Serious Acne question: At my wits end!

HubicRuzz · 11-14-2007, 05:56 PM

So does that Pro-Active stuff that Jessica Simpson actually work?

veighouda · 11-14-2007, 06:54 PM

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the support and advice! It's good to know I'm not alone out there, and for those who feel the same I hope you feel as much relief as i do now.

Question about this PCOS?

Aside from acne what are the other symptoms? I think someone mentioned that it can make you periods out of whack?

My periods are pretty regular all things considered, but every three months or so its like my body desides to flush itself out on the first day of my period, litterally. It's very heavy and uncomfotable for the first day, usually have to take three pain killers to deal with the cramps.

I think maybe i'll take the suggestion to get in and see someone about what might be going on inside me.

Thanks again everyone for your support!

PS The proactive stuff is really for mild to moderate acne and will eventually stop working for the person who asked.

emma-bessa · 11-14-2007, 08:42 PM

Yes,irregular/painful periods is common,along with acne and hirsutism.(sigh)
So get thee to a doctor to see if anything is wrong?
If your hormone levels turns out to be just fine,it´s time for you to go Sherlock on your acne,and write journals about your day to day diet,and so on.;)

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)-Topic Overview

ejaghana · 11-14-2007, 09:15 PM

I havent read other people's responses, so I don't know if this has been mentioned. I have acne and bacne as well. I am headed to the dermatologist tomorrow after having relatively clear skin for a long while only to have it come back again.

My story is the same as yours, my father has severe acne, and is almost 50. My mother suffered from moderate acne until she was about 30. I've tried everything from Black soap, accutane (which worked but I'm not interested in taking anymore because can cause liver(or is it kidney) problems and can make babies come out without ears!!) Proactive (worked for a while) Another thing that I think may have worked was doxycycline. I took it for a full year every day because I was living in Ghana. Doxy is used as an anti-malarial medicine. I think another reason why my skin was clear in Ghana was because I was really happy while I was there.

Anyway, I agree with you that food does cause breakouts. I actually read somewhere (self magazine I think) that the iodine in milk causes breakouts. They recommended drinking organic milk. I don't really drink plain milk, but I do like hot chocolate, so I switched to organic and it did seem to help. I also noticed that I've been drinking a lot of starbucks drinks, all made with milk, and my skin has been a mess lately.

I don't know how safe it is to use doxy every day, but that was the thing that I was most comfortable with taking and I pretty much abandoned my skin care regimen while in Ghana, and my skin was really clear.

Ishtar_Asha · 11-15-2007, 07:24 AM

If you do go with the above website, make sure you can get samples- the stuff is quite pricey but as someone who works in a pharmacy, that does get good reviews.

Have you also tried the acne.org regimen?

Acne treatment

It's worked for a lot of people, I have to say :D

mysticdancer · 11-30-2007, 12:42 AM

Hey there, I feel your pain. Food DEFINITELY affects skin. Lately with the stress of my move, and the new climate here, my skin went nuts. I didn't even want to leave the house. Have you tried (believe it or not) Fish oil capsules? I have oddly painful periods and terrible acne. I've been on Nordic Naturals ProEFA for 3 day (2 caps per day) and I kid you not, my skin's clearing up. I've also cut back on sugar to see if this is also Candida related ( Fish oil helps with balancing Candida overgrowth too)

Give it a try. I'm not clear yet, but after just 3 days, There's at least no new cysts showing. (Oh I haven't had clear skin since I was 12 so this is a miracle for me)

joanneraks · 11-30-2007, 01:09 AM

veighouda, from someone that has also suffered with acne, I just wanted to send a hug and my care and sympathy. It is something that a person just can't grasp until they've experienced it. I think your post really expressed the emotional anguish that comes with this experience, and I really feel for you and what you're going through. You've had lots of good advice here, the only thing I wanted to echo is that our bodies are all very, very individual. I've had awful acne, but the causes and the solutions for me have been very different than many of the posters here. I think listening to info about what others have experienced is really smart and may help lead to solutions, I just wouldn't want you to feel overwhelmed or discouraged if some stuff mentioned didn't end up working for you or applying to your situation.. don't know if that makes sense. It always helps me to know I'm not alone, though. And you're definitely not! And don't forget that your inner beauty is shining and is very obvious to those around you, even when you're fed up with the "outer" situation! :)

Adishakti · 11-30-2007, 09:01 PM

Okay... well, I've been experiencing a really bad perma-breakout for a good 8-10 months or so. Despite my dermatologist telling me for years that diet played no part in my acne, when this thread began, I figured it was worth giving it a shot.

First, I bought "The Clear Skin Prescription" book by Dr.Nicholas Perricone. It was mostly a waste of money. Upon first glance his methods seemed to make sense, but once you get into reading the book, there is just a lot of inconsistency that doesn't make sense to me. That is, if you can get past his egotistical mannerisms and repetitive phrases which drove me batty.

Then I found Acne.org and there I discovered a community of people with chronic acne and a wealth of information.

Based upon what the majority of the consensus seems to be on the boards, I eliminated all dairy, gluten, added sugar and processed foods from my diet. I'm taking EFA supplements. Twice daily, I wash with the Body Shop tea tree oil cleanser, follow with 5% Benzoyl Peroxide, and then a moisturizer (in the morning, Biore "Shine Control" Moisturizer, and at night Garnier "Lift" Night Cream). In the past, I've used Benzoyl Peroxide, but it dried my skin into a horrible flaky mess. The moisturizer takes care of that! (I just use it in the areas where I'm prone to acne, and not on the skin around my eyes, nose and lips).

The owner (Dan) of acne.org recommends a topical regimen of a gentle cleanser, benzoyl peroxide and moisturizer to be done twice daily. He has developed his own line of products that looked great to me, and I have them on order.

Anyhow, I just wanted to update y'all on my efforts. I have to say that for the first time since being on Accutane, my acne is under control. I'm even at my worst time of the month (PMS) for bad skin for me, and I have had three baby (barely noticeable at all) pimples, compared to the cystic acne that usually erupts at this time.

I'm going to start reintroducing foods now that things are under control, but so far... I'm really impressed.

ejaghana · 12-02-2007, 01:19 AM

Adishakti, I was waiting for your input on this! I read the other Perricone Prescription book (the anti aging one) and although some of what he was saying made sense, I felt the same way you did in the end.

I went on the acne.org website as well, and I went to the dermatologist recently. The derm has me on Benzoyl Peroxide 5%, but I've been cheating and using the 2.5% as recommended on acne.org. It works just as well, but is way less drying. At night I use tazorac cream (from what the derm told me, a stronger version of retin-A.) I have gigantic pores, and the tazorac is really helping with that. Taz is also supposed to help with scarring, but that will take some time.

I have definitely noticed a difference in my skin. The derm wants to put me on accutane, but I am hoping that by the time I go in for the follow-up, they will be happy enough with the results of the taz and benzoyl that they will not make me go on that stuff. I have been on it before, and although it worked, I had a serious flare up the moment I was off of it. Also diabetes/liver/kidney probs run through the fam, I'm not sexually active and don't wanna be on the pill, don't feel like taking monthly blood tests. Honestly my acne doesn't bother me that much!

ejaghana · 12-02-2007, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HubicRuzz

So does that Pro-Active stuff that Jessica Simpson actually work?

Yes and no. I used it for a while, and it did work at first. I think that in my case, my skin builds up a resistance to certain meds and I have to try something new. I've met other people who make sure they have their supply shipped every few months. It's the only thing that works for them.

It's one of those things. Dramatic results or no results at all.

Adishakti · 12-02-2007, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ejaghana

Adishakti, I was waiting for your input on this! I read the other Perricone Prescription book (the anti aging one) and although some of what he was saying made sense, I felt the same way you did in the end.

I went on the acne.org website as well, and I went to the dermatologist recently. The derm has me on Benzoyl Peroxide 5%, but I've been cheating and using the 2.5% as recommended on acne.org. It works just as well, but is way less drying. At night I use tazorac cream (from what the derm told me, a stronger version of retin-A.) I have gigantic pores, and the tazorac is really helping with that. Taz is also supposed to help with scarring, but that will take some time.

I have definitely noticed a difference in my skin. The derm wants to put me on accutane, but I am hoping that by the time I go in for the follow-up, they will be happy enough with the results of the taz and benzoyl that they will not make me go on that stuff. I have been on it before, and although it worked, I had a serious flare up the moment I was off of it. Also diabetes/liver/kidney probs run through the fam, I'm not sexually active and don't wanna be on the pill, don't feel like taking monthly blood tests. Honestly my acne doesn't bother me that much!

I'd never even heard of 2.5% Benzoyl peroxide until visiting acne.org... ditto in regards to adding moisturizer. It's a simple concept really, but my skin is so oily, I've just never had the need for moisturizer and assumed it would make matter worse. But it is keeping my skin from drying out, and when I receive Dan's products, I'll try the 2.5%.

I don't know... if Accutane doesn't work the first time, I wonder if a second round actually really helps? I don't like putting that stuff in my body, either so I can appreciate your reservations. Plus, it IS annoying to have to go for monthly bloodwork. I live out of town so, it pretty much ate up half my day to do it.

I'm really curious to hear about the Tazorac over a long term period. Please keep us posted?