acne. It reminds me of the worst days I had.

A lot of people have this problem. I think I had acne pretty bad, but I am also very sensitive and made it worse by thinking negative thoughts.

 

Sunny Day, I am sorry to hear about your story. However, your worst days are behind you, as are mine. That's a reasurring thought, to know that the worst days of our lives are probably passed.

How are you doing now? For my skin topicals are also ineffective; in fact, using no products at all is more effective than even the gentlest products. So, the two things that work best for me are 1) doing nothing about my skin, washing face 1x day with only water and 2) Accutane.

 

I started breaking out when I was 11. I'm 20 now, and still fucking have it! :x What worries me the most is that it will never go away. Today at the dentist, I noticed that the receptionist had acne and acne scarring. I'd say she was in her mid to late 40's too. I will kill myself before I reach 40 if I still have acne. Suffering just a decade has had me consider the option many times. It has really worn me down... more than SA. In fact, I'm positive my SA would be cured if I my acne was. I have so many scars on inside and outside, that I think people look at me, look at my acne, and know why I am, the way I am. Why couldn't I have had some other disease that isn't on display for the whole world???

"There is no single disease which causes more psychic trauma, more maladjustment between parents and children, more general insecurity and feelings of inferiority and greater sums of psychic suffering, than acne." --Sulzberger & Zaldems, 1948