Acne, what helps what doesnt?

[Dubstar112]

I like many other teens have acne. For 4 years its been bad, ok, better, and far worse..... Ive tried every thing I can. 2 different RX's and a lot of OTC stuff. Nothing has worked to reduce or make a change in my face.

I want to know if there is some specific RX brand or generic that has made a noticable difference to somone that has acne- Not just a pimple or two...

:(

I dont see a light at the end of the tunnel. ahha

[FalconGuy016]

I have lots of medicine, but all it does is make my skin extremely dry, extremely red, and RIDICULOUSLY itchy... so I cant use it :(

[-Jôker-]

acutaine?(sp?)

[Tron]

There are tons of other things you can do besides the medication. Regular showers with the right soap, drink tons of water, change your pillow case often, wipe phones down with alchol and basically stay as clean as you can. Swimming and working outside should also help a lot.

[Archangel Kid]

ask your derm. about TRIAZ whipes they worked wonders for me, also you can use Cetaphil soap for your face, or a topical cream like brovoxyl-4 or 8

[sharpshooter1286]

i use oxy pads, u need to follow the instructions closely for them to work right but they arent bad, also for like really bad pimples batroban (sp?) helps

[Fred]

Don't even bother with over the counter stuff.

cough up the cash for a Dermatologist, and demand Accutane.

Sure, it can cause severe birth defects if you're a pregnant girl (they require girls to go on birth control if they prescribe accutane), but after one or two sessions, you'll be clear... FOR LIFE.

I took two sessions of it in High School, and I had medium acne... now, while i do get an occasional pimple, my face is clear, and I have no acne scars...

it can be a little brutal if you have to take a higher dosage (it really, really dries you out... keep a tube of moisturizer handy), but the end result is worth it since you'll probably never have to take it again.. or take anything again...

---Fred

[Dubstar112]

So does natural sunlight help skin?(acne)

I do a lot of swimming, but I assume that you are refering to chlorinated pools?

Right now Im using Ivory soap, and shower 2x a day.

I will check those brands/names when I go to the Dr. next time

Accutane? What sort of treatment is it? gel, cream etc..
Shotgun to the face? lol

[painball]

I took acutane but I was unlucky enough to have some bad side effects so I had to get taken off :( :( I've tried everything. I think my mom is planning on taking me to one of the places where they use lasers of some sort to clear up your skin.

[Torbo]

i use RX benzaclin, and a anti-acne shower wash. It works out real nice for me

[sharpshooter1286]

what do u mean by accutane "sessions" is that putting it on once, or one day or what? and i can only get it thru perscription right?

[Kevmaster]

i went through just about every OTC and RX out there....then accutain came and its all greazy now :) (aka good for those of you not in the hood)

[Spleen]

i never really had a problem with acne, but i got some stuff called...uhh.. "Sea Breeze" or something. My dad said something about he had acne and it helped alot. I just use it after i shave.. its not really an aftershave but.. i duno, its crazy stuff.. makes your face all cold and tingely and really dry.

[nouseforaname]

benzacyclin (sp?) and retna A micro worked wonders for me ... I was going to demand accutane but I read the book that they had on it and it scared the hell out of me so I didnt bother

Archangel Kid - those triaz pads, I had them but when I took them out of the package they were all dry. Is this normal or did I just get an old batch because they didnt seem to have any medication on them

[-=Squid=-]

My friend was on a bunch of RX stuff, and completely quit it all. He now washes his face 3 times a day with soap and water and its ALL cleared up.

[graycie]

my dermatologist put me on Minocyclene(sp)capsules, good lord they were like horse pills but they worked, you just have to take them for i think it was 5 weeks. he also prescribed Plexion, its a medicated clay based mask used a couple times a week that you leave on for about 5 min then wash off, that was good for oil control.

Proactiv was so so, cleanser, and toner good but the other stuff didn't impress me.

i even tried toothpaste once on a friends suggestion, man was that abrasive as heck.

I guess your daily washing routine is a big factor too, you shouldn't over exfoliate because it over stimulates your skin and can cause over production of oil which leads to acne. use an astringent toner, but not one that total dries out your skin. then some kind of acne control product before a moisturizer. moisturizer should be light but still emolient(sp) enough to hydrate your skin and if its got SPF even better.

[beam]

wash your hair before you go to sleep and get rid of your feather pillow if you have one.

sometimes it can be an allergic reaction to the down in feather pillows.

[hAppy]

let me tell you guys from experience

that junk they sell over the counter dont work for ****, i hear oxypads work but ONLY those, so if you do get anything only get those

other face whipe junk dont work, theyre money scams, you get more pimples you buy more BOOM they rake in money

acutaine, thats last resort for severe cases ONLY, doctors say that it makes people depressed, i told this story over and over, remember the guy that crashed a plane into a building (not the 9/11 attacks)? well investigators believed his mind was messed up from acutaine

i went through pills after pills and face cremes after face cremes, nothing worked out very well, just helped or kinda suppressed my acne

i heard that toothpaste (not the gel stuff) will take out the redness out of your acne over night. i havent tried it cus it sounds really really weird

vitamin e, these little gel capsles work really well, you can buy em at a drug store, you just pop open the capsule w/ a needle or so, and than you put it over your acne, this stuff works pretty good!

so in short...
good
-toothpaste
-oxy pads
-vitamin e

useless/bad
-acutaine
-anything thats not oxypad
-pills
-cremes

[Konigballer]

screw the over the counter crap, if its real bad, ask your dermatologist about Acutane. I had acne real bad and I got put on that stuff for almost a whole year. Due to the way it works, sophmore year was the worst year of highschool for me. However, when junior year came around I was completley clear. I never got pimples or anything ever. I only started getting the occasional pimple after I got real into weight lifting in college 'cause I was sweating so much, but it was insignificant compared to anything I ever got in highschool. Acutane will get the job done plain and simple but it aint fun durring the first two or three months.

Acutane really powerfull stuff so some people cant take it cause of that. You will actually break out even more durring the first month or more because its literally forcing all that crap outa your skin, but once thats done your basically completley clear. Your skin will get real dry and your lips will get very chapped but I think it was definetly worth it. Realistically, I would look at getting clear skin by using acutane as a long term present. Its going to suck being you for a little while but then your done, pretty much forever.

[Link]

Agreeing with quite a few people, Acutane is only for extreme cases. I too was put on it. Well, it did work. However, it apparently was wreaking havoc on a kidney so I had to get off of it. No other perscripitons worked for me so eventually I ordered some ProActive. I've been on it for about a year and it works pretty well. It's the only thing other than acutane that has worked on me, however, if I even miss even 1 usage I break out like mad. It's not perfect but it's definitely helping. So, if nothing else works you might give it a try. I think it's like $40 a month.

*oh, and when on acutane I had to go get blood taken once a month and you can't spend very much time in the sun. :( it sucked.

*oh again, that sea breeze stuff. That was the first thing I used way back when. It burnt like a mofo but if it's working for you then :D

[Fred]

Whoever came up with the theory that clearing your face up makes people depressed is... smoking something... come on... that kid who crashed the plane was a coincidence.

Accutane is a pill, you load, then back off to a regular dose.

you have to go to the doc for regular blood tests to make sure its not doing damage to your kidneys or liver as well...

my bro and sis took it as well, and we're all happily clear skinned now.

I swam in HS too, the chlorine didn't help, but i had to back off my accutane dosage to keep my skin from cracking too much... it REALLY dries you out...

---Fred

[Link]

No no. Actutane can do something chemically to make you depressed. My doc also warned me about that though I never experienced it. No idea if that plane guy story is true, but it could happen.

[zyklon69]

I took accutaine, my skin looks great now, didn't have any side effects. Girls were begging to lick my face afterwards :P

[Archangel Kid]

Originally posted by nouseforaname

Archangel Kid - those triaz pads, I had them but when I took them out of the package they were all dry. Is this normal or did I just get an old batch because they didnt seem to have any medication on them

If you had them a while ago I don't think they were Triaz pads cause these things are brand new, meaning just brought out to the market. My dads a derm. thats how I got em :D

Oh and also be careful if you go with Accutane because for somepeople it will work and others it wont, and no sometimes it doesn't clear up for good.

[Dubstar112]

Actually, I knew somone who did commit suicide, and was on acne medication. Thats what they said made him depressed, I think there was more to it than just acne med. though....

Im willing to look past that. Id rather try somthing that works.

So how do they determine severe?

[hAppy]

Originally posted by Fred
Whoever came up with the theory that clearing your face up makes people depressed is... smoking something... come on... that kid who crashed the plane was a coincidence.

Accutane is a pill, you load, then back off to a regular dose.

you have to go to the doc for regular blood tests to make sure its not doing damage to your kidneys or liver as well...

my bro and sis took it as well, and we're all happily clear skinned now.

I swam in HS too, the chlorine didn't help, but i had to back off my accutane dosage to keep my skin from cracking too much... it REALLY dries you out...

---Fred come on man you gotta read the posts

the plane crash w/ the guy was a theory, not a conclusion, i agree

and for dubstar, severe is when your face looks like its boiling up and has little pimples all over the place, like your face is acne country, haha im just messin w/ you, but thats how doctors determine severe, if you have a few here and there, thats not severe

[Kevmaster]

Originally posted by Link
No no. Actutane can do something chemically to make you depressed. My doc also warned me about that though I never experienced it. No idea if that plane guy story is true, but it could happen.

in VERY RARE cases, accutain CAN cause depression. I read the little book with it. It was publicized heavily because the teen who crashed the plane and a senator's son were on accutane (among other medicines) when they commited suicide. This is by no means conclusive evidence

you also do get monthly blood checks to make sure you arnt damaging your kindey. no long term damage can be done in the one month period where you dont get tested

it can cause slight joint pain for most people

however...overall, when nothing else seems to be doing much, accutane is a VERY EFFECTIVE method of curing it. It took a 4 month dose for me, and I may be going back for a second dose. it has a 95% success rate with two runs. (75% with just one run).

[cphilip]

Good stuff if you need it. Do not listen to all the scare stories. Did wonders for my kid. He had his thearapy rounds of it and has been off it a year now with no recurrance. Carefull monitoring and all its safe. And the only thing that works for Acne Vulgaris. Thats not your "just pimples". You won't cure that with much else.

[SpongeBobSquarePants]

I use Tazorax. I still have acne, but it is mostly in part that I don't use it when I should. My Doc, said I could have acutane but I was like screw that give me a cream and some pills. It makes a noticeable differnce when I put it on and when I get up in the morning. Only bad side is my skin gets stuff on it after useing it for about a week straight. The best time I ever didn't have it bad was the week as was at the beach and for some reason it just went away.

[Daroy99]

Mines not bad at all if i use my plexion and triaz creme(benzol peroxide) and i dont wipe my face with my hands alot.

[Sooky]

God, this thread brings back bad memories... I used to have really bad acne. "Holy pimples Batman! How many chocolate bars do you eat a day?!"

I tried over the counter and on the shelf cremes, eating right, washing right, avoiding junk food, but nothing worked. Basically, you got to fight it internally and externally.

I went to my doctor, and ended up taking Tetracycline for a couple a years. It worked awesome, and has few side effects - you can't take it if your pregnant, on BC pills, or if your very young (it can discolour your teath if your still growing).

I also had some creme to apply nightly, but it didn't seem to work that well. But what I found to work best was sunlight. Hot, blaring sunlight. Go to the beach, and occasionally jump in the river. Within a week you'll be all cleared up. If your pale or got lots of moles it might not be a good choice, but I'm dark skinned and its nearly impossible for me to burn.

Edit: I just remembered that Tetracycline is supposed to make you more sensitive to the sun. I don't know how accurate that is, as I spent every day in the summer at the beach from 11-6 before I got a job....

[Fred]

I also took tetracycline for a little while... worked for a time... but gradually lost its effectiveness as i got older.

and yes, you have to stay out of the sun when taking it...

[hAppy]

Originally posted by Rather
Anyone ever try using baking soda before? you know the stuff that whitens teeth and is in cakes? Has anyone ever tried that before with some sort of results? Cause i've jsut started doign that. If its edible and makes your teeth white, shouldnt be all that bad for your skin should it? :confused: lol didnt know it was edible, probably wouldnt eat it either haha

i went swimming alot over summer, i kinda noticed my acne decreased from that, but than it came back up... im not sure if chlorine kills acne... kinda weird ya know

[Matt_mg]

Acutune owns... I had bad acne it only that worked...

Problem is, in Canada, I had to get blood test each month to know if I was ok. Dunno if you US guys got those (probably isn't critical, never heard about the friggin results anyway) but it's still annoying to go to the clinic.

[Link]

Originally posted by Matt_mg
Acutune owns... I had bad acne it only that worked...

Problem is, in Canada, I had to get blood test each month to know if I was ok. Dunno if you US guys got those (probably isn't critical, never heard about the friggin results anyway) but it's still annoying to go to the clinic.

I too had to get a weekly blood test and I'm in the US. I'm sure glad they make you do that because it was tearing up my liver.

[nippinout]

One of my friends had particularly severe acne. His mom bought him some ProActiv from an infomercial. That stuff rocked! Cleared up his face super good. Watch the informercial sometime. They have Vivica A Fox and Stephanie Seymour in it. (Stephanie Seymour = hot)

I had pretty bad acne in high school. I did the OTC stuff. Didn't see a dermatologist ever. Probably should have. I guess I didn't care much, or maybe I thought it was 'gay' maybe?

See what a dermatologist says.

But that ProActiv stuff rocked for my buddy.

You are not alone my friend.

[painball]

Originally posted by Link


I too had to get a weekly blood test and I'm in the US. I'm sure glad they make you do that because it was tearing up my liver.

same here. I forgot what it was but something in my blood was really high like 4x as much as there should be.

[hAppy]

just some off topic info

you know if you wear rental masks you ll break out like CRAZY the next day?

happened to a bunch of my newbie friends, poor guys

[Dubstar112]

I dunno... anyone try any thing new... Im gonna try to get to the doctors to get some stuff for my face again. Accutane it shall be!

[dyst0pia]

i dunno man, accutane is crazy strength. I would try stuff that isn't going to rip you a new one before you go hardcore style. For instance, I had/have acne, and I have tried a ton of different stuff. Right now I am taking Cephalexin (a pill) and using Brevoxyl. Brevoxyl is an amazing wash, I would recommend that for anyone. The Cephalexin is sub-par though, it seems to dry my skin out more than anything else I have ever used. However, doxycyclin was amazing. The only reason I stopped was the aphysxia, the throat thing. If you don't tale doxycyclin with enough water/food, it causes troubles...painful trouble.

Also, proactive worked pretty well for me before I went and saw a dermatologist.

[trevorjk]

but you also got to know what kind of acne you have... i have heriditary cystic acne wich means i get huge red lumps before i see the actual pimple and i really cant do anything about getting rid of it... but you can slow it down and make it less comman i personally am way to damn poor for accutane but i have used just regular soap and a facial wash by i think nivea or something like that maybe neutrogina(sp) but i wash my face about 5 times a day to keep oil and bacteria off my face and although im still not happy with the results its a hell of alot better then what it use to be

so basically the best thing to do is keep your face clean wash 3-4 times a day and change your pillow case that helps alot to... other then that take some sort of pill accutane being the best at the moment but its pricey

[cphilip]

Acutane is a pill...

... its just you have to have regular blood work throughout the therapy sessions to make sure you liver and kidney functions stay normal. A small percentage see some reactions there and they will pull you off if they elevate too high. So you get that done like once a month. And the normal session is for 6 months. Then mostly your done for good. Occasionaly one person ends up going through two sessions of it. But most only require one.

[cphilip]

Originally posted by dyst0pia
i dunno man, accutane is crazy strength. I would try stuff that isn't going to rip you a new one before you go hardcore style.

Dude... talk about something you know something about. His Dermatologist will not put him on it unless it's full Acne Vulgaris and nessicary. And he will be closely monitored as well. They don't lightly perscribe this stuff.

[WillyWonka]

I was on accutane off and on for like 3-4 months. It worked great, was quick and easy, and for me didn't have any bad side effects. It's different for different people and the dosage makes a difference. It's up to you, your parents, and your Doc if you wanna try it, but i'd say there's a 100% chance it'll help.

[hAppy]

i went to a dermatologist 3 times already, each time she gave me something that seemed to be USELESS or it made it worse over night?! is it normal to be seeing a dermatologist this many times and not having ANYTHING help?! cus im gettin impatient w/ her. shes giving me pills (not sure if they work) and some junk face stuff and that junk seems to be making it worse...

[Brak]

the perscription stuff i always got made my face really really red, flaky, itchy, and my skin peeled. alltogether bad. but then i got this stuff called "klaron" and ive used it for over a year now i think, and its worked REALLY well, you just have to keep using it and wait, and NEVER miss a day. once in morning, once at night

[TraXeR]

Cheese grater. Push REAL hard. If it hurts like hell, it's working.

[cphilip]

Originally posted by Brak
the perscription stuff i always got made my face really really red, flaky, itchy, and my skin peeled. alltogether bad. but then i got this stuff called "klaron" and ive used it for over a year now i think, and its worked REALLY well, you just have to keep using it and wait, and NEVER miss a day. once in morning, once at night

Anything with Retin A in it will do that. Many of those things have it in there as an active ingredient. And they are going to try that kind of thing first before they go to accutane. It may work for a percentage and it will cause it to be somewhat worse at first. You gotta try it though. And it may indeed work. Depends on what Kind of acne you got really. Worth a shot anyway.