The Acne Thread #3

[adorefaith]

I'd suggest rosehip oil.. and absolutely try Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse (plus it smells far better than the rosehip oil, and is almost 100% natural as well. )

 

[eternitygoddess]

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

Does it reduce scarring?

Does ANYTHING reduce scarring? (besides surgery) I've heard this and that and Idk what to believe. Some people say tanning and drinking lots of water reduces scarring...which I don't quite believe.

 

[nijuyanah]

^ Tanning will NEVER have a positive effect on your skin (well, except from the fact that, if you're tanned -in a healthy way- redness of pimples/scars probably won't be as noticable as when you're very pale, but that's it). Drinking lots of water is definitely important for a nice skin but I also don't think it will reduce scarring.
I made great experiences with a camphor spot-treatment! It's called "Creme au camphre" from the swiss brand Dessée. You only apply it on the scars or if you have any spots - it's also great if you have just removed a pimple and want the spot to sooth.
Worked pretty well for me.

 

[adorefaith]

Does it reduce scarring?

i have had positive results so far...they have definitely faded..
I am also drinking a lot more water, have tried to cut out sugar from my diet and am taking a variety of supplements from my naturopath - but i think that is always the key any time you endeavor to change anything in the body... it is a combination of things that is going to help support healing processes.. and it's just a matter of finding what works for you (a very frustrating process sometimes).
but I would recommend the Nuxe oil.. i am convinced it has made a difference.

 

[starsrainsunmoon]

For anyone considering taking accutane, heres my two cents...

I've just stopped taking my accutane medication and my skin is pretty much perfect now (aside from the scarring). I haven't got a pimple in months now, and i've become one of those girls who sighs at the tiniest pimple now, before that used to be an everyday thing.

I didn't actually notice much of the side effects that have been mentioned, just dry lips and a little bit of lethargy at times (however, that might not be the medication and just my lifestyle/eating habits in general). I think I had more negative feelings when I had terrible skin then when I was on the medication and my skin finally started clearing up.

If you have terrible skin like I had, I definetly recommend trying it. Since i've been on the medication i've had so many compliments on my skin about how it's just cleared up completely, and I don't regret taking it one bit! A lot of people were warning me about the medication beforehand and how I should be taking 'natural' remedies, but seriously.. when your skin is THAT bad you really need to go on this stuff. The 'natural' remedies, I find, is more for the occasional, everyday acne.

That being said, the medication should only be tried if your skin is terrible and persistant after other things haven't worked. Definitly exhaust all other options before going on the medication!

 

[KamenKutak]

were can i go for a good deep cleanse ??? i'm searching the web for a dermatologist in germany (hanover) but i think there are only beauty salons for that? were do you go for skin treatments (acne/pores)?

 

[La Miel]

were can i go for a good deep cleanse ??? i'm searching the web for a dermatologist in germany (hanover) but i think there are only beauty salons for that? were do you go for skin treatments (acne/pores)?

Hey I'm from Hannover and I was also looking for a dermatologist the other day. Maybe this one can help you? I haven't been there yet though so I can't tell you if it's good or not

 

[RestrictedCode]

eternitygoddess -- pure tea tree oil has helped me making some scars less visible, but I'm not sure if it is going to solve the problem completely

 

[eternitygoddess]

restricted - how long did it take for the scars to become less visible?

 

[Ghostkeeper]

After using multiple products, toners, gels, pills, prescriptions and most recently peels and laser treatments... I am so frustrated! I honestly feel like my acne will never actually disappear. It has improved but I want to have clear skin. The most recent product I have tried is the Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Kit, where it claims that 100% of tests seen clearer skin in one day. Well after a complete 24 hours, nothing, and after use of three days it just broke me out. Is there any recommendations for scars and small pimples. Basically, "the finishing touches" if you will. I haven't gotten larger white or red headed pimples lately, knock on wood, so I am hoping someone will know a product or solution to help with the smoothness and surface of my skin and maybe with some light scaring.

 

[Kenysha75]

^^ did you even try accutane ?
Im on my 4th months now and I dont have sh*t anymore on my face now Im on 50/day thats the highest he gave me
I still have 2 months to do I just hope that it wont come back after this I have to do laser after the treatment

 

[emailme.]

where do you go for accutane and what's the effectivity rate?

 

[Kenysha75]

For accutane the treatment is long & difficult
It is only on precription which is given by your dermatologist every month
For me the treatment is for 6 months and I started around may with 30mg
If you are a female youll get special treatment let me start you on this one issue
You are not supposed to get pregnant at all during the treatment wich means you will have to sign papers knowing those facts
The baby can be affected in so many ways you dont even want to know about that
You will have to get your birth control pills prescription
And on top of that you will have to take blood pregnancy test every month
This treatment is no joke
The dryness is not that bad for me Im buyin tons of lipbalm which I apply all the time plus Im buyin Uriage emolliente & emolliente extreme so the dryness is not that bad
Also your eyes will get dry so I recommend vitamin A dulcis its an eye cream
Im applyn it day & night
Some people tend to warm me this summer about the treatment as it affects your liver among other things but sometimes the acne is so bad that Sorry but you have to get a treatment
For the moment its working for me and thats all I know
I hope that was helpfull enough

 

[Serenity*Now]

The accutane drug is a high dose of a version of Vit A, so was the Vit A eye cream recommended? It would *seem* like that would be a lot for that area to take... I'm glad it's working for you though. Have you tried any other creams for that area?

-I always say on this thread "YMMV" or 'your mileage may vary'. Everyone is different and there is no "cookbook" of products that works on everyone every time. I was on the full-course of Accutane for 6mos. Twice. It was awesome while I was on it. Long-term though, the acne came back and I still have it. Some people go on it never to have acne again. ((Lucky b*tches ))

 

[Kenysha75]

The accutane drug is a high dose of a version of Vit A, so was the Vit A eye cream recommended? It would *seem* like that would be a lot for that area to take... I'm glad it's working for you though. Have you tried any other creams for that area?

-I always say on this thread "YMMV" or 'your mileage may vary'. Everyone is different and there is no "cookbook" of products that works on everyone every time. I was on the full-course of Accutane for 6mos. Twice. It was awesome while I was on it. Long-term though, the acne came back and I still have it. Some people go on it never to have acne again. ((Lucky b*tches ))

Serenity the eyecream was recommended it is a moisturizing eyecream plus I had a prescription of eyedrops called Lacrifluid Im basically putting eyecream & eyedrops 7 days a week
I totally agree with you everyone is different and should try to find products that work great for them
Im sorry to hear you had to take accutane twice I dont think I could handle all the blood test again
I had an allergy to birth control pills thats why I had to take accutane
I was on antibiotics for a year and a half(I know it sounds insane)
and the bad germs kept fighting back (those fu*ers)
Anyway I was on those amazing cream that dermatologist give you effederm and cutacnyl 10% and usually it works wonders on everyone
And it didnt work out for me this time cause I think my problem was cyst and not regular acne
But really for me I would recommend effederm and cutacnyl 5 or 10 % cream if you have regular acne its the best Cutacnyl kill those fuc*ers for real
Plus the brand Stiefel they have the best stuff and its cheap
Its the best

question-tortue.net

 

[MaidQuiet]

Well here is my two cents worth.

Throughout my teens, I never had so much as a zit. I pretty much had fantastic skin sigh. However during my mid twenties I started to break out firstly just on the chin area, then after a few years I started to break out on my forehead. I think what triggered all this was hormonal issues as I came off the pill after many years and my diet had not changed (I've always had a pretty healthy diet).

Over the past couple of years its gotten progressively worse, and my confidence has taken a bit of battering. Ive tried giving up dairy (and I love cheese), gluten, sugar etc the list goes on. Tried every bloody brand of product, expensive and cheap. Tried going back on the pill. NOTHING worked. I could not go on accutane for health reasons.

So I gave up. And what I have found that is working for me - I have not had any major breakouts over the past few weeks (Yay ) is doing nothing. I put nothing on my face, I wash my face in the morning and evening with warm water for a few minutes using the tips of my fingers in gentle circular motions and then pat dry with a clean towel. I use Roc moisturiser just aroung my eyes (im nearly 31 so I gotta try and keep those wrinkles at bay). I try to have as many makeup free days as possible, which hard when all you want to do is try to conceal the problem. When i do use makeup i use a Roc cleansing cream which i make sure is taken off by using the water cleansing method.

If anyone has had similar problems to me I hope this helps. I really believe that putting piles of crap on your skin and stripping it of its own natural healing abilities will make matters worse (and only serves to line the pockets of all these anti acne brands).

Good luck everyone!

 

[Kenysha75]

Well here is my two cents worth.

Throughout my teens, I never had so much as a zit. I pretty much had fantastic skin sigh. However during my mid twenties I started to break out firstly just on the chin area, then after a few years I started to break out on my forehead. I think what triggered all this was hormonal issues as I came off the pill after many years and my diet had not changed (I've always had a pretty healthy diet).

Over the past couple of years its gotten progressively worse, and my confidence has taken a bit of battering. Ive tried giving up dairy (and I love cheese), gluten, sugar etc the list goes on. Tried every bloody brand of product, expensive and cheap. Tried going back on the pill. NOTHING worked. I could not go on accutane for health reasons.

So I gave up. And what I have found that is working for me - I have not had any major breakouts over the past few weeks (Yay ) is doing nothing. I put nothing on my face, I wash my face in the morning and evening with warm water for a few minutes using the tips of my fingers in gentle circular motions and then pat dry with a clean towel. I use Roc moisturiser just aroung my eyes (im nearly 31 so I gotta try and keep those wrinkles at bay). I try to have as many makeup free days as possible, which hard when all you want to do is try to conceal the problem. When i do use makeup i use a Roc cleansing cream which i make sure is taken off by using the water cleansing method.

If anyone has had similar problems to me I hope this helps. I really believe that putting piles of crap on your skin and stripping it of its own natural healing abilities will make matters worse (and only serves to line the pockets of all these anti acne brands).

Good luck everyone!

You just quote the answer of your problem
I think it is really sad that nobody warn us about the pills and the second effects it can have
The pill was not good to me at all Since I stopped it I feel way better
I hardly believe that food has nothing to do with acne
Me & my best friend use to eat junk food like 4 5 times a week and I was flawless
and when I started the pill cyst came on my skin everywhere
I do think that pill has a huge impact on our body but doctors never tell you about all that they just give you the pill and thats it
Now I know better
And maidquiet you are so right sometimes a simple routine can work a long way

 

[Kenysha75]

roaccutane accutane

For those who want to know more about Roaccutane here is the history of this product
Isotretinoin
Isotretinoin (INN) (pronounced /ˌaɪsoʊtrɨˈtɪnoʊɨn/) is a medication used for the treatment of severe acne. It was first developed to be used as a chemotherapy medication for the treatment of brain cancer, pancreatic cancer, and more. It is still used in the treatment of these cancers to this day because of its ability to kill rapidly dividing cells. The effects of the medication are systemic and non-selective. In some cases, it is used to treat Harlequin-type ichthyosis, usually a lethal skin deformation in which sufferers develop armor plated-like skin and usually die soon after birth. It is a retinoid, meaning it derives from vitamin A and is found in small quantities naturally in the body. Oral isotretinoin is marketed under various trade names, most common ones being Roaccutane (Hoffman-La Roche, known as Accutane before July 2009), Amnesteem (Mylan), Claravis (Barr), Clarus (PremPharm), Decutan (Actavis), Isotane (Pacific Pharmaceuticals), Izotek (BlauFarma), Oratane (Genepharm Australasia), ISOTRET (Liva Healthcare Ltd.) or Sotret (Ranbaxy), while topical isotretinoin is most commonly marketed under the trade names Isotrex or Isotrexin (Stiefel).

History

An early treatment of acne first used during the 1930s was high doses of the fat-soluble vitamin A (retinoic acid)[citation needed]. At these dosage levels (sometimes 500,000 IU per day), sebum production is notably reduced, thwarting acne, but overly dry hair is a negative side-effect, and such high doses can lead to vitamin A toxicity. Use of animal-based vitamin A at nutritive levels (where the upper limit dosage is 10,000 IU daily), taken over the course of a year, has also been shown to reduce acne[citation needed].

Building on the discovery that vitamin A can inhibit sebum production at toxic dosages, the retinoic acid derivative isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) was developed in 1982 by Hoffmann-La Roche. Dr. Gary Peck is credited with discovering its use for the treatment of cystic acne as well as disorders of keratinization such as lamellar ichthyosis, Darier's disease, and pityriasis rubra pilaris. In addition, he demonstrated its chemopreventive properties in patients with Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome, also known as nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome and Gorlin's syndrome. In fact, within one year of attaining the U.S. patent for discovering the use of isotretinoin in the treatment of acne, he received the Inventor's Award from the US Department of Commerce and a Meritorious Service Medal from the US Public Health Services in 1983. In 2003, he was honored with The Discovery Award by the Dermatology Foundation in "recognition of extraordinary scientific accomplishments that have had a profound influence on the specialty of dermatology and have gained the respect and admiration of the world scientific community".

Dosage requirements of isotretinoin have been disputed. After a 1984 study funded by Roche, relatively high dosages of isotretinoin became mainstream in treatment in the United States. Lower dosages were found to be effective in treatment by independent research (see dosage section of this article).

From the time of its introduction, the drug was known to have teratogenic potential, and pregnancies with the drug were strongly discouraged. When they occurred, they were found to have approximately 30% rates of congenital malformation, versus a 3-5% baseline risk. Beginning in 1998, prescriptions of the drug came under scrutiny, as fewer than half of prescribers were testing for pregnancy, usually relying on less sensitive urine tests. On the grounds that pregnancies by women taking the drug had been underreported by the manufacturer between 1982 and 2000, and that, once generic manufacturers entered the market risk management was no longer centralized, the FDA instituted restrictions on prescribing and dispensing the drug, first with the "System to Manage Accutane Related Teratogenicity" (SMART) in 2000, and subsequently the iPLEDGE program in 2006. A retrospective cohort study recently found that pregnancy rates were quite high during the period (1 per 30 women per year), and 84% of pregnancies were ended by induced abortion.

In February 2002, Roche's patents for isotretinoin expired, and there are now many other companies selling cheaper generic versions of the drug. On June 29, 2009, Roche Pharmaceuticals, the original creator and distributor of isotretinoin, officially discontinued both the manufacture and distribution of their Accutane brand in the United States due to what the company described as business reasons related to low market share (below 5 percent) coupled with the high cost of defending personal-injury lawsuits brought by some patients prescribed the drug. Generic isotretinoin will remain available in the United States through various manufacturers. Roche USA continues to defend Accutane and claims to have treated over 13 million patients since its introduction in 1982. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. apparently will continue to manufacture and distribute Roaccutane outside of America.

Isotretinoin is available over the internet from countries where it can be dispensed without a prescription. This presents a dilemma for acne sufferers residing in countries with highly regulated medical and pharmaceutical industries (FD&C Act), as private importation might violate existing statutes.

 

[Kenysha75]

roaccutane

Dosage
10 mg capsule

The dose of isotretinoin a patient receives is dependent on their weight and the severity of the condition. High-dose treatments are administered between 0.5 mg/kg/day to 2 mg/kg/day (usually at 0.5 to 1 mg/kg/day[20], divided into two doses), for a total treatment of 4–6 months. In some rare cases where the patient's acne is severe or unresponsive the initial course may last up to 9 months. A second course may be used at least 8 weeks following the cessation of the initial course if severe acne recurs. Efficacy appears to be related to the cumulative dose of isotretinoin taken, with a total cumulative dose over each course of 9,000–10,000 mg used as a guideline. Shorter, higher dose treatments or uninterrupted double courses should be used only as a last resort, due to adverse side-effects.

Nearly all patients achieve initial clearing of acne during high-dose isotretinoin therapy. Furthermore, about 40% observe complete and long-term remission of the disease following one course of isotretinoin, while another 40% eventually develop less severe recurrent acne, which is treatable with less invasive medications. The remaining 20% relapse significantly enough to warrant an additional course of isotretinoin. Each additional course, however, has a higher probability of cure.

Lower-dosage treatments, such as 10–20 mg/day (approximately half the high dosage treatments above), are also highly effective, with greatly diminished side-effects. However, such lower dosage courses may be associated with higher relapse rates requiring additional courses of isotretinoin, especially if not taken for sufficient time.
Wikipedia

 

[Serenity*Now]

Kenysha75- thx for the product tip. wonder if we have it in the US.
And even though we may all respond differently, it's always good to hear of other "case studies".


MaidQuiet - been there, done that. Full blown "nothing" didn't work for me-just made things worse but I do a "modified" version of what you're talking about- I no longer wear makeup (powder or liquid) and I use gentle cleansers, etc etc.
For me it's more a matter of what doesn't make things WORSE. [Nothing ever makes things BETTER.] I'm stuck between a little bad and a lot bad.
When I have to wear makeup, I still with safe mineral versions and I cleanse with DHC oil cleanser (believe it or not) which works better for me than the Shu E. or Dermalogica brands. If I can go w/o full blown face, I use Dermalogica's spot concealer with the sulfur to hide/tint and treat.