I am 18 years old and I have suffered from having acne for around 8 years now. It is very embarrassing. I have it on my face, back, chest and arms. I have tried many different products and event went to see a dermotologist. The dermo. Said that it is hereditary and there is nothing that they can do. I do not believe that at all! I also had a hypoactive thyroid the last time I had it checked (2 yrs ago) but I was told that it wasn't low enough for them to do anything about it. Could my thyroid have something to do with my acne and weight gain? Is there anything I can do to get rid of my acne?:confused:

Hi starreyees,

First of all, I feel your pain. I know how hard it is, to be an acne sufferer, cause I've been in your position once.
Routine skin care is very important, you need to make sure, that you use a very mild soap, for example like Dove, Sebamed, which is soap-free. And Cetaphil would be just perfect!
The clean feeling that you get after washing your face might not be that great if it aggravates your skin more and more, which will literally cause more acne in the end. So first, make sure you wash your face with a very very mild soap!
N the shower, let the water splash on your face periodically while washing the rest of your body and shampooing your hair. This gets your beard ready for a shave (if you're a guy), The last thing to do in the shower is to lather your hands as much as possible with a cleanser. You'll want a fairly heavy lather. Use the lather as shaving cream. Spread the lather on using very gentle circular motions. If you prefer to use a shaving cream, make sure it is "non-comedogenic" and wash your face very gently afterwards with a cleansing wash or bar.

* Gently Pat dry with a towel. The towel only needs to barely touch your skin.
* Wait 5-15 minutes for skin to dry.
* Wash and dry hands. Squeeze out a GENEROUS portion of benzoyl peroxide (BP). Squeeze out a generous portion. Squeeze out a generous portion. I say this three times because it is the most important thing you will do. When I started using more BP, my skin cleared up. It's as simple as that. Do not skimp. To get an idea of how much to use Apply to 1 area of your face at a time to promote absorption. For instance, do your forehead first, then your cheeks, then your chin. If you apply to the entire face at once, you may notice that the BP dries before it is absorbed. Now that you have a nice amount of BP on your finger(s), using your other index finger, dab the BP on your skin. Then spread the BP around VERY GENTLY with your fingers. Don't rub too hard. Applying BP this way requires patience, but the BP will eventually absorb into your skin. Go slowly. You want to touch your face so lightly that you can hardly see the skin move underneath. This is very important as it prevents irritation. You'll want to make sure that no part of your problem area goes uncoated. Carefully apply the medicine to every inch of your problem areas, not just to the pimples themselves. Carefully avoid the area around the eyes.
* Wait 5-15 minutes or so. You can do other things in the meantime. Do not wash BP off.

Wash and dry hands. Apply Moisturizer. I use slightly less moisturizer than BP. Apply enough so your skin isn't flaky and you can go out in public with normal looking skin. After a few minutes if your skin is still flaky, apply a bit more moisturizer. Do not skip this step. Begin moisturizing from day one. Carefully avoid the area around the eyes with the moisturizer as well. The moisturizer can pick up some of the underlying BP and may irritate the sensitive area around the eyes.

Redness, scaling, blotchiness and itching frequently occur at the onset of a benzoyl peroxide regimen and subside over a period of days or weeks. Dermatologists call this the "well-known hardening effect" of benzoyl peroxide. This redness and dryness will subside within the first few weeks.

If you are new to benzoyl peroxide, start with a small amount of benzoyl peroxide to prevent uncomfortable dryness and peeling. If you have sensitive skin, begin with once daily application for the first week. Up the dosage of benzoyl peroxide slowly over a period of a few weeks. But don't forget, for total clearing you will want to eventually use lots of benzoyl peroxide. If you are already using benzoyl peroxide, it should be okay to jump right in.

# Basically, you want to keep your skin more or less untouched. It is also important to try to avoid prolonged exposure to oils. However, if you do spill something on your face, just wipe it up with a napkin gently.

# Overwashing causes irritation. You do not want to wash your face during the day unless you wear a facemask for some sort of sport. If you do, try to organize your morning and evening routine so you can perform one of them after playing the sport that involves a face mask. Washing twice a day is the most you want to do. Over-washing can irritate your skin, and may cause more breakouts.

My recommendation : use cetaphil cleanser, neutrogena on the spot Bp 2.5%, and use cetaphil moisturizer.

Hope that helps, and remember, everything takes time. So cheer up sweetie! :)

Another things that people overlook when it comes to facial acne, besides washing your face and trying not to touch it as much as possible. Wash or change your pillow case at least once a week because you can sweat and it will be soaked with bacteria and even the hair products in your hair get on it. Also use an anti bacterial wipe to clean your phones. Just think of how dirty those are... and then we put them right next to our face! Of course these won't eliminate the problem but it can help prevent them.

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Originally Posted by starreyees

i am 18 years old and i have suffered from having acne for around 8 years now. it is very embarassing. i have it on my face, back, chest and arms. i have tried many different products and event went to see a dermotologist. the dermo. said that it is hereditary and there is nothing that they can do. i do not believe that at all! i also had a hypoactive thyroid the last time i had it checked (2 yrs ago) but i was told that it wasn't low enough for them to do anything about it. could my thyroid have something to do with my acne and weight gain? is there anything i can do to get rid of my acne?:confused:

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If u go to a doctor u can get them to giv u a perscription for medicine thet works really well

Quote:

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Originally Posted by starreyees

i am 18 years old and i have suffered from having acne for around 8 years now. it is very embarassing. i have it on my face, back, chest and arms. i have tried many different products and event went to see a dermotologist. the dermo. said that it is hereditary and there is nothing that they can do. i do not believe that at all! i also had a hypoactive thyroid the last time i had it checked (2 yrs ago) but i was told that it wasn't low enough for them to do anything about it. could my thyroid have something to do with my acne and weight gain? is there anything i can do to get rid of my acne?:confused:

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I'm not sure that hypoactive thyroid caused your acne, however, some people have reported gaining weight. Acne is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the sebaceous glands, occurring most frequently on the face, back and chest. Another factor that influences the appearance of acne is heredity or genetics.

There is no cure for acne, but it can be treated or controlled with acne medications. If you have mild acne, over-the-counter treatments with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide helps unclog pores and reduce bacteria. But, if you have severe acne and your dermatologist won't treat it, I recommend seeing another dermatologist. Acne is often treated by dermatologists. They can prescribe treatments consists of retinoids, antibiotics, azelaic acid, sulfer or glycolic acid to help clear up your skin.

I know how you feel. Yes, avoid overwashing and touching your face (like while you are reading, thinking, etc.), as the others said. Stress can also cause breakouts, so if you are feeling tense, be sure to take time to relax and calm down.

I've been using Proactive for a month or so now, and I'm not overly impressed with it. Yes, it makes my skin look healthy, but I still have some of the acne. To be honest, I think it is my hair that is causing it. Do you have bangs or keep your hair around your face? The oil and hair products from it can get into the pores and produce zits. So, if that is the case, you may want to consider growing the bangs out and pulling your hair back out of your face.