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I had cystic acne in my teens. The acne penetrated the facial muscles, literally making it painful to smile. Fortunately my health insurance was good, and age 20 I underwent an intensive regimen of Accutane. For 6 months, I'd swallow the tablets daily. For the better part of a year, there was precious little improvement, and only side-effects. But 12-18 months later, the acne started clearing up. By my mid-20s, all that remained was the lesions.
Acne is a double disadvantage: in one's physical appearance, and one's confidence. It is difficult to disentangle the one from the other. I would recommend acne treatment, if at all possible, and whether or not it actually improves one's dating-chances.
The most mature (adult-like) response in this thread.
I'm almost happy I didn't take Accutane, though. Wasn't it causing blood problems or something? I never followed it but I recall hearing some media reports that people years later were getting messed up from it. Something to do with their blood I think.
I'm surprised by your reply though. I expected the other replies and was proven right. In terms of science this would be a case of accepting one's hypothesis. Anyways, I don't regard your reply as American because it's too mature and carries too much truth. I associate American and America with liar. Kind of like American = liar. And I will always be proven right as a people can not go against their fundamental nature.
The good news about acne is that it's much more treatable today. Or so I assume it is.
Cinderslipper's dermatological assumptions in his or her second post is not accurate though. I know in my case doing barracks duty I showered about 3 times a day, took myself to have my hair cut twice a week, washed my face a number of times a day, shaved every day, wore aftershave and cologne everyday, and wore scented hair spray. That's all beside my squared away uniforms that were second to none in the company. I still was plagued with acne. I ate predominately at the base chow hall... so my diet was essentially the same as others including the Generals, Admirals, FBI, SEAL's and others working on or doing business on the base (which was second in command of the whole Atlantic Fleet if I recall correctly). Had I not been squared away I would never have moved up in rank. In fact I was put up for meritorious board and thought highly of. I didn't get to go up the whole pipeline of the meritorious board for fast track promotion due to me getting in trouble while on leave. I still got a letter of commendation (spelling?) for in house training of CQB though.
My body naturally gives off a pleasant odor too. I know from routine compliments. So, hygiene or lack of alone may not account for whatever chemical or genetic caused things are going on to cause severe acne. I'll leave that to the dermatologists as there's a lot I don't know about the skin and bio-chemical causes and processes of acne.
If you have acne though, it's best to get rid of it. Kind of like if you're abnormally skinny you'll be better off gaining muscle. None of this childish "Just think happy thoughts" nonsense.
The most mature (adult-like) response in this thread.
I'm almost happy I didn't take Accutane, though. Wasn't it causing blood problems or something? I never followed it but I recall hearing some media reports that people years later were getting messed up from it. Something to do with their blood I think.
I'm surprised by your reply though. I expected the other replies and was proven right. In terms of science this would be a case of accepting one's hypothesis. Anyways, I don't regard your reply as American because it's too mature and carries too much truth. I associate American and America with liar. Kind of like American = liar. And I will always be proven right as a people can not go against their fundamental nature.
The good news about acne is that it's much more treatable today. Or so I assume it is.
Cinderslipper's dermatological assumptions in his or her second post is not accurate though. I know in my case doing barracks duty I showered about 3 times a day, took myself to have my hair cut twice a week, washed my face a number of times a day, shaved every day, wore aftershave and cologne everyday, and wore scented hair spray. That's all beside my squared away uniforms that were second to none in the company. I still was plagued with acne. I ate predominately at the base chow hall... so my diet was essentially the same as others including the Generals, Admirals, FBI, SEAL's and others working on or doing business on the base (which was second in command of the whole Atlantic Fleet if I recall correctly). Had I not been squared away I would never have moved up in rank. In fact I was put up for meritorious board and thought highly of. I didn't get to go up the whole pipeline of the meritorious board for fast track promotion due to me getting in trouble while on leave. I still got a letter of commendation (spelling?) for in house training of CQB though.
My body naturally gives off a pleasant odor too. I know from routine compliments. So, hygiene or lack of alone may not account for whatever chemical or genetic caused things are going on to cause severe acne. I'll leave that to the dermatologists as there's a lot I don't know about the skin and bio-chemical causes and processes of acne.
If you have acne though, it's best to get rid of it. Kind of like if you're abnormally skinny you'll be better off gaining muscle. None of this childish "Just think happy thoughts" nonsense.
Caveman regimen, check it out. Soaps and chemicals on the skin destroy it, have a natural acid mantle on the skin (which is there to protect against bacteria) is what you need, but you are washing it away everyday. You need to find a way to exfoliate without chemicals, whether that be dry exfoliation with a brush or a soft cloth that is up to you. In my teen years I had moderate acne, and it never went away until I gave up the soaps and chemicals. I never tried accutane, I did have some prescribed acid stuff that didn't do anything. Until I let my skin heal itself, and it did take time, my skin was average.
All of that in my teens, when I was starting to get feelings for girls. Funny thing is even as a teen I still managed to pick up chicks because I was outgoing and never paid any attention to it.
Severe acne is a whole different beast though. I yet to date a woman with acne, and I no longer have it so my experience with adult acne is slim to none.
If I liked the woman enough I would be with her if she had acne. I guess that's easier for women though because they can cover it up, guys do not wear makeup.
of course i do normal things. do you really think i just mope around all day? i ask women out all of the time but they turn me down now or just want to be friends. i have a social life and interact with women all of the time. before i had acne i did not have this problem.
look how bad i look though:
i can try accutane but here are reported side effects:
Increased levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in your blood
Headaches and brain swelling
Damage to skin and mucous membranes Premature epiphyseal closure
Development of inflammatory bowel disease
Pancreatitis
Increased liver enzyme levels and liver damage
Disturbances of your central nervous system
Hyperostosis (excessive bone growth) and bone demineralization
Damage to your eyes including cataracts
Erectile dysfunction
Hearing impairment
Neutropenia, agranulocytosis, and rhabdomyolysis (blood disorders)
i have heard alot of people online say they got the side effects and then the acne came back later even after taking accutane. it gets me worried to try it.
Don't try it. I have health issue because of it (Increased liver enzyme levels and liver damage) ( Disturbances of your central nervous system).
I sympathize, I have had horrific cystic adult acne over the past couple of years. I found that whenever my forehead/temples are exposed to cold air, I get a new round of acne at those areas over the next 24 hours. I started wearing a hat and it has helped a ton, and also limiting the amount of time spent in cold/damp/windy weather. Applying lavender essential oil has helped as well.
I have to agree with the people who have said you should take Accutane as a last resort. While it does do things no other treatment seems to do, the complications are there. I am left with liver issues after it, permanently weakened joints and terrible migraines.
Then again, I have taken it more than once. It is the only thing my acne would submit to, but my acne does always come back. I simply treat it with a 2 or 3 week 'burst' of Accutane. My days of taking it for months are gone, after I discovered that the acne still comes back. I once took it for a year. The acne went - and came back. That said, it is the only thing my acne responds to. I'm 40 now and the acne came at age 10. When I say it is the only thing my face responds to it's because I honestly have tried everything else. Over 30 yrs, you prerty much try everything.
I still have icky skin but one thing I have always had is a superb figure. So even with my bad skin men do come up and say hi. One did just the other night - on a night I nearly didn't go out bcz of a bad breakout on my jawline. It will be the same for you; women will look for another redeeming factor in you and if they really like that or those factors, your acne loses significance as an issue.
Sometimes acne can be attributed to hygiene, diet, or environment. Other times, not. We have no basis to judge - certainly not from perusing an internet forum.
I agree that Accutane should not be regarded as some innocent little pill, popped for guaranteed pleasure. The side effects can be serious. I've always been the dour and melancholy type, so I can't necessarily attribute emotional consequences to Accutane. Effects on the central nervous system? As in, impaired memory and difficulty concentrating? Hard to say. Don't those things occur naturally with age? I've also been fortunate to not have had a relapse of cystic acne (occasional and sporadic pimples don't count).
There is definitely a tradeoff. Consultation with a dermatologist would be advised. The dermatologists should be able to ascertain if the acne is topic or if it's penetrated the underlying muscle. Presumably the medical world has become more risk-averse and society more litigious in the past 20 years. If a physician does prescribe Accutane (or Isotretinoin (sp?); Accutane, from what I gather, is no longer prescribed in the US), one supposes that pros and cons have been duly considered.
Go back to the dermatologist and ask for topical gels, not pills. There's less of a chance of internal damage that way. You'll want a retinoid (vitamin A will clear the skin AND clear up acne scars) and a cream/gel with dapsone (fights the bacterial infection that's causing your acne).
You're right that, in your case, it has nothing to do with bad hygiene or a poor diet - it's an actual skin disease that is NOT caused by external factors. But the average person is going to make those assumptions which will indeed make it harder for you to date. I briefly saw a guy who had pretty serious acne but was getting it under control while we were seeing each other. He would always bemoan how some people, specifically the women in our peer group, treated him like he was contagious. I think I didn't mind because I saw his healthful lifestyle first hand (we met and the gym!), so I knew he wasn't a slob or anything.
Saw him just last week and his treatments are working nicely. He has scars left, but no new acne.
My only warning to you is that those gels are really expensive if you don't have insurance that will cover it.
Best of luck to you! Keep you head up! I'm sorry you feel so hopeless.
Go back to the dermatologist and ask for topical gels, not pills. There's less of a chance of internal damage that way. You'll want a retinoid (vitamin A will clear the skin AND clear up acne scars) and a cream/gel with dapsone (fights the bacterial infection that's causing your acne).
You're right that, in your case, it has nothing to do with bad hygiene or a poor diet - it's an actual skin disease that is NOT caused by external factors. But the average person is going to make those assumptions which will indeed make it harder for you to date. I briefly saw a guy who had pretty serious acne but was getting it under control while we were seeing each other. He would always bemoan how some people, specifically the women in our peer group, treated him like he was contagious. I think I didn't mind because I saw his healthful lifestyle first hand (we met and the gym!), so I knew he wasn't a slob or anything.
Saw him just last week and his treatments are working nicely. He has scars left, but no new acne.
My only warning to you is that those gels are really expensive if you don't have insurance that will cover it.
Best of luck to you! Keep you head up! I'm sorry you feel so hopeless.
thank you for the suggestions. i did try the gels already, including the retinoid and cream but they didn't work. my dermatologist says that accutane is the last option since i tried all of the other methods already and they didn't work for me. however, the side effects sound dangerous. he said he'll prescribe it but i am afraid to take it...
Yes it is. I used to post on a forum about skincare & lots of adult acne sufferers there had partners.
EDIT: With hormonal cycles, many adult women understand getting painful pimple as adults, even if they're not constantly breaking out. People who think acne is about hygiene are usually ignorant because they personally only get a breakout when they forget to wash their face. They don't grasp that chronic acne can be about uncontrollable or difficult to diagnose/control factors like hormones, allergies & even genetics. Studies show that many who suffer chronic, adult acne have a different structure to their skin & their skin's oil is different; it's kind of like how some are genetically prone to bad eyesight. I've found people who have chronic acne much MORE careful, even fanatical, about skincare than those with naturally clear skin. So someone who perhaps is battling the same thing or once did many be more understanding.
You don't have the luxury of makeup that women have, but socially the standards for men are different when it comes to looks, so that rougher skin texture is more acceptable.
The main factor will be how much you let it affect how you feel about yourself. Just keep reminding yourself it doesn't lower your value as a person & that you have a lot of great things to offer someone that makes the acne a minor issue in comparison.
Last edited by orangeapple; 02-08-2014 at 09:47 PM..
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he said he'll prescribe it but i am afraid to take it...
