Hi, I'm 25 and I still get nasty ass acne on my face, back, chest, ass and occasionally genitals. Acne is inherent in my father's side of the family, and my two sisters also cop it pretty badly. It's to the point where I was going to take (Ro)Accutane, a nasty treatment drug but apparently effective in some individuals. I was on it for a couple of days, and within a week or two I was experiencing cracked and dry lips. Thank God I wasn't pregnant
But yeah, what turned me off that shit and made me stop taking it is when I asked about it on Bluelight and a guy shared with me his experience with it, where it destroyed his GI tract and basically fucked up his whole stomach, giving him immense pains and permanently causing him to require bowel movements every 10-15 minutes. I was like, well it sure as hell ain't worth worrying about something like that happening the whole time I'm on this shit now (I'm a bit of a hypochondriac
) and I ceased taking it.
In addition to that I've been on Proactiv, which was somewhat effective but ridiculously expensive and I didn't really buy into the hype, Minocycline/Tetracycline which made them fade a little and which I'm gonna get a script for again soon, products containing Salicylic Acid (Neutragena) which worked for a while but I think has ceased being effective now, some vitamins ie Vitamin B5 (really effective actually with my back but is it a bad idea to take it without professional approval?) B complex (made my urine bright fucking yellow so I stopped) and Zinc which I'm unsure as to the effectiveness cos I took it with the B5. I've also tried some dietary changes (although apparently acne isn't directly linked to what you eat, depending on what website you visit anyway. Blah
) and drank tons of water, tried to cut back on my coffee and caffeine intake (surprisingly hard).
I think I'm gonna make a trip to the dermatologist soon cos it's summer and I always flare up around this time cos I sweat my ass off, spesh working in a factory in Straya when its 40 degrees. But yeah, has anyone tried something not mentioned here that really helped? Really really over it now and it's time to do something.
I'll try to clear things up and probably reiterate previous posts above by other knowledgeable members...
Acne has many different classifications that require professional diagnostic procedures to correctly define, but we'll just stick with acne vulgaris. Now acne vulgaris can be broken down into subsections such as non-inflammatory, inflammatory, or cystic. These can very and/or share similar root variables contributing to their pathogenesis such as hormonal imbalance, nutritional irregularities, or lack of equilibrium with our native bacterium population (superficially-skin or internally-gastrointestinal). The main culprit for the development of acne lesions can be narrowed down to a anaerobic (grows without oxygen) bacterium called
Propionibacterium Acnes AKA
P. Acnes.
Ironically a lot of people don't realize, but this bacterium is generally present and cooperative to a degree with other bacterium present in our skin microbiota (ecosystem regarding the community of aerobic/anaerobic bacteria thriving on our skin). However, the density of
P. Acnes colonies are usually virtually undetectable on healthy skin. When colonization begins to outpace the body's control mechanisms and create an unfavorable ratio of good/bad bacteria, then everything goes bonkers.
You could describe the cascading growth of
P. Acnes as a snowball effect. This is due to how the bacterium thrives and it's mechanisms at which it continuously degrades the structural integrity of surrounding skin cells increasing susceptibility to further reproduction and infection. For specifics the
P. Acnes utilizes sebum, cellular byproducts, and specific nutrients (I'll get to the nutrients later) for energy to continue growing. This form of energy harvesting from surrounding molecular junk is a result of it's ability to produce intrinsic digestive proteins that accelerate it's potential threshold. Now eventually our body will see this form of infection as an exogenous intrusion which initiates an immune system response (remember our skin is apart of the immune system as well as the integumentary system). Skipping some rather complicated mechanisms with immune cell productions, we eventually end up with an inflammatory response causing easily identifiable redness, swelling, and pustular discharge.
This doesn't necessarily always occur though in the case of those who display non-inflammatory acne lesions/comedomes. The reasoning for this? I'd attribute to genetic predispositions as well as the current health of the body. Eventually if you don't nonsensically pick your face like a maniac out of pure frustration (or you tweakers out there) then the process of healing will gradually take into effect. After all is said and done the result of what damage it left, if any comes down to the severity of the swelling/puss development along with the magnitude at which it breached the skin (if applicable). What I mean my applicable is the iconic scarring you see on unfortunate individuals who suffered from a rather ravenous form of development. Inevitably leading to deep pick-like scarring, deep craters, or an appearance of waves due to the outer epithelial losing it's structural identity.
Fun Fact: From what I've comprehended, the scarring you see producing deep pockets like someone took a pick axe to the surface is the result of scar tissue binding to the utter most deep portion of the skin's layers. That should be a pretty good indicator regarding the depth of where it's origin begins. Hence the use of what is termed, "Punch-Incision Method." They'll actually take a cylindrical tool that punctures out a portion of the skin containing the superficial scarring almost like a cookie cutter, then casually stitch the portion to the skin again. This disconnects the dense bond that was present between the dense scar tissue and the deepest layer of skin. Usually they follow up the procedure a few months later with laser reconstructive procedures to help jump start collagen production and slowly replace the surgical aftermath with new collagen. You can find detailed explanations on Youtube, but it looks like a big commitment as they recommend no exposure to direct sunlight for 6+ months. You also look like a burn victim for a while.
Topical applications
There is a myriad of bullsh!t on the market to be blunt. Majority of over counter topical acne solutions contain salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, alpha-hydroxy acids/beta-hydroxy acids, triclocarbons...etc etc etc.... Majority of the time the only way you can get legitimate medicated solutions is from your dermatologist, but that doesn't necessarily correlate to an increase in effectiveness. They also have lotions that contain mild acidic compounds like glycolic acid, retinoids, and relative vitamins. I'll try to cover the best I can, but I'm not highly versed on a few acids/peroxides/astrigents.
-Benzoyl Peroxide- This is an organic peroxide that possesses bactericidal abilities that thankfully does not cause a bacterial resistant reaction. It's pretty self explanatory on what it offers if you know a little bit of rudimentary chemistry (a peroxide is an oxygenating agent;
P. Acnes is anaerobic in nature; oxidizing the bacterium causes death). Watch out for getting it in your eyes because it burns pretty not good and it's a bleaching agent if a sufficient amount absorbs into the hair. It'll also lead to hypersensitivity to the sun temporarily due to decreased tolerance against UV radiation. Don't leave it on your face too long as oxidation can lead to cell destruction just as much as a lack of oxygen. Too much of anything is bad.
-Salicylic Acid- It's an organic acid capable of degrading keratin and sebum along with providing bactericidal properties. This helps accelerate the shedding of our epidermis and prevent dead skin cells from clogging our pores (technical terminology is keratolytic and comedolytic). In higher concentrations it can be used to vaporize warts caused by HPV or effectively used as a viable chemical peel. You would need a proper license to acquire highly concentrated salicylic acid for your own safety.
-AHA/BHA; Alpha-hydroxy acids and Beta-hydroxy acids- Another organic acid variant that accelerates the shedding of epidermis skin cells to help prevent cellular debris from eventually clocking the pores. Can also be used as an astrigent/toner. Glycolic acid and lactic acid are considered AHA's while Salicylic acid falls under BHA's. There is quite a bit of different acids with varying strengths out there so just experiment with them and try to avoid overuse. It's not too hard to give yourself a gnarly chemical burn if you begin to use an overzealous protocol.
-Witch Hazel- A rather old yet classic astrigent that some love. Has antimicrobial and bactericidal properties. In my personal use it's also helped with preventing dry skin after a shower or an aggressive exfoliation session. Helps reduce redness on pimples, too!
-Hydrogen Peroxide- Also a peroxide just like benzoyl peroxide, but much weaker in reactivity. Still does the job. Still causes bleaching to hair. Still causes UV hypersensitivity.
-Isopropyl Alcohol- Technically Iso can liquify lipids depending upon concentration. It's a highly aggressive solution to apply to your facial area due to extreme drying and overall punishing nature. Remember our skin is comprised of lipids. Great for a wound or a massive pimple that just detonated for immediate bacteria control. I wouldn't recommend using it everyday.
Nutrition
This is the most subjective part of the ongoing war with effective acne treatment protocols. There is so much intrinsic factors that correlate to micronutritional/macromineral/micromineral absorption between each person. As well as what specific nutrient is causing the issue because that can be almost anything with anyone. Some nutrients heavily rely on other compounds for their metabolism, while some cannot be taken at the same time as a contradicting nutrient. It's pretty much a gangbang on molecular level when you get down to the nitty gritty on how you should go about "self-diagnosing" your deficiency and the correct protocol to return this micronutritional concentration back to it's optimal level.
I'm going to touch up on some specifics that I'm a little rusty in. I'm sure no matter what I return with, there will be something to contradict my findings. Or someone who tried that and said it made it worse.
I'll finish this up in a bit. Along with why you should avoid antibiotics at all cost and why binge eating Krispy Creme donuts is basically poison. Don't judge my typos.
) and I ceased taking it. 
