bad, horrible, skin!

[aida syndrom]

i have crap skin. i try everything. i just don' know what to do. i've even been on roaccutane. plus, i eat fruit, drink a lot of water and the whole palaver. none of it really does help. help?

[Iadagor]

moistenurize (sorry, spelled that wrong....). That always seems to be the universal cure.
What exactly do you mean by crap skin? Dry, pimply.....

[morg_monster]

Well if you've been on roaccutane then it must be bad I really feel for you. I had bad acne throughout my teens and now at 24 it still hasn't settled down 100%.  I count myself very lucky though because I never scarred.  With me the Pill (Dianette) helped, and when I went off that I started taking MSM 'methyl-sulphonyl-methane' which has helped though not 100%.  You can buy it from holland and barrett and it is a bit pricey but might be worth trying if you are desperate, it originally was for joints but users found their skin really improved.  It has decreased the number of spots a bit but the main effect on me was to reduce how long Ieach spot lasted, and to improve the condition of the skin between the spots!

I have also decided that nothing you put on the skin really helps, unless you are lucky with just a small crop of blackheads.  The kind of acne that warrants roaccutane is due to hormones and a problem inside the skin, not outside. once you've got a good cleansing routine and use a decent (not nec. expensive) moisturiser anything else is just a waste of money. You are on the right track with water and plenty of fruit.

[morg_monster]

I assume you have been through the wringer of various antibiotics, the Pill if you are female, etc. Depending on your age and wealth a couple of other suggestions, obviously not guaranteed though.

A few bad cases of acne may be caused by something in your diet, specifically I have read about a theory that the huge increase in acne over the last 30 years may be due to the increasing amount of refined foods in our diet and general 'western' lifestyle.  To lower these means cooking more food from scratch, wholegrain bread, rice, pasta, cut out junk, eat much less sugar etc.  That may help. Alternatively maybe you have an intolerance to something you eat frequently; could spend �250 on a blood test that isn't proven to work, or try cutting out dairy for a few weeks, then maybe wheat, see if you see any results - hard work though.

You could go see a specialist dermatologist if you have only been seeing your GP so far.  Ask for a referral or if you can afford it, go private to be seen quicker.

Ultimately though the main cure is just to hang on, you will eventually grow out of the worst.  I know that isn't really helpful but sometimes you just can't find a medicine to cure you 100%.  Unbelievable, isn't it, we can put a man on the moon but can't cure spots.  The human body is a complex machine...  Just try and keep a healthy balanced diet, drink plenty of water, keep your face clean, keep a healthy skepticism about 'miracle cures', and try and keep smiling. 

[Haj]

Hi, I empathise with you. I've had it all, Roaccutane (twice!!), oxytetracycline, Dianette etc. All those and all the Clearasils in the world, and guess what? My skin is still crap!!

I was supposed to see my dermatologist today actually bit I just thought 'whats the point?' There's nothing left to try.

I'm currently taking Lymecycline 408mg and my skin looks good!! And the good thing about this drug is that there's no need for all the blood tests that you have to have regularly with Roaccutane and Oxytretracylcine etc. I'm happy with this drug, but I know it's only a matter of time till the effects wear off and Im looking for something new again. Or, maybe its the sun thats made it improve this time? I've heard of sunbed type treatments being prescribed by dermo's. Plus there's nothing that can be done about the scarring. My dermo doesn't want me to undergo sandblasting (or whatever its actually called, lazer peel or something)

Good luck, let me know if you find some miracle cure!!

[doc_steve]

During my Dermatology rotation, I was involved in a study of acne, as I myself hada quite severe case, and thought it would be an ideal research topic. After results came in we worked out a treatment plan for 100 patients with moderate to severe acne, and issued the following instructions:

Prescribed Oxytetracycline, 1000mg in the morning and 1000mg in the evening for 14 days, reduced by 500mg a fortnight. Remain on 500mg a day for at least 3 months.

Along with this, an over the counter cream with a benzyl peroxide (quinoderm) content of at least 2.5%, applied THICKLY 3 times a day. (this can be got on prescription, but is usually cheaper to buy over the counter, unless you get free prescriptions) Continue with the cream for 1 month 3xdaily, then reduce to 2xdaily for one month, reducing to 1xdaily for as long as you need. Although the quinoderm will make your skin go red for a few days, its a very small price to pay.

By the end of the study, 93% of the people taking part said they had seen 'drastic' improvements in the condition. (drastic = from severe acne on face, back, shoulders and neck to one or two isolated pimples, reduction of redness on the face) Follow up 6 months later revealed only 7% of the of the 93% with improvements had developed more acne, but were definately going to give it another try, confident that the acne would subside. It was noted that some people after 3 months on medication relied entirely on the quinoderm cream and use it as a precaution.

All in all an 86% success rate over a total of 18months.

In the UK there has been no credited research that im aware of that relates food and drink to skin problems.

The treatment above can not be started unless you see your GP, as the drugs are a prescription only medication. I would advise you to talk it all through with them first, as they may have a more efficent, less stressful way of acheiving clear skin.