A long journey with acne.

[Jjlinden]

I wrote a long piece on my experiences as soon as I joined this group but it doesn't appear anywhere on the site, so I will try and write it all again! My acne started at puberty, aged 12. My school years after that were a nightmare, I think I was the only bad acne sufferer there. Either that or I was so cowed by the condition, I didn't raise my head to look anywhere but within. I was bullied about it and even the teachers didn't help. During one social studies lesson, one kid asked if acne was caused by bad hygiene. She said Yes! I tried all the antibiotics, creams, lotions and potions even going so far as to rub toothpaste on it! It carried on right through my teens and it's hard to remember correctly but looking at a few pics of me at aged 17, they appear to have subsided considerably. I met my hubby then and we married two years later but then I developed adult acne with a vengeance. It went away while expecting my first child but returned afterwards, disappearing again with my second pregnancy , then returning. In my thirties, it was really bad. I'd gone back to work after a break of eleven years and found it to be very stressful. Everything had changed and become computerised so I had a lot to learn. My acne was out of control. I had had an early menopause so one might have thought acne would go along with everything else. I once again tried all the antibiotics going, nothing worked. Eventually, in 2006, I was referred to the dermatologist. Roaccutane was prescribed. I knew all the risks, signed on the dotted line for a ten month course. Longer than usual but it soon became apparent that my liver was being affected so the dose was reduced and the course lengthened. Very quickly the acne subsided and my skin felt like velvet! I was overjoyed. I had all the usual dry skin problems, particularly in the corners of my mouth and in my nose but thought it a small price to pay. I used sun factor 50 (but still got an age spot). It was some time after the course finished that my depression got worse. I considered suicide at the worst point and even thought I'd just (go missing'. It was an awful time, I didn't tell anyone , I was locked into my own mind. Gradually I came out of it and now am fine but I think there should have been follow up appointments to check on this rather nasty side effect. I have read since that there have been suicides relating to this drug, so very sad! And young people too, I thought it was only prescribed as a last resort to older acne sufferers. Now, 14 years on, I get the odd spot which I can cope with but it strikes fear into my heart and think 'is this the start of it happening all over again??!' I'm not sure what I would do if it did. Would I do the Accutane all over again? I don't know as I've had many health issues since which I put down to the drug. Do I regret ever taking it? I don't think so because it changed my life. I think it is hard for non sufferers to u dear stand the terrible impact it has on your life. It's painful even to smile, it's very unsightly, it totally saps your confidence and your life revolves around checking the mirror every morning for new breakouts. The one bright spot? It apparently makes the skin less aged and wrinkly! Which must be true as at the age of 57 I'm often told I look 20 years younger! 😄

[Hidden]

Hi Jjlinden! Thank you for your insightful post. I am sorry to hear you've had such a long journey in the treatment of your acne but I'm glad you seem to have got it under control now.

I also took Roaccutane and it was great to hear about your experiences and side effects that you had. I was also on it for about 9months and had some horrible side effects, however, I don't regret taking the medication as now my skin is so much better. And like you say, unless you have acne, then it's difficult to understand the effect this can have on your confidence and self esteem.

I was planning to do a post on some of the things I did to treat the side effects of Roaccutane and the treatment - maybe you could share some of the tips you learnt whilst taking the medication to deal with side effects?

I also recently read an article about how acne can make your skin look younger for longer because of the increased oil production. Which I was very glad to hear, too!!

See link here: elleuk.com/beauty/skin/news...

Best wishes,

Bex

[Jjlinden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Bex. Thank you for responding! Isn't it dreadful, with all the medical miracles they can perform these days, they still cannot get a handle on severe acne without resorting to a hard core drug like Accutane? I've since read that it is actually a chemotherapy drug... The dryness in my nose and my mouth were the worst thing about it during treatment. While speaking to an advisor in Boots about the problem, she recommended a lip balm made by Nuxe. It saved my lips overnight! A fabulous product that I still use today. During treatment, the corners of my mouth enveloped deep cuts, very painful and unsightly. I slathered the stuff on overnight and had almost instant results. I also tried pushing it up into my nose because the skin was sloughing away there too. Not comfortable but it helped. I upped my anti depressants during treatment but reduced it down afterwards, which may have been a mistake judging by what happened to me. I should have continued with a higher dose for some time afterwards as I think it takes time to manifest. If I think of anything else, I will let you know! Thanks for the link, I will check it out.

All the best, Jenny.

[Hidden in reply to Jjlinden]

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for your post. Yes, I also have heard that it previously was used as a chemotherapy drug. Quite scary really.

Thanks for your tips - I hadn't heard of Nuxe and I now wish I had a few months ago! I also agree, the dry skin was one of the worst side effects. For the dry chapped skin I had on my face, I found a good cream called Cicaplast Baume B5 by La Roche Posay. Really thick stuff that I wouldn't ever dream of using when my acne was bad! I also read somewhere online that using a hydrocortisone cream on the cracks in the corners of my mouth would clear them up - and it did work, although my dermatologist told me to use this sparingly as it can thin the skin even more.

I also found my muscles incredibly achey after doing the smallest amount of exercise, so I would resort to changing my exercise routine to low impact activities such as yoga, pilates, gentle cycling and swimming.

The one positive for me was that I didn't need to wash my hair as often, as the oil production was reduced. I guess every cloud does have a silver lining...!

Bex xx

[Hidden]

Hi I am very pleased it worked for you. Unfortunately it wasn't around when I was young or it was never mentioned to me. I too had severe acne from the age of 11 but ended up with a scarred and pitted skin which has had a lasting negative effect on my life.

[Jjlinden]

Hi, so sorry to hear you have had such a bad time with acne. It is not an easy choice to take Accutane as you have to weigh up the good and the bad, which is made more difficult when you don't know the full extent of the side effects until long after you have taken it. It is a very difficult decision to take and I still cannot recommend it wholeheartedly....

[laura_warf]

I'm sorry to hear you had a bad time with your acne. I too struggled with my acne when I was in my college. It started all of a sudden and I was so shocked. Everyone started to make fun of my acne. It then subsided after trying many DIY tips. But the scars was severe. A year back, I underwent chemical peel treatment from a clinic in Richmond Hill ( thecentrefordermatology.com... ) to remove those scars. I felt so happy after the treatment.

[Yasmeen2970]

I know exactly what you mean I didn't have the confidence to look people in the eye when speaking to someone I wouldn't sit in a sunny room as my acne would look worse I wouldn't spend time with my family I don't have any bright lights in the house and basically it's taken over my life. Im on duac atm and I am seeing results. I had acne back in college then it went away and I ddn see a single spot for 4 yrs and now its back. I belive my acne is related to diet so Ive made a lot of changes. I was scheduled to go on roaccutane but me being a wuss decided to gv duac a go once more. Speak to someone if your having negative thoughts that feeling of ur heart sinking as you see anothr spot is just horrible