[Kaizen]

(09-02-2011 01:35 PM)thefourinone Wrote:  

Accutane is like the atomic bomb of acne medication. Use with caution it will dry the hell out of your skin and make any unborn child you may potentially have deformed while on this but it will cure your acne. I took this in college for less than the recommended duration of treatment because of side effects, but even still it cured my acne and since that time --> no acne. That was many years ago.

Sorry but you don't know what you r talking about

Accutane is vitamin a. It is a concern for PREGNANT WOMEN only.

[Moma]

(09-02-2011 02:00 PM)bigxxx Wrote:  

Sorry but you don't know what you r talking about

Accutane is vitamin a. It is a concern for PREGNANT WOMEN only.

It's a concern for both genders. It's synthetic vitamin A which isn't good for the liver. Symptoms can be similar to those men who used to eat polar bear liver and one can suffer from hypervitaminosis A.

If you are on that shyt and you bareback some lizard, you will have a strong likelihood of having an R-tided child.

[ElJefe]

ha, well let's help the kid get laid first -

Geronimo: your acne is a condition that will last all your teenage years and probably well into your 20's. My Dad had acne till he was 35. I hate to think how it would've been for me. I got hit hard when I was 12 and suffered physically and mentally till 15 andt hey put me on that stuff. The first month my skin was annihilated - ridiculous dryness, the acne got MUCH worse, and I used a pound of moisturizer every day. 6 months later - no problem. I became the handsome man I am today.

Accutane is the only cure I've heard of that will render the need for other treatment unnecessary and permanently reduce oil production in your skin (the oil that clogs your pores and becomes blackheads and acne), whereas this skin tonic that worked is something you have to KEEP using. It's like getting corrective eye surgery vs. using glasses. Accutane permanently dries out your skin, and will also make you more susceptible to long-term skin damage from excessive sun. So if you like to tan, remember plenty of factor and patience.

[Tuthmosis]

Honestly, Geronimo, I wouldn't listen to half of the alchemy guys are proposing on here. A lot of this shit is liable to not help at all, and simply waste your time and money, or--worse--make your condition more severe.

I urge you to go through a professional--perhaps trying a different one than last time--and sticking with whatever course they prescribe. There's a good chance you will get an initial treatment to deal with the current problem and then transition to a maintenance type of treatment.

[boxer3]

Virgin coconut oil and honey...try it

EDIT: could also make a masking cream out of baking soda and honey..then use the oil afterwards..

[Pilgrim37]

Severe acne can be really depressing.
Just as you're becoming interested in the opposite sex and getting your freak on God/Mother Nature plays a spiteful and cruel trick on you!
Then there's those guys at school that make it worse, cause they go through their teens with skin like a babies bott!

It can make you withdrawn and depressed ,especially if it continues into your 20's.

I saw a dermatologist around 17...wish I hadn't left it so late...it had done some damage to my skin and confidence by then.

Go see a Doctor,if it's bad he'll put you on the pills...give it some time and it should vanish or at least reduce a lot,stopping the sebum production which is the culprit,clogging up the pores then causing infection with all the lovely effects!

[MrPink]

used tohave really bad acne, the type that's filled with pus. doc prescribed a 3 month course of tetracycline antibiotics, plus retin-a cream for my face. within 6 months my acne had reduced greatly. also cut down on oily food, especially take outs.

[CrackerJack]

(09-01-2011 05:59 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

(09-01-2011 05:36 PM)Geronimo Wrote:  

Ive been using this:



It's doing the opposite, it's making it even worse...

I'm pretty sure this is drying your skin out. It's probably salicylic acid-based. If the root cause of your acne is dry-skin flakes clogging your pores, this is making it way worse.

You should see professional.

That's probably salicylic acid based. Skip all that stuff including benzyl peroxide. I would also NOT recommend seeing a "professional." Those guys just prescribe stronger salycilic/benzyl concentrations. That shit will destroy your skin. Sometimes they might give you an antibiotic like Erythromycin.

What works for me is keeping it very simple. Stick to only washing your face once a day with as basic cleanser as you can get, for me even Cetaphil is too strong (Nourish brand is very good). Take Niacin supplement (niacimide based, not hexanicotinate). Work out. Sweating a bit is great for complexion. The less shit you put on your face the better.

[gringochileno]

(09-03-2011 02:34 PM)CrackerJack Wrote:  

(09-01-2011 05:59 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

(09-01-2011 05:36 PM)Geronimo Wrote:  

Ive been using this:



It's doing the opposite, it's making it even worse...

I'm pretty sure this is drying your skin out. It's probably salicylic acid-based. If the root cause of your acne is dry-skin flakes clogging your pores, this is making it way worse.

You should see professional.

That's probably salicylic acid based. Skip all that stuff including benzyl peroxide. I would also NOT recommend seeing a "professional." Those guys just prescribe stronger salycilic/benzyl concentrations. That shit will destroy your skin. Sometimes they might give you an antibiotic like Erythromycin.

What works for me is keeping it very simple. Stick to only washing your face once a day with as basic cleanser as you can get, for me even Cetaphil is too strong (Nourish brand is very good). Take Niacin supplement (niacimide based, not hexanicotinate). Work out. Sweating a bit is great for complexion. The less shit you put on your face the better.

"Professionals" i.e. dermatologists are going to apply their many years of training and experience to your case and do what the medical evidence says is most likely to give the greatest possible benefit. Or at least they will if they're competent doctors, which pretty much every dermatologist is since you have to be really outstanding in medical school to get a dermatology residency. I would strongly advise against taking the advice of anyone on an internet forum over a medical professional whose job it is to treat this kind of condition.

It's great that you've found a skin-care regimen that works for you but you can't assume that someone else's case will the same as yours or that you know better than the medical profession based on what works for one patient. Remember, a dermatologist working in a practice literally sees this kind of thing all day long, week after week and has access to the evidence-based medical literature to help make treatment decisions.

[CrackerJack]

(09-03-2011 03:02 PM)gringochileno Wrote:  

(09-03-2011 02:34 PM)CrackerJack Wrote:  

(09-01-2011 05:59 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

(09-01-2011 05:36 PM)Geronimo Wrote:  

Ive been using this:



It's doing the opposite, it's making it even worse...

I'm pretty sure this is drying your skin out. It's probably salicylic acid-based. If the root cause of your acne is dry-skin flakes clogging your pores, this is making it way worse.

You should see professional.

That's probably salicylic acid based. Skip all that stuff including benzyl peroxide. I would also NOT recommend seeing a "professional." Those guys just prescribe stronger salycilic/benzyl concentrations. That shit will destroy your skin. Sometimes they might give you an antibiotic like Erythromycin.

What works for me is keeping it very simple. Stick to only washing your face once a day with as basic cleanser as you can get, for me even Cetaphil is too strong (Nourish brand is very good). Take Niacin supplement (niacimide based, not hexanicotinate). Work out. Sweating a bit is great for complexion. The less shit you put on your face the better.

"Professionals" i.e. dermatologists are going to apply their many years of training and experience to your case and do what the medical evidence says is most likely to give the greatest possible benefit. Or at least they will if they're competent doctors, which pretty much every dermatologist is since you have to be really outstanding in medical school to get a dermatology residency. I would strongly advise against taking the advice of anyone on an internet forum over a medical professional whose job it is to treat this kind of condition.

It's great that you've found a skin-care regimen that works for you but you can't assume that someone else's case will the same as yours or that you know better than the medical profession based on what works for one patient. Remember, a dermatologist working in a practice literally sees this kind of thing all day long, week after week and has access to the evidence-based medical literature to help make treatment decisions.

Agree with taking advice on the internet, but also don't follow blindly to anything a doctor says.

They have years of experience doing the same thing over and over (there is a difference doing something a 100 times and one time a 100 times over). I'm sure they're competent people but for treating hormonal acne they're useless. Besides skin frying topicals like salicylic acid, benzyl peroxide, Differin gel, and tetracycline based antibiotics, they have nothing to offer. Except accutane.

I am not a naturopath/tybetan acai berry monk/ that wages war against modern medicine, but Dermatologists have nothing to treat acne except accutane.[/php]

[Pete]

(09-02-2011 05:29 PM)MrPink Wrote:  

used tohave really bad acne, the type that's filled with pus. doc prescribed a 3 month course of tetracycline antibiotics, plus retin-a cream for my face. within 6 months my acne had reduced greatly. also cut down on oily food, especially take outs.

Excuse me if I'm mistaken, but some of the side effects of tetracycline are stained teeth, hepatitis, lupus, fatty liver, tinnitus, etc. It's even on the Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) list of the FDA.

[ElJefe]

I took tetracycline. Didn't help me, but it works for some people.

As Tuth says - if our boy Geronimo has got bad acne, he's got to see the Doctor. On top of that, Tuth's skin-tips and what I and a few others pointed out regarding face hygiene is all he can do for now.

Still: see a dermatologist. No need to wait.

[gringochileno]

(09-03-2011 03:54 PM)CrackerJack Wrote:  

(09-03-2011 03:02 PM)gringochileno Wrote:  

(09-03-2011 02:34 PM)CrackerJack Wrote:  

(09-01-2011 05:59 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

(09-01-2011 05:36 PM)Geronimo Wrote:  

Ive been using this:



It's doing the opposite, it's making it even worse...

I'm pretty sure this is drying your skin out. It's probably salicylic acid-based. If the root cause of your acne is dry-skin flakes clogging your pores, this is making it way worse.

You should see professional.

That's probably salicylic acid based. Skip all that stuff including benzyl peroxide. I would also NOT recommend seeing a "professional." Those guys just prescribe stronger salycilic/benzyl concentrations. That shit will destroy your skin. Sometimes they might give you an antibiotic like Erythromycin.

What works for me is keeping it very simple. Stick to only washing your face once a day with as basic cleanser as you can get, for me even Cetaphil is too strong (Nourish brand is very good). Take Niacin supplement (niacimide based, not hexanicotinate). Work out. Sweating a bit is great for complexion. The less shit you put on your face the better.

"Professionals" i.e. dermatologists are going to apply their many years of training and experience to your case and do what the medical evidence says is most likely to give the greatest possible benefit. Or at least they will if they're competent doctors, which pretty much every dermatologist is since you have to be really outstanding in medical school to get a dermatology residency. I would strongly advise against taking the advice of anyone on an internet forum over a medical professional whose job it is to treat this kind of condition.

It's great that you've found a skin-care regimen that works for you but you can't assume that someone else's case will the same as yours or that you know better than the medical profession based on what works for one patient. Remember, a dermatologist working in a practice literally sees this kind of thing all day long, week after week and has access to the evidence-based medical literature to help make treatment decisions.

Agree with taking advice on the internet, but also don't follow blindly to anything a doctor says.

They have years of experience doing the same thing over and over (there is a difference doing something a 100 times and one time a 100 times over). I'm sure they're competent people but for treating hormonal acne they're useless. Besides skin frying topicals like salicylic acid, benzyl peroxide, Differin gel, and tetracycline based antibiotics, they have nothing to offer. Except accutane.

I am not a naturopath/tybetan acai berry monk/ that wages war against modern medicine, but Dermatologists have nothing to treat acne except accutane.[/php]

You're right that the effectiveness of different acne treatments varies depending on the type of acne and the root cause (antibiotics aren't going to help if the acne is non-inflammatory and not caused by S. acnes). But again, the person best positioned to diagnose what's causing it and prescribe an appropriate treatment plan is a dermatologist. They know that different people respond differently to different treatments and they have multiple therapies available to them that are actually supported by clinical evidence. It's not like somebody on the internet promoting some new-agey hocus pocus snake oil knows any better.

Geronimo, you already said that your dermatologist gave you two skin creams to use and they worked until you ran out of them. If I were you I'd go back to your doctor, tell him about that, and see what he recommends. You can do to a different doctor if you want but I would bring those skin creams with you so he can know what treatments you've already tried.

I know I said not to trust advice off the internet, but here's some patient information I took from a Uptodate, a database that doctors use when they need a summary of the medical literature on a given topic:

Quote:

HOME SKIN CARE RECOMMENDATIONS — Patients frequently ask questions about general skin care. The following are some suggestions that patients will find useful, based upon clinical experience and clinical trials:

Patients should apply a gentle synthetic detergent cleanser (ie, syndet) with their fingers, and rinse with warm (not hot) water twice daily [8]. Synthetic detergent cleansers possess a pH of 5.5 to 7, which is close to normal skin pH, while soap has a pH of 9 to 10. The lower pH of synthetic detergents, such as Cetaphil®, minimizes skin irritation and dryness [138,139]. In a small randomized trial, patients with moderate acne (treated with a benzoyl peroxide/erythromycin combination gel alone or combined with adapalene) were instructed to wash their faces with either a synthetic detergent bar (Dove® Sensitive Skin Bar) or soap [140]. After four weeks, the patients washing with the synthetic detergent bar exhibited less skin peeling, dryness, and irritation than those using soap.
Patients should not aggressively scrub the skin; gentle massage with the fingertips is sufficient for cleansing. Repetitive mechanical trauma can aggravate inflammatory acne and promote the development of new acne lesions [8].
Several reports have suggested that antibacterial soaps such as triclosan, povidone-iodine, and chlorhexidine can improve acne vulgaris [141-143]. However, data supporting their use are limited, and these agents have not been proven superior to conventional therapy. We do not recommend these soaps for the management of acne vulgaris.
Water-based lotions, cosmetics, and hair products are less comedogenic than oil-based products. Patients should be encouraged to seek out noncomedogenic skin care and cosmetic products.
Patients should be advised not to pick their acne lesions, as this may exacerbate scarring.

[Smitty]

(09-01-2011 07:51 AM)Geronimo Wrote:  

does anyone here have any tips on getting rid of severe acne on face and body? I've tried everything but it won't go away and keeps coming back.

Minocycline (or a generic form) can help. Need a prescription from your doctor. I found it to be very effective but do not recommend it for long term use.

While I haven't had bad acne, I had my fair share of breakouts as a youth (and into adulthood). I stopped eating grains and flour and my skin cleared up 100% with zero breakouts for a year. I started eating grains and wheat again and my skin broke out almost immediately (within two days). I stopped eating grains and wheat and breakouts went away completely. Just one data point of many for you to consider.

[megaframe]

(09-03-2011 03:54 PM)CrackerJack Wrote:  

I am not a naturopath/tybetan acai berry monk/ that wages war against modern medicine, but Dermatologists have nothing to treat acne except accutane.[/php]

completely untrue. acutane is merely the last option, and many dermatologists won't recommend it unless you've tried everything else first. and yes, there are different types of treatments that dermatologists can and do prescribe. they also know the differences between different strengths of topicals and such, stuff that you can't merely google and find the answer for.

[CrackerJack]

(09-04-2011 10:04 AM)megaframe Wrote:  

(09-03-2011 03:54 PM)CrackerJack Wrote:  

I am not a naturopath/tybetan acai berry monk/ that wages war against modern medicine, but Dermatologists have nothing to treat acne except accutane.[/php]

completely untrue. acutane is merely the last option, and many dermatologists won't recommend it unless you've tried everything else first. and yes, there are different types of treatments that dermatologists can and do prescribe. they also know the differences between different strengths of topicals and such, stuff that you can't merely google and find the answer for.

Accutane is the ONLY option that works majority of the time. I know it's side effects and I understand physician's reluctance in prescribing it.

What many treatments are you talking about beside the ones I mentioned?
Their choice of treatment is pouring acid over your face, antibiotics that rarely work on acne, or the famous nuke for severe cases, accutane.

[Luckystar]

(09-04-2011 10:04 AM)megaframe Wrote:  

(09-03-2011 03:54 PM)CrackerJack Wrote:  

I am not a naturopath/tybetan acai berry monk/ that wages war against modern medicine, but Dermatologists have nothing to treat acne except accutane.[/php]

completely untrue. acutane is merely the last option, and many dermatologists won't recommend it unless you've tried everything else first. and yes, there are different types of treatments that dermatologists can and do prescribe. they also know the differences between different strengths of topicals and such, stuff that you can't merely google and find the answer for.

This is in the U.S. In Canada, derms prescribe Accutane much quicker. For some reason, American doctors are highly conservative with this. Yes, I know it has many potential side effects, but I know so many people who have gone Accutane (some with really horrible cases) and have cleared up completely and without side effects. If I had a major acne problem, I would push very, very hard for Accutane.

[hoops330]

(09-04-2011 09:19 AM)Smitty Wrote:  

(09-01-2011 07:51 AM)Geronimo Wrote:  

does anyone here have any tips on getting rid of severe acne on face and body? I've tried everything but it won't go away and keeps coming back.

Minocycline (or a generic form) can help. Need a prescription from your doctor. I found it to be very effective but do not recommend it for long term use.

While I haven't had bad acne, I had my fair share of breakouts as a youth (and into adulthood). I stopped eating grains and flour and my skin cleared up 100% with zero breakouts for a year. I started eating grains and wheat again and my skin broke out almost immediately (within two days). I stopped eating grains and wheat and breakouts went away completely. Just one data point of many for you to consider.

I think this is my problem here in Brazil with the diet consisting of rice for every meal... Not sure how I can avoid it since they eat it for every meal

[gringochileno]

(09-04-2011 10:44 AM)Luckystar Wrote:  

(09-04-2011 10:04 AM)megaframe Wrote:  

(09-03-2011 03:54 PM)CrackerJack Wrote:  

I am not a naturopath/tybetan acai berry monk/ that wages war against modern medicine, but Dermatologists have nothing to treat acne except accutane.[/php]

completely untrue. acutane is merely the last option, and many dermatologists won't recommend it unless you've tried everything else first. and yes, there are different types of treatments that dermatologists can and do prescribe. they also know the differences between different strengths of topicals and such, stuff that you can't merely google and find the answer for.

This is in the U.S. In Canada, derms prescribe Accutane much quicker. For some reason, American doctors are highly conservative with this. Yes, I know it has many potential side effects, but I know so many people who have gone Accutane (some with really horrible cases) and have cleared up completely and without side effects. If I had a major acne problem, I would push very, very hard for Accutane.

It's a cost/benefit ratio thing. Acne can be a major inconvenience and cause significant social or psychological harm, but it's ultimately not life-threatening, while some of the side effects are. As a doctor you're very reluctant to prescribe something that might kill your patient for a condition that doesn't have a risk of death or debilitating illness, even if the risk of death from the treatment isn't all that large. It has to be really severe case that's causing the patient a lot of harm for that risk to be worth it in a doctor's mind.

[Roosh]

The benzoyl peroxide treatment from acne.org helped my mild acne in my 20s.

http://www.danielkern.com/product-p/treatment-8.htm

(09-01-2011 09:05 PM)hoops330 Wrote:  

Parlay44 said that acne can be caused by excessive testosterone...anyone else know if there is truth in that?

Whenever I resume weightlifting after a while, I break out at the end of the first week back. I'm guessing it's by the testosterone surge.

[Saladin]

(09-01-2011 05:36 PM)Geronimo Wrote:  

Ive been using this:



It's doing the opposite, it's making it even worse...

I use that sometimes after I shave(acne is more visible after I shave).

I'd say I have very mild acne and it helps.

Try using moisturizer afterwords and see if that helps it. As somebody else said this does dry your skin out. I always put moisturizer on after I use that.

[Smitty]

I use that exact soap - Neutrogena Oil-free acne wash and it is the only one that keeps my skin healthy feeling (not too oily and not dry). Been using it for years and absolutely love it.

[Roark]

Yes. I had severe acne (often 10+ new ones per day). I was prescribed everything, from tetracycline to Accutane. Even after suffering the agony of Accutane, the acne still came back.

The only thing that permanently cured me was doing a modified version of the Paleo Diet. Pick up the book The Dietary Cure for Acne by Dr Loren Cordain PhD, who is one of the most published researchers in evolutionary human biology and nutrition and winner of the Journal of the Year award by the AMA for a paper that actually is somewhat related to acne.

amazon.com/Dietary-Cure-Ph-D-Loren-Cordain/dp/0978510917 This is the version I have.

I am clear now, unless I go off the diet. When I go off I only do it for one meal or two, so I only get a little bit.

Putting stuff on your face will not cure acne, it will treat acne that has already arrived. Don't waste your time with it--I don't have to anymore because I don't get zits anymore.

[Screwston]

For everyone with back and chest pimples...I've noticed they'll dry out pretty quick if I'm in the sun for a few hours with no shirt.

[thefourinone]

(09-02-2011 02:00 PM)bigxxx Wrote:  

(09-02-2011 01:35 PM)thefourinone Wrote:  

Accutane is like the atomic bomb of acne medication. Use with caution it will dry the hell out of your skin and make any unborn child you may potentially have deformed while on this but it will cure your acne. I took this in college for less than the recommended duration of treatment because of side effects, but even still it cured my acne and since that time --> no acne. That was many years ago.

Sorry but you don't know what you r talking about

Accutane is vitamin a. It is a concern for PREGNANT WOMEN only.

Actually I do in this case (yes...a rarity for me). It's not exactly vitamin A. It's got a carboxylic acid group where Vitamin A has a primary alcohol. Also, I believe the last conjugated double bond in accutane is cis where Vitamin A is trans. But, who really cares this is an old post anyway.

Also, true that about pregnant women. But if they get pregnant from your jizz when on accutane, I wouldn't want to be responsible for what comes out.

And it does dry your skin out for the record.

FYI, to be fair most of what I say is BS but the rest isn't.