face problems need help!

[i be kiz]

I'm 16 years old and my acne is worse than almost everyone else i know.. yet it isn't at a level for which i feel that accutane is a neccessary step. I have tried proactiv and a crapload of stuff from my dermatologist, but none of it really has worked. Most of them work for about a week and then almost as if i have built a resisitance to them, they stop. Also, I could use some advice on facial care in general...right now all i do is use an exfoliate in the morning, then the proactiv series and then at night the proactiv again..what else should i be doing. thanks

 

[Heahy Minister]

Firstly, how would you classify your acne? Mild, moderate, or severe? Secondly, how would you classify your skin? Dry, oily, or combination? Also, would you say you have sensitive skin?

Do NOT use an exfoliator if you have lots of acne, that'll only exacerbate the condition because you will break open any existing lesions in turn spreading the bacteria around your face. This only causes more acne. Moreover, when using an exfoliator, you should only use it a few times a week, not everyday. Exfoliators can be very harsh on the skin.

Use a GENTLE CLEANSER such as the popular Cetaphil. Wash your face once in the morning and once at night with warm water. Overwashing will be counterproductive and only make things worse.

If you feel your skin is dry, you may need to use a moisturizer. There are tons of moisturizers out there, but I'm personally not a fan of using one.

Try using aloe vera gel on your face as a mask a few times a week at night (leave it on at night, wash off in morning) as that'll help tighten, rejuvenate, and aid in your skin recovering.

Try to avoid using any internal antibiotics a derm may put you on. Over time they will become resistent and are also damaging to your liver. Instead try using a topical medicated cream/gel. The most popular is Retin-A, though there are others like Tazorac and Differin that are popular as well. These are MUCH safer to use in the long-run, however, the downside is that they take a little while longer to work (often months). If your acne condition is very severe, these creams/gels are not the best option.

Lastly, do NOT pick or overwash or harshly rub your face, because if you have sensitive skin that'll only irritate it.

Hope that helps!

 

[ZKaudio]

if you have "volcanic" acne, then I do think accutane is the best option. Acne scarring is less correctable than anything accutane will do to your skin. ON another note, accutane does have some harsh sides, so use the lowest effective dose possible.

 

[sigweed]

from the time when i was like 15 to 19, i had acne. It was never that bad (none of the red blotches or big guys, just a hand full of little ones), but no matter what i tried it NEVER WENT AWAY... i went from everything from soap to retin-a. Everything would work amazingly for a period of a week, then its like my body adapted to it and it became useless.
Long story short, When i was 19 I finally got put on accutane... a year and a half later, still havent had a single zit, blemish, blackhead... whatever

i will warn you though, its harsh stuff.... your skin is dry as a bone, your lips are chapped 24/7, and if you open your mouth to yawn or wahtever, your lips split... but dude, DEFINITLY worth it

 

[dr0832]

If you have very oily skin I would strongly suggest going and buying some vitamin b5 - panothenic acid. You can do a search online for it or go to some place like acne.net and searching. I swear that this stuff works just as well as accutane. It actually works like accutane, it dries up the oil in your skin, where as accutane shrinks the oil producing glands. It really works, NO joke, the only difference is you have to take a lot of it, 20 pills a day (5 times a day, 4 pills at a time), but its a water soluable vitamin so its all good, it just costs a good amount. ALso it will not make your acne go away for ever, it will just make it go away while you take it and then you reduce the dose to 4 pills a day and you can take it until you turn 18 or 19 and your acne goes away (if your lucky) I took accutane about 7 years ago and although it worked for 6 months the acne came back, and I had some bad side effects like blood noses daily for 5 years after stopping it and hair loss. Also before I started accutane I had acne on my face only but after stopping it I started to get it severly on my back, chest and shoulders, and I have had it for 5 years despite the acne on my face has finally gone away. If you do try it out you should also take 300 mg of biotin a day and vitamin b12, to stop dry lips that you will get.

 

[ZKaudio]

b5 did shit for me... best advice i can give you bro is TAKE CARE OF IT NOW. The longer u have it, the longer you have to deal w/ self esteem issues and risks of scarring as well.

 

[Heahy Minister]

You've gotten good advice here. Thing is, everyone is going from personal experience, and that's basically what everyone has to go by.

I also tried b5 and it, too, did not work for me. All I got was some MAJOR diarrhea!

Accutane works for some, but doesn't for others. Don't be mislead into thinking it is a miracle CURE, because it is NOT! It is extremely harsh on your body and there are tons of sides...accutane should be used as a LAST RESORT.

We don't know anything about you. What exactly have you been on? What alternatives have you taken?

I suggest going with things that are simply and not as taxing on the body first, then working your way up from there if those don't work. I suggest you start with a TOPICAL medicated cream like Retin-A, Tazorac, etc (less less harsh on the body as it is not internally taken) and possibly b5 at a moderate dose, slowly working your way up (start low at 1 gram/day then slowly go up to the recommended 10gram/day if you don't notice anything).

If you do choose to go with accutane, make sure to take your LIVER PROTECTANTS! Get r-ala, milk thistle, NAC! Drink plenty of water and stay out of the sun.

 

[ZKaudio]

if u go accutane, start w/ the lowest dose, tell your doc u want the lowest, regardless what he recommends. I have PERSONALLY seen severe acne completely dissipate on 10 mg ( ithink) the smallest does available.

 

[ZKaudio]

o yah... and btw, make sure u have insurance. Accutane is ungodly pricey.

 

[Synpax]

don't know if this will help you or not, but this is my basic routine. I assume you brush your teeth twice a day so you can do it at the same time:

1) wash hands
2) rinse face with warm water
3) apply Noxema to face (stuff in that blue plastic container)
4) swish/brush your teeth
5) rinse off Noxema

Do this before hitting the shower in the morning and before bed at night. Good luck.