Painfull acne

[looseliam]

I've always had a bit of acne. A zit here and there. Nothing major.

The last month or so I've noticed the zits are larger (3-6mm,) more solid and painful.

The best I can guess is it's cystic acne.

I don't recall ever having these and it makes me wonder why all-of-a-sudden they appeared.

Now that I'm thinking, it started to appear once I stopped spending a lot of time out in the sun and/or tanning.

Neither my diet nor my exercise habits have changed. My stress level is a bit elevated, but nothing I haven't been through before.

The treatment I've found seems to have some nasty side effects, and I'm not really one for pharmaceuticals, save for vicodin and some benzos.

I'd like to know if anyone else suffers, has suffered from something resembling this and what may be done to counteract it.

I was thinking about taking some clindamycin, but I don't like what it does to my GI tract.

TIA

 

[theblackajah]

Heya Looseliam.

I have something pretty similar. My acne comes in... well, outbreaks. I'd be completely fine (and was absolutely acne-free) up until 1.5 years ago. I think it may have been due to stress?

Anyways, I get these really large (ugly) individual zits. They're red, with a white head, and tend to pop/bleed (ugh). They are irritating and painful, to say the least.

I've tried all sorts of acne medication (non-prescription), as well as "natural" solutions. I even tried that god-forsaken thing that Kelly Clarkson uses (doesn't work).

What HAS worked, is the following IN COMBINATION together:

1. Twice daily wash using SpectroJel facial wash. (once in the morning, once in the evening) This is one of the best facial washes out there.

2. Clindoxyl gel (prescription, no common/nasty side effects, pretty mild)

3. Retin-A-Micro (prescription, common side effects include initial burning/irritation/peeling on applied areas as the treatment phase begins. These effects last for the first few weeks, but subside)

So, I'd suggest talking to your doctor about this regimen (as it was prescribed to me by 2 separate physicians). As for the root cause of your acne... ugh, it could be a million different things (including heredity, stress, diet, allergies, hormones, etc.).

 

[Corny]

before taking any pills or so, first try externally applied creams (over the counter available in drugstores). they often do work very well especially for inflamed acne zits. if they don't go away with external cremes after a few weeks - go see a doctor (dermatogolist) before taking anything else.

 

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

i tried the pills and creams and all the other shit for like 2 years.

then i just said "fuck it" and went for the accutane. best decision I ever made in my life.

I'm not advocating that you go right for it, but Accutane gets a bad rap from a lot of people - but it was no where near as bad as they say, for me at least. Had to deal with some dry skin and dry lips for about 6 months, but now I'm 100% clear - and stay that way.

just something to think about if acne really has you down - cause I used to be the same way.

 

[looseliam]

I've been hitting the tanning salon a couple times a week. I've also taken care of a couple issues that have been stressing me.

It seems to be clearing-up a bit.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[looseliam]

I go outside when I can. But it's getting cooler here and the sun is getting farther away. So off to the salons I go.

 

[lyconthrope]

I suffer from similar when I am stressed out or ill unfortunately what I was given to tackle it wont work for you (unless there is a male pill I dont know about hehe)

so I would suggest maybe a quick detox, lay off alcohol, carbonated drinks and processed foods as much as possible, and maybe supplement with vitamEn E, B6 and evening primrose will help settle down any minor hormone imbalances (yes, men get them too) that can stop the skin from shedding properly, blocking pores (try the gentlest exfoliater you can find or a witch hazel face mask) steaming your face then rinsing with cold water can help ease the discomfort.

if all over the counter creams, vitamens etc.....fail then you may need to see a GP who will prescribe something

 

[aaronp]

i suffered from the same thing, and didnt seek medical help soon enough, i stuck with washes and over the counter creams. none of it worked, and i spent most of my days in pain because it got to that point. i went through a regiment of pills until i braved to acutane. it was the best decision ive made thus far, my back is completely clear of cystic ance and my face is amazingly clear. the only side effects i suffered were dry lips.

 

[looseliam]

I'm going to try and change-up my diet.

I've been having some symptoms lately that are eerily reminiscent of scurvy. So we'll see in a week or so how things go.

 

[Brer Fox]

Accutane is tricky. It works awesomely, and for some people the side effects are manageable, but for others they are literally crippling. I have known a few people who have gotten horrible arthritis and knee problems and such as a direct side effect, as well as other things that are pretty unbearable like very dry eyes.

Accutane is the nuclear bomb, you only use it when you just absolutely must put an end to acne. It is designed for those with very serious cystic infections. You can google up 'severe acne' and see the kind of poor souls accutane was designed for.

If it is really bothering you, get on a good two-part prescription regimen. They are very popular these days for mild to moderate acne, and work very well for the most part. These are things like Duac and Differin, which is what I am on, morning and night. You have one cream, usually a retinoid, that draws the shit out and dries up oil production and sloughs skin off, then you have another which is usually a peroxide that kills the surface bacteria to stave off infection. When you are on them, you have to brave it out for about two or three months, as this stuff really does draw everything in your skin out to be healed. A lot of dermatologists warn that every plugged follicle on your skin will literally explode, and that is true. The good thing is once it is all gone, it is all gone.

I did not think I had it that bad, but I was still recommended to go on it because I had a lot of stubborn blackheads. It drew them right out, and I got really clear, but then I broke the fuck out for about a month, but now I am doing great again, and hopefully it will stay that way. My skin does look better than it ever has since I was like fifteen. Retinoids are also great anti-aging creams, so while you fight the acne you are working on any scars you might have from previous episodes.

Unless your face is just erupting, stay away from the accutane.

 

[looseliam]

My face is fine. It's primarily my shoulders and a few on my chest.

They seem to be subsiding for now.

I'm scared of accutane.

 

[PhoenixRising]

Looselian, have you considered using a topical beta hydroxy acid solution? I don't know of any drug store brands, but I just recently ordered a 2% BHA solution from Paulas Choice. it's supposed to be the correct pH, and because it's lipid soluble, it will sink into pores.

I'll let you know what I think of it.

 

[loople10]

My 16 year old brother went on accutane for 6 months, cleared up his acne completely with no lasting side effects, besides no more oily, shiny face!
I recommend it.

 

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

My face is fine. It's primarily my shoulders and a few on my chest.

They seem to be subsiding for now.

I'm scared of accutane.

it's really not that bad. like all drugs, there is that minuscule tenth of a per cent who get lasting side effects, but I guess that's just the risk you take for wanting clear skin.

but, then again, if acne is not that big a deal for you, then don't risk it and don't take the drug. I would just assume that your acne is somewhat of an issue for you though, because you started a thread on it.

i was scared to try the drug for about 2 years, and was basically laughing when I took it. I had built up in my mind an image of me with aching joints, liver problems, and hair loss. ALL that I got was some dry skin and lips, which were hardly an issue. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be scared of accutane, but if your acne doesn't bother you that much, then yah, don't take it.

 

[StarGuitar]

I use Benzaclin which is a prescription cream during the day and Retin-A Micro at night. This completely cleared up my skin. I've had persistent cystic acne for a long time, and this has worked the best. I don't use the scrips everyday anymore b/c my face stays clear.

 

[skaterboi]

My acne is all gone now and I got it sorted by ordering Accutane off the internet


Worth every penny I spent on it and was so much easier to order off the internet than to go to the docs, I took a 60 day course at 10mg and I've never had spots like I use to on my face since, I still get the ocassional few on my back although I've ordered another months tablets which I'm hoping will fix that!
I've had no real side effects with the exception of dry lips for a couple of weeks while taking them, which was easily solved by applying lip balm during the day and a good coating at night before sleeping.


1000x better than anything I've tried in the past including creams, topical medications, facial washes, changes in diet etc etc if you want something that will work get accutane!

 

[skaterboi]

First rule is that there is no cure for acne period; you can only control it untill it pases through age.

Unless you count accutane that works in 100% of cases in no more than three treatments, I would call that a cure.

Are you using Accutane without a prescription or a doctor monitoring your progress?

Yes I am and its working fine got it from aurapharm on the internet, have had other things from them and its great. I'm not sure what the laws are like in the US but in the UK its prefectly fine for us to do this.