who has had success clearing acne?

[CarSmithUGA]

I know there are many acne sufferers out there. Myself included. I know it is a very painful, self-concious time. I started breaking out around 12, but they were minimal. Around 15 was when it was at its worst. Now im almost 17, and Im happy to say my face is finally 95% clear thanks to derm. prescriptions. Has anybody else suffered from acne and had success clearing it?

[SpaceCadet55]

^^I'm still trying I started getting it when I was about 13, and then it got really bad the beginning of my freshman year (about 14). After getting the run around from my doctor for about 3 months I finally went to the dermatologist. I've been with the same one for a little over a year, I go in just about every 3 weeks - my meds are constantly changing. Right now I'm on Tazorac and Retin-a Micro for topical meds and I'm taking 100mg of doxycycline by mouth once a day. So far this is working *pretty* well, certainly better than anything else we've tried. I guess I just have to stick through it! With all the modern advancments in medicine etc., etc., it always makes me frustrated to think that there is no widely proven effective treatment for acne. Well, I'm glad to hear you're doing well and I hope it continues!

[GratefulTan]

I deal with acne too. I had it great in high school, as I only got one or two zits a month during my period, then I worked at a fast food place, and began college and developed cystic acne. My doctor wouldn't prescribe much, and nothing he did seem to help. I dealt with it for like 5 years. I still break out, but no more cystic acne. Ortho Tri-Cyclen, the birth control pill helped me, so did Pro Activ Solution. Currently, my acne isn't too bad, so I stick to Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash, Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizer or Designer Skin Saving Face. I also use Bye Bye Blemish to help dry out pimples. After I tan I immediately wash my face. I take Pond's Cleansing wipes with me to tan.

[StarryEyes]

I've always been pretty lucky acne-wise until last Dec. when I put some nasty body tanning lotion on my face and that started a horrible reaction that wouldn't go away for 4 months. After about 3 chemical peels, failing with Retin-a, and finally succeeding with Tazorac, my skin is finally clear.

[CarSmithUGA]

Im glad to hear that you have had success with your acne. Space, hang in there, it will get better! I am currently taking erthomycin(pill) once in the morning and once at night, and im using azelex acid and duac gel. This regimen has worked great for me.. for those of you using retin-a, Have you noticed your skin has become more sun sensistive? I was on differin and the sun KILLED my skin when i was on it.

[BrownJen]

Retin-a is photosensitive so it will make you more sensitive to the sun, and can cause rashes, that's why they say you should avoid the sun while taking it. So be careful.

[Peaches83]

Hey! When I was 13 and 14, I had problems with acne and it was awful. I started taking tetracycline and using Retin-A when I was 14, then stopped taking the tetracycline and started on this other med which was awful, the pills were huge and purple and made me nauseous...can't remember the name. Then, when i was 15, my family moved and I started seeing a new dermatologist, and he took me off the pills and Retin-A and put me on Differin, which I stayed on until I was 18. I used another pill when I was 17 (doxycycline maybe? I can't remember...too many cycline medicines), but only for a few months. My skin is fine now; it breaks out a little bit occasionally, but whose doesn't? I'm not sure if it's because I just grew out of it or because of all the meds I took or what I'm doing for my skin now or a combination of those things. I take Ortho Tri-Cyclen and use Wal-Mart's like $2 Daily Face Wash. In the mornings, I use Loreal moisturizer. I use Neutrogena Deep Clean astringent and Clean & Clear Persa Gel at night. I tried ProActiv, but it didn't do much for me. My $2 Wal-Mart face wash and my other things work better for whatever reason, and it's cheaper. Has anyone used Accutane? A dermatologist wanted to put me on it when I was 17, but I never did go on it- I heard it has horrible side effects and I didn't think I really needed it.

[BrownJen]

My brother used proactive too and it didn't help him either.

[southernbelle]

I've never had acne. Though, I've have had 1 or 2 pop up during...eh..TIMES. Pure Zone works really well. And adding sugar to your regular face wash (I just buy some that has the little things in) really makes your face soft, and a dermatologist told my friend's b/f that it helps to clear it up.

[mmclean]

Does anybody have a salon that prohibits tanning if you are taking Retin-A? Our salon makes you fill out a medication questionaire when you sign up.

[SheltieBlue]

Mine is "adult acne" (*way* past the time when most haven't seen a zit in years). Don't ever let anyone tell you that it always "goes away" when you get older. For some of us it never seems to go away. But, the Proactiv has helped for me, taking minocycline did for awhile, but after a few years, I don't think it's working anymore -- but the tanning bed REALLY helped me more than anything else has.

I'm hoping "the change" will dry it all up in another eight or ten years. Geez. What WILL I do with all the $$ I save on Proactiv when that happens...

[SheltieBlue]

Mine is "adult acne" (*way* past the time when most haven't seen a zit in years). Don't ever let anyone tell you that it always "goes away" when you get older. For some of us it never seems to go away. But, the Proactiv has helped for me, taking minocycline did for awhile, but after a few years, I don't think it's working anymore -- but the tanning bed REALLY helped me more than anything else has.

I'm hoping "the change" will dry it all up in another eight or ten years. Geez. What WILL I do with all the $$ I save on Proactiv when that happens...

[BabyJem]

I have had acne ever since I was 12....when I was in high school it was bad but I wasnt very consistent with the medicine I was on.....but now that I am in college it has cleared up so much because I seem to take care of it more!

[Spice]

something little to do is change your pillow case every night.. keeps bacteria and oily greasy stuff from collecting and touching your face each night.

[BrOnZeDbOmBsHeLl]

good advice Spice. I never really had acne but I would definetely have outbreaks and it was caused from stress, about a two months ago I saw the number of zits decrease dramatically. Try and put yourself in nonstressful situations, I've learned that it helps a lot.

[kammy92]

When I was in high school, I had bad acne and was put on Retin-A cream...............It didn't help me at all............. Over the years, it has decreased alot and now that I am 29, I still breakout now and again.............I have been using the Cleansing cloths and moisurizer from Clearasil called Total Control.............doesn 't dry out my face at all and it does not irritate it. I also use the SomerSkin line from Susanne Sommers from HSN for the anti-aging........the combo works well for me!!! Plus tanning has helped alot!!!!

[Maverick]

Accutane... works wonders. I had bad acne as well all through high school even though I was under the care of a dermatalogist. Finally, I begged her to try accutane and after signing a few forms, acknowledging that I have been informed of the risks, I received a prescription for a blood test. It's a bit of a pain in the ***, but you must get a blood test done once a month, eat healthy (accutane causes your cholesterol to temporarily rise), wear blistex lip balm (your lips dry out severely), stay away from sun (makes you photosensitive), and moisturize.

I believe it was a 6 month treatment, and towards the end, I couldn't stand being on it anymore; but don't let this deter you away from it. The results after using accutane are simply unbelievably. I have CLEAR skin... face, body, everything--it's so great. As much as I hated being on it, I'm so grateful for having done it. If you have tried endless kinds of prescription acne medications and none have done the job, ask/beg your derm for accutane.

[boobrandt]

Accutane is a MIRACLE drug! I got a mild case of cystic acne when I was in my early 30's and though I was worried about taking it, this was the ONLY thing that worked! My skin was absolutely flawless and I had NO side effects. I took it for almost 2 years, but I was clear in one week.

[~*HoneyBee*~]

Use a good seaweed soap. It will clear your acne up like nothing you have ever seen. Use witch hazel as a toner. As for face creams, I use Idealist from Estee Lauder. It won't break out your skin, and it really helps clean up acne, and a dozen other skin conditions. Get that seaweed, it works!!!

[Sc0tt]

during the winter months months when I'm not out, I take a 100mg doxy cycline pill orally, twice a day. It cleared up my acne totally in about 1 week right when i started taking it. i love this pill...

[Bamatan]

Proactiv is Wonderful, Always clears me up

[Sc0tt]

Has anybody heard about oral acne pills be considered 'depresents'? If so, did you get depressed at all? I didn't....

[Peaches83]

Quote:
On 2003-07-30 23:39, ForeverTan27 wrote:
Has anybody heard about oral acne pills be considered 'depresents'? If so, did you get depressed at all? I didn't....


As far as I know, Accutane is the only one that has that side effect. In high school, a dermatologist wanted to put me on it (I never did go on it), and I would have had to sign a lot of papers saying that I was aware of the fact that it could cause depression and that depression has been linked to suicide. When I took other oral medications for acne, I never was warned of anything like that.

[SpaceCadet55]

My derm. says that I don't have the right 'kind' of acne to be taking Accutane (cystic acne), so he won't put me on it. It's such a touchy subject though because I know my friend doesn't have 'cystic acne' and his derm. put him on it with literally no questions asked! I mean he had to sign all the waivers etc., but he'd only been on like one medication previous to treat acne before he went on Accutane, and it worked great for him! It sort of makes me mad since so many people have been successful using it. I know being on it is kind of a lot of work, but if it really helped clear my skin, I'd be MORE than willing.

[Peaches83]

Quote:
On 2003-07-31 00:13, SpaceCadet55 wrote:
My derm. says that I don't have the right 'kind' of acne to be taking Accutane (cystic acne), so he won't put me on it.


That's the reason why I didn't want to go on it- I didn't have cystic acne, yet my dermatologist wanted me to go on it. I've heard that Accutane is overprescribed and some dermatologists are just Accutane happy- your friend probably has one of those dermatologists. I know I did- everyone I knew from school that went to her was on it! It probably would help your skin, but there are so many potential bad side effects associated with it that your derm is probably just looking out for you- he/she is probably thinking that the cons outweigh the pros since there are a lot of other things that can clear up regular acne without all the nasty side effects. A lot of docs use it as a last resort and don't realize that some people (like you) will gladly take the side effects and all of the responsibility that goes along with it.

[mdtanner]

I started breaking out with cystine acne about a year or so ago. My doctor gave me doxycyline and tazorac cream. It didn't seem to help much. I stopped using it this summer b/c I wanted to tan and the prescriptions said not to over expose the skin to excessive amounts of sunlight; that it could cause spots. My face has cleared up since early spring. I think the key is finding a skin care regimen that works for you.

[evilina231]

I had to go to my physician and she prescirbed minocyclin for me( the same stuff they use to treat gonorrhea lol) and that worked along with a topical cream called benzamycin..I maintain my face by using witch hazel as an astringent.

[Maverick]

The major side effects associated with Accutane are RARE. The most likely side effect (and probably the only one) that you'll get immediately is dry lips, which you must use blistex daily on them. Thats all. My acne wasn't so bad either, but it was there and it bothered me; and although it wasn't so bad, it wasn't treatable with other medications, so thats why my derm finally allowed me to go on it. But note that she put me through a few drugs before giving me the option for Accutane (and even then she left me with the option of trying a different oral acne medicine).

Let's put it this way: there is a greater risk TANNING than being on a cycle of Accutane, heh. (and lets not pretend to be ignorant on that one )