Bad Acne

[tartanwonder]

Hi, I have really bad acne with scarring. have tried over the counter remedies nothing works. The doctor suggested Accutane but after reading the reviews I'm frightened to use it. I'm 19 years old any suggestions what be great.

[finred]

Accutane is a strong anti biotic but most anti biotics work on acne because of their anti inflammatory role rather than anti bacterial - look at rosacea.ie for their type 2 serum - type 2 is the oily form of acne so may well work for you - but Accutane even for a while may be your answer

[Violetta62]

Hi Tartanwonder,

There's a nutritionist called Patrick Holford, he's one of the best in his profession and has many books on natural health. One of them is dedicated to skin, you can find them second hand on eBay or Amazon. It's most certainly something that's going on inside your body, so while creams and antibiotics may help relieve the symptoms, the underlying problem will still be there.

I had Rosacea and I changed my diet and managed to find a cream and soap that worked for me, it's supposed to help with acne too. You can look up, I think it's Demodex solutions, and read the information there. It's a Chinese doctor who came up with it, and I was quite sceptical but decided I had nothing to lose, anyway it worked and all I have is a very very light red area that no one would ever notice, so I'm happy.

Let me know if you want more information or want to see my photos.

As far as the scaring goes, maybe something like Frankincense oil might help, I can ask my sister, she's knows a lot about that.

If you get the cream, speak to me first because I can tell you about my experience with it.

Good luck,

Violetta x

[KateResearcher]

Hi, sorry to hear that your acne isn't responding to the things you have already tried. My skin is similarly stubborn. While accutane is a serious drug, with lots of potential side effects, it is very effective. Are you currently seeing a Dermatologist? If not ask for a referral, Dermatologists can prescribe things other than Accutane and usually they try you on other things first. It is also worth speaking to your Dermatologist about your anxieties about it, they are likely to have had these conversations many times and should be able to help you come to an informed decision. Kate

[gfmum1]

My son faced the same dilemma a year or so back when he was 16. The doctor tried very hard to push him into going on Accutane, but he decided against it because depression runs in the family. He stood his ground and was eventually prescribed Lymecycline instead; he also uses Isotretinoin gel. I can't say they're a miracle cure but they have definitely helped with his face at least - his back is still bad. He's having a break from the tablets at the moment as that was recommended. He had been on other antibiotics first but they didn't help much.

The other thing he very reluctantly tried, at my suggestion, was dramatically reducing his dairy intake and he now admits that this has also helped. He has always been pretty good at healthy eating but he is now VERY careful about his diet (most of the time - after all, he is a teenager!) because he realises how much of an effect this has.

Only you can decide what's right for you, but if you haven't been offered any alternatives it might be worth asking.

I wish you all the best.

[tartanwonder]

Thank you so much, when you say reducing your dairy intake does that include milk. Never been offered any alternatives.

[Glondon1]

Hi I'm 21 and have been struggling with acne since 15 but has gotten worse since 18. I recently went to my gp and enquiried about roaccutane but he was adamant that it would be the last option as it's so strong and has a lot of side effects. I've been prescribed Skinoren azelaic acid and have really seen a great improvement and have only been using it a week

X

[tartanwonder in reply to Glondon1]

Hi got to see the Doctor will ask about Skinoren azelaic acid I will try anything just want it to go.

x

[Tothemax Volunteer]

If you're frightened to use accutane you could try using a little and see how it goes. A friend of a friends son swears by teenage dream natural acne products. He says his skin hasn't been better since his acne 'bloomed' three years ago. I think loreal do some good face scrubs too. I think the trick is to unblock the pores and kill the bacteria simultaneously.

[tartanwonder]

Thank you for writing, you can't use a little of Accutane as its hospital controlled drugs, it's been taken off the market in America and Australia, some young people committed suicide whilst taking it.

Will definitely look up teenage dream natural acne products. thank you for recommending it

[JBTT]

Dear Tartanwonder,

I can sympathise - I suffered with Acne for almost 17 years before it cleared up. I tried all sorts (although not Accutane) but the only thing that made a real difference longterm was changing my diet. Especially cutting down on sugar (sugar feeds spots!). You really "are what you eat"! I would recommend visiting a nutritionist. It may take some time but it WILL work.

[tartanwonder in reply to JBTT]

At the moment I'm on a Sugar-free diet for a month, I am actually doing it for Cancer Research ..... will take that onboard, and thank you for replying.

X

[JBTT in reply to tartanwonder]

Hi, good luck with the sugar-free month. Also meant to say, a deficiency in zinc can also result in acne (as it did in my case) so zinc supplements might be worth a try - but really do recommend seeing a nutritionist!

[tartanwonder]

Thank you will get zinc tablets got nothing to lose thank you once again for taking the time to write to me

x

[barbarelli]

accutane can only be prescribed by a consultant and has many side effects you will have to have blood tests to see how your liver is coping it can cause depression and also deformities in the fetus if you get pregnant while using it among other problems...... a lot of the topical products are too harsh for the skin and dry it up so your system produces more oils to counteract this and so it goes on to break out .. if you can get an appointment with a nutritionist on the NHS do so you need a letter from your GP they can help cleanse you internally it could be a reaction to some foods /drinks I agree keep off all sugars .. and you could try the BIODERMA PRODUCTS FOR CLEANSING AND SOOTHING AND ALSO A BB CREAM FOR COVERING UP A LOT.. they are gentle and they have products for all sorts of skin problems. look them up online and investigate what you think is right for you they last a long time too so worth buying... so try and get some help sooner rather than later don't suffer in silence as one product does not fit all , also investigate if the acne is caused by hormonal problems i wish you luck and keep us posted ..