I suffer from really bad acne. Can anybody recomend any tips for how to help clear it up as it makes me so depressed when it is really bad that i dont leave the house. And yes i have been to my doctor and he says to drink lots of water, and eat lots of fresh foods and keep my face clean. I do this every day in the hope it will disappear but it doesn't change at all. He also gave me some tablets but they didn't do a thing. Please help, any tips at all would be great!

There's definately medication that will help.. Creams and tablets!

Loads of water is good for spots, as is good food (stay away from take-aways!!).. Do what the doc says as well as washing your face a few times a day with some decent face wash and take the tablets.. Should do the trick. Also, the sunbed is good for clearing spots!

Hi alexlad,

I suffered from bad acne up until my early 20's,when I also started to get cysts around my ear lobes. After various creams and tablets and much hassling of Dr. I was referred to dermatologist at the Hallamshire. I was prescribed Roaccutane(a lot of pros and cons and well worth researching as it has been linked to suicides etc). After a couple of months big strides were taken and after a complete course(I think around 5-6 months) the Acne and cysts were non existent although the occasional spot rears it head. Acne can cause distress and lack of self confidence, if your doctor is not offering any useful practical advice ask to see another in the practice. If nothing else antibiotic cream/tablets should be prescribed to try and reduce the acne.

Hey Alex, i have always had really bad acne and i went to my doctor who told me the same as you have said. She gave me cremes and tablets but they never made my skin any better. I was then put on Dianette. This will not help you as it is one of the many varieties of the pill. I took this and it cleared up quite alot, but then i went on holiday and i didn't want to wear a bikini cos i still had really bad acne on my back. I was being stupid cos i finally got some sun to my back after being fed up of wearing jumpers on holiday. By the end of my holiday all my acne on my face and back had cleared up totally and never came back.

Originally posted by GazB
Also, the sunbed is good for clearing spots!

But the UV light can cause other problems so it might not be a good idea.

You could also try the Chinese Herbalist on Chapel Walk, I think they have 2 branches in Meadowhall too.

Sunbeds can be dangerous if you are taking antibiotics - the tablets/lotion make your skin very senstitive to UV and you'll probably burn much quicker.

Originally posted by alexlad05
I suffer from really bad acne. Can anybody recomend any tips for how to help clear it up as it makes me so depressed when it is really bad that i dont leave the house. And yes i have been to my doctor and he says to drink lots of water, and eat lots of fresh foods and keep my face clean. I do this every day in the hope it will disappear but it doesn't change at all. He also gave me some tablets but they didn't do a thing. Please help, any tips at all would be great!

Hi Alex,

As someone who also suffered quite badly from acne but have since grown out of it I did try lots of different things including drugs. I was first prescribed Tetracycline (which did nothing) and then Roaccutane (which was terrible and had so many side effects). There are lots of different products out there on the market but I've not found anything better than Clinique Anti-Blemish range. It is quite expensive but if you buy the Anti-Blemish Foaming Face Wash (£15) or soap bar (£9) and couple it with Oil Free M-Shave (£9.50) then you may find that you see improvements.

Shaving can make your skin even worse and make it raw to touch but the M-Shave should see to that. Also remember to change your blade every week - a lot of spots are caused by ingrown hairs caused by blunt blades. I usually use the M-Shave first and then wash my face using the face wash in the shower. I can't 100% say that my skin now being fine is attributed to Clinique because I'm now in my twenties which is widely accepted to be the end of puberty and acne but it may just help you out.

A bit of advice though: ditch the drugs. They don't work and can lead to depression, suicidal tendencies (Roaccutane), white flaked skin and cracked lips (really really sore!).

You need to couple the Clinique routine with a good diet. Cut out the crisps and fast food. Eat lots of fresh vegetables, red wine once or twice a week (seriously I find this really improves my skin), fresh meat and fruit. Avoid processed foods which have lots of hydrogenated, saturated fats.

I really hope this helps mate.

Originally posted by feargal
Sunbeds can be dangerous if you are taking antibiotics - the tablets/lotion make your skin very senstitive to UV and you'll probably burn much quicker.

any evidence for that or is it just an urban legend?

ive had bad acne since i was about 10, im now 20 and its no better.

i went to the doctors when i was about 12 about it and over the course of about 5 years i went through every drug and cream i could get, and nothing worked.

i used to get like you do, depressed and not wanting to leave the house but now ive learnt to overcome that.

i met a really nice guy who loves me for who i am and we have an 18 month old daughter.

spots ruined my teenage years but im not gonna let them ruin the rest of my life.

keep yer chin up, u might find sum tablets or cream that'll work for you and u might even grow out of it. i think most people who have bad acne when they are young tend to grow out of it.

even if you dont its not the end of the world like i found out. im really happy now and just hope you can be happy too. :)

Hey Alex

Firstly if you dont mind me asking - how old are you?

You should not be getting yourself down about this! I know plenty of people who have had bad acne and they have been just as popular and happy as anyone else.

I had a close friend who had pretty bad acne at one point during his teenage years. He tried EVERYTHING to get rid of them - eventaully he found out that just washing his face with clean HOT water - no soap - and sitting in a sauna helped a great deal. This cimbined with tablests (Tetracycline?) cleared his face up in a couple of months.

I too had bad acne, and the doctor gave me some foul smelling cream to get rid of them which thankfully worked! There are lots of facewahes and special soaps etc out there to get rid of spots, but im not convinced about the effectivness of them?

Let me know how you get on.
A =)
:)

Sorry - forgot to quote and now it's too late!!

Cyclone - No, I mention it from painful personal experience! Also, my dermatologist told me to avoid sunbeds when taking any antibiotics... and this was backed up by the disclaimer in the sunbed place. It might just be on sensitive skin (aw poor me!), but I wouldn't recommend it. :)

Originally posted by Cyclone
any evidence for that or is it just an urban legend?

It's absolutely true Cyclone.

ive tried all the different tablets from the docs and creams, im on the pill, and over the last 10 years ive tried everything u can buy in the shops! clearasil, clean & clear, oxy, stuff from the body shop, tea tree oil, all kinds of different cleansers and toners but i still got my acne!

iv just kinda grownto accept it as part of me thats not gonna go away! but im happy :D

Originally posted by x_LoUiSe_x
ive had bad acne since i was about 10, im now 20 and its no better.

i went to the doctors when i was about 12 about it and over the course of about 5 years i went through every drug and cream i could get, and nothing worked.

i used to get like you do, depressed and not wanting to leave the house but now ive learnt to overcome that.

i met a really nice guy who loves me for who i am and we have an 18 month old daughter.

spots ruined my teenage years but im not gonna let them ruin the rest of my life.

keep yer chin up, u might find sum tablets or cream that'll work for you and u might even grow out of it. i think most people who have bad acne when they are young tend to grow out of it.

even if you dont its not the end of the world like i found out. im really happy now and just hope you can be happy too. :)

Couldnt have put it better myself!

Originally posted by JonJParr
Shaving can make your skin even worse and make it raw to touch but the M-Shave should see to that. Also remember to change your blade every week - a lot of spots are caused by ingrown hairs caused by blunt blades.

... and sterilise your blade under boiling hot water before shaving.

Pantothenic Acid (vitamin B5) was the best thing I ever found- the side effects aren't bad either - seems to give you more energy :D

Google for it to find more information

try taking iron and copper suppliments and instead of stripping the oil from your sking making it more irritable -like i always used to do cleanse it with more natural products

I use Neal's yard flower water spray and rose oil

Oil i know sounds strange but in a week it made a huge difference

it is expensive £15 each but worth it the oil lasts forever had mine for 3 months and still loads left.

it is one of those things that makes you feel so different and envy those who have that wonderful fresh faced look but the more you do that the more you will hide yourself, stress and pick at those nasty blighters.

Be patient though and do take the advice of water plus sleep.

all the best

There used to be a product called BIACTOL when I was in need of 'treating' years ago. Don't know if it can still be bought but it worked for me & wasn't too expensive as OTC items go.

You will have to try different products though & see which one suits you personally. - Have you tried Tea Tree wash products?

http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=tbn:0mGUljwGzpQJ:www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_SM/0015-0402-1209-5543_SM.jpg

;)

Boots have a line of products called tea tree and witch hazel which are excellent. They've really helped a couple of my friends who have had acne. I don't think they've completely got rid of the spots but they have stopped them getting as many and the ones they do get clear up a lot quicker. There's a cleansing lotion, moisturiser and night treatment gel. Hope that helps and try not to let it get you down, these things are never as noticeable to other people as they are to yourself :)

Increasing your zinc intake can help combat bad skin, either through food or vitamin supplements. Also your dotor can prescribe Zineryt (lol spelling might be off). Its a topical application. It's really good but you gotta persevere, you won't get results over night but it will improve your skin. Also it smells quite strong so just use it at night :)

Originally posted by Cyclone
any evidence for that or is it just an urban legend?

photosensitivity (the actual term for the condition) is a very real condition which i suffered from myself whilst on a course of anti-biotics, and trust me, you don't wanna go there, be really careful whilst on any drugs with regard to sun or UV exposure.

Originally posted by sheffield501
photosensitivity (the actual term for the condition) is a very real condition which i suffered from myself whilst on a course of anti-biotics, and trust me, you don't wanna go there, be really careful whilst on any drugs with regard to sun or UV exposure.

applies to specific classes of antibiotics, not all of them, and is only a possible side effect. Still, probably is best to avoid sunbeds as advised unless you are sure that you're not suffering from photosensitivity.

Lots of great advice.....

All I can add is make sure your GP is helping all he/she can, if youve tried various creams then insist in being referred to a dermatologist. You must be firm about this, if you are not happy then they have to refer you its the patients charter. Especially if its making you depressed.

There are lots of people who suffer in silence dont you do that too. MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY AND INSIST!!!!

Its the 21st century and people should not be left to suffer with acne!!!!!

Good luck mate :P

i used to have really really bad acne. Tried nearly all the producs in super drug and boots. doc had nothing left to offer so I was sent to a dermatologist. Forgotten the name of the drug but after a coulple of months i was near enough cured. The side effects are tourcher though... my skin used to get so dry and flakey, my lips were so dry they would crack and would bleed, my eyes were so saw and blood shot i couldnt see. and let me tell you it felt pretty depressing.. u need alot of will power to stick through it if you get the effects i got but its really worth it in the end. My confidence is back and dont even look in the mirror in the morning now. I left it too late trying to get help and now i have to put up with the scaring from all the spots so i'd take technophobe advice and make ur appointment today!

The way to fantastic skin for me.

Lots of sex
Lots of chocolate
Lots of liquids - water especially or anything VitC
Lots of sun- the best of all apparently.

I dunno if this works on lotas of spots but whenever i get one that pops up, an open one I mean, I turn my shower to as hot as I can stand then put that over the spot, it hurts but all the stuff comes out of it, make sure the shower is on hard setting, lots of force ..I don't know what its called

Originally posted by komal
I dunno if this works on lotas of spots but whenever i get one that pops up, an open one I mean, I turn my shower to as hot as I can stand then put that over the spot, it hurts but all the stuff comes out of it, make sure the shower is on hard setting, lots of force ..I don't know what its called

I suppose that's similar to cauterising the wound. You could do this a lot more safely with a small bar of salt though.

hey

yeah i know how people feel with bad acne on their face and backs.. i have it bad on my back and sometimes it flares up again on my face. and i know what you mean about not wanting to show it off to the world.. its a pain in the arse.. i havent been swimming with anyone i know in about 3 years now i hate going to the beach and trying to sunbathe or anything..

ill agree witth the people suggesting lots of sun... when i went to france last year in the summmer i went for two weeks and by the end of the 4th of 5th day it had nearly completly dissapeard... but i wasnt sure if that was due to the amount of time i had spent in the water while i was there... plus i was eating really healthly.. lots of salad... lots of water... lots of meat.. but at the same time i was drinking loads of wine..

for some reason when ever i seem to go out and have some alcohol it seems to clear a little too... i dont know why.. but it does... lol

thanx for akll the advice everyone the vitamin b5 and the copper and iron tablets sound like a goood try...

Fletch

I think if you take zinc with vitamin B5 then it will help it work better but you'll need to find out the dosage from somewhere. Eating healthy and drinking lots of water will help a hell of a lot as well. I never had much luck with the topical creams, antibiotics etc. - the creams dry your face out too much and the antibiotics were next to useless. When I was taking B5 it gave me more energy and just seemed to make me feel better about myself and I stopped giving a toss about what people thought and accepted I'd got it and there was nothing I could do..... next thing it buggered off anyway lol :)

Originally posted by Cyclone
any evidence for that or is it just an urban legend?
No it's true. Not for all tablets of course, but many can lead to a nasty skin reaction to UV.

I have had spots since I was fifteen'I'm 28 now and have tried most things, the most effective drug was Roaccutane but unfortunatly has some nasty side efects which other people have mentioned, because of these effects I did'nt finnish the course and now the acne is starting to come back.

Different drugs work different on different people you just need to find the one that works for you.