acne prevention?

[Anna]

Hello,

I am 33, no children, with a history of moderate acne since age 12 (tried antibiotics, various bcp, currently on Mircette and fairly well under control).
This week, I am going off the pill to start charting my cycle, and last time I tried (3 years ago), I developed pretty severe acne on my back/chest (where I'd never had it before), as well as on my face. Within 6 weeks I was back on the pill, because I teach and it's tough enough without looking worse than the average 13-year-old. The scars of that outbreak are still visible.
Is there ANYTHING non-hormonal I can do to avoid another one of these unpleasant episodes?

Anna

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Anna:

Unfortunately, none that I know of.  Even hormones don't work very well for most people.  It's possible that oral antibiotics, taken regularly, might blunt outbreaks.  You might want to explore that with your dermatologist.

Meantime, keep in mind that you will grow out of this in time.  (I can hear you laughing sardonically, but that's what all my post-adoloescent acne patients do, and they all grow out of it.)

Hang in there.

Dr. Rockoff

[Jason]

There is an electronic product in australia that is supposed to be able to "mimic" the sun in some way.Its main purpose is for keeping clear skin,but it supposedly is able to help control acne.
It is from a company called Danoz direct.It is called the"emjoi clear"

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

You can fool most of the people for a lot of the time.

Dr. Rockoff

[Anna]

Yeah, I checked it out, and while I like nice-smelling things, I don't quite trust aromatology where antibiotics failed. :-)
As to the "growing out of it", WHEN??? When I got this at 12/13, everybody told me, oh, it's just s few years, you'll get through it. But I'm 33, I have scars everywhere, and no end in sight...
Oh well, who needs a man. :-)

Anna

[Gloria]

Anna,
Have you been checked for polycysitic ovarian syndrome?  The trouble you are having with the acne and how it correlates with your use of BCP's, makes me wonder if PCOS could be the root of your problem.  If you have access to a medical library or university library, there is a new book out about the condition, "PCOS:  The Hidden Epidemic," by Dr. Samuel Thatcher.  I do not know if this is your problem, but it would be simple enough to read about PCOS and see if any of the other signs/symptoms apply to you.  Best of luck.

[Sincerely sympathetic]

I definately understand your pain. I am now 25 years old and have experienced the same history of acne. There were times when I was on the pill and was delighted to see the results. For the past couple of months it has not been working. I don't know what to do. My face, honestly, looks awful. I try to wear make up, but I always feel made up. At times, I feel really bad when I look around at others and realize that there are people who can actually wake up and look beautiful without hiding the way that they really look. I know this first part of my letter is not encouraging and I must apologize. The last thing that I want to do is bring you down. I guess I am saying all of this to let you know that you are not alone with this problem.

I read a response to a different message and the advice of the physician was actually pretty smart. He said that people should seek emotional support when dealing with such problems because it should not be the focus of our life. Think about it, you are more than just what you see in the mirror. Your reason for being single is because you may have trouble accepting yourself for who you are and in doing so you prevent others from accepting you. A man will love your heart and your spirit, not just what you look like. Put as much work and effort into how you look on the inside and you will be surprised to see just how attractive you become.

Well I will end this letter now. If you find any new information or have encouraging words for me simple respond to this message.

Sincerely sympathetetic.

[naaz239]

A related discussion, Acne and red Marks on the Face was started.