Acne

[Buttercup94]

Hi guys

I just wondered if anyone else is having the same problem as me. I've suffered with acne pretty much my whole life, since I was 12. I am now 23. When I was at school I had a full face of it and I tried all sorts of medication, but nothing worked. Then I tried accutane right at the end of secondary school, and although the side effects were sooo awful it worked miracles, I had a clear face! So I had clear skin for about two years, all the way through college. Then I started work and I would get some of it from time to time but nothing like before. Then in 2015 I had no acne for like a whole year, it was amazing. I thought I had grown out of it. But now for some reason it has come back so bad on my jawline and neck, it's proper cystic acne. It usually does get a little worse in winter but I know that this is hormone related.

I was thinking of taking accutane for a second time but I don't know if it's worth it. I also take sertraline for depression and I know accutane will only make that worse. So I want to avoid taking accutane as much as possible. I wondered if anybody else has experienced this too.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post

(This picture shows what my skin is like right now, it's quite painful where they are so big under the skin)

BC x x

[Emensosteopath]

I can't give any miracle solutions, all I can say is I suffered myself for many years in my teens to early 20s, and It cleared up in my 20s. Time moves much more slowly when you are young, so it seems so much more painful to endure. Looking back on it now with my older eyes, I would advise healthy eating, minimal alcohol, always keeping your hands clean (as you tend to touch your face self-consciously). Use minimal cleansing or ointments on the skin of the face, just use water if possible try and splash your face to keep it clean. Regular exercise, which improves your general circulation.... that will help improve your healing abilities. As well at least eight hours sleep a night. If you can make changes to any of the above mentioned, I'm sure you will see improvement over time, and feel much better in yourself.

[Buttercup94]

Thank you for your reply! I agree eating better defiantly does help, I've been eating rubbish recently so I have started again today. I'm going to aim for at least 1 litre of water a day too.

[gfmum1]

Although it's a long time since I had acne I vividly remember how upsetting & depressing it was, so you have my sympathies. Some people find that dairy makes their acne worse - scientists say it isn't true however a relative of mine loves dairy products but chooses to avoid them now due to the acne flare-ups they cause. The theory is it's the hormones in the milk, I've no idea if that's true or not but I just know that avoiding it makes a huge difference.

[troy04]

If you want to try local antibiotics then try Clindamycin lotion (1 %) - needs to be applied on the affected area 2/3 times a day after washing face with mild soap water. After 4-6 weeks, you should see good results. But I think your doctor has to prescribe it. An example is:

oxfordonlinepharmacy.co.uk/...

Sometimes Erythromycin is tried but it is definitely not as good as Clindamycin.

[Buttercup94]

Hi sucsessinc87,

I have as I have scarring on my face and really do hate it but never really knew what treatments to go for, or the prices of them x

[Buttercup94]

Yes that would be lovely thank you! X

[Buttercup94]

Yeah it is a shame especially with people that have severe acne that have every bit of hope that something will work when a lot of people on here give false hope! As I know what it's like from school.. but thank you I'll have a look x