Advice for uncurable acne!!

[Matt Rogers]

Hi
I have had horrible acne since a teen and it ruined my social life and romantic life. from the ages of 13 and 20 I was so insecure about my acne that I had only 2 dates in that whole time. I tried everything from benzyl peroxide, to salad diets, to antibiotics etc and none of it worked.

Then I went to a dermatologist and was prescibed Roaccutane. Despite all its bad press (depression, horrible side effects etc) I was willing to give it a go. Plus if you have a sensible doctor who starts you on a low dose and does not go above 80-100 mg these side effects are mitigated. I believe it was the best decision of my life. MY skin is now perfectly clear for the first time since the age of 12. My confidence has gone up, i have gone from a 4 to a 7 in looks and I am getting so much more attention from girls. It has changed my life for the better!

As far as the treatment went, while I became more irritable and sligthly depressed, and my skin and lips went very dry, I was aware of these and could therefore cope with these side effects. Just moisturise a lot, go easy on yourself and know that four months or so of discomfort is worth it for clear skin.

Whenever I see a kid of around 20 with awful acne (Roaccutane is not advise for those of less than 18) which they have had for ages, I feel like telling them-you don't need to suffer anymore.

 

[Mr.Hash wid da Stash]

Good stuff pal. I heard it's very effective and that you only have to take it for a few months and it clears your acne up forever. People with bad acne really shouldn't have to suffer the disease anymore with all the meds out there. I think alot of people with severe acne are just perhaps too embarrassed to tell a doctor about it.

 

[Cbaoth]

Im on my 7th month (2 weeks left), have been clear for at least 3 months now. I just wish I had have done it sooner.

I am looking forward to not having dry lips though

 

[Matt Rogers]

Cool, Cbaoth. I bet you are feeling as good as I am.

Yeh, I was for a long time under the impression that it is just one of those things that you are cursed with and only time can heal. My only regret is I did not start using it sooner-I can only dream how different the last two years would have been if I had clear skin!

 

[JoeBlack]

I'm glad you had some good results.

I tried a ton of stuff for acne when I was younger and most only had short term effects before I got used to it.

I personally think worrying about it is the worst thing you can do.

I'd just stick with washing in a basic soap and drink a ton of water and try not to stress youself about it....

 

[xyzzy]

yeah you guys took the words out of my mouth after reading the initial post.

I had terrible acne growing up, went all up and down my back as well as my face. I tried Accutane when it was still experimental. Expensive for my parents at the time.

All in all it has cleared up, but it wasnt the Accutane as much as just plain old growin out of it. Exercise, getting some sun on the skin, swiching to glycerine soap, and drinking lots more water seemed to help.

 

[diablo]

Originally posted by xyzzy
I tried Accutane when it was still experimental. Expensive for my parents at the time.

That makes two of us. I probably hold the dubious honor of having taken Accutane the longest time out of anyone. Every time I'd stop taking it, acne would come back. So, for the past 4 years, I've been on it. Bloodwork says it's not hurting me, so the docs have gotten me down to 20mg a day - just enough to keep it in my bloodstream. No depression, no dry lips (though when I was taking 40mg a day I often did have them), no side effects of any type.

Accutane really is a wonder drug.

BTW, it's generic name is Isotretinoin... most insurance companies won't cover Accutane anymore - now that the patent ran out - and will only get generics... which work just as well.

 

[CLOONEY]

Originally posted by [T]he ishop

BTW, it's generic name is Isotretinoin... most insurance companies won't cover Accutane anymore - now that the patent ran out - and will only get generics... which work just as well.

Yeah, they are the same thing. I had acne (not terrible, but enough to hammer my confidence) from about age 12-16. I took many drugs, including a few antibiotics, creams, all kinds of crap, however none of it worked until I took like a double load a day of minomycin. It cleared my acne. However, after being on it for years the doc said I couldnt take it anymore. I still used creams, but by about 18 I had a little acne again, not enough to kill my confidence or really effect my performance with the girls, but I was just sick of it. So I went to the dermatologist and got Isotretinoin (Roaccutane).

This made my acne flair up REAL BAD at first and I was like WTF did I even bother with this for. My lips were real dry and I had to use vasoline in my nose to stop it from bleeding. However, I didnt have sore muscles, still trained for my sports every day, I also didnt get any signs of depression. About 6 months later I think my skin was clear again and since I have used a cream every couple of days on and off to keep it clear. Its now pretty much perfect. I also didnt have any scarring which is a huge plus!! I have not used any antibiotics for years and years now. My dermatologist also said most peoples acne should be well and truly down to nothing by about age 23.

 

[40quid]

This is a subject that, unfortunately, I know too much about. When I was younger (junior high, high school), I was pretty successful with women. I dated fairly frequently and had a large social circle. However, everything came to a halt when I was about 18.

Between the ages of 18-25, I had horrible cystic acne. No matter what I tried (accutane included) my face looked like a pizza. Of course, this completely destroyed my confidence and all my progress I had with women went out the window.

Then, after consulting a eastern (Chinese) doctor, he told me that I should try changing my diet. I cut out all fried and greasy foods. I even stopped eating beef. I also quit smoking and started working out.

Ever since then, my face has dramatically cleared up. I've started getting looks from women again, after a seven-drought and my confidence has started coming back. Of course, I've now got the skills of a 17-18 year old guy when it comes to women, but that's changing with effort every day.

Guys, there is hope for your acne problem. I hope you find your solution earlier than I did -- I lost all of my college and early professional years to the self-esteem destroying effects of acne.