The Acne Thread

[happycamper]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm going to give it a go b/c I've tried every single type of over the counter product and nothing has helped. I'm going to be starting with a low dosage so hopefully any side effects I have can be caught before they get too serious.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Reseneace]

I once had something prescribed by the doctor to me i think it's the same subject, it was a roller ball type thing and worked well, but i only had mild acne. I can't recall what it was called now though, sorry.

 

[Orchide]

believe me, when your skin is bad enough, the little side effects of dryness and aches and having blood work done are worth it.
unless of course, you have a serious reaction like the poster above did.
i think you will be fine. and don't go too low of a dose...too low won't do the job and defeats the purpose!
good luck happy camper...keep us updated...i will be thinking good thoughts for ya!

 

[tEMA]

My skin isnt to bad but i do have some of the little bumps on my forehead and chin... Im on ClindaTech and its done wonders for my skin, Im in Australia so Im not sure if its available elsewhere. But its clearing which makes me rapt =D But I was wondering i wanna get into modelling but im not sure how long its going to take for my skin to be 'completly' cleared up so do you think when you go for a casting they take much notice to your skin this is for Catwalk so its not like its close up. Its just really my forehead that has a few little bumps there not red or white (thank god) so any comments would be good =)

 

[skin research]

alpha hydrox works on me

ive been doing a lot of reading, and have swept through acne.org I read that the brand Alpha Hydrox is doing wonders. I guess it works for scars and for present acne. It is a AHA moisturizer which contains 10% glycolic acid. It peels your skin by way of dryness and flakyness. but after like a couple weeks of use it supposedly makes your skin look amazing.

i purchased Alpha Hydrox a couple of weeks from drugstore.com, i love this product, i use the oil-free Alpha Hydrox day and night. my new scars clear in a week, but for old scars, it may need more time.

i love tea, and i learn about chinese tea for a year, actually white tea is better than green tea, i dont think tea has very result for ances and scar, but tea is very very good for skin. For Best resut, every morning drink a cup of white tea before your breakfast.

but for some people who have weak health, eat something first before all kinds of tea except black tea.

white tea - very goof for skin,
green tea - good for skin, loss weight
oolong tea - good taste and loss weight
black tea - awake and very effective on loss weight
rock tea - warm you very quickly (in winner days)

hope all these informations help you guys

 

[Kimkhuu]

I asked my derm about a laser treatment, though I have to mention that right now my acne is VERY VERY mild, which means clear skin with 1-2 major zits a month, other than that, it's pretty clear.

My dermatologist told me I could get laser treatment, that way, I don't need to use a special cleanser or any medication or topical creams. The effects of the laser should last at least 6 months (and maximum a year).

Of course the only inconvenient is money, it's around 700$ per treatment!

Ouch, that hurts.....

 

[Orchide]

i have done lasering type facials- foto facial and microdermabrasion...love them!

usually for breakouts and with foto facials or the diamond laser, they work best when you get a series of them like 4-5...you get them done every 4-5 weeks and after the 4th or 5th, your skin is good to go
i love the way your face glows right after a laser facial...it triggers the collegen level and gives you a boost. plus the lasering removes the bad bacteria and cleans it up!
usually, dermos will offer you a package deal...like if you want to do a series, the 5th is free or something like that...also, some insurance co.s will cover part of the treatment b/c it can be considered as necessary for acne or rosecea and helpful for getting rid of painful cystic acne...my dermo is always good and creative with phrasing it so they cover.
if you can't afford, something that is cheaper and definitely beneficial to breakouts and is covered by insurance, is a glycolic peel.
ask you dermo about this if you can't spring for a laser treatment.

 

[discoball]

I just got the Murad treatment, so I'll report back on it in awhile.

What is the murad treatment?

 

[Kimkhuu]

What is a glycolic peel?

 

[JackT]

acne and food:

The medical profession unrelentingly expounds the message that there is no proven connection between food and acne,that studying such subjects are useless etc...yet, have you seen what happens to your skin if you visit a McDonalds 3 times in one week?..

and how do you explain the following:

I have suffered from medium to heavy acne since my teens,wich has improved greatly since I became an adult,but I still have problems, with occasional breakouts..I tried many different treatments for this,with varying results,none of which was entirely good. ..dalacin,antibiotics,skinoren etc..(and also accutan/isotretionin,but I will not do that again..)

at one time 10 years ago,I went to see a doctor that somebody recommendend
..he was a little,old,egyptian man ,who examined me,and made few questions,and after that he spoke for FORTYFIVE MINUTES on what I should eat and not eat..and before I left ,he also wrote out a recipe for a white zinc paste that I should apply daily ,but I had the feeling that that part was more of a formality,and only because he should prescribe _something_...

Well,I went ahead and did what he told me..and let me tell you....I have NEVER,EVER had so good skin and been so completely free from skin problems at any time in my entire life, before or after that period ...

unfortunately ,I remember very little of what he said...
It was things like,drink a lot of water every morning,don't eat choccolate,don't eat grilled chicken,don't drink red wine....and a lot more ,of which I have no recollection :-(
...
Some time ago I made a renewed effort to fix my skin ,and visited three different doctors,who all recommended accutan unanimously...certainly not,I said, and
started looking up the doctor whom I had visited previously.
Unfortunately,the clinic where he had served told me that he had passed away...:-(..
so I thought that I would request a copy of my journal,in order to find clues to what he had said.
They did warn me that he usually did not write so many details in his journal..but I thought,oh,well, there must be SOMETHING...but to my dismay,when I recieved my copy and opened it with great anticipation,it only contained TWO lines,with something like "...acne so-and so...prescribed zinc pasta so and so"...........

Wish there was another doctor like this,who was still around!!!

 

[Acid]

the best cure IMO is sunlight

 

[Hanne]

that makes me wonder..if sunlight is the best cure..is acne less prevalent in more sunny climates ?
Do we have any bi-residental members who live in sunny AND cloudy locations ?

 

[Acid]

i believe its true.....
when people come to the UK they always say that their skin gets worse

and same when people from the UK go to LA, they praise how their skin clears up

 

[Kimkhuu]

Does Proactiv work?

 

[SJPdeux]

when i was in my teens, there was a product that was on the market that really worked for me. the spiel that surrounded it claimed that it was made out of whale's sperm (if my memory serves me right), it was either australia or new zealand formulated but i used to buy it from boots and superdrug readily. It came in a spray action bottle. i cannot remember the name but it might have started with k. or i could be wrong.

also, it was also for controlling oil/t-zone overproduction and i used it as a moisturiser as well and would still use it now. if i could remember its bleeding name

 

[SJPdeux]

I lived in Africa for half my life and I am now resident in Europe. Of course the sun is good for the skin! It activates cells and regenerates. Think plantlife then think bigger.lol

I lived in Africa for half my life and I am now resident in Europe. I had no prevailing skin conditions before arriving but was diagnosed with psorasis about 5yrs ago. The only thing that helps is the sun IMO and NOT steroid creams. I look forward to the summer because I know it will help my skin heal.

 

[Orchide]

What is a glycolic peel?

a glycolic peel is when they take glycolic acid which is a much higher grade than you can get over-the-counter, and swab it over your face-avoiding the eyes- and if you need it, over your chest and back. they leave it on for about 2-5 minutes depending on your sensitivity level. it does start to itch a bit towards the end.
then they rinse it off with lots of water.
it immediately has a toning and antiseptic effect which is deeper than anything you can do at home...it keeps breakouts at bay and gets rid of bacteria

 

[I_Heart_Shopping]

I recently purchased 100% organic unrefined african shea butter for my acne scars. Because I've heard a lot of people saying how it was a "miracle" for it. So I was really excited to try it. When I put it on I was expecting it to be creamy- but it seemed to melt, like butter, on my face. I've been using it for a couple of days now and so far haven't seen any improvements. :-(

So I'm not sure if I just got ripped off with something else... or if I have to wait a month+ to start seeing results.

Any suggestions of what to do now?

 

[secondly]

I'm going to start drinking more white tea, and water, but wasn't sure about what sort of cleanser to use. Some days my skin is oily, some times it is dry. I tried oxy pads, which don't really do anything. I tried some Neutrogena crap, but it didn't do anything either. What kind of product works? I mean, are Neutrogena and Oxy generally supposed to work, or are they just a big scam to begin with?

 

[polly]

my derm said to use Cetaphil anti-bacterial cleanser and no moisturizer ...and use Sea and Ski spray on sunscreen....