Cystic Acne - Advice?

[Nrvsbride]

Jaime I don't have cystic acne so I really don't know how to treat it but my husband has it. He has really oily skin, huge pores, and he gets it on his back and neck at times too. He was on acutane as a teenager and I know that helped a lot but it is a very strong medication. He doesn't take it now but what I do is help him exfoliate his back in order to ensure that it stays clean.

 

I know you will hate this suggestion but could you stop wearing make-up for awhile? Make-up (no matter how organic or natural) just puts gunk into your pores and spreads the bacteria from one spot on your face to another. Washing your brushes often (like twice a month) will really only help someone who has average skin. If you are suffering from bad acne then you would literally need to rewash after each use. That can get a bit crazy.

 

If I were you I would look up a dermatological specialist and see what they say. I would also for the meantime try to limit your dairy intake and stop wearing make-up. It might help clean up your skin. Another thing I would recommend is to wash your face frequently and to shower immediately after the gym. If you hang out in your workout clothes after sweating, it will just make the condition worst.

 

Also unfortunately it seems that the products that work the best on James are the expensive ones. Their usually expensive for a reason. I def think you should try Arbone Jaime b/c I know so many people who had cystic acne and they rant and rave about this product.

[futureeilen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaimeLynne Ugh, I do eat a lot of dairy - I LOVE cheese!!! (I don't really drink much milk or eat yogurt tho, mainly just cheese) Interesting advice about seeing a medical esthetician - where do you find those?? Thanks for checking with your friend - I appreciate it!

Ok, I talked with my friend last night. She said that she would probably do Retin A treatments and chemical peels on you. I asked if that would "fix it forever" and she said that once it was better you would have to do some maintenance peels and such. She also recommended helping your skin internally via vitamins and LOTS of fruits and vegetables (organic if possible). Get a high quality multi - especially check levels of zinc and b-complex. You could also take a separate B-complex (I recommend getting a food-based one so it doesn't make you want to throw it up!). No dairy (especially milk).

I seriously LOVE this woman. She really cares about what she does and has dozens of clients who swear by her. If you were only in Denver! I forgot to ask her where to find a reputable med esth, but I will see her today at work. I believe only medical estheticians can do the really strong chemical peels that you need.

Here's a little info on Retin-A: How to Use Tretinoin (Retin A)

Hope that helped a bit!

[tvt]

I was going to buy bare minerals make up until i read the reviews online and found out that a lot of women with normally clear skin got horrible breakouts from bare minerals. like the under the skin ones that hurt! which is the same right?

 

i would stop the bare minerals and see if that helps you.

[susanv66]

I have been battling acne for a very long time and tried everything-accutane, bc pills, antibiotics, retin-a. I even went to a Chinese herbalist and drank horrible tasting tea 3 times a day! I had a dermatologist turn me away, saying there was nothing further he could do for me.

 

I did a little research on my own and asked my doctor about a drug called spironolactone. It is used for high blood pressure, but it absorbs extra androgens from your blood. It is often prescribed to women with hormonal imbalances who are losing their hair. I have been on it for 5 plus years now and it is the only thing that ever worked for me. My face and back are clear and I have had no side affects.

 

I know you are looking for a more natural route, but it may be something to consider.

[jajajaja]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvt I was going to buy bare minerals make up until i read the reviews online and found out that a lot of women with normally clear skin got horrible breakouts from bare minerals. like the under the skin ones that hurt! which is the same right? i would stop the bare minerals and see if that helps you.

I used bare minerals for a bit too and had a HORRIBLE reaction. My face got so oily and I had horrible break outs. I stopped it after about 2 weeks of this and my face cleared back up. I don't think it's that great of a product IMO.

I really don't have much advice though Jaime. My face goes in patches- sometimes it's spotless and other times it freaks and breaks out like a teenager. I'm sure it's purely hormonal and I haven't made too many adjustments to fix it. I'm lazy and poor. LOL

[Debs]

I have horrific acne too. I did a course of Accutane 2 summers ago and it's 'supposed' to be a forever fix, but here I am back to nasty skin again. It runs in my family as my dad has bad skin (rosacea) and has been on minocin for as long as I remember. I'm seriosly thinking of going back on the pill as it was pretty much the only thing that kept my skin clear. I was on Diane 35, which is actually marketed as an acne med, with the side effect of birth control. Bizarre but true. LOL

[kevsgirl]

This is a great thread! I have all these different products I'm going to look into now and I'll try one out. I really need a change from my routine, which is clearly not working...

 

I have had fairly bad acne since I went away to university at about 17. I'm now 31. I'm sick and tired of it.

I took antibiotics (minocin i had a bad reaction to, but tons of different kinds) for years, did 2 courses of Accutane with 2 years in between. The first time it was perfect and cleared up my skin for a good year, but the second time I had all these weird kind of emotional/headache problems, so I didn't stick through the full treatment.

I've tried topical creams with nasty antibiotics in them. I don't find they work particularly well.

I tried Proactive for a year but never really thought it was that great.

 

Since spring I've been having bad acne on my neck/top of my back and chest, which is the worst place during summer - it's hard to wear any tank tops Drives me nuts

 

I have been under tons of stress, but it's still crappy.

 

Right now I use Neostrata, which is a great Canadian line of skincare - the oil free foaming gel cleanser. It has glycolic acid in it and it's fantastic.

I follow up with Proactive toner and then some topical cream. It's not working at all for me.

 

For a while I was using the Neostrata cleanser and then the oil free moisturizer. I think it was good for a few months.

 

My trouble is nothign ever works for long.

 

Definitely, switching around routines is bad for your skin and washing too frequently in a day can make things worse.

So stop using as much makeup and only wash 2x a day if possible...

 

I hope yours is getting better - hav you tried anything new yet?

[starchild]

I just saw an ad for this, they claim it's more effective than Proactive, you call them and they customize a regimen for you:

 

Acne Treatment Solutions – Neutrogena skin iD

[Bisha]

I had wanted to chime into this thread when I first read it but, had nothing to add until now.

 

I had gotten REALLY BAD systic acne since getting off the pill in the spring and have been trying to find a solution all summer long. It just wouldn't go away no matter what I did. It hasn't been this bad since, well, ever!

 

I finally found something that seems to be working. It's a holistic approach so I guess it's not for everyone so please take it with a grain of salt but, my asthetician (SP?) recommended brewer's yeast. I am now taking it as a vitamin (it's basically vitamin and doing masks out of cooking yeast, you know the one they use for baking. Basically, a little bit (like 10 gms worth) of yeast and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, mix and apply to face like a mask. My face is finally starting to respond . I've been doing it on and off for about 2 or 3 weeks and I think it's working.

 

Hope this helps

[jamisoncollette]

There is a probiotic that can be taken as a vitamin that is supposed to work on cystic acne also, I just cannot remember which one. I'll look for the article and get back to you.