I'm in my early 30's and I have had mild acne for years. I've tried many
different things.
First it was Benzoyl Peroxide but my skin reacted badly even to 2.5%.
Next my GP prescribed Doxycycline and after two months there was no change.
A dermotologist then prescribed Akamin (Minocycline) and Eryacne Gel. Again, after months there was little change.
Continuing with Akamin the derm switched gels and I'm now using Duac once daily gel, but guess what........there is no change.
I have very sensitive skin, so I'm reluctant to try Accutane/Roccutaine and I'm worried about taking the pills over such a long period of time.
My skin is dry, feels stretched and is red from using facial stuff and exfoliating.
What to do? Maybe I'm trying too hard. Maybe a simple over the counter thing may work for me. Maybe I should stop everything and see what happens. As time goes on I'm thinking more and more about trying Accutane too.
Any suggestions?
Well it sounds like to me you are not responding to any treatments. Therefore you should go with the Accutane. I have heard people on here say it cleared them completley even though nothing else worked! It is a hard decision but I would go for it if I were you. I responded really well to Doxy but had to stop it because of yeast infections.
How long were you using the Benzoyl Peroxide? I use the 2.5%, and it took me a good month before my skin got used to it. As far as results go, I didn't start seeing results until I "prepped" my face first with 1% salicylic acid astringent (it took about a week for my face to get used to that too).. But now that i've been on the two of them, my skin has cleared significantly, and I don't get the redness or peeling anymore.
Good luck whatever you do.. and keep us posted on your progress!
Some things that have helped in the past: bactrim, spironolactone, fish oil capsules, and taking dairy out of my diet. BP also helped for years, but now isn't working. I hope this helps.
Excessive washing/scrubbing/exfoliating of the skin will exacerbate acne. If you completely rid the skin of all it's natural oils, it will simply produce even more to compensate.
I remember when I first started with oily skin and pimples, my skin felt 'dirty'. I would wash and scrub vigourously three or four times a day... and my skin has never looked worse. My mum (who suffered from horrendous adult acne) advised me quit scrubbing daily, and just exfoliate no more than 3 times a week -very gentley - and to wash my face twice a day with a simple face wash. My skin immediately looked and felt better. There are many routes you can go down, but I would advise short-term, to take a more sensitive approach to your daily cleansing regime.
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