Adult Acne UPDATE post 59 Theres hope......

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

I am hoping some knowledagble mamas out there will have some insight for me on what else to try.

I am 30 years old and have HAD IT with my skin! I have bene dealing with bad skin in one form or another since I was 8 years old! What I mean by that is it ranges from pimples, to blackheads, to large pores, to “White heads” which are just dirt filled bumps, but the dirt is “white” rather then “black”, and the newest is cyst looking bumps that have crap in them. My skin is oily by design, but not awful. I do wear makeup because I have to look nice for my job and my self esteem, but try NOT to wear it as often as possible. My skin tone is very uneven unless I go to the tanning bed atleast once a week. I have noticed that seems to help dry it out a bit too. (No flames please, I live in a climate that sees little to no sun for about 6 months out of the year!) I have tried scrubs, proactive, light cleansers, ance treatments with benzoyle peroxide. My diet isn’t the best, but its not awful. I drink as much water as I can stand. I do like sugar, but I don’t go crazy with it. I suppose I could be better with vitamins then I am, but honestly, I have had this problem for so many years, I can’t think of anything that has EVER really worked. I had an appt with my GP to get a referral for a dermatologist, but I am not sure my insurance would cover any of it, and I felt silly taking time off of work for something that isn’t life threatening or illness related.

I am so worn out over this though, I am thinking of trying straight up rubbing alchhol for crying out loud! Are there any other mamas out there dealing with this crap?? Have you found a way to clear it up? I seriously never imagined being this age and looking this bad still. I am sure it could be worse, but dang-it if I don't deserve to have this OVER with already.

This was also a partial vent, so thanks for listening.

[HappilyEvrAfter]

I suffer from the same thing. I've always gotten those deep, painful cystic volcanoes on my face. Not so much the white/black heads, but I get them sometime. And I get them on my back.

I had it really bad in middle/high school and my parents had me put on antibiotics with Retina so my face wouldn't scar. It really helped.

For a long time I didn't have ANYTHING! My skin cleared up, I stopped taking antibiotics, but then after I had my son it started all over again.
I got a break out really bad about a year and a half ago, that's when I gave in and went back on anitbiotics. I put off the Retin-A for a while, but have recently found that it helps with the white/black heads , so I use it sparingly.

I tried diet change, BCP, Proactive, rubbing alchohol, toothpaste, cleansing...mine were just too bad. Tanning/sunbathing helps a little, but I still get them in the end.
Proactive helps a bit for topical areas where I don't want to use the Retin-A, but mine were just too bad.

It may not be life threatening, but it sure can affect a person mentally.
Even on antibiotics I'll still get one from stress or environment change now and then and I fell horrible....like I need to hide!

I'm 33, by the way and the dermatoligist said this is something I'll likely have to contend with forever because it's hereditary. My dad's face is completely pocked from the untreated acne he had as a kid. Even at 56 he still gets really bad cystic blemishes.

Sorry, but I'd take the time to see the dermatologist!

[deditus]

My acne, which I have had since age 10 and was cystic at times, is 99% gone since I went gluten and dairy free.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

funny you should mention antibiotics, because a friend of mine in her late 30s claimed she needed to do the same thing a while back. Her skin is still ridiculously oily, but it has cleared up. I have yet ot ask her if she still takes the meds. I am on the pill (Which hasnt seemed to make a diff in the last 2 months, which is how long I have been on them) so I wonder if that is going to be a problem.

I just took your advice and made another appt with my Gp for next week. I gotta do something because I have HAD it with this nonsense.

[FrugalGranolaMom]

I would definitely see a dermatologist since you have seemed to run out of OTC options. Also, have you ever had your thyroid checked? Sometimes, thyroid issues can result in cystic acne.

[bcblondie]

Yes! Antibiotics. I had a cream that I put on my face. It was a mixture of Cetaphil (you know, the basic wash, which works very well in and of itself as well) and Clindamyacin (sp)
For the really stubborn zits I also had tazorac which is POWERFUL stuff and dries out your skin pretty bad. But it worked.I only used it for spot treatment. It's too strong to be necessary for me now.

I'm going back on the clindamyacin because since having a baby skin is reverting back to it's oily self. What I like about it is it FEELS different on your skin. It doesn't feel dry and tight like with other creams. It actually felt a little greasy and i was like "there's no way this will work" and it worked AMAZING.
Dry skin is NOT healthy skin. Please do not use the rubbing alcohol.

(for the record. I tried everything, too, before this. Benzol peroxide and neutrogena, and tetricycline. nothing weorked.)

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Wait, are the antibiotics topical or ingested? Now I am confused.

[bcblondie]

Mine were topical. Strange eh? The pharmasist in BC had no problems making it. And when I got it prescribed here I just went to walmart and they were like. Uh... We can't make this. You'll have to go to a compounding pharmacy.

[applecider]

The only thing that worked for me was accutane. Which is a HORRIBLE drug. But I went from having the type of skin you describe to not having to wear any makeup and I've been basically zit free ever since and that was 10 years ago! But I second a pp about maybe trying to eliminate gluten and/or dairy, maybe seeing a naturopath about other things that could be causing it. My dad also had acne as a young person and LOTS of scarring. I know how totally messed up it can be, I"m sure that acne was one of the biggest causes of my low self-esteem during my formative years and that does make me really sad. I hope you can find some answers!

[bcblondie]

I know like 4 people who went on accutane and their skin looks amazing.

[kamane18]

I've also had bad acne since about age 12. And definitely partially hormonal (seems to be worse when ovulating and it was a MESS during both pregnancies). But when not pregnant I keep it at bay with high levels of Vit D (I was severely deficient) and the only "product" I use are Peter Thomas Roth gentle complexion correction pads, which are great. These days I only have a couple small blemishes (save for ovulation time)...

[MoonStarFalling]

I had issues until a few years ago. I was on oral and topical abx for acne, different topicals, diets, supplements including acidophilus, b complex, hormonals. Then I started drinking kombucha and my face cleared right up. I haven't had acne since!

[Uxor]

I had really bad acne for about ten years. Drove me nuts. Didn't really have it as a teenager or in college. Got married and boom instant major acne problem. Tried every otc in the book. What finally worked for me was reducing the sugar and caffiene in my diet while topically applying coconut oil to my face at night before bed. Now when ever I start to get an outbreak I just apply the oil and it helps A lot.

[californiajenn]

I highly recommend removing gluten from your diet. I had clean skin for nearly my whole life but every since I went off gluten, I will break out if accidentally exposed.

A good friend freely admits her skin cleans up when off gluten but loves it too much to cut out completely. Unfortunately, it's an all or nothing kind of thing.

[~*max*~]

I too have had acne most of my life. I know the feeling of just being so sick of it. Recently I tried the Arbonne acne treatment system and my face cleared right up. It has salycitic acid as the primary active ingredient. I have never experienced this much success with an OTC product. I definitely recommend it. (And no, I do not sell it or profit from it in any way. )

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

I just read up about accutane. Not sure I want to take THAT chance. My appt with my GP is today at 930. Hopefully he will have some ideas on how to get started before he gives the referral for the Dermo. I have absolutly no interest in going glueten or dairy free, but will try it if nothing else works.

Strangely, I have a co worker who is seriously considering going raw vegan, and said I should go with him so we can be eachothers " support system". I made a deal with him that if nothing else works, I will take him up on that offer.

[BeagleMommy]

Thyroid! Low thyroid function can cause exactly what you describe! I used to be the same way as far as constant cystic acne. Since I started treating my thyroid function (StopTheThyroidMadness.com) I have only had one tiny pimple! Seriously. My acne always gets better when I'm pregnant, but has never gone away this long EVER!

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

I just got back from my GP. he did a quick check of my thyroid and said it felt fine. he referred me to a dermo that he recommends very highly. Unfortunatly, they cant get me in for a month! She told me to keep calling back to see if there are cancellations. I know I should be able to wait that long, since its been a problem for me for so many years. But its like, I WANT THIS TO BE OVER ALREADY. Sounds so superficial, I know, but Im just tired.

FTR, my acne did not improve, and may have gotten a little worse for a while, when I was pregnant both times.

[bcblondie]

I just wanted to reasure you that I don't think it's superficial at all. I'm terribly selfconcious when my skin is bad. No matter how much I try to convince myself it doesn't matter, or how often I forget about it when I'm not looking in the mirror. It feels like people are staring at your zits, and it's a constant reminder when you can't even touch your face because the pimples are so freaking tender. I really hope the dermo can find a solution for you. When you no longer have pimples to worry about you'll be able to focus better on everything else in your life

[MyLilPwny]

Did anyone try internal cleansing, particularly liver/gallbladder flushing? That is what cured my acne 100%, and I also had acne always and forever since I was 8 years old. I did colon cleansing, parasite cleansing and then used Dr. Hulda Clark's recipe for the liver/gallbladder flushing. Its basically epsom salts, olive oil and grapefruit juice and you can find the recipe and other people's experiences on www.curezone.com. First, I got all 8 of my amalgams removed though, because mercury puts a huge burden on the liver. Its the liver's job to filter out toxins from the bloodstream and to regulate your hormones and if you have a sluggish, clogged up liver, it can't keep up with all its functions and acne can be the result. This was over 3 years ago when I completed the internal cleansing and I'm 28 years old now. I have lots of old acne scars, particularly all over my cheeks and temples, but I started treating them with copper peptides in September 2009, and they are getting a lot better, my husband even commented out of the blue saying that!