Any doctors in the house? [Acne treatment]

[~Shard~]

<snip>

Thanks EJBasile, it's always great to have an expert opinion on the matter! You've highlighted some other viable options there for people as well, giving pros and cons, which is great - different things work for different people, so having an arsenal of choices at your disposal, and education on those choices is a good thing!

 

[mbdamdg]

Accutane is amazing.
My face went from one giant zit to almost normal in a few weeks. It was great. Well my skin dried up, but that was a small price to pay.



I'm trying to ignore all the other even more nasty side effects.

 

[EJBasile]

Thanks EJBasile, it's always great to have an expert opinion on the matter! You've highlighted some other viable options there for people as well, giving pros and cons, which is great - different things work for different people, so having an arsenal of choices at your disposal, and education on those choices is a good thing!

Thank you.

I forgot to say, if you are a female, using "the pill" may also help your skin, it also make you skinnier, or fatter, or the same wieght.

Eating healthy (no fast food ) and going out into the sun also help a lot. If you have a pool, swim in it, if your near the ocean, go for a swim. Chlorine and salt will help a lot.

Benzoyl Peroxide works very well for "on-the-spot" treatment.

 

[puckhead193]

i use benzaclin....

 

[florencevassy]

I had acne as a teenager and have been seeing a dermatologist regularly for 20 years.

My acne is pretty much gone now but I still see the doctor to keep my skin looking good.

I have been using different form of Retin-A over the years but I think everyone has different needs.

I personally think that it is important to see a good dermatologist and follow their advice.

Do you have insurance? I see a Dr. that is on my plan and I pay a $20 co-pay for each visit + the cost of medicine. Also ask the Dr. to give you a letter saying the medicine is for health reasons and submit that to your insurance to it can be covered. Or get your medicine from the pharmacy.

Good luck!

 

[devilot]

I forgot to say, if you are a female, using "the pill" may also help your skin, it also make you skinnier, or fatter, or the same wieght.

I love love love love it!!! Little to no cramps (prior to being on the pill, I literally could not sit upright when the bad ones hit)... clearer skin, and most importantly, I'm consistent now. Sorry if I scared any of you males.

 

[jimN]

surprised to see all these comments on cleanliness

While i would agree that the odd spot can result from poor facial hygiene the idea that a rigid cleansing regime will rid you of years of acne is just wrong. The reason that acne manifests itself during puberty is because that's when the body is awash with hormones, and for the people that it continues in hormones continue to play a substantial role. Roaccutane (as it is called in Blighty) is a vitamin A derivative and is thoroughly unpleasant but highly effective. It's most worrying side effect is that it is teratogenic - that is to say, as one dermatologist i trained with used to say, "it mangles babies". In fact some skin doctors will compel women to sign a contract to say that they won't get knocked up, others insist that their female patients take the pill. In fact, for some, the pill can be highly effective for acne (for example Jasmine) and variants that contain anti-androgens such as cyproterone acetate are highyl effective for treating the acne that can occur in PCOS sufferers.

Obviously causes vary from person to person and some may find benefits from obscure methods but it is important not to confuse the embarrassment that the odd spot might cause compared to the debilitating pyschological damage that severe acne can create.

Just a quick aside for the person who complained that doctors are only interested in putting people on medicines. Can't comment on what it is like in the states but in england we'll always encourage someone to help themselves, sadly it's normally them that aren't prepared to put the effort in.

 

[oldschool]

thanks JimN...

so are you a dermatologist? you said you trained with one.


And if so it's nice to have a real doctor on the forum.

 

[~Shard~]

Just a quick aside for the person who complained that doctors are only interested in putting people on medicines. Can't comment on what it is like in the states but in england we'll always encourage someone to help themselves

You know, it takes 2 seconds to read the member's name associated with a post you're referencing, so there's no need to talk to me in the 3rd person. j/k

Seriously, I live in Canada - much different than the States. We have Medicare here, and I would hate to live in the States with their health care system. No offense, but that's just the way it is - things are so expensive there.

At any rate, younger doctors are much better as they're more "with the times", but as I said, all of the doctors I have been to prescribe medicines, pills and drugs - that's all they do. Have a problem? A drug will fix it. Even better, how about the pill the latest drug company has been peddling and is promoting with us? Unfortunately, I see this time and time again. I'm happy to hear it is different in England.

I have told doctors how my acne, asthma, etc. has all cleared up naturally, and they look at me dumb-founded. "What, without antibiotics? Without drugs?" Yep, hate to break it to ya!

And as I eluded to in my previous post, the other thing that bothers me is the reactive nature of the health care system - or "disease care system" as I prefer to call it. Instead of promoting how people can stay healthy, avoid ailments and perhaps never even need a doctor for such instances, they just wait and treat you when you already have something, when it is too late. Many times they address the symptoms as opposed to the cause. A friend of mine went in complaining about pains in her side. The doctors did some test and said that she needed her gall-bladder out. Well, in fact, she needed to lose about 150 pounds and change her diet and start exercising, but they decided to treat the symptoms instead of address the cause. It's things like this that make me shake my head.

But, I'm getting off-topic...

sadly it's normally them that aren't prepared to put the effort in.

Very well put - we must take it on our own to take care of our health, no one else will do it for us. Totally agree with you.

 

[DeSnousa]

My secret is to clean your face regularly, i prefer just soap. Its good at getting rid of the oil and drying the skin. Thats a great pointer keeping your skin dry. Also don't use moisturiser, it acts as a way to put oil on your skin for smoothness, but acene produces plenty of it, enough for smooth skin and to grow pimples

I find that products aint perfect and you can call me natural, but since going natural (just soap), i have been able to control it drastically.

Remember keep your face dry and don't touch your face with anything to grease it up. How do i know, i used too have acene all over my face and back. Plus it began going to my ass (excuse the slang). Its something that embreases me to talk about , but since regularly washing and keeping the area dry, i have removed most of the acne. All thats left is the dry mark of dead skin.Once new skin comes i will be sweet.

Im really embreassed at the moment i normal don't talk about this.

 

[neildmitchell]

Pimples are natural, a lot to do with hormones, but it might appear from other reasons, depending on age.

Sometimes diet can cause acne, I personally tend to break out when I eat too much dairy.

Acne is aggrivated my sweat wich contain oil & hormones, so wash with a gentle soap after excercising, thoughout the day pat dry the oil from your face with a clean paper towel to help keep the oil and gunk in check

As a teen I tried all the OTC acne washes and whatnots, just aggrivated my acne. worse. Seeing a doctor is probably the last step to try unless you have a sever condition.

 

[Jojitsu]

Doxycycline is what finally did the trick for me... two pills a day and after a couple of months it apparently reforms your pores to not have pimples as much... is by a prescription tho, and there are some possible side effects (worst for me was that skin sun burned a bit easier) and you cannot have calcium of any kind an hour before and after taking the pill (no more cereal for me in the morning)... a small sacrifice.

And that's what worked for me thusfar

 

[Nanda Devi]

Take a clean pin or needle, and stick the acne. Let it pop and put cream over it.

Ooh, I'd be careful with that one... As far as I know, it can be quite dangerous to stick yourself with a pin (even a "clean" one... I'm pretty sure you have to run the thing through an autoclave or at least boil it or something in order to really sterilize it). Anyway, all I know is that my sister once popped a blister with a pin, and even though she took the precaution of trying to sterilize the needle by holding the end of it in a flame, she ended getting a bad infection that turned out to be Tetanus. Fortunately she caught it right away and got rid of it.

So, just be careful with the whole popping route. It can also leave nasty scars if you're not extremely careful.

I have heard the toothpaste thing though... supposedly works well. Oddly enough, Preperation H is also supposed to work wonders (gets rid of the swelling I suppose).


Oh, and I definitely agree with ~Shard's~ approach -- nothing beats a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.... it's the only bona fide, LONG-TERM cure for whatever ails you!!

ND

 

[Abstract]

Seems like lots of people here have experience's of acne - and everyone has a different solution. Shard is absolutely right that eating healthily and exercising can be the answer - it helps to regulate your body's hormones (especially naughty testosterone, the arch enemy of good skin).
But i would really encourage using Proactiv - the vast majority of users get great results with very little side effects (i didn't have any problems at all).
I'm not paid by Proactiv to push it (!), i just know how horrible it is to suffer from acne, and i'd love it if others could improve their skin like mine's improved.

Proactive is just benzoyl peroxide and a couple of other things. You could just buy what they include, but separately. And you may be paying a premium for the ProActive name, but it's not like they have some secret, magical cure. They're using the benzoyl peroxide and moisturizer route that many people here have already recommended, so there's no need.

Anyway, how does sunlight help? Sure, it dries your skin and may dry up the zit, but once you get out of the sun, the problem comes back. And also, it makes your skin dry, and since the recommendation was to use moisturizer, I see suntanning and moisturizer as conflicting info.

 

[iBlue]

And if so it's nice to have a real doctor on the forum.

indeed

already lots of good info in this thread but i'll add that i had a bout with acne for a while in high school. i was given a "cycline" drug (tetracycline, doxycycline, etc whatever it was it was in that branch of antibiotics) and it cleared it up pretty quickly and pretty much problem solved. it does cause photosensitivlty though so do stay out of the sun for extended periods of time if you take a cycline drug.
accutane is really horrific stuff, it should be a last resort. (but that was already mentioned)

good luck!

 

[EJBasile]

Ooh, I'd be careful with that one... As far as I know, it can be quite dangerous to stick yourself with a pin (even a "clean" one... I'm pretty sure you have to run the thing through an autoclave or at least boil it or something in order to really sterilize it). Anyway, all I know is that my sister once popped a blister with a pin, and even though she took the precaution of trying to sterilize the needle by holding the end of it in a flame, she ended getting a bad infection that turned out to be Tetanus. Fortunately she caught it right away and got rid of it.

So, just be careful with the whole popping route. It can also leave nasty scars if you're not extremely careful.

I have heard the toothpaste thing though... supposedly works well. Oddly enough, Preperation H is also supposed to work wonders (gets rid of the swelling I suppose).


Oh, and I definitely agree with ~Shard's~ approach -- nothing beats a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.... it's the only bona fide, LONG-TERM cure for whatever ails you!!

ND

Don't pick, poke, prod, probe, or pop them. It usually just pushes the infection down further. At first, since all the pus has been removed you think it looks better, but you have just prolonged the existance of the pimple.

Using a needle isn't smart either. Even though your dermatologsit may do it, it is not the same. The dermatolgist may do it, but they use a sanitized specailized tool for doing so, which won't push down the infection more.

And yes, as shard said, getting a propper diet and exercise will be beneficial.

Washing helps a lot too of course, but most acne is caused in teens is usually more hormones than getting dirt in your face.

 

[jimN]

Sorry to be rude

Sorry Shard, no offense meant, hope none was taken.
Not a dermatolgist and thankfully have never had first hand experience of severe acne although have some second hand experience and am only to aware of how damaging it can be psycholgically. I actually work in peadiatrics (note the second a!!) but my training obviously involved dermatology exposure.

Although the discussion in here was enough to prompt a response from me (and if you could see how many posts i read for every reply i post you'd understand how rare that is) it was the comments about doctors and their attitudes that really drove me to respond. As a group we're very much maligned, i think that the media like to pick on us because we are still seen as the most trustworthy part of society whilst few believe a single word they publish. But, whilst everyone knows of a few bad eggs, doctors and by and large working hard and trying to do what is right and best for their patients and certainly in the UK medication is seen as a last resort. Unfortunately people are often all too keen for the quick fix, the magic bullet and the next big thing. Everyone wants a new treatment for this and that when the best thing that they could do is modify their behaviour and address a few of their own shortcomings rather than complaining about a medical system that is overburdened with an aging population and a user base who expect cutting edge technology at bargain basement prices. Now i work with children this gets to me even more, it is one thing to be careless with your own health it is quite another to disregard the health of a child. Still i'll continue my brief interventions and occasionally you hope that it'll make a difference.

Just to bring myself back on track, must say it is nice to see such a supportive group and am surprised by just how many people acne affects - although is there a selection bias here? Isn't this a forum for spotty computer geeks.

 

[Lau]

I love love love love it!!! Little to no cramps (prior to being on the pill, I literally could not sit upright when the bad ones hit)... clearer skin, and most importantly, I'm consistent now. Sorry if I scared any of you males.

I got much bigger boobs. I am now scared what will happen when I stop taking it

 

[scubabeano]

Just to bring myself back on track, must say it is nice to see such a supportive group and am surprised by just how many people acne affects - although is there a selection bias here? Isn't this a forum for spotty computer geeks.

uh-oh, we've been rumbled...

 

[~Shard~]

Sorry Shard, no offense meant, hope none was taken.

None whatsoever my friend. I hope I didn't come across as confrontational myself, but I responded to your post to better explain my situation, experiences, and where I'm coming from. And I want to stress again that in my initial post, I said "many doctors", not "all doctors", as I definitely wasn't trying to generalize. Again, just speaking form my own experience and observations.

Your comments ring true, and I wish I had encountered more "aware" health care professionals such as yourself when I was going through my issues, as all I ever got were prescriptions and a pat on the back.

Edit: Sorry, missed this the first time:

Isn't this a forum for spotty computer geeks.

I do acting and modeling - speak for yourself.

 

[jimN]

Not about to be asked to any modelling anytime soon, not even on our delightful "we're washing out hands posters" that have recently sprung up in NHS hospitals. My hands are all chapped and dry so that grubby visitors can have peace of mind - it's the patinets we should be putting through sheep dip! Not to worry you weren't confrontational, i'm a bit lazy about the quoting thing. Forums are bizarre places when you stop to consider the dynamic of the conversation and who is being addressed. Does create a situation of having to pander to the lowest common denominator when considering what might cause offense/not be considered funny.

 

[~Shard~]

Not about to be asked to any modelling anytime soon, not even on our delightful "we're washing out hands posters" that have recently sprung up in NHS hospitals. My hands are all chapped and dry so that grubby visitors can have peace of mind - it's the patinets we should be putting through sheep dip! Not to worry you weren't confrontational, i'm a bit lazy about the quoting thing. Forums are bizarre places when you stop to consider the dynamic of the conversation and who is being addressed. Does create a situation of having to pander to the lowest common denominator when considering what might cause offense/not be considered funny.

I understand exactly where you're coming from.

 

[mymemory]

Don't touch your face, clean it as much as you can without exceeding your time in front of the mirror, creams and gels should be recommended by a doctor, but don't go to sleep with a dirty face.

Yeap, when I was a kid (18) I had the same probvlem with acne and my oldr brother too. Some one told me the best way was to wash your face every hour, to stop by a bathroom and wash your face very quick.

Is not just wash your face like in the tv comertials, is to really dry it until it makes that scratching sound... then you are clean.

Whe you are teen your body is develping very fast and producing stuff, so, that is the best treatment i found until I was 19. It depends on anybody but so far washing your face 10 times aday very quick works 100% of the time. and better than any other solution UNLESS you are 25 and still, in that case you need a treat ment because now your face has that cronic problem of beng too oily.

 

[mac-er]

And yes, as shard said, getting a propper diet and exercise will be beneficial.

That is funny since every medical expert I know says that diet has nothing to do with acne. It is all about dirt and oil.

 

[EJBasile]

That is funny since every medical expert I know says that diet has nothing to do with acne. It is all about dirt and oil.

It is a debated topic between Dermatologists. Some think that a poor diet can cause acne, others do not. Poor diet is not the cause of acne, and just because has acne does not mean they eat poorly. In teen, hormones is the main cause of acne. I'm not a dermatologist, I know a few, 2 of them say poor diet can contribute to acne and one says a poor diet has nothing to do with acne.

There really no is no treatment for every person. Everyone is different.

If nothing else, eating healthy is the most important thing you can do for yourself. If you don't eat healthy foods, you should be anyways.