Acne Advice Thread

Jeanette Haynes

Oral Antibiotics are a temporary solution for many and may well help to control a severe acne outbreak. Ongoing home maintenance is essential in order to prevent or control acne outbreaks. Stripping the skin of excess oil simply encourages the skin to replace it while putting on oily products - regardless of brand - will only make the problem worse! The best products i have encountered over the year is 'Clenziderm'. It is a medical range by 'Obagi', and it has given many patients amazing results. It is not harsh and easy to use. Any topical product should be discussed with your physician if you are currently taking prescribed oral medication.

pheasant tail

I was on roaccutane for 6 months and finished 7 months ago and going on it was the worst mistake i ever made in my life as everything is such a mess now wouldnt let me worst enemy to go on it its serious stuff! But i wish everyone thats on it the best!
Can i ask has anyone any tips on controlling acne after roaccutane????

Eager_Beaver

pheasant tail wrote: »

I was on roaccutane for 6 months and finished 7 months ago and going on it was the worst mistake i ever made in my life as everything is such a mess now wouldnt let me worst enemy to go on it its serious stuff! But i wish everyone thats on it the best!
Can i ask has anyone any tips on controlling acne after roaccutane????

Sorry have to jump in here. Was on roaccutane for 8 months and it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me! clear skin now, more confidence. Can even go swimming now, which i was afraid to do for nearly 6 years! To damage its rep by saying you wouldnt wish it on your worst enemy could serve to make people avoid it! I understand everyone has an opinion but try to be somewhat objective

Ps. not meant as a personal attack

Roomic Cube

cant wait to go swimming

pheasant tail

Eager_Beaver wrote: »

Sorry have to jump in here. Was on roaccutane for 8 months and it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me! clear skin now, more confidence. Can even go swimming now, which i was afraid to do for nearly 6 years! To damage its rep by saying you wouldnt wish it on your worst enemy could serve to make people avoid it! I understand everyone has an opinion but try to be somewhat objective

Ps. not meant as a personal attack

Ok sorry didnt mean to scare anyone out of it or anything,just maybe giving me rant and i went over the top!
But if somebody had to go on,if theres any bad negative effects (mentally) in the first 3 months get off if right away and go to doctor!
Just giving my advice

Siog-Alainn

Had what will hopefully be my last appointment with the derm today, just have to finish the two weeks I have left on the last dose and I'm done!! I have an appointment made for May which he said to only use if I have concerns and that he'd be quite happy for me to cancel it. I was so so happy, wasn't really expecting it just yet.

It's strange how this time last year, I came out of the appointment literally in tears when he said I should seriously be considering Roaccutane and today, I was very close to tears on the way home with happiness. It's really done wonders for my skin and I'm delighted

Macca3000

Two months down. Had my second review with the derm today. He was very pleased with how it was going. So much so he left me on 40mg, which is what I started on. I'm a little disappointed as I was hoping he would up it to totally finish off the acne. On the plus side he said I would probably only need another 2 months. Which is pretty good. The dry face and cracked lips is really sore. Face flakes a lot more now and my legs itch like crazy. Which might not be because of roaccutane but its the only change diet wise Ive made.

Only thing I have had to give up is swimming, which I really miss, but after I get out my skin tightens so much it feels like it's about to tear :mad:

Still it's a samll price and I'm half way there.:D

Iamcool

Well I had really bad skin for like years untill my mum took me to the doctor. The skin specialist put me on yasminelle( I think its only for girls? Also I only found out that its a contraceptive pill lately, didn't know that at the time). She also gave me Duac cream to put on at night time. It was working great but the only thing was I had big scars on my face. So I went back to my GP, she gave me cream called Differin. She told me to put it on at night and then put duac on in the morning. Not long later my skin was so clear, I was soooo happy. Alot of people say that Differin makes your skin really bad for the first while but I don't think it did with me, probably because I was using the yasminelle and duac along with it.
The only bad thing about the yasminelle was that it made me really fat, but since I came off them the weight just fell off. You need to go to your doctor to get all of those things though.

Now I'm not any any medication I use Clarins cleansing milk and it is a miracle worker! Its the best I've ever used. I tried to use different cleansing things because Clarins is a bit expensive but I always broke out badly, but once I started using Clarins again my skin cleared up in like 2 days. its deffenately worth trying.

bluemooner

yeah im about to start a 14 week course on roaccutane on monday. ive tried so many different antibiotics before that just made the situation a bit better but never completely.
it seems like pretty powerful stuff from what im hearing. Not too fond of all the side-effects that people keep bringing up ( ie. the dry skin, lips and eyes)
but for anyone who was on it before, whats the story with the no alcohol? im in first year in college and, to be quite honest, drinking is a big part of college.
i know people who shouldnt have had alcohol while they were on different meds but still drank and it was no harm whatsoever.
just from experience, is it a big deal if i had the odd pint? only one like, i wouldnt be stupid enough to go and get pissed!

ohthebaby

bluemooner wrote: »

yeah im about to start a 14 week course on roaccutane on monday. ive tried so many different antibiotics before that just made the situation a bit better but never completely.
it seems like pretty powerful stuff from what im hearing. Not too fond of all the side-effects that people keep bringing up ( ie. the dry skin, lips and eyes)
but for anyone who was on it before, whats the story with the no alcohol? im in first year in college and, to be quite honest, drinking is a big part of college.
i know people who shouldnt have had alcohol while they were on different meds but still drank and it was no harm whatsoever.
just from experience, is it a big deal if i had the odd pint? only one like, i wouldnt be stupid enough to go and get pissed!

I'm on Roaccutane at the minute and I know I shouldn't but I do sometimes drink alcohol. I'd only maybe drink once every three weeks and when I do I would probably have a bit too much which I know is bad. I'm not really sure of the ins and outs of the no-alcohol-when-on-roaccutane thing but I believe it's because your liver can be weak when taking the tablets and obviously, drinking to much when your liver may be vulnerable would be stupid. I am open to correction on that though. I know I have not answered your question there at all but I'm sure the odd pint wouldn't do too much damage.

bluemooner

yeah, im gonna get hammered tomorrow anyway because i wont be doing that for some time! ya i was told it would weaken the liver and that the alcohol could go straight into the blood stream. i was also warned about epileptic seizures if that blood goes to your head. still though, that's extremely rare i heard.
cheers for the reply anyway. it is good to hear from people who are already on the stuff

ohthebaby

Oh that sounds scary. I don't really want to do anything bad when it's only really a few months out of my life... I just know I won't be thinking about this tomorrow night. Oops.

Anyway yeah no alcohol is obviously best so I'm going to advise that.

And good luck with your treatment! And you'll soon get used to the side-effects and learn how to manage them or you might be lucky and not experience too many at all. It'll all be worth it in the end I'm sure.

Siog-Alainn

bluemooner wrote: »

yeah im about to start a 14 week course on roaccutane on monday. ive tried so many different antibiotics before that just made the situation a bit better but never completely.
it seems like pretty powerful stuff from what im hearing. Not too fond of all the side-effects that people keep bringing up ( ie. the dry skin, lips and eyes)
but for anyone who was on it before, whats the story with the no alcohol? im in first year in college and, to be quite honest, drinking is a big part of college.
i know people who shouldnt have had alcohol while they were on different meds but still drank and it was no harm whatsoever.
just from experience, is it a big deal if i had the odd pint? only one like, i wouldnt be stupid enough to go and get pissed!

Has your derm recommended blood tests? I had to get one two weeks before my appointments, it was fasting lipids and liver function tests. I didn't drink much on Roaccutane at all, maybe one night in 6 weeks where I'd have a bit too much and my results were fine. If the derm has warned you about alcohol on it though, I'd be inclined to go with what they're saying.

bluemooner

Siog-Alainn wrote: »

Has your derm recommended blood tests? I had to get one two weeks before my appointments, it was fasting lipids and liver function tests. I didn't drink much on Roaccutane at all, maybe one night in 6 weeks where I'd have a bit too much and my results were fine. If the derm has warned you about alcohol on it though, I'd be inclined to go with what they're saying.

yeah I have to fast on Sunday because i have that blood test on monday. then i have another blood test after that where I don't fast. i don't really plan on drinking much at all anyway. its just that i know its gonna be hard when im at a house party or something and i'm not drinking.
I am really not looking forward to this next semester. but i suppose its really not that long considering that hopefully ill be rid of this stupid acne!

Roomic Cube

derm said I could drink on it if I wanted, just to be careful with how much I drink as I'd more then likely get drunk on less then I'm used too.

Got two blood tests, one before I started as the control, and then one on my first checkup to see if there were any bad changes.

seafood dunleavy

I've got some form of acne but it isn't really that bad.The thing is apart from the odd spot theres an area of dry,red skin under my eyes.It can get fairly bad sometimes aswell.I've tried moisturiser but it still stays kind of red.Anyone know any kind of cream or way to get rid of it?

Macca3000

Over past week the skin on my arms has dried out totally. Very red and blotchy from where I'm scratching the itch so much. Also on my hands: on the wrists and space between thumb and index finger the tiny hairs have disappeared but I've got loads of small red bumps there. Doesn't look the best Anyone have any problems like this on roaccutane or could it just be the cold weather?
Anyway next appointment with derm on the 17th February so if it's still there I'll get him to have a look.
Apart from that the roaccutane is bloody brilliant. And I'm still only on 40mg 2.5 months in. Wish I took before photos to compare to the afters.

ohthebaby

Macca3000 wrote: »

Over past week the skin on my arms has dried out totally. Very red and blotchy from where I'm scratching the itch so much. Also on my hands: on the wrists and space between thumb and index finger the tiny hairs have disappeared but I've got loads of small red bumps there. Doesn't look the best Anyone have any problems like this on roaccutane or could it just be the cold weather?
Anyway next appointment with derm on the 17th February so if it's still there I'll get him to have a look.
Apart from that the roaccutane is bloody brilliant. And I'm still only on 40mg 2.5 months in. Wish I took before photos to compare to the afters.

About the bumps on your hand... I got that and luckily I had an appointment with my dermatologist a few days after. He said on me, it was the beginnings of Eczema and he gave me a prescription cream to put on my hands and it sorted it out. I get it every now and again but a few days with the cream and it's grand. But I'm not saying now that's what you have or anything! Oh he also told me emulsifying ointment would be good on my hands so maybe give that a go?

And woop woop for it working well on you!

Siog-Alainn

^ I have the same thing on my hand. Very dry with little red bumps. I think I notice it more with the cold but I can't say for definite.

When I started I took a photo every night before I went to bed but I got bored after about two weeks

Boofle

I'm 26 and have suffered breakouts of acne since my teens. I have found the only thing that works for me is Dr. Nick Lowe Spot Gel. Its about 14euro from Boots. Put it on at night after washing your face. It has made such a difference to my skin.

It's fantastic; I have tried everything; from cutting out foods to using all sorts of lotions, creams, washes etc. I found all they did was dry out my skin and make it even worse. This really worked for me

Roomic Cube

Just wanna say thanks to whoever recommended that Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream. As a fella I was really finding it hard to justify paying €40 on some gel for my lips but the stuff is like some sort of magic lip elixir !

PrincessLola

Ok I need some advice please!
I have (very) bad cystic acne that is very painful painful, I've had acne for a long time but never been as bad as in the past two years.

Been on antibiotics (minosin, Tetralysal), benzol-peroxide cream, everything you can think of, NOTHING has worked for me!!; my last resort is apparently roacutane (sp?)
Heard some pretty bad stories about it.. Is it worth it? Is it true about the depressive feelings?

Siog-Alainn

PrincessLola wrote: »

Ok I need some advice please!
I have (very) bad cystic acne that is very painful painful, I've had acne for a long time but never been as bad as in the past two years.

Been on antibiotics (minosin), benzol-peroxide cream, everything you can think of, NOTHING has worked for me!!; my last resort is apparently roacutane (sp?)
Heard some pretty bad stories about it.. Is it worth it? Is it true about the depressive feelings?

Hey Lola

I've just finished my course of Roaccutane and I'm so glad I went through with it. Like yourself, I was very weary about it. The only side affects I suffered were dry lips, dry eyes (only at night), headaches and dry skin on my hands and face. No depressing feelings or noticeable mood swings. And my skin cleared up rather quickly! I'm sorry I didn't try it as soon as the derm had prescribed it! My acne wasn't cystic or painful so it might be different in your case, but if nothing else has worked it might be worth a try? You'll be monitored closely on it and the dermatologist can adjust or stop the treatment altogether if side affects get too bad. Feel free to PM if you want any other details

greasyjan

hi there. Im a clean guy but one thing i never do is wash my face (unless u call rubbing it with warm water in the shower washing!!)

anyway ive got about 20 little blackheads on the end of my nose. not noticible at all unless u wud be close up to me. i regulary squeeze them but they just wont go away. What face wash///methods should i try.

ive tried that clearasil stuff etc until sum1 told me that they were all just branded and a complete waste of money.

thoughts?

Insect Overlord

I've never had trouble with my skin (fortunately enough) but I've picked up a few good tips anyway. My girlfriend recommended a product to me last year, St.Ives exfoliating facial scrub. I only use it once a week or so. A quick wash in the shower does the trick most days. I run some hot water, rinse my face, wash with regular hand-wash and then wash again with the scrub. Get a few good splashes of cold water to rinse it off afterwards, followed by a light moisturiser (usually Nivea, but I don't think the brand makes a difference). I've taken to doing that when shaving as well, instead of using after-shaves. Most of them are alcohol-based and they can dry out the skin if you use too much.

Also, as I mentioned in another thread recently:

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I've noticed a remarkable improvement in the condition of my skin in the last month, and I can only put it down to increasing the amount of exercise I've been doing. I increased from 3 evening work-outs (2 martial arts, 1 indoor soccer) to 6 workouts (those three plus three on my own during the day) and two days of rest. Working up a proper sweat 5/7 days a week and showering afterwards has effectively cleared my nose of blackheads.

However!

No two people are the exact same. What works for me might not work for you. Plenty of other people in this thread exercise regularly, eat well, drink water and wash carefully and still have trouble. The trick is to try different methods until you find the one that does work for you.

Luveen

Seen this on exposé the last day was wondering does it really work-
they said if you crush up a dispirn and put it on your spots it clears it up?
Has anyone every tried it, any results?

bluemooner

PrincessLola wrote: »

Ok I need some advice please!
I have (very) bad cystic acne that is very painful painful, I've had acne for a long time but never been as bad as in the past two years.

Been on antibiotics (minosin, Tetralysal), benzol-peroxide cream, everything you can think of, NOTHING has worked for me!!; my last resort is apparently roacutane (sp?)
Heard some pretty bad stories about it.. Is it worth it? Is it true about the depressive feelings?

into my fourth week on roacutane now. I had bad enough cystic acne on my face and shoulders, but this stuff seems to clearing it up pretty well! The side affects are a bit of a pain but if you really want something you gotta suffer a small bit.
At the moment id get joint pains and swelling in my fingers and back pains. Back pains are really common for people taking it. Dry skin and dry lips are a bit of a balls aswell. ara sure tis all manageable though!
I'd really recommend roacutane though if your acne is as bad as you say.
no depression or any of that stuff, but the worst part is definitely not bein able to drink (though i do enjoy the odd shnakey pint when im out!)

Twee.

I personally found Minosin and Tetralysal to have very little effect. When they did work, it was only temporary.

Unfortunately not an option for the boys, but I'm into my 6th month on Dianette and my skin has never looked better. Completely clear, and my biggest problem area, my back, is totally clear too.

Sugarlumps

I’m 36 and still get breakouts. I’ve tried everything at this stage, some products/tablets worked better than others but it always reared it's ugly head again. I’ve been using Cetaphil for the past month and found it to be an outstanding product. Simple to apply by moisturising it into you face, wash and pat dry. Think I paid 15 quid for it and would highly recommended it.

Macca3000

Had my 3rd review today. Derm was very pleased with how things are going. I only have 2 months left now. He has left me on 40mg which I have been on from the start. All I have to do next month is get my bloods done and fax the result to him. If all is good he will post out my final prescription saving me a €100 appointment

Ive been very lucky with little side effects. Just very dry cracked lips, which is common. Very dry skin on my arms and legs which is quite itchy and I cant stop scratching at it. The small red bumps on back of my hand are all but gone, I just keep putting plenty of hand cream and silcocks base on.

Im really pleased I decided to get roaccutane after about 4 years of putting it off. Was worried about the "head" issues as I was quite a moody teenager but adulthood seems to have prepared me well lol.

Do all your research, be completely happy with your decision, and try everything else first but if you find you have run out of options I would highly recommend you discuss roacctuane with your doctor and dermatologist.