Adult Acne UPDATE post 59 Theres hope...... - Page 3

[neverdoingitagain]

Originally Posted by SuburbanHippie

I got my blood test back and I am pre-diabetic. I have a strong feeling this is the root cause of my candida and acne. It looks like a diet change is in order now. No choice.

On a lighter note, I got my Vitamin D level checked too and it is 65 ng/ml.

I hope a diet change works on all counts. Glad to hear about the D levels though!

[marimara]

I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but for me everytime I break out, it's hormonal. When my hormones are out of balance it def. affects my skin. Do you also have painful periods? Cramps? PMS? Bloating real bad? Irritibility? I take a multivitamin w/Dong quai and black cohosh (herbs) in it along with some other herbs and it makes a MAJOR difference in my attitute, pms, cramps, AND my skin. Recently I switched multis to Rainbow Light (which has dong quai but not the other herbs) on the suggestion of women here at MDC because it's supposed to be good for you. But the two months I was taking it my skin went crazy and so did my atttiude. Went back to my Rite Aid Whole Source for women and within days my skin is normalizing.

I don't understand why my system would be so out of whack (I'm almost 33) but for some reason the herbs balance my system. Also some medications can alter your hormones as well (for instance I was taking Allegra-an antihistamine for allergies, and wouldn't you know it, it altered my menstrual cycle, it's one of the side effects ). Also eating more raw and grain free not only helps with the oil production but also keeps my body feeling clean.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Thank you all for the helpful advice. I have been absorbing all of it while waiting for my appt to arrive. It was finally today. He perscribed me Tetrocylcin (or a newer version of it) and Retin-A, (also a newer version) apparently the oldies are still goodies. . Hope and pray

[MyLilPwny]

Retin-A thins the skin I wish I never used it. I got prescribed that when I was 15 years old and used it for 2 years until I did Proactiv for a few years instead and then again at age 22 used more Retin-A for about a year, and I don't like how it thinned my skin. Tetracycline is an antibiotic and I wish I never used that either. I used it when I was 15 (2 or 3 rounds of it) and then when I was 22 one round of it. Knowing what I know now, I only believe in using antibiotics in life or death situations.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Thank you. I know both these things. I used Retin A when I was in my early teens as well. The Derm told me the formula has changed a bit over the years. Its milder now then it was then. And I half expected to be perscribed an antibiotic.

Im not a complete idiot incase anyone was wondering. I am not just going into this with my head in the sand hoping the Doc will fix it all. Its been 20 years of trying everything else I could think of, just short of going raw vegan. And sorry, but that is not happening.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by Barbie64g

Thank you. I know both these things. I used Retin A when I was in my early teens as well. The Derm told me the formula has changed a bit over the years. Its milder now then it was then. And I half expected to be perscribed an antibiotic.

Im not a complete idiot incase anyone was wondering. I am not just going into this with my head in the sand hoping the Doc will fix it all. Its been 20 years of trying everything else I could think of, just short of going raw vegan. And sorry, but that is not happening.

Of course nobody thinks your an idiot! and you have to do what you are comfortable doing. People have differing opinons on the use of antibiotics. I have moderate to severe acne and have had most of my life. It is worse since I had my baby, so I think it may be hormonal, at least it is at this point in my life. I persoanlly would never ever take abx for acne. I'd rather have acne! Long term use of abx can have dire consequences. My brother took tetracycline for acne and ended up with CFS. It has taken his 10+ years to get his life back on track. I was on a ton of abx as a kid for recurrent ear and throat infections and have suffered a lot of gut/yeast issues in my adult life. Again everyone'e risk/benefit analysis is different for the use of abx. Some people see them as relatively begign, and others see them as quite harmful and only to be used in life/death circumstances. If you have weighed the pros and cons for your particular situation and are comfortable with whatever effects abx may have on you (good or bad) than you can feel good about your decision.

[Violet2]

If you are prediabetic, cutting sugar will help.

I take antibiotics and use an antibiotic cream and Retin A and Benzoyl peroxide plus a Salicylic acid toner and vitamins and nutrition and I STILL break out. I do have hormonal issues though.

I have had some success with glycolic acid facials and using a stronger salicylic acid treatment on bad spots (it's too strong for the whole face). You can also make your own aspirin acne mask which has a higher concentration of salicylic acid.

I am now getting serious about buying Zeno so I can zap the effers.

I also found this acne light therapy that looks interesting too.

V

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Originally Posted by Marnica

My brother took tetracycline for acne and ended up with CFS. It has taken his 10+ years to get his life back on track.

What is CFS?

How long did he take the abx and what dosage was it?

[aurinia]

Originally Posted by HappyMommy2

Do any of you have rosacea?

I get pimples and cystic scars too. I always had beautiful skin growing up, but developed this at 30 yo. It is awful! So far, I have not found what works for me, etiher, so I will be watching this closely!

To a poster above, the doctor should take a blood test to test for hypothyroid, he can't tell definitively just by feeling your neck! I'm hypo, myself.

I was wondering if any of you have considered rosacea as well. Since I was a teenager I have always had horrible skin..little whiteheads all over, bumps, redness, flakiness, what I thought was cystic acne. I think over the years I tried just about every treatment under the sun except Accutane and nothing seemed to make it better. Two years ago I finally went to see a dermatologist and she told me she thought it was rosacea and said in severe cases it definitely can resemble cystic acne.

She put me on several different medications, one oral and one topical, both of which helped, but didn't totally get rid of the problem. As soon as I would stop using them, my face would flare up again. Then one day I'd gone to my regular doc for a bad sinus infection, and he put me on Biaxin, which I'd never taken before. I kid you not...within 3 days my face was totally clear. And I mean, zero redness, no more bumps, nothing. When I asked him about it, he did some research and found that Biaxin is being prescribed more and more for rosacea due to its apparent anti-inflammatory properties. I went back to the dermatologist and had them write me a script for it, which they were more than willing to do after seeing my skin. For the first year, I was on a 10-day course about once a month. It has worked so well that now I only need to take it if I have a flare-up, maybe every 6 months or so. I'm not a big fan of antibiotics, but this has helped me so much that I'll keep taking it when I need to.

The other two big factors for me are diet and makeup. For me, my triggers seem to be caffeine and dairy. And I have to be very careful what kind of makeup I use...if I use something cheap, within a day or two my face looks horrible. Right now the two foundations I've been using that seem to cause no problems are Jane Iredale (expensive, but worth it) and Aromaleigh.

Just thought maybe this info might help.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

aurinia, thank you for your very helpful info. The name of the anti you mentioned sounds familiar. I am wondering if its the same thing my Derm perscribed me. What he perscribed me is NOT tetricycline (And not Retin-A), but a newer, milder version of that, with some ingredients changes in both. I can't remember the name on the bottle right now, but I can't wait to go home and look. I will do that tonight and post exactly what the labels say. I just remember when talking to him about all this, he used both of those names, and they stuck out in my mind because they have been around for sooooooo long.

He took a good look at my face and did Not mention rosacea.

I do wear makeup, but not all that much. I hardly EVER use foundation at all, and when i do, its for spot coverage or under my eyes (If I had a bad night with the kids)

I do wear bronzer as blush, and its pretty cheap. But I have always used it and my skin has never done what its doing now before.

[MyLilPwny]

For those who think that their cause of acne is hormonal, did you try liver/gallbladder flushing until you emptied out all your stones? Please let me know, anyone who has tried it because I'm always curious if it works for everyone else too. Based on my research and my personal experience, this works for most people, and for those who it didn't work for, they had another underlying cause of acne, such as candida. Its just when people say they tried "everything" its not clear to me whether or not you tried this too?

[aurinia]

I think Biaxin is called clarithromycin. I was told it was basically a second-generation update of a macrolide antibiotic called erythromycin (which was the first abx the dermatologist prescribed), only with less side-effects. No stomach upset and no need to take it constantly. From what I've read they are much safer and have less side effects than any of the tetracyclines. I have a bunch of links saved...if you'd like them, feel free to PM me and I'll send them to you.

I do think it is still wise to consider both diet and possibly adult-onset allergies. I never had allergies as a child and in the last ten years have tested positive to several things I never would have imagined. If I am exposed to these things (or eat them in the case of food allergies) it definitely affects my skin. So far I've learned to stay away from caffeine, all dairy except the occasional yogurt, chamomile, echinacea, cats, ragweed, most citrus and certain varieties of apples (weird, I know). On the flip side, there are several foods I've noticed that seem to improve the condition and texture of my skin, like coconut oil and ACV. I take both daily...if I skip a few days, I definitely notice a difference. Even though I have rosacea and not acne, it might be worth checking into allergy testing and see if that makes a difference.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

epidou gel and minocycline.

[amcal]

Be careful with long term antibiotics. It screwed up my liver and the second I went off them, my acne came back.

I'm 40 and have battled it all my life.

What is working for me now is washing with a dandruff shampoo. I don't have dandruff but, I've read that a lot of acne can start from scalp issues including candida. Dandruff shampoos work on the yeast on your scalp so, I tried it.

I'll admit this is not natural at all but, I washed with Nizoral 4 times - like every 3 days for 2 weeks. I washed my scalp, face and chest - the places I got the most acne. I used nizoral because in reading about treating adult acne, I read several sites where people were having great success with using nizoral to clear up acne. I have to tell you, it worked. Within 2 times, I saw a dramatic difference in my acne. It was drying out and I wasn't getting any more.

After 2 weeks, I switched to Jason's Tea Tree oil shampoo for dandruff. Now, I only wash my hair, face and body with that and then after my shower, I use a salycilic acid toner. I'm using Clean and Clear http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Clear-Cl...f=pd_sbs_hpc_1

Knock on wood but, I haven't had any new pimples since I started this. It has taken about 3 weeks for all the old ones to heal and clear away but, no new ones have come up. I'm hopeful!

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Originally Posted by SuburbanHippie

I'm having the same problem right now. Have you considered a candida overgrowth in the gut being the root of the problem? I failed the spit test miserably and started on an anti-candida diet (gfcf & sugar free basically) and my skin started to improve slowly. I couldn't hold out on the diet though and I'm back to square one. I had an appt at an acne clinic a couple days ago and she was blown away at my skin. (Gee, thanks) It's just not typical acne I'm dealing with and since she's only a PA she wasn't sure how to treat it. Right now, we're treating with diflucan to see if it's truly yeast oriented. If that doesn't help, we're onto her regular plan (which includes drugs that I'm really not comfortable with).

So, I just wanted to come back and thank you for this particular post.
I read it after I posted mine below it and started doing some heavy research.

Candida seems to be my problem....and the antibiotics were just feeding it.
After my research I started on coconut oil as an antifungul, went through a hard detox (which tells you right there that I has some bad overgrowth).
By the end of Jan I stopped my facial antibiotics. Haven't had any sugar since 20 Jan with not an inkling of cravings AND I've lost almost 0 pounds. The upped energy levels are a bonus too!

At the begning of Feb I came across an article on apple cider vinegar (ACV) and started THAT too. Another miracle, I must say. Started it as a way to drop my blood pressure a little without medication (which has leveled out!), but it has another blessed side effect: clear skin.

I haven't had a cystic pimple in a month and a half! ...and that's with me stopping the facial antiiotics almost a month ago.

So, your post on top of this whole thread has given me a wonderful overhaul.
I'm optimist about my skin again. Though I am being cautious, but I've only heard good things from people who've used CO and ACV long term.

I will say that the candida diet is really, really rough without CO, it has really made a big difference. I mean, I've cleaned up my diet before with nice results, but never THIS clean and I'm not having a rough time at all.

I'm just happy being medication (facial and BP) free!!!!
Lol. I sound like a walking advertisement for CO and ACV!!!

[outlier]

I'm glad I found this thread. I've always had not-great skin since puberty, but in the last couple years it has gotten downright awful. I've never had such deep, painful acne before.

The completely infuriating part of this is that three years ago, for the better part of a year, my skin cleared up completely. It looked awesome! I used to just stare in the mirror sometimes in wonder at this face I'd never seen before. My diet during that time consisted primarily of diet sodas, Taco Bell burritos, wheat pasta, and gas station snacks. I was also stressed out of my mind and getting inadequate amounts of sleep.

I wish I could figure out what I was doing so right back then that I'm getting so wrong right now with my adequate sleep and vastly improved diet! I almost wish the brief improvement had never happened so I didn't have this false sense of hope that things will improve any day now.

[Homebirth_Mom216]

Originally Posted by HappilyEvrAfter

After my research I started on coconut oil as an antifungul...At the begning of Feb I came across an article on apple cider vinegar (ACV) and started THAT too.

HappilyEvrAfter, can you please explain what you do with the coconut oil and the ACV? Thanks!

[coh5108]

Originally Posted by Barbie64g

What is CFS?

How long did he take the abx and what dosage was it?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome....he took tetracyline for a while (not sure how long extactly or what dose)

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

UPdate

Hi there ladies. I hope those of you who also have problems with adult acne have found some solutions. I think I might have.

when I went back to the derm at 6 weeks, the large acne around my ears and jawline had cleared up, however I still had the cystic stuff on my cheekbones, and my skin was very uneven and rozatia (sp?) looking. At that point he recommended I up the dosage of the menocyline to twice a day. I was comfortable with this, and told him I wasnt comfortable overall with taking it anymore. But I decided to give it a try. He also recommeded a new BC (I was already on one) and to continue with the epidou.

Well after a WEEK of taking the abx twice a day, I got a yeast infection. I had enough. I stopped taking them and wont be taking them anymore. I also went on the differentBC he suggested, and LORD!! WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Really, what I am down to dealing with are a few of the cysts that I can tell are finishing clearing up. My skin is even, radiant, glowing even sometimes! I am wearing barely any makeup. I have given up the powder I have used for a long time, and am just using a very small amount of concelear on the problem area, with bronzer on my cheeks.

I have also reduced the usage of the epidou to every other day. I have stopped drinking milk almost completly, although I havent gone completly dairy free. I just cant. I love cheese to much, but I only eat it every few days if I can help it.

What a diff, seriously. Very happy and hope to continue to improve.