So why does acne predominantly appear on the face? I had pretty bad acne as a teenager.......it never really cleared, but its not quite so bad now, it seems to come in phases. Some times its pretty bad, other times its ok. I've often wondered, in some cases, whether stress could be a link or perhaps aggrevate it.
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Any doctors in the house? [Acne treatment]
- Thread starter ravenvii
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Well - My dad is a doctor. Head to http://simplybeautifulmd.com - place an order or give him an e-mail. Check it out! 
it's his site, i made it
it's his site, i made it Sometimes my face is nice and clear, and other times I'll have a few spots here and there.. kind of annoying but I don't think there's much I can do since it's probably hormone related... any suggestions for the occasionally pimple?
For about 3-4 months earlier this year I stopped drinking pop and drank water all the time. I had about 64 or so ounces a day. That didn't make any difference.. but now I try to limit pop and drink juice more often.
My oldest sister had acne pretty bad for a long time, even into college. She tried everything. Then she tried something (forget what it was called) and now she's perfectly clear and looks beautiful!
For about 3-4 months earlier this year I stopped drinking pop and drank water all the time. I had about 64 or so ounces a day. That didn't make any difference.. but now I try to limit pop and drink juice more often.
My oldest sister had acne pretty bad for a long time, even into college. She tried everything. Then she tried something (forget what it was called
) and now she's perfectly clear and looks beautiful!I've never tried this, and I'm not 100% certain on how true this is, but my biology teacher claims that, theoretically, eating a lot of tofu would help, if you are a female. Tofu has estrogen, which influences secondary sex characteristics (smooth/soft skin, lack of facial hair, smaller frame, etc). If you are a male, do not try this! My class was told a story about a guy the teacher knew; he ate a ton of tofu, as he was a vegetarian, and he found that he could not impregnate his wife, had little facial hair, and his nipples actually grew a bit! When he stopped eating the tofu, he eventually got his wife pregnant and went back to normal.
When he stopped eating the tofu, he eventually got his wife pregnant and went back to normal.
kainjow said:Sometimes my face is nice and clear, and other times I'll have a few spots here and there.. kind of annoying but I don't think there's much I can do since it's probably hormone related... any suggestions for the occasionally pimple?
For about 3-4 months earlier this year I stopped drinking pop and drank water all the time. I had about 64 or so ounces a day. That didn't make any difference.. but now I try to limit pop and drink juice more often.
My oldest sister had acne pretty bad for a long time, even into college. She tried everything. Then she tried something (forget what it was called
Wow, old thread! I have acne predominantly on my arms and torso. My face is fine, except for a spot here and there, usually from shaving
... Your sister probably took accutane. I did, and it kicked my facial acne's ass, pretty much for good. It did kick the acne's ass everywhere, but it came limping back about a year later Valuable advice, from what I recall this method is suggested by many cosmetic companies including ones like Clinque.
I have super-oily skin (especially T-zone), fairly oily body skin, and acneic face around the cheeks, forehead, nose, and mouth area. There's really two types that I get, bacterial-caused acne around the mouth and comedones on the nose and forehead from sebum or hair products.
There are a few things that work for me.
I could work out every day (heavy cardio or light cardio+weights), and sit in the steam room (not sauna) for 15 minutes afterward, and just wash my face with simple Cetaphil liquid facial wash (~$7 for a big bottle) in the shower in the morning and after my workout, and splash on a little bit of non-alcohol toner (such as Neutrogena's in the light blue bottle, ~$5), as well as using a simple apricot scrub (St. Ives, ~$2) 2-3 times per week in the shower, and I'll have enough of a balance of sweat, washing, and exfoliation that (a) my pores don't get clogged and (b) bacteria doesn't amount a lot on my face. Light therapy and daily shaving enhances this further (essentially two types of exfoliation). For me, this works best, because I like to work out (and be fitter), I don't mind sweat, I like exfoliating, and it works perfectly--it balances out the sweat and oil that my skin produce to give me something closer to normal skin. (That's the difference between oily and dry skin, by the way--oil production vs. sweat.)
Or, I could use products such as alpha and beta hydroxy acids (AHAs/BHAs), or chemical exfoliants, and even combine them with physical exfoliants. Alphas are not oil-soluble, such as glycolic acid, and those therefore do not integrate into the pores so they don't help much with acneic issues. Betas (or I should say beta, since there is only one--salicylic) are oil-soluble thus can exfoliate within the pore--get out dead skin to an extent, sebum, oil, dirt, microbes, etc. Really cleans 'em out when combined with an antibacterial solution like benzoyl peroxide. But that can be drying, and then I have to use more expensive toners (to bring it back into pH balance), moisturize to add back the protective oils to the skin, use spot-treatment of salicylic acid when things go wrong, etc. (Plus benzoyl peroxide ruined a $300 set of sheets of mine!!!!!!! It bleaches cotton!) Obviously then one is tied to lots of really expensive products, a longer daily preparation cycle, lots of chemicals with potential side effects, sunlight photosensitivity, etc. It works, yes, and with ENOUGH chemical use your pores could be practically invisible... but yeah. Costly and inconvenient.
Now, if you have deep acne, or your face is covered with comedones (clogged pores), you're probably going to have to see a dermatologist and get on some kind of Retin-A or something to permanently lesson your sebaceous glands' excrement because it's totally out of your control. Deep acne is so painful, I had one once.. and to think some peoples' whole faces are covered in a mask of it.
Anyway, best of luck to you! Look into how pores and sebaceous glands work and apply the anatomical science to your lifestyle!
There are a few things that work for me.
I could work out every day (heavy cardio or light cardio+weights), and sit in the steam room (not sauna) for 15 minutes afterward, and just wash my face with simple Cetaphil liquid facial wash (~$7 for a big bottle) in the shower in the morning and after my workout, and splash on a little bit of non-alcohol toner (such as Neutrogena's in the light blue bottle, ~$5), as well as using a simple apricot scrub (St. Ives, ~$2) 2-3 times per week in the shower, and I'll have enough of a balance of sweat, washing, and exfoliation that (a) my pores don't get clogged and (b) bacteria doesn't amount a lot on my face. Light therapy and daily shaving enhances this further (essentially two types of exfoliation). For me, this works best, because I like to work out (and be fitter), I don't mind sweat, I like exfoliating, and it works perfectly--it balances out the sweat and oil that my skin produce to give me something closer to normal skin. (That's the difference between oily and dry skin, by the way--oil production vs. sweat.)
Or, I could use products such as alpha and beta hydroxy acids (AHAs/BHAs), or chemical exfoliants, and even combine them with physical exfoliants. Alphas are not oil-soluble, such as glycolic acid, and those therefore do not integrate into the pores so they don't help much with acneic issues. Betas (or I should say beta, since there is only one--salicylic) are oil-soluble thus can exfoliate within the pore--get out dead skin to an extent, sebum, oil, dirt, microbes, etc. Really cleans 'em out when combined with an antibacterial solution like benzoyl peroxide. But that can be drying, and then I have to use more expensive toners (to bring it back into pH balance), moisturize to add back the protective oils to the skin, use spot-treatment of salicylic acid when things go wrong, etc. (Plus benzoyl peroxide ruined a $300 set of sheets of mine!!!!!!! It bleaches cotton!) Obviously then one is tied to lots of really expensive products, a longer daily preparation cycle, lots of chemicals with potential side effects, sunlight photosensitivity, etc. It works, yes, and with ENOUGH chemical use your pores could be practically invisible... but yeah. Costly and inconvenient.
Now, if you have deep acne, or your face is covered with comedones (clogged pores), you're probably going to have to see a dermatologist and get on some kind of Retin-A or something to permanently lesson your sebaceous glands' excrement because it's totally out of your control. Deep acne is so painful, I had one once.. and to think some peoples' whole faces are covered in a mask of it.
Anyway, best of luck to you! Look into how pores and sebaceous glands work and apply the anatomical science to your lifestyle!
Yeh I have/had serious issues with Acne. It used to appear quite badly around either side of my chin and around my face generally. It got to the stage where I had tried this and that treatment, and none of them have worked, other than Roaccutane (accutane). This stuff is working beautifully. I've been taking it for a few months now (around 40 mg a day) and it's fantastic. My lips have become very chapped (although that's easing off now), and skin tends to flake off (nice). I also have two large red blotches of skin either side of my mouth (which are slowly disappearing). It's also made me incredibly tired most of the time, and for a while I had super-massive nosebleeds every day, which would usually last for around an hour.
The dermatologist says I'm making really good progress though, and she seemed quite pleased. I'm surprised others here have had results within the first week or so, my dermatologist said they usually gave ~5 month courses of the drug...
The dermatologist says I'm making really good progress though, and she seemed quite pleased. I'm surprised others here have had results within the first week or so, my dermatologist said they usually gave ~5 month courses of the drug...
I suffered with severe acne for years and years with topical ointments and antibiotics and nothing ever worked. Finally they put me on Acutane for about 2 years and it cleared probably 99% of it. Though I did get left with some nasty scars.
I went years with practically nothing. Now in my adulthood, I get outbreaks on my face, usually around the upper cheek, nose and forehead area. Sometimes on my shoulders or under the eyelids too. My dermatologist says I have adult acne or Rosacea and there isn't much I can do about it. They also blame my wacky hormones which seem to have been the cause all along.
So basically, what I use now is something called Plexion TS. Whenever I see a bunch of pimples (they usually come out in clusters), I apply ointment and they are typically gone overnight. Sometimes it could take a few days to weeks for it to fade. The bad thing is the cream dries out the skin after a few days, somewhat like Retin-A but not as extreme.
It's frustrating and annoying to constantly have bad skin, but I guess it's something we live with.
Of course avoid the sun at all costs!
Just wanted to add, that taking the Accutane came at a price. It has permanently dried out my skin, including all my mucous membranes (eyes, nose, etc..).
I went years with practically nothing. Now in my adulthood, I get outbreaks on my face, usually around the upper cheek, nose and forehead area. Sometimes on my shoulders or under the eyelids too. My dermatologist says I have adult acne or Rosacea and there isn't much I can do about it. They also blame my wacky hormones which seem to have been the cause all along.
So basically, what I use now is something called Plexion TS. Whenever I see a bunch of pimples (they usually come out in clusters), I apply ointment and they are typically gone overnight. Sometimes it could take a few days to weeks for it to fade. The bad thing is the cream dries out the skin after a few days, somewhat like Retin-A but not as extreme.
It's frustrating and annoying to constantly have bad skin, but I guess it's something we live with.
Of course avoid the sun at all costs!
Just wanted to add, that taking the Accutane came at a price. It has permanently dried out my skin, including all my mucous membranes (eyes, nose, etc..).
swingerofbirch
macrumors 68040
I think the best thing is to use gentle treatments. Acne is as much a problem with inflamation as it is with infection, so things like rubbing alcohol make it worse. That's why I would try to find a benzoyl peroxide solution made without an alcohol base. I also don't think it's neccessary to use so much of it as she says.
And follow with a moisturizer with sunscreen! It's good to use anyway, but I think acne medications make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Good luck!
And follow with a moisturizer with sunscreen! It's good to use anyway, but I think acne medications make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Good luck!
L
Lau
Guest
Definitely a good point. I struggled with acne for many years, and, sadly, it didn't go away when I became an adult. Firstly, giving up smoking made a big difference for me. Secondly, I was advised that my skin was sensitive rather than really greasy and, to use products designed for sensitive skin. Up until then I'd been fighting the grease and the spots with benzoyl peroxide, harsh cleansers, no moisturiser, that kind of thing, because my skin was greasy, obviously. However, since I started using products for sensitive skin, my skin had been so much better, and much less inflamed. Well worth a try.
sorry to bring an old thread back... but as embarrassing as this is...
I have a pimple on my nose and its taking up my nose. my nose hurts, its all red and dry/flaky...
any suggestions for getting rid of this?
ps don't ask for pictures cause your not getting any
I have a pimple on my nose and its taking up my nose. my nose hurts, its all red and dry/flaky...
any suggestions for getting rid of this?
ps don't ask for pictures cause your not getting any
I'm 51 and have had acne since I was 14 and that includes the really nasty cystic acne and even folliculitis. It's one of the biggest influences in my life. It really takes a hit your self esteem. It just sucks.
I have tried every antibiotic over the years. I now take 100mg Minocycline and it keeps it somewhat under control. Went through an Accutane treatment when I was 32 and its came back. I think Accutane is one of the worst drugs made. Research depression and birth defects associated with it's use. Never had much luck with topicals.
Since "anti" biotics seem to help, I came up with my own diagnosis of stopping sugar (candy, drinks, alcohol, etc). It seems to help. I really think bacteria that forms in the pores is driven by sugar. Most dermatologists seem to totally reject this or accept some of it.
Speaking of dermatologists, I've had decades of their BS. They take a quick look at me, prescribe an antibiotic, or say Accutane. The "doctors" in my practice seem more interested in shooting up old women with Botox than treating acne. I now just get my fix of Minocycline and try to control it myself.
The sad thing is I passed this crap on to my 21 year old son. I hope he out grows it. Keep trying to find something that works.
I have tried every antibiotic over the years. I now take 100mg Minocycline and it keeps it somewhat under control. Went through an Accutane treatment when I was 32 and its came back. I think Accutane is one of the worst drugs made. Research depression and birth defects associated with it's use. Never had much luck with topicals.
Since "anti" biotics seem to help, I came up with my own diagnosis of stopping sugar (candy, drinks, alcohol, etc). It seems to help. I really think bacteria that forms in the pores is driven by sugar. Most dermatologists seem to totally reject this or accept some of it.
Speaking of dermatologists, I've had decades of their BS. They take a quick look at me, prescribe an antibiotic, or say Accutane. The "doctors" in my practice seem more interested in shooting up old women with Botox than treating acne. I now just get my fix of Minocycline and try to control it myself.
The sad thing is I passed this crap on to my 21 year old son. I hope he out grows it. Keep trying to find something that works.