Acne!

Pennypacker · 12-31-06, 03:23

Has anyone found a good treatment for their acne? I'm starting to accumulate as many skin care products as detailing supplies it seems. I'm 31...so would like to think my days of breakouts would be behind me, but apparently not. It's not really bad, but bad enough to where *I* notice it.

It's also usually of the cystic variety, so further beneath the skin, and therefore tougher to "bring to a head." I did actually give ProActiv a try, despite the infomercial branding and celebrity-plugging. It seemed to work okay at first, but then I started getting one cystic zit after another and the bloom fell off the ProActiv rose so-to-speak.

Right now, I'm giving the Neutrogena Mask-Scrub a shot, but would love to hear opinions from others on what has worked for them!

Thanks, and sorry...I know this isn't exactly the most pleasant subject.

GregCavi · 12-31-06, 03:29

Consult your doctor. When I was in my early teens I had a prescribed medicine that seemed to work quite well. Sorry I don't have the name.

Greg

CelicaLover · 12-31-06, 03:30

I took acutane for the last six months, boy is that stuff strong but it'll cure you of your acne forever

jnmttu · 12-31-06, 03:33

I have always had acne problems. My wife finally made me start on Proactiv and I have actually had really good luck with it. That being said, I tried a lot of other treatments that worked well for others and did nothing for me. It is all very dependent on your skin.

Surfer · 12-31-06, 04:19

I've been using Differin for 8-9 years, hardly ever get even the littlest pimple. My skin wasn't bad in high school luckily, just that I wanted to always looking stunning.....lol. But seriously, Differin Gel is great, other then that I just wash w/ Cetaphil face soap and maybe an Oxy pad when I want that "clean" feeling.

truzoom · 12-31-06, 04:58

Oral antibiotics work quite well, but you are probably aware of the problem with taking antibiotics-- especially for something not very health-threatening.

Try cutting out dairy and sugar and drink lots of water. Try the Clinique counter for some unscented face soap and a toner. And avoid touching your face.. if you get an itch, use your sleeve or carry around a cloth to do the scratching for you.

chml17l · 12-31-06, 07:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by CelicaLover

I took acutane for the last six months, boy is that stuff strong but it'll cure you of your acne forever

I agree with CelicaLover. Accutane is a very strong drug with some possibly nasty side effects, but it is the only thing after trying a laundry list of antibiotics that finally worked for my acne. Consult with your dermatologist.

joemayo · 12-31-06, 09:08

I tried proactive and differin back when I was in highschool.. proactive just sucked and differin didn't do much.. so got on accutane.. was on it for 6months.. it makes your skin break out at first but then after my last dose I don't get zits anymore.. probably 10 a year ha.. i didn't have any side effects from taking it. they say you get very depressed blah blah.. but hey it clean my face up..

joyriiide1113 · 12-31-06, 10:11

Changing my pillow sheets every night, one gallon of water, and plenty of fruits have cleared my skin by the loads... When my diet changes, my skin changes.

Jliao · 12-31-06, 11:25

How bad is the acne?

Try using "oil free" facial wash.
I personally use Clear & Clean Facial Wash (Orange bottle) from any Longs Drug, Wallgreens. I use this when I take shower at night. In the morning I use "Lab Series" facial wash.
I've come down to using only Lab Series product as majority of them are oil free. That bein said, my acne have completely gone away or it may be the period that's over.

15951 · 12-31-06, 11:36

Please be very careful if you decide to use Acutane, and only use it if your acne is VERY bad. My cousin took this stuff for some upper back blemishes caused by a wetsuit, called his doctor a short time later to report a depression side effect, and took his own life shortly thereafter. He had never been depressed a day in his life before this, and was a firefighter, paramedic, triathlete, and very well off from good fortune with the stock market. He was in his early 30s when he took his life. He had just purchased tickets for a snow skiing trip overseas and had big plans for his life...this was sudden, and not planned.

My uncle (his father) testified before Congress a short time after to speak out against Acutane and the company that produces it (which minimizes the depression side effect to this day), and there are countless cases very similar to this one.

Sorry to bring you down with this, but take this stuff seriously...if it could have that devastating of an effect on my cousin, it could do the same to anyone.

Pennypacker · 01-01-07, 06:33

Lots of good info. Thanks everyone. The only thing mentioned that I've already tried is the Proactiv. Maybe there were other factors involved, but it just didn't seem to work out for me, although I'm sure it does work well for some people.

Better diet, more water, changing pillowcase, oil-free wash, Lab Series, Differin (is that a prescription drug?) all duly noted. Changing diet would likely be the most difficult even though probably the most beneficial overall lol.

I don't know if I'm brave enough to try the Accutane, plus I don't know if my acne is severe enough to where I need it or where a dermatologist would even prescribe it to me. The acne is more noticeable to me than others I think. On a scale of 1 to 10, it's probably around 6 or 6.5. The story about the firefighter is really sad and scary!

I think I will consult a doctor if the above and/or current treatment (the Neutrogena Mask Scrub I bought a few days ago) doesn't work for me.

Thanks again!