I have had acne for 10 years now!! HELP

[Nel24]

Ok, seriously, im so at the end of my rope, its not even funny. I had BEAUTIFUL skin...when i was 12! since then its been red and blotchy and gross at the very least!! My face started to clam down a bit when I was 17. It hasnt gotten any better since. That is 6 years of no improvment and no change.

I was on diane 35 for a year but stoped it cause it didnt help. finaly after 10 years my family doctor let me go see a dermatologist. The new doctor put me on anitibiotics (horse pills) and this horrible gel..(i forget the name off hand, it drys your skin out so badly you look like a burn victum) Needless to say i quit taking that too. What is worse being red from acne or red cause your skin is being burnt off nightly? Talk of accutane came up but i read about it and im not interested.

I get many small black heads on my chin nose forehead..you know. I also have HUGE pores on my cheeks for all many years that i had huge red pimples everywhere. SOOOO anyone have an ideas?

EDIT:
oh and since this proactive link keeps wanting to pop up.. Yes i tired that too!! it work pretty good till i started having reactions to it. Waking up with your eyes so swollen you cant see isnt pretty!!

[joquiero]

Hello Nel24,

I'm sorry to hear about your condition - it really is soul destroying to have acne.

The only solution is medication. Absolutely no amount of facial washes, creams etc will help because acne is a bacterial infection of the oil glands. You must consider acne what it is, a MEDICAL condition.

The mildest medication is antibiotics (of varyings strengths). If this doesn't work, then accutane or others are prescribed. But, as with anything it takes time. The first few weeks it will look worse, but the it will get slowly better. By 3-4 months there will be a huge improvement.

Some of the creams are strong and cause redness. One of the better ones are Renova. It doesn't cause as much redding of the skin, especially if you use it in summer when skin is greasy and can handle a drying cream.

Start doing something about it now, because it won't go away on its own (and why would you want to suffer with something that can be cured)

Good luck

[ace_chick01]

Have you tried/thought about Accutane?

[22Girl]

Try spironolactone. Like you, I've had acne for ten years as well. I started spiro six weeks ago and it's the best thing I've ever done. Each day my skin gets better. It's still far from perfect but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I was the same, at around 18 my skin improved a bit but I've had no change since then and thought I'd be 50 and still have acne.

[soulman]

I know spiro is for females, but can you take them forever?