Hey, jsut want to let everyone know this isn't about how to get rid of acne, I just feel like 'expressing' myself..

So I've had [severe] acne for ~a year now and I'm not to worried about it on my face, to be honest. No, what I'm more self conscious about is my back. I have horrible acne on my back, and I absolutely love the beach, and lately I haven't been going [at all] because of this. Mainly because it's boring to go to the beach alone, and if I bring friends along, I don't want them to see my back, and it's just real annoying. If I have the time I'll post a picture.

Feel free to use this thread to express your thoughts/experiences on acne. Pics are welcome.

-Eggo

^
Just wanted to second your comment. I have the same problem. I've worked my tail off for two years to achieve a fit body, but I'm scared to death to take my shirt off becuase of the acne on my back and shoulders.

I have no idea (a) why it's there and (b) how to get rid of it.

What measures have you tried to get rid of it? What worked or rather didnt?

I am 26 yrs old, yet still have acne and it certainly sucks. I have recently tried a few things that I "think" are working. One is I have added Selenium, Zinc, and Chromium to my supplement cabinet. A few things Ive read recently state that acne sufferers are usually deficient in the above. I also increased my Fish Oil pill amount as well. I was taking 5 1250mg pills per day, but am now taking 10.

Proactive didnt work. Murad didnt do anything. Topical solutions work for mild cases, but you really got work from the inside out. I am opposite from the above, I dont have acne anywhere but my face.

type roaccutane in google, the magical acne drug!

Magical? Will it turn into a giant beanstalk?

are you being sarcastic :P

But seriously, it has its short term side effects but has been changing peoples lifes dramitically for the past 20years or so.

Accutane needs a lot of research before you start a course as it has a hell of a lot of possible side effects including severe depression and as I remember possible damage to some organs.
I took it and it was pretty effective but it's not a pill you pop and forget about, everyone has some side effects. I was lucky and had very few but I still had dry and flaky skin, sore eyes, peeling lips etc...

Also, a doctor is very unlikely to prescribe it to a female of child bearing age because of terrible side effects to pregnancy

Oddly enough I am taking that drug right now - I am 25 and have pretty much had signs of acne since I was about 16.

There are a ton of side effects, and yes it can effect your organs - in particular it can damage your liver. You get regular blood tests once a month to make sure everything is ok though, so it is monitored fairly closely.

I am about 2 months in (you take it for 4 months usually) and I myself have just had really dry lips so far, but I also get extremely emotional about the smallest and oddest things. A sitcom on tv sometimes almost brings me to tears! It's quite strange, but I would say for the most part I have had mild side effects.

My brother was on it quite a few years ago (as unfortunately it runs in the family...) and he got extremely depressed (and is still on anti-depressants today), and basically turned into a miserable person. He was so negative, and basically just wanted to end his life it seemed. It was quite strange actually - and after his side effects I was quite scared to go on it.

So it really depends on the person - but it does work. My brother has really clear skin now, and mine is starting to clear up even after 2 months. I think it is worth it in the long run - but you do take a risk with the side effects.

That's interesting. I wonder what effect it would have on me because I have mild acne on my cheeks (mostly scars because it's under control). The reason I say itd be interesting is because I'm a very positive person. Although I shed a tear for any reason with any tv show lol. I'll stick to my prescribed cream.

I also fight acne - mostly back and shoulders. I find that changing out of the shirt I wore for my workout or when I'm playing underneath my gear IMMEDIATELY after helps to a mild degree.

I also use a facial acne wash thing on my back at least once a day.

It helps, but it's not perfect.

Acne can be caused by high testosterone levels. You might want to think about that. (a diet high in fish oil or any other nutrient that encourages testosterone production could aggrevate it.

For women, this can be fixed with hormonal treatment. The most popular drug of choice: "the pill". I had a female friend that went on it because of her acne. She stopped it though because she didn't like how it made her all emotional all of the time. Of course, this isn't an option for men.

I have two types of acne, I'm sure. I've got a mild case of it that shows up on my chin and forehead and some other type that very rarely shows up on my cheeks. My best remedy is washing my face with GENTLE cleanser, (yes that harsh "acne" cleanser can actually aggravate certain types of acne), and most importantly, NOT TOUCHING MY FACE. That's probably the biggest thing. Touching your face can cause the spread of bacteria and oil that cause it.

Unfortunately, I have noticed new acne on my back. I have a couple of red bumps on my back that I never had before. I attribute this to my increased exercise. Increased exercise=increased hormone production=acne.

Obviously you dont know much about acne

Fish oil or exercise doesnt cause severe acne, if any effect at all i would guess. If you got it ya got it, of course things like touching your face or sweating may make it worse.

But dont assume its getting worse just because it coincides with your exercising, it could be that your getting older and you hormones are increasing..

Has this been diagnosed by a dermatologist?

Are you sure about that? If you do exercise it actually releases toxins. Just wash your face immediately after a workout.

Acne is caused by oil and bacteria. I forgot how it works but my dermatologist used a great analogy about the bacteria having a party on your face because it likes the oil.. and it spreads more and more or something like that haha.. I cant remember.

Been a year and a half since I've been around, but if anybody's still listening in...

I was prescribed to Accutane (same drug as Sotret or Isotretanoin) about 5 months ago. As for the results, it worked great, back cleared up first before my face, which was ironic to me because my back had it more severe. the side effects I experienced were chapped lips, dry skin/minor dandruff etc.. Nothing too serious such as the depression they warn you about. I'm male so I didn't need to worry about the pregnancy bit. Unfortunately, by first course has run out and I've noticed my clear (aside from the scarring..) skin is starting to get oily once more. I had my first new pimple on my face and back the day before last, so I'm pretty nervous about it coming back to it's full extent, but hopefully it'll just be minor.