| Rosacea treated with doxycycline
As a teenager, I had breakouts, but it was nothing that couldn't be treated by OTC face washes. I used to just wash my face with soap, and then with the cleanser. No moisturizer or anything.
Things got worse toward the end of college when I was around 22-23. I stopped using soap on my face, and I started moisturizing and toning. I figured it would give me better results, but I was wrong. It caused more breakouts, and ones that didn't get better with OTC treatment. Not really sure why moisturizing and ceasing to use soap on my face made things worse, but I tried everything. NOTHING would work. Some things would alleviate the problem (i.e. acnefree), but nothing came remotely close to getting rid of it. Finding a suitable sunscreen was also impossible.
The problem was not as bad if it was cold out. I could put oil on my skin, and nothing bad happened. It moisturized and nourished my skin without giving me breakouts.
I finally went to a dermatologist, and he diagnosed me with rosacea. This is a condition where your blood vessels in your face dilate as a result of certain stimuli (the stimuli are difficult to pinpoint, and are different for different people, which makes pinpointing even more difficult.). This condition gives a "flushed" appearance with occasional pustules. He gave me a prescription for oral doxycycline and a topical antibiotic. These seemed to have worked for me quite well.
I still do get the occasional zit, but nothing near as bad as I had it a few years ago.
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