Acne

[yennyfire]

I also get those huge, under the skin cysts that never come to a head and take 3-4 weeks to go away. I didn't have them til my early 20's and woke up with one the morning of our wedding! Got that one zapped at the dermatologist and it was gone before I left their office.
It got worse after having kids (probably because they seem worse when I'm stressed). I used to pick at them, which only made them worse. I've learned to keep my hands off. I use Cetaphil for cleansing, Kiehl's moisturizer with sunscreen during the day and a couple of Kiehl's night time products. I have no advice that hadn't already been offered, just wanted to send ((HUGS))....

 

[packrat]

I started taking a probiotic too..it's called..something..um..it's got 30 billion cultures in it and it's the most I've been able to find. I went thru one bottle taking just one a day, and now I've gotten another bottle and am taking two a day to see If it would do anything. I wondered if it would make me sick or give me the trots but nothing so far. I was actually feeling yucky last week, congested and my voice was getting all funky-and after high probiotic doses it's gone and I feel better.

I've got so many windows up of things I'm looking at ha!

Is this like micellar water? http://www.aveneusa.com/products/thermal-spring-water

Benzoyl Peroxide doesn't work well w/my skin. I've tried Proactiv a few times and it will be a few days of somewhat clearing and then it explodes. I always ended up using it elsewhere on my body. Salicylic acid works better for me. I used Murad for a few years-I stopped a few months ago when I tried the new Rodan + Fields thing a friend was selling. She got incredible results from it. Not me. I went back to Murad, and then stopped again the end of July when I signed up for the peels and they recommended some other things to use.

I have an appointment for a consult at the other skin place Thursday so we'll see what they say. I can't get a refund on that last peel, and I don't know when I'll be able to get back up there, so not sure what will happen there. I may get an appointment w/a dermatologist too, depending on what I find out Thursday. Maybe the light thing will be enough, if I do that a few times a year, and cut out anything food related that could be a trigger.

I want to try some of the products listed here too...that water and salt..I'll look for a lotion.

 

[distracts]

I haven't finished reading the thread yet but after reading your description I had a sudden thought -

Have you ever treated it with antifungals? Some persistent acne cases I've seen have been fungal acne - try noble zinc soap, sulfur, miconazole or clotrimazole or ketoconazole, etc. A lot of people wash with Head & Shoulders and use Lotrimin creams and find that works. I'd probably use noble zinc soap and something like Repara cream. Fungal acne is interesting because it DOES respond to accutane because accutane dries out the oils, but it comes right back post-accutane, but a lot of acne treatments don't effectively deal with this and target a bacterial issue so have little to no effect, and may even make it worse. And that sounds kind of like what is going on with you. A lot of doctors don't seem to even know about fungal acne and so can't diagnose it or treat for it. When I'm done reading the thread I'll try to remember to dig up a few links.

 

[distracts]

blergh yes I hate skin issues. I never got cystic acne until after I went off birth control (I was on it for two years in my mid-twenties and now - blargh!) but it SUCKS. I can pretty much control it with topical retinoids but we're trying to get pregnant and so I can't use them currently so my skin is going from nice to crazy again, which is annoying because I had finally gotten it to where I was happy with it.

1: What products do you put on your face currently? What is your skincare routine? I'd like to know absolutely everything that touches your face and in what order. If you can remember what you USED to use as well, that would be great.

2: Do you have any allergies? Skin or otherwise.

3: Are you lactose-intolerant? Any food intolerances at all?

4. After washing your face, how does the skin feel? After applying your products, how does it feel?

If the light thing worked, you can do an Amazon search for light therapy devices and there are a bunch - you just need to figure out which color/wavelength or combination works best and then buy a machine that has those. One with several that gets good reviews is usually around $300. I'd go for the big panels rather than the little handheld devices. Blue light kills bacteria and red may be anti-inflammatory (some color is anti-inflammatory anyway) so you'd want that too. LED light devices are lower powered than IPL but may deliver similar results if used every day. Like this is one that seems to have good reviews - this is the one I'm looking at buying for myself: http://www.amazon.com/Project-Beauty-Foldable-Rejuvenation-Treatment/dp/B00EUYDGH6/

You said you've done accutane, but have you used Retin-A or another topical retinoid daily? I assume so but it's not explicitly mentioned here. That gets my cystic acne good and gone.

I also have a lot of skin allergies and a lot of things that make me break out, so I have this massive spreadsheet of every product I've ever tried, all their ingredients, and keep track of when I've had reactions and mark all the ingredients for that product, and then slowly by process of elimination filtered out the things I have bad reactions to. It's effort, but imo pretty worth it. I also recommend perusing something like Paula's Choice Beautypedia ingredients list or other websites with short descriptions of ingredients to learn what every ingredient does, and then inputting every skin thing into CosDNA to look up irritant/acne ratings, Paula's choice to get a biased but mostly scientific review, etc. I do some pretty extensive research before adding anything into my skincare routine because I can easily make my skin go crazy with breakouts and/or eczema. Or both at once. I also only introduce one new product every other week so I can keep track of reactions in a more controlled manner. I don't know if all this is necessary for you since your skin may just be crazy regardless of what you put on it, but I personally have found it very helpful.

I do rather like the fungal acne theory though. Should be simple enough to eliminate that as a possibility, at any rate, since antifungals are cheap and readily available.

 

[caf]

Packrat - so sorry for what you are going through.

my daughter (16) spent the past few years battling acne. She went on Accutane last year after trying the same things you mentioned. And fortunately (fingers crossed) it worked and her acne cleared up. During the course of her treatment, we learned a lot about acne (and Accutane) - including that acne is inflammatory (the bad cystic kind) and non-inflammatory (the milder kind.) As I understand it, Inflammatory means that your body's immune system reacts abnormally to something that normally it would not...a clogged pore, an ingrown hair, etc. It could be food, as others have found themselves - though gluten, proteins, etc. were not my daughter's issue. Use of any product on her face, chest or back before she started Accutane exacerbated the acne. Sometimes just sweat playing sports did it. It was heart breaking. I feel your pain. After she started seeing the doctor and certainly after she started Accutane - she used only moisturizer approved by the doctor with sun screen and limited her face washing to once or twice a day - with the most mildest of soaps. Face wipes for makeup were the gentle gentle kind.

So why I am telling you this...because something you said about your eyes caught my attention. my daughter started having problems with her eyes too along with her acne...mattering, a little blurring, etc. For her, Accutane did not cause the eye stuff. It may have exacerbated the eye stuff according to the dermatologist but now - off Accutane - her eyes are better but still get a little inflamed - Along with that, she also has some other inflammatory problems that I will not go into here but she had those before too. She is going to see an retinal eye specialist who specializes in inflammatory conditions to make sure her eyes are okay.

We were really fortunate to be in a major city and to find a great female derm who had great training. you might try googling acne and inflammation and take a look at the medical articles that come up. Also, if I read correctly, you are in Iowa? Can you get to the med school at the University of Iowa and see a dermatologist there before you do anything else? They might be able to figure out what you need and why your acne returns...I just would go see someone independent - who you are not going to pay a lot of money to for light treatment or other treatment that they make money from ...before investing in that therapy. I am sorry you are going through this...again and again. Or could you call them and see if they would Skype with you or face time with you to take a look at your acne.

Take care -

 

[decisively_unsure]

I had severe acne for years on my face and back. Luckily my face didn't scar my back did though.

I have tried absolutely everything. In the end I went on a course of Roaccutane, which did clear it up for good with severe skin drying side effects.

This is a last resort though.

The things that worked best for me are:

1. Lots of long walks, oxygen and fresh air clears it up really well. A bit of salt sweat and sun works wonders!

2. Tea tree oil is the best everyday wash. Pure oil can be applied to bad spots. I didn't like using salicylic acid as it just dried the skin and left it open to getting more spots due to its "skin melting" effects!

3. A high amount of onion and garlic in your diet, leafy greens, oily fish etc but you have to lay off the carbs and sugars as these "feed" the acne. I had a nickname of "chocolate" once when I was younger with acne...

4. Don't keep popping everything or it will be much easier to have permanent scarring.

5. Nice hot showers and face steams with tea tree oil.

6. Whilst not applicable to me avoid foundation etc. as it makes it worse.

 

[lknvrb4]

Like you, I have had acne since the 5th grade. I have also done a treatment of Accutane when I was in high school. My acne was almost non existent when I was in my twenties and on birth control pills. I am 38 now and not able to take birth control pills and my acne has been a bit of a mess the last few years. I was told that it could be fungal acne on my back because at times it is itchy but I was also told that I can take something for it but it will come back again so therefore I won't take the drugs because I don't like taking unnatural things. Anyway, what I have found that really works best is avoiding dairy and sugar because I know they are a trigger. I do eat cheese on a burger or whatever but I try to avoid cream cheese and yogurt because those make it worse. I also find that taking cod liver oils helps. I have tried the anti androgen route as well but I think that is what your spirolactone is supposed to do.
I also like to use the spot treatment from this shop. I will take a little drop and apply it all over my face, it does work. Looks like she is on vacation though.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Zria?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav
I also really like using this a couple days a week:
http://www.amazon.com/Aztec-Secret-Indian-Healing-Cleansing/dp/B0014P8L9W
I have also mixed up a toner of half water and half apple cider vinegar along with a few drops of tea tree oil.

I really hope you find what works best for you, its so frustrating have acne for so long, really takes a stab at your self-esteem as well.

 

[packrat]

hmmmm I am intrigued by the fungal idea. I will look into this. I have tried random things on my skin, but they weren't made specifically for facial skin so made my face break out. If I can find a fungal cream that could be used on my face I will try it for sure.

A few times lately I have been using this to wash my face. https://www.perfectlyposh.com/best-sellers/gender-bender-chunk-big-bath-bar which maybe isn't the best but I needed something to dry these horrible things out. It's been working.

My skin after washing, it depends what I'm using to wash and what I'm applying for creams etc. I was on Retin A Micro-my skin was like lizard skin for a long time. Things that worked great on my chest/upper arms/back/butt weren't the best on my face. It would clear up elsewhere pretty fast, but not on my face.

I did have one nurse ask me one time if I'd ever been tested for gram-negative acne. I don't really know what that is, but I've never been tested for it.

bus kids are here so I will be back

 

[rubybeth]

I haven't finished reading the thread yet but after reading your description I had a sudden thought -

Have you ever treated it with antifungals? Some persistent acne cases I've seen have been fungal acne - try noble zinc soap, sulfur, miconazole or clotrimazole or ketoconazole, etc. A lot of people wash with Head & Shoulders and use Lotrimin creams and find that works.

I was going to write the same thing as distracts re: fungal acne. Back story: I also did the Accutane thing as a teen and it helped a lot, but not totally. In my 20s, it wasn't terrible but still wasn't getting nice clear skin, so I tried the regimen from Acne.org: http://www.acne.org/ This actually helped a lot, and got my skin back under good control (and I really like the jojoba oil and AHA cream). But then one summer a few years ago, I noticed I was breaking out again and the regimen wasn't doing it's thing, so I googled other options and ended up at the Acne.org forums where someone suggested zinc soap. I have seen Noble Zinc on Amazon.com but it's kind of expensive, so I went for the cheap fix: the extra strength (I think it's now called men's) Head & Shoulders with 2% pyrithione zinc (you gotta search for bottles of this and read the label so you're not getting the 1%). The only store in my area that carries it is one of the Wal-Marts (for some reason, one carries it, one doesn't). This is what mine looks like, but sometimes the bottles are different: http://www.headandshoulders.com/en-us/shop-products/dandruff-shampoo/extra-strength-shampoo-for-men

HOLY COW, did this work wonders for me. I read that it's especially good to wash your face after getting sweaty, so I always shower after going to the gym, and my routine is to shower before bed. I wash my face/neck/chest with this (sometimes I use my Clarisonic brush with gentle head, but mostly, I just use the soap and my hands), and then I sometimes use a salicylic acid toner for sensitive skin (but not always... I get lazy). I am not using any other OTC or Rx skin treatments anymore, with this really inexpensive fix. Could be worth a shot!

 

[packrat]

How safe is it to use head and shoulders on your face? My face is really sensitive.

ETA I looked up the ingredients and I'm unsure about using it w/chemicals and detergents and such..maybe I'll look for a zinc soap. I used to take zinc supplements but they never worked and just made me sick. Not sure if that matters, internal v external.

ETAx2-I wonder about the ph balance of the skin...I'd read a bunch about women using milk of magnesia on their faces to control oil and as a primer under make up, keeping their skin clear, and then after I was all set to start trying it, I saw a bunch of warnings about it messing w/the ph of your skin and causing more problems.

 

[tuffyluvr]

How safe is it to use head and shoulders on your face? My face is really sensitive.

ETA I looked up the ingredients and I'm unsure about using it w/chemicals and detergents and such..maybe I'll look for a zinc soap. I used to take zinc supplements but they never worked and just made me sick. Not sure if that matters, internal v external.

ETAx2-I wonder about the ph balance of the skin...I'd read a bunch about women using milk of magnesia on their faces to control oil and as a primer under make up, keeping their skin clear, and then after I was all set to start trying it, I saw a bunch of warnings about it messing w/the ph of your skin and causing more problems.

I tried Head and Shoulders/zinc masks (pulverized zinc pills made into a paste), and I also tried Milk of Magnesia. Neither worked for me, and the Head and Shoulders was far too drying. Of course that doesn't mean that it wouldn't work for other people! However, in regards to your comment regarding pH--I discovered after much trial and error that I was using products that were too harsh and throwing off the natural pH of my skin and overdrying it and stripping too much natural oil from my skin, and consequently causing overproduction of oil.

Washing my face and body with Dove soap or Sebamed face and body wash and finishing with NaPCA and Sebamed body lotion/face cream (all Sebamed products are pH balanced 5.5, same pH as healthy skin) has cleared up my skin. I "battled" my acne so hard--buying and trying all kinds of scrubs, salicylic acid, benzoil peroxide, etc, but it turned out that the best thing I could do was just be more gentle. Thinking back on it, I never had skin problems until I started using harsh products. I'm not saying that this is the end-all-be-all, but I do think that it's something you could consider--especially if you have sensitive skin. It really was a miracle for me to stop seeing raw, angry, bumpy, flaky skin feel soothed and begin to heal.

 

[packrat]

It's hard to have weird skin! I've gone w/Noxema, Neutragena, Cetaphil, Phisoderm, Ivory, none of those worked. When my skin started breaking out when I was 10, it was like-boom. I don't remember ever having nice skin. I know I did, before 5th grade, b/c I've seen pictures. I can't for the life of me figure out what triggered it, at such a young age, and to be so persistent, and so..I dunno, so full on horrible.

 

[lknvrb4]

There is a Jason's Naturals Dandruff shampoo that some people swear has cleared up their acne.

 

[missy]

Packrat I wouldn't put shampoo on your face. Some of the ingredients are too harsh for someone with sensitive skin and really should not be used on the face like that. They have prescription topicals for fungal infections of the face if that is what you have and you are better served with a product intended for the face IMO.

How safe is it to use head and shoulders on your face? My face is really sensitive.

ETA I looked up the ingredients and I'm unsure about using it w/chemicals and detergents and such..maybe I'll look for a zinc soap. I used to take zinc supplements but they never worked and just made me sick. Not sure if that matters, internal v external.

 

[kgizo]

I'm sorry you are going through this, Packrat. I don't get much acne, but when I do it is usually cystic which is the worst. I have 3 things that work best for me, the first two for general acne and the last for cystic.

mandelic acid toner from Makeup Artists Choice.

PMD - GMA and Today always have a 50-60% off "deals and steals" offer in December if you can wait.

Mario Badescu Drying Cream - Best I have found for drying up the cystic acne. I just looked at the ingredients and the second ingredient is zinc oxide so maybe that's why based on what others have posted about zinc? I use it lightly during the day and a heavier at night until the acne dries up.

 

[packrat]

I went to a different skin clinic today and wow were they nice. A difference I think from the other place-they were nice too, I don't mean to say that, it was just a different vibe. This was more clinical whereas the other was more...I don't know, more for wealthy women who need to be pampered or something, rather than getting to the root.

We talked about medicines and dermatologists, past treatments etc. She said since I've done Accutane many times and also done minocycline and a couple other things that are considered the best of the best, plus everything else I've done, I'm going to be a tough one. We talked about the possibility of it being fungal, and she said there's no harm in finding a soap to try. They ordered some different soap to try but hadn't gotten it yet-she said when it comes in, they'll give me a bar to try and see what it does. I don't remember what was in it or what it was for tho.

They do the IPL there, and they also do Obagi blue peels and the Skin Medica peels I've used before. We discussed the possibility that I could very well need to do multiple things, more often, to keep my skin decent and we talked about the fact that this could get expensive. What she wants to do is start w/the Obagi blue peel, rather than the Skin Medica peel I'd done before. It's cheaper, about $60 for it, so if it works, it won't be *so* bad to have to do every month or two months. She said this will give her an idea of my skin and how things work for me. I go in next Tuesday for it. Could've done it tonight but I didn't think I had time. Then the following week I will go back for a session where she wants to do half my face w/the IPL and the other half w/the laser peel...or something-it was a lot of info and now I've forgotten part of it. Anyway, she wants to try this half and half thing and see what happens w/each side and how they react so hopefully that will help point the way to continuing treatment. She said she won't charge for that one b/c she feels my skin is going to be hard to tackle and she really has no idea what will work for a course of treatment for me.

So that's where I'm sitting now. In the meantime, that apple cider vinegar wash should be coming and I'm going to look up zinc soaps. And look for a micellar water, work on cutting out foods that are triggers.

If the light thing works, I can look at getting something for home use and maybe be able to cut back on some of the office procedures.

 

[packrat]

maybe this soap so far http://www.amazon.com/Noble-Formula-Pyrithione-Zinc-Soap/dp/B00G7TUDA0

this is me cheating b/c I'm tired and want to go to bed but don't want to lose my link.

 

[House Cat]

Did she say there would be downtime with the blue peel? I thought there was?

I have heard very good things about the IPL. This clinic sounds very good!!

 

[packrat]

She said my face will be red, redder than most b/c I'm so pale. I'll still be able to go to TaeKwonDo that night she said. And then I'll be crazy red and flaky for a while, I'm guessing similar to the other chemical peels I've done, although she said the blue peel is lighter so it won't be as bad.

 

[decisively_unsure]

If you have already been on accutane several times none of these "treatments" are going to work. You need to cut out dairy, carbs / sugars and grains from your diet and ensure that you are getting lots of oxygen to your skin and using a more gentle skincare regime. Destroying layers of skin isn't addressing what is going on underneath with your body.

 

[packrat]

If you have already been on accutane several times none of these "treatments" are going to work. You need to cut out dairy, carbs / sugars and grains from your diet and ensure that you are getting lots of oxygen to your skin and using a more gentle skincare regime. Destroying layers of skin isn't addressing what is going on underneath with your body.

I have actually treated my skin with about as gentle and angel kiss worthy as I possibly could, and spent many months eating fruits/vegetables, exercising on a regular basis etc. It has never made a big difference. If I have a hormonal imbalance or something else going on inside my body, I have never been tested for it, and I have asked. The only thing I have not done is go to any sort of endocrinologist, as was suggested before, and I think I will look into more if I can do it w/out physician referral or any other specialist that would deal w/anything going on inside the body. My body produces copious amounts of oil, my skin does not shed the way it is designed to.

 

[House Cat]

If you have already been on accutane several times none of these "treatments" are going to work. You need to cut out dairy, carbs / sugars and grains from your diet and ensure that you are getting lots of oxygen to your skin and using a more gentle skincare regime. Destroying layers of skin isn't addressing what is going on underneath with your body.

I have actually treated my skin with about as gentle and angel kiss worthy as I possibly could, and spent many months eating fruits/vegetables, exercising on a regular basis etc. It has never made a big difference. If I have a hormonal imbalance or something else going on inside my body, I have never been tested for it, and I have asked. The only thing I have not done is go to any sort of endocrinologist, as was suggested before, and I think I will look into more if I can do it w/out physician referral or any other specialist that would deal w/anything going on inside the body. My body produces copious amounts of oil, my skin does not shed the way it is designed to.

I have the same issue packrat... Huge amounts of oil, lack of shedding. When I was younger and used to tan (gasp, I know.. It was the early 90's) my skin would hang on to the tan lines for most of winter. I can't go a day without a shower because I am so oily. On the plus side, I look great for my age.

I have done the whole 30 food plan many times and for much longer than 30 days, the longest time being 120 days. This plan eliminates dairy, gluten, processed foods, any and all sweeteners including honey and artificial sweeteners, legumes, anything artificial, it is basically and extremely strict paleo diet. Look it up. Anyway, many people who have done the whole 30 said their skin improved. My skin did not. I lost weight. I had energy. I slept better. That is all.

Back to obagi, so your face isn't going to be blue? Have you google imaged "obagi blue peel?" The photos are awesome!

 

[packrat]

Ha yeah I'll be a smurf for a while!

 

[packrat]

Just a random note, that charcoal soap I've been using, I am really liking. My skin feels nice, it's soft, it's not greasy, and it's drying out those nasty barnacle-ish cysts, some of which I've had since May and been unable to get rid of. I can see smooth/clear skin in spots too. For once. Also, I ordered a bar of zinc soap and a bar of sulphur soap as well. And I've got the apple cider vinegar wash. There's gotta be some sort of regimen between these three bars of soap and that wash, that will give me better skin.

 

[Sky56]

packrat, it's great to hear that things are going well!

 

[packrat]

The zinc soap and the sulphur soap were ok. Sulphur better than the zinc. I eventually transitioned back to the charcoal soap based on how my skin was reacting.

Yesterday I went back to the skin place and had a half and half thing done w/my face. Half done w/one type of laser treatment the other half w/a different kind. One was a heat laser, sort of like the micron laser peels I'd done but it just heats the skin, doesn't remove it. It was HOT, crazy hot, uncomfortably hot for me and my sensitive facial skin. And one particular pimple, when it touched that holy moly I came up out of the chair. The other side was the IPL-she only did the bottom 1/2 of that side b/c that's where most of my problems are--and that was a good thing b/c that thing HURT. Plus when the light flashes it's like the light of a thousand suns searing into your brain, which is quite startling and I think makes it worse.

But, there's no down time. And when I washed my face last night it was soooo soft. They both stimulate collagen and that's a good thing. I could tell a difference when I got up this morning-not an insane omg my skin is beautiful difference, but the ones on the sides of my neck went from being red and inflamed and sore, to I only know they're there when I touch them or see them. They're pink. I can't feel them when I turn my head. I would say they've been reduced by about 50% on my neck, size and color wise.

This will probably end up being what I do now. I'm not sure how often, she just said to give it a week and see what my results were and then we can discuss a plan. Normally they say 2 a week for 3 weeks and then go to a maintenance.

 

[House Cat]

I have read many good things about the IPL laser. I am rooting for you Packrat! It would be wonderful if you get the results you want from one of these lasers!

 

[Victoria10]

Hi pack rat

I found don't want to use chemical products because it effects skin natural ph balance. I'm usually natural product person and vegetarian too. I use Aztec clay off amazon. Can be used with apple cidar vinegar instead of water mix. Found can clog my sink when wash off so I use make up pad cotton removers that don't have anything on them wet that to take mask off. Then get your favorite skin toner like really good Asian ones to seal in skin and moisturize. It's amazing stuff.hope it helps. Bc it is a real pain.

 

[Zappy]

Hi Packrat,

I know this thread is a bit on the older side, but I really want to share my experience in case it would help you.

I have always had acne, but it was mostly the normal blackhead/normal sized zits that would come to a head fairly easily without leaving scars. A couple years ago, I started getting horrible cystic acne breakouts on my cheeks. They were so deep and painful. They stayed for weeks, but by the time one would go away, I had another two show up. I tried many things (not as much as you have tried) but nothing helped. I was searching online and saw some claims that drinking organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother) could help acne. I was desperate, so I figured I had nothing to lose. I started drinking a teaspoon with a glass of water and worked my way up to one or two tablespoons in a big glass of water. It tasted pretty gross to me at first, but now I actually enjoy it. I find that if I put a lot of ice in it and drink it quickly with a straw, it's not so bad.

As soon as I started drinking vinegar daily, I noticed that the cysts started going away slowly and I was not getting new ones! A few months later, my skin was finally flat and I could feel my cheeks without bumps. I do have a lot of deep pits and red marks left in my cheeks, and I occasionally get some normal/small spots, but I feel so much better about myself.

I know something so simple and cheap seems silly when you've tried so many serious medications before, but you never know!

Good luck!!

 

[Victoria10]

Oh sorry didn't read either it was old thread. I am on my phone and just really love that Aztec clay for those horrible hormone imbalance flare ups. Anyways, read through and so glad it's going better