Acne is a serious problem ! Help me please !

Hello, My name is Tyson I am 15 years old and I suffered with acne for around 4 years. During the first year or two my acne wasn't a big problem, since It was only a few. But on the third year my acne increases by a whole lot. I realize acne is a common problem for my age and many others are having the same problem as I am. However these acne are covering my whole face. Every time when I feel a little itch on my cheek I'm so tempted to scratch it but I'm scared that it'll hurt. My acne has really caused me to live the everyday hell. I can't smile that much because as I stretch or move my cheeks the acne hurts my skin as if I have a major toothache. I wash my face daily for around 3-4 times a day. I drink a lot of water around 3-4 cups a day. I see all the advertisements and the infomercials along with the celebrities who get paid to pitch them. As a typical teenager I gave it a shot and tried different products such as Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, Proactiv etc. and as promising as these products been told, not only that it didn't help reduce my acne but it made my skin even worse. My skin is incredibly dry now and I'm growing more pimples. I felt angry, hopeless, and gross. I watched in horror as more acne began to accumulate on my face. I use to run everyday and was very active. Everything changes when my acne began to take over. I stayed at home in fear that if I step outside to go play a sport my acne will increase. Despite that I'm staying home my acne still grows. I tried lotions, creams, sea salts, cucumbers, and carrots spreading over my face. I sweated out my looks and I'm very self conscious. I was afraid to go anywhere and was petrified to do anything.  “What was wrong with me?” I asked myself over and over again. “Why me? When will this ever go away?” I'm afraid that I have to carry the badge of this disease for a long time. I stay up late at night with anxiety about my acne. I take prescription drugs and get little or no relief. My skin is always dry, itching, and peeling from the side effects of chemicals and drugs. I look in the mirror and I'm never happy of what I see. When people are around I hide my face. My life is revolving around my acne condition. Please help me!!!!

[deeneezy]

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a bad time with your acne. What medications have you already tried? have you tried them from your doctor?

I dont know if you have heard about accutane/roaccutane, i have read alot about this, it is supposed to be the best acne treatment around, but you can only get this from a dermatologist which your doctor will have to referr you to. I don't know if you have already tried this?

Get back to us and let us know what you have tried, best wishes x

[Falennixonx]

Hey there,

I have tried Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Complete Acne Therapy System, Clean & Clear, Oxy 10, clearasil etc. Sadly I don't have a doctor nor a dermatologist. However I heard of accutane. I'm not quite sure if this drug works or not but I did hear from two people that they have been using it for over 10 years along as many other products as well such as  glycolic acid peels, micro dermabrasion, retin-a, tetracycline, cortisone injections and it gave little to no relief. But I guess it's really based on the type of skin you have? It might work on mine.. might not but after trying all these products I'm just afraid that my acne will grow even worse then it already is.

[deeneezy]

Over the counter remedies dont often work very well on acne, you do really need to see a doctor or dematologist who can give you a specialised medication.. is there no way you can get to one?

The doctor can either prescribe you a combination of oral antibiotcs and a topical cream or gel. If he referred you to the dermatologist he would probably try accutane which works by damaging (not visible damage) the sebacous glands so that they stop producing so much sebum (oil) which is causing your acne, you do have to have regular checks while you are using this treatment. As you havn't tried these prescription medications it would definitely be worth a try, medications dont have the same effect on everyone, and these may work very well for you!

If you live in the UK, go here to see which doctors are taking new patients in your area, just need to pop in your post code or name of area.

http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/ServiceSearch.aspx

If your not in the UK, can your family help with you getting to a doctor?

Best Wishes

[BushidoPOW]

xooxxooo
keep praying and stay in school youl'll be alright take a look at me im going through too. i have to set an appointment later.

[morenasian]

I'm sorry Tyson. I had a similar problem and I posted my response for another member so I copied and pasted it for you here. This may just work for you. It's affordable and gentle. Good luck! :-)

Instead of using prescription creams I juiced one medium sized lemon and then dilluted it with about 1/4 cup of water. I reused a glass jar (from jam, salsa, or whatver. Great for the enviornment!) And stored it in the fridge. I rinsed my face and neck with the lemon juice 2- 3 times a day. Be gentle. You don't have to scrub your skin with a rag or loofah. Just massage with your fingers. The lemon cuts through the oils and dirt. Afterwards, I dampened a cotton ball with Apple Cider Vinegar and wiped my face and neck. This is a little strong. You can dillute it if you want. If it's too strong you can use non-alcoholic witch hazel as a toner. I then sprayed my face and neck with a little rose water. My acne was gone in less than a week. Everyone commented on my "glow". That's the lemon. It's a natural skin lightener and really brightens up the face. If your skin feels too dry from the Apple Cider Vinegar, you can apply 2-3 drops of Jojoba oil on your face along with the rose water but to clear up my cheek acne, I didn't use the oil just finished off with the rose water. I only use jojoba oil now that my cheeks are acne free.

[twixxell]

Hi!
I know what you're going through...and I know how much it hurts both physically and emotionally. My skin started breaking out when I turned twelve, and then when I hit fifteen, it just got like twenty million times worse! Now, I have a whole lot of scars that are deep, and I'm thinking of getting laser dermabrasion to fill them back in. But, what I'm writing you about is to tell you of what I've found that helped me quite a bit. It doesn't make absolutely all the pimples go away, but it drastically reduces them (if you can stand the smell and sting for a while).
Okay. What I've found that works is, like someone already commented: Apple Cider Vinegar. It honestly does work (for both me and my mother). It smells awful, and is quite strong, so what you'll want to do is never use it full strength, or else it burns like all hell when you apply it to the lesions. So I mix it out half apple cider vinegar and half water, and sometimes that's too strong, so only one third vinegar and the rest water. (Regular white vinegar doesn't work for me). I'd say maybe just wash your face with water first (or a mild soap, preferably all natural oatmeal soap, cause that helped me, and it doesn't sting), and then what you do is you use a piece of cotton to wipe your face and any affected area down with the apple cider vinegar/water mixture. You can leave it on overnight, if you choose, but that doesn't always make it work faster. Then, and this part is vitally important, when you've rinsed it off, get Aloe Vera leaf. The real plant, not some juice or product that claims it has aloe vera in it. You can buy the leaf at a fruit/vegetable store or from a supermarket. You'll want a fat, plump one...try to avoid those that look bruised or really skinny. Get the fattest one you can find (the leaves usually cost no more than $3 individually, and that's expensive, although sometimes they're sold by weight) and slice off a thin portion maybe 2-3mm wide. Get it from the thick, jelly part that's around the middle of the aloe leaf, and just smear all the gel from that sliver directly onto your skin. This works as a moisturizer, although it leaves your skin kind of stiff feeling afterwards. DON'T WASH THE ALOE OFF!!!!! If you have to, since your skin is dry, you should probably put something else on after this. Now, those oil free moisturizers actually make me break out...so what I do (although I know it sounds counterproductive) is to mix a teensy bit of vitamin E oil with like two drops of tea tree oil (and I also put one drop of ravensara oil, but that cost $33 in a healthfood store, and my dad bought it, not me), and I put that in a very thin layer on my face. It's only shiny for a little bit of time, but then my skin absorbs it and it's more flexible after the aloe has dried. I'd advise you to do the apple cider vinegar/aloe/vitaminE & tea tree oil thing at least every morning and every night. Also, actually, I strongly advise that you do it when you come home from school in the afternoon, too.

Please, please give this a shot; it works for me, and I'd like nothing more than to hear good news of it working for you. And please try it every morning and night at least for two weeks before you give up, okay? I really hope and pray that this helps, and if it doesn't, I pray that you'll find something that does. Would you do me the favor of contacting me to tell me how it's going?

Here's my email:
***@****
I hope to hear from you!!! =)

[minniemouse2010]

Your post hit home with me because I know how you feel. I had an issue similar which I'd like to share with you. I had mild acne throughout my teen years and tried many products to counter it. However, nothing worked and in fact made it worse. After a year of stress and disappointment I went to the dermatologist. The dermatologist took one look at my skin and said "you are allergic to benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Everything I was using on my face was making the pimples I had waaaay worse. It made it dry and irritated and made me want to peel my skin off. As well as, when I got a zit, my allergy turned it into a huge infected boil. I immediately stopped using the wash and switched to cetaphil (available for very cheap at the drugstore and it gentle enough to use on 6 months old babies) and he put me on an oral acne medication as well as an anti inflammatory. This may not be exactly what your problem is but if your desperate for a solution, no stone should be left unturned. I'm so sorry you are having such a hard time. Get to a dermatologist asap so you can become a happy confident 15 year old!! P.S. my skin is crystal clear now, it may not be your solution but I feel like its worth a try and it's not very expensive ($8 for cetaphil wash and about $20 for both anti-inflammatory and acne medication with insurance)

[GoHawks921]

I read your comment about being allergic to benzoyl peroxide and salicyclic acid, and wondered if that were the case with my son.  He is 14, and everything we have tried seems to have made his acne worse as well.  We have an appointment with a dermatologist, but can't get in for another month.  Our family doctor did prescribe Minocycline and Differin last week, but I have not had them filled yet because I was concerned about potential side effects.  Can I ask what medications your dermatologist prescribed for you?

Thanks for your help!  Thanks also to the other posters who have shared things that worked for them.  I intend to try the home remedies with my son tonight!