Jul 11, 2010 01:07 AM
13040 Views
I am 30 years old and suffer from acne. And it has affected my sense of self esteem greatly.
Some notes about my continuing fight to be acne free.
My acne afflicts my face and back and till date nothing much has really worked to an extent that I can declare that I am free of this "sickness".
For those also enduring this seemingly mundane ailment, let me assure you that it is under no circumstance, mundane. It is a multi-billion industry in any currency and nothing short of a standing ovation is required for those who suffer from this illness. I applaud your fortitude.
A great resource on the net is https://acne.org, If you can ignore the attempts by the site owner to plug his products(which appear to enjoy some degree of following though, however being a foreign site, it may be a struggle to get it here, but the generic products are available under different brand names over the counter at medical stores in India). Anyway, this site will give any body who is interested a good deal of information about acne and ways and manners to treat it. Also to educate the afflicted about the true nature of Acne.
The above site and others will generally educate you about going about being acne free so I dont really need to add my bits.
However I do want to share some experiences I had with some of the treatment I took.
Benzoyl Peroxide - Doesn't matter what strength, they all work in zapping the zit but doesn't work over the long term, itdidn'tfor me. It bleaches your clothes so wear carefully. Your skin will flake proportionally to thestrengthof the cream. Useful for teenage zits.
Clindamycin with adapalane - Many have reported results. It hasn't for me but then I think I am a minority with a really strange case of Acne. This works though.
Peels - A very vigorous way to go aboutex-foliation. Stings and you need to have more than one regularly. Expensive. The very strong peel is a TCA and if it isn't recommended unless your doctor explains everything aboutmaintenance after the peel. My doctor didn't and I peeled like crazy and my face had what looked like war wounds for a couple of months. Itlookedlike I had suffered burns to my face. Fortunately there is something calledCombination radiofrequency and diode laser for Rs900 bucks a pop that came to my rescue. This incident in my life was a very expensive period. The laser/radio frequency really works for pigmentation. It did for me.
Retina A - Works well to remove fine lines. Is an ingredient in many expensive cosmetics. Buy the generic stuff and use it wisely. Use asunscreen though.
About sunscreens - I have been advised to wear sunscreen by all my dermatologists though I have never found that perfect sunscreen irrespective of expense. I thought I had found a good one in Neutrogena(Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunscreen) but thatdidn'tlast long. I tried Clarins sunscreen for men too but that toodidn'tlast. It all made my face very shiny and oily and now I dont wear sunscreen. A water based sunscreen might work but I have found any.
AVOIDPropylene glycolin any medication/ointment you use. It is an irritant so read the fine print carefully.
Cardinal Rules ->>Avoid Stress - major contributor to acne. I have noticed that any increase in stress results simultaneously in a zit or more.>> Avoid picking at the pimples. It spreads like that.>>Dont use soap to wash your face. Its too harsh. Plain water is best or a soap free cleanser. Read the Ph on the cleanser. A mild salicylic face wash works too.
>> Use a good dandruff shampoo. Dandruff propagates acne. A shampoo with Ketoconazole works good.>> Change yourbedsheetsoften including your pillow cases.
Finally IsotretinoinThis is what one can turn to when nothing else works. I have been prescribed this but I have never summoned the courage to take it because it has many side effects. Please read up about this drug before using it. A blood test is necessary to check your liver function. So have a good doctor who informs you completely about the drug. Educate yourself. The website mentioned earlier can be a start. This drug works but you have to judge if the side effects are worth it.
Happy fighting!
