A REAL Acne cure?

genegenie

dlofnep wrote: »

I stopped drinking milk and I haven't got a spot since. Try it, you have nothing to lose. Milk can certainly cause spots/acne.

Just wondering, what's your theory behind that?

KnifeWRENCH

dlofnep wrote: »

I stopped drinking milk and I haven't got a spot since. Try it, you have nothing to lose. Milk can certainly cause spots/acne.

A more accurate statement would be "Milk can certainly exacerbate acne" If you're not prone to acne in the first place then it's very unlikely that milk will cause it.

Drinking milk can ocassionally be bad for skin, particularly if you have eczema. Choosing goats milk over cows milk is better for eczema, but as far as acne is concerned I don't think it would make that much of a difference.

genegenie

I've often wondered about the "milk causes acne" theory. Do you think it's because of lactose intolerance? Or perhaps it's the presence of hormones such as recombinant bovine growth hormone, dihydrotestosterone and IGF-1 in milk that exacerbates acne?

*itches to set up a randomised controlled trial to examine this*

lubie76

square_igloo wrote: »

A more accurate statement would be "Milk can certainly exacerbate acne" If you're not prone to acne in the first place then it's very unlikely that milk will cause it..

Yes this is true. The doctor on Spa Of Embarassing Illnesses on C4 told this to a group of teens who wrongly thought that bad diet could cause acne

Pythia

The pill works well to clear acne if you are a girl.

PrivateEye

Pythia wrote: »

The pill works well to clear acne if you are a girl.

for serious?

I mean, I obviously can't try that myself :rolleyes: Truly hoping I don't pass that wisdom on to a female friend or two over pints at some stage.... "D'ya know what I heard kills the bloody pimples...."

Two days on and the sudocream appreciation goes on. Fantastic stuff.

KnifeWRENCH

PrivateEye wrote: »

for serious?

I mean, I obviously can't try that myself :rolleyes: Truly hoping I don't pass that wisdom on to a female friend or two over pints at some stage.... "D'ya know what I heard kills the bloody pimples...."

Yup the pill can be effective in treating acne. I know a girl who took it and her skin cleared a lot.
However once she stopped taking it, it all came back again. So she had to go back on it. Problem is, if a girl constantly takes it it will totally mess up her oestregen levels.

There is apparently a male contraceptive pill in developmental stage. This may be a possible cure for acne in the future (though I don't know how far this has advanced)

genegenie

square_igloo wrote: »

Yup the pill can be effective in treating acne. I know a girl who took it and her skin cleared a lot.
However once she stopped taking it, it all came back again. So she had to go back on it. Problem is, if a girl constantly takes it it will totally mess up her oestregen levels.

There is apparently a male contraceptive pill in developmental stage. This may be a possible cure for acne in the future (though I don't know how far this has advanced)

There's a couple of oral contraceptives in particular that are actually designed to treat acne. They contain anti-androgens, which act against the hormones that increase sebaceous output causing acne. Dianette, Yasmin and Yasminelle (lower dose version of Yasmin) are the only three that come to mind at present, though I'm sure there are others.

Actually, if you're concerned about "messing up" your estrogen levels, Yasminelle has a lower dose of estrogen than other pills, 20mg versus 30-50mg. It's just as effective as a contraceptive and an acne treatment, but since it contains less estrogen the possibility/severity of common pill side effects (weight gain, bloating etc.) is reduced.

KnifeWRENCH

genegenie wrote: »

Actually, if you're concerned about "messing up" your estrogen levels, Yasminelle has a lower dose of estrogen than other pills, 20mg versus 30-50mg.

Eh, I'm a guy so I'm not too worried about estrogen levels! But thanks anyway! I just know about the pill from a girl I know who's taken it.

genegenie

square_igloo wrote: »

Eh, I'm a guy so I'm not too worried about estrogen levels! But thanks anyway! I just know about the pill from a girl I know who's taken it.

Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was addressing my post to you square_igloo, I meant "you" plural as I was addressing no-one in particular. I was addressing "the audience" I suppose. I should prolly have said, "Actually, if one is concerned about 'messing up'..." instead. Sorry for the misunderstanding! *facepalms*

Clare Bear

I actually saw a doctor on TV discussing bad skin with teenagers say that dairy products were a trigger for acne. I was surprised too. He said chocloate and junk food did nothing but milk in particular caused outbreaks.

Anyway +1 for Dianette if you're a girl, life saver!

delighted.

Clare Bear wrote: »

Anyway +1 for Dianette if you're a girl, life saver!

Another +1


My moderate acne is down to 2 active spots after 7 months. It's wonderful! Now all that's left is those stubborn red marks :mad:

kitkat.3b4t

PrivateEye wrote: »

for serious?

I mean, I obviously can't try that myself :rolleyes: Truly hoping I don't pass that wisdom on to a female friend or two over pints at some stage.... "D'ya know what I heard kills the bloody pimples...."

Two days on and the sudocream appreciation goes on. Fantastic stuff.

Glad to see that someone has taken the sudocrem advice. I started using it inadvertently after developing a rash from one of the acne product. I thought that the greasy consistency would make matters worse, but to my supprise the acne and redness ect cleared up. I've been using it for months now and no more acne or redness. I can also use moisturizers and cosmetics which would always cause spots before. I think it's a miracle cure and don't know why more people dont try it.

PrivateEye

^ Ha ha, funny that was just coming here to say the Sudocream greatness goes on. All cleared up. I find Sudocream best because it takes the redness away too.

Rare I get even the odd spot, feel terrible for folks who have to do battle with the things proper. Absolute pain.

artnotort

its not every type of pill that is good for clearing acne.
as far as i know its just the one right?

Pythia

Dianette and Yasmin are the main ones afaik.

mondeo

I have mild acne, however it will errupt if I eat sugar, oily foods and generally anything you would define as crap. I had been using quinoderm cream for years, maybe 8 years now and that kept them away nicely. Although my skin became resistant to it so my doc prescribed tetracycline last week so I'm on that now..Hope it rids them.

LookingFor

To answer the OP - yes, I have.

I had moderate to mild acne up until 23. At this stage I was getting sick of it - having acne at 23 just seemed wrong, and it was becoming an impediment socially.

So I looked around a lot online, and found acne.org. There's a regimen there which I decided to follow to the letter, and surprisingly, it worked.

Here's what I did, twice a day (evening and night). Cleanse with Purpose liquid soap, GENTLY. Pat dry your skin (I use paper towel so it's always clean), do NOT rub dry. Then apply Neutrogena On The Spot cream (again, GENTLY), then Cetaphil daily moisturiser with spf. All of these products are non-comadagenic. Don't put anything else on your skin (may be difficult for those who wear make-up..but short term pain for long term gain).

Also, be sure your pillow cases are always clean, and avoid touching your skin etc. Any existing spots or scars - JUST LEAVE THEM BE! They will go in time.

I made no changes to diet, at all. Not sure I really believe links to diet.

This worked for me. But there's one more ingredient : TIME. It took about 6 months before my skin really got in good shape. You have to be patient!! And persistent!! It's worth it in the end. For a time in the early months it seemed like my skin was getting worse on occasion, but on acne.org they reassured that this was quite possible, and just to stay the course, which I did.

There is one other problem - all the products above I had to import from the states. Which was expensive. HOWEVER, I have recently found what to me are acceptable subsitutes locally. They are:

Johnson & Johnson Top-to-Toe Baby Wash - Do not be alarmed. This is practically the EXACT same formulation as Purpose liquid soap (compare the ingredients, they are the same barring one or two things). Made by the same company too, and MUCH cheaper than Purpose (even forgetting shipping costs). Lots of companies do this - use the same formulation across different products, and price them according to the target market. This also quite often comes in a 2-for-1 offer in Dunnes etc.

Quinoderm Acne Cream - didn't see this in boots, but found it in a local pharmacy. It comes in a 5 or 10% concentration (of benzoyl peroxide - careful! this can bleach clothes/hair, so avoid eyebrows etc.). This is strong compared to Neutrogena (2.5%) so it may be harsh on skin that didn't have a long run-in, like I did with the neutrogena. Use a little.

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion - I use this instead of the specific Aveeno facial moisturiser cos you get a lot more for a lot less and it seems to work just as well for me. I toyed around with different moisturisers to try and find a replacement, like eucerin too, but this was the cheapest one that seems to work. I gravitated towards it because it's fragrance free and from J&J again.

I actually wound up modifying the acne.org regimen - because of my laziness I ended up combining the two steps of using the acne cream and moisturiser, by mixing the two in my hands and putting them on together. Seems to work fine for me. Use a lot of moisturiser, and a LITTLE acne cream (pea sized amount). Vary depending on any reaction you get to the acne cream (initially some reddening is normal..your skin should get used to it).

This worked for me. Like I say, though, it took time. But now I rarely ever get any new spots, and I quite frequently get complimented on my skin. The one thing I learned a lot about my skin is, though, that it's REALLY sensitive. I would get spots just from any reasonably non-gentle contact with my skin. I think a lot of irish people are like this and they just don't realise it.

Any questions, just ask me!

Gauge

I've had acne for the best part of ten years now... started with one pimple when I was 12 which developed straight away into full blown acne. Luckily I don't have any severe scarring, but at 22 it's a little bit tiresome to have skin like a 14 year old (though it's not as bad as it used to be, thank god). The pill keeps it in check and I've enough experience now that I can cover it up with makeup, but no creams or lotions prescribed or otherwise have ever done a damn thing (no doctor will prescribe roaccutane because I have a history of depression, too). I've tried mild cleansers and harsh cleansers and everything in between, given up chocolate and oily food for periods of time and all that, so I've pretty much decided to just live with it and hope it'll be gone by the time I'm 30!

Had my first major 'eruption' in a while this year while travelling, all the suncreams and strange foods just wreaked havoc. I picked up some of Clinique's acne solutions range in a duty free for cheap so I'm going to give that a try... I'm not looking for a cure at this stage, but a little improvement would be nice!

IceICEbaby

PrivateEye wrote: »

bad memories!

never again.
"I'll get you some boiled 7up son"
Mam I'm fine now, I'll go pack the schoolbag.

hahahha
why did they do that to us???....it was the most horrible remedy ever

Im so gonna do that to my future kids.....in spite god dammit

PrivateEye

The boiled 7up again!

I couldn't do it to my worst enemy myself! Horrible stuff. One of the worst parts of childhood....and the mammy standing there watching, making sure you drink it all.

boomhower

i had acne when i was 15...just on my forehead...i really had a complex about it...tried loads of things..drank water, washed face religiously, ate well..nothing really helped..

eventually i went to the doctor who prescribed "minocin"..just a tablet like..
took it for a while..after a week or two i stopped getting new spots, after a month or so i had a completely clear face..
stayed on the tablet for fear of the spots coming back..but then after a few months (4-5) of taking it i did stop..but the spots never came back..:)

so my advice is not to bother with all these fad products..i do find clearasil good for the odd breakout, but for acne i think your best bet is to go to the doctor and get it sorted!!
best of luck!

The Analyst

Sqaull20 wrote: »

Acne.org is a great site, some benzoyl peroxide based creams, a good cleanser and moisturiser can do wonders for moderate to mild acne, severe acne will probably need accutane.

I've been using the ance.org products since february of this year and find them excellent. They aren't too expensive and with the dollar the way it is, it's actually good value for money.

I never really suffered badly with acne growing up, usual bits here and there. but in autumn 06 i started to get really big, red sore spots on my forehead which i never had before. Eventually i decided to do something about it. I wasn't keen on going to the doctor about it so i did some onlline searching and came across acne.org. Decided to give it a go and it does work. It's all about having a good regime in relation to your acne. gently cleanse, treat with benzoyl peroxide and moisturise. I only use the treatment every few days now and if a spot pops up i use it twice a day and its gone quickly without coming red or developing a head.

Would def recommend it.

StormWarrior

www.acneyoda.com
Gives useful advice on changing your diet to overcome acne.

gerk86

roaccatane

put on it by my dermatoligist when I was 16/17. 4 years of full blown acne totally gone in around 5 months. Bloody amazing.

It basically dries out your sebum glands in your skin so they don't produce as much oil as before.

amz5

LookingFor wrote: »

To answer the OP - yes, I have.

I had moderate to mild acne up until 23. At this stage I was getting sick of it - having acne at 23 just seemed wrong, and it was becoming an impediment socially.

So I looked around a lot online, and found acne.org. There's a regimen there which I decided to follow to the letter, and surprisingly, it worked.

Here's what I did, twice a day (evening and night). Cleanse with Purpose liquid soap, GENTLY. Pat dry your skin (I use paper towel so it's always clean), do NOT rub dry. Then apply Neutrogena On The Spot cream (again, GENTLY), then Cetaphil daily moisturiser with spf. All of these products are non-comadagenic. Don't put anything else on your skin (may be difficult for those who wear make-up..but short term pain for long term gain).

Also, be sure your pillow cases are always clean, and avoid touching your skin etc. Any existing spots or scars - JUST LEAVE THEM BE! They will go in time.

I made no changes to diet, at all. Not sure I really believe links to diet.

This worked for me. But there's one more ingredient : TIME. It took about 6 months before my skin really got in good shape. You have to be patient!! And persistent!! It's worth it in the end. For a time in the early months it seemed like my skin was getting worse on occasion, but on acne.org they reassured that this was quite possible, and just to stay the course, which I did.

There is one other problem - all the products above I had to import from the states. Which was expensive. HOWEVER, I have recently found what to me are acceptable subsitutes locally. They are:

Johnson & Johnson Top-to-Toe Baby Wash - Do not be alarmed. This is practically the EXACT same formulation as Purpose liquid soap (compare the ingredients, they are the same barring one or two things). Made by the same company too, and MUCH cheaper than Purpose (even forgetting shipping costs). Lots of companies do this - use the same formulation across different products, and price them according to the target market. This also quite often comes in a 2-for-1 offer in Dunnes etc.

Quinoderm Acne Cream - didn't see this in boots, but found it in a local pharmacy. It comes in a 5 or 10% concentration (of benzoyl peroxide - careful! this can bleach clothes/hair, so avoid eyebrows etc.). This is strong compared to Neutrogena (2.5%) so it may be harsh on skin that didn't have a long run-in, like I did with the neutrogena. Use a little.

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion - I use this instead of the specific Aveeno facial moisturiser cos you get a lot more for a lot less and it seems to work just as well for me. I toyed around with different moisturisers to try and find a replacement, like eucerin too, but this was the cheapest one that seems to work. I gravitated towards it because it's fragrance free and from J&J again.

I actually wound up modifying the acne.org regimen - because of my laziness I ended up combining the two steps of using the acne cream and moisturiser, by mixing the two in my hands and putting them on together. Seems to work fine for me. Use a lot of moisturiser, and a LITTLE acne cream (pea sized amount). Vary depending on any reaction you get to the acne cream (initially some reddening is normal..your skin should get used to it).

This worked for me. Like I say, though, it took time. But now I rarely ever get any new spots, and I quite frequently get complimented on my skin. The one thing I learned a lot about my skin is, though, that it's REALLY sensitive. I would get spots just from any reasonably non-gentle contact with my skin. I think a lot of irish people are like this and they just don't realise it.

Any questions, just ask me!

I bought the top to toe baby wash, and I'm very impressed. It feels so nice, leaves no feeling of a residue and seems to work well for my skin that can be a bit temprermental with cleansers in general. Very impressed. They're doing two for the price of one in Supervalu at the moment too, so it's an even bigger bargain! Thanks for the advice

dlofnep

genegenie wrote: »

Just wondering, what's your theory behind that?

There is no theory. I'm not a medical professional. Just my very own experiences. If I drink milk, even a drop of it - I'll get spots. If I don't drink milk, I won't. Even if I have a drop in my tea, I will get spots. I strictly use Soya now.

square_igloo wrote: »

A more accurate statement would be "Milk can certainly exacerbate acne" If you're not prone to acne in the first place then it's very unlikely that milk will cause it.

Sorry, but you're 100% wrong. Believing does not make it so. I have found out through trial and error. I am 100% sure that if I drink a class of milk tonight, I will wake up with a spot brewing tomorrow. If I don't drink milk, my skin will be perfect.

Examine for yourself: http://www.google.ie/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aga-IE%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=milk+acne&meta=&btnG=Google+Search

I am not stating that milk will cause acne in every instance. I am stating that for me, if I drink milk - I will get spots. And as suggested by google, I'm not the only one.

I advise someone to try a milk free diet for 2 weeks and see how it goes.

Shellym23

Myself and my partner both had acne at different times in our lives. The only thing that works in going to a dermatologist and getting the right treatment to suit your type of acne. Both of us had clear skin within months of going to one and it never came back.

KnifeWRENCH

dlofnep wrote: »

Sorry, but you're 100% wrong. Believing does not make it so. I have found out through trial and error. I am 100% sure that if I drink a class of milk tonight, I will wake up with a spot brewing tomorrow. If I don't drink milk, my skin will be perfect.

Examine for yourself: http://www.google.ie/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aga-IE%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=milk+acne&meta=&btnG=Google+Search

I am not stating that milk will cause acne in every instance. I am stating that for me, if I drink milk - I will get spots. And as suggested by google, I'm not the only one.

I advise someone to try a milk free diet for 2 weeks and see how it goes.

Lol, I'm 100% wrong? :rolleyes:
If you type "Does milk cause acne?" into Google, look at the first result:

http://www.acne-support.com/skin-care-acne.html

So, in answer to the acne question, " Does milk cause acne ?", researchers' results suggest the answer is NO.

I'm not saying my link is correct and yours is not, but you certainly cannot claim that I am 100% wrong.
If you say that milk causes your acne, fair enough. But I would say is that you would be an exception rather than a rule.
Some teenagers are just predisposed to acne, regardless of their diet. If a teenager is lucky enough to never ever get a spot, I don't think drinking a lot of milk is gonna suddenly bring out an outbreak of acne.

Also, I noticed you said you used soya. As a matter of interest, have you ever tried goats milk? My sister's doctor recommended that she switch from cows milk to goats milk to help her skin (though that was also for eczema and not just acne.)

Mr Woods

The effects of 'Roaccutane' were well documented in the press back when I was a teen , tbh I thought it had been taken off the market.

http://www.naturalelements.co.uk/article/acne/acne-dysmorphia/

The reason I post this is, members of my family took it years ago, lucky enough are still around to tell the tale but suffered depression as a result.

Unfortunately one school friend wasn't so lucky ....

Whilst it may work for some it can SERIOUSLY disagree with others, having first hand experience myself of the ill effects my advice is BEWARE of this product !!