spots

LegacyUser

I know this problem may sound trivial but it’s really getting me down.

I never used to get spots but recently I just can't get rid of them. It’s so embarrassing. I'm in meetings in work etc and I'm sure they can see my horrible spotty face.
I've totally lost confidence and just want to hide in bed for the day.

Has anyone got any suggestions for supplements for improving skin on the face? I eat really well, drink lots of water and exercise.

Is there anything simple that I'm missing? I can't bear it if it stays this way, I'm in my late 20's for God sake!

Thanks

Villaricos

heya! im in my twenties aswell so I know how embarrasing it is have spots at this age.
What do you use to cleanse your skin? are you using a good cleanser?
If that isnt working maybe go to your GP to get a course of antibiotics or some toipical treatment to clear it up. I got isotrexin gel which cleared me up nicely. be warned it can take up to six weeks to see an improvment.
Theres loads of different theories about what supplements and food you can take which will help it but its very often a personal thing and its a case of trial and error to find what suits your skin.
I found the message boards at acne.org could answer any question I had, if ya still are unsure

hope ya clear up anyways!:)

LegacyUser

'Exactly in the same boat as you! It was very rare for me to even get one spot as a teenager and I was really lucky with my skin. However sometime about last March, I just started getting these spots ALL over my chin. I've had them for nearly a year now, and there's just no getting rid of them. I'm 20 for christs sake and never had spots before!!

You could just mention it to your doctor. I did, and got loads of blood tests to see if it's hormonal. My tests came back normal, but she prescribed Dianette for me. Not sure if I'm going to take it or not, seems a bit drastic to me, when I'm not THAT upset by them, and she hasn't tried anything else first, like creams or antibiotics...


But it's definately worth a mention to your doctor...'

c - 13

If you havent already tried a Tee Tree oil facial wash it might be worth a blast, I personally found it quite good.

spank_inferno

Acne being a bacterial infection can be treated with many types of antibiotics.

there are different strengths depending on the severity of the acne
They are prescribed by a GP.
Failing that you can get refered to a consultant dermatologist.

LegacyUser

'good to know others feel the same
I thought I used good clenser... I wash my face with neutrogena and clense with that too.
I guess I just need to say it to my GP. I don't like the idea of taking tablets but a topical treatment would be ok.
I'd love to know what's causing it so that I could get rid of them for good.'

Nalz

c - 13 wrote:

If you havent already tried a Tee Tree oil facial wash it might be worth a blast, I personally found it quite good.

used to get them on my neck and back. Still do get them on my back now and again. I found the tea tree oil gel did the job, so if ya get the two of them you cant go wrong!!

Kebab

I had a bad outbreak of spots just under my chin a few years ago and the doctor prescribed Dianette which cleared them up practically instantaneously. If you're on the Pill anyway, it's not a bad idea. I came off Dianette a while ago (temporarily) and the spots turned up again so it seems I am now dependent on Dianette to keep my spots at bay (that and my dermalogica products!)! Still, doesn't bother me, I'm on the pill anyway.

K

Kell

spotty wrote:

'good to know others feel the same
I thought I used good clenser... I wash my face with neutrogena and clense with that too.
I guess I just need to say it to my GP. I don't like the idea of taking tablets but a topical treatment would be ok.
I'd love to know what's causing it so that I could get rid of them for good.'

Could be stress. I have had an outbreak for the last few months which is being reduced with shít loads of vitamins and ecchinacea. If you're stressed you immune system will be reduced leading to all sorts of this crap hence the ecchinacea.

K-

joeybloggs

We have a problem in this country with over prescribing antibiotics.So my advice is not to get the antibiotics.You will be put on them for periods of 6 months and possibly longer.more to the point they might not work( never did for me) and then the docter might suggest another anticiotic( probably for another long period)
I do find that the best things to do are the simple things.Try reduce touching your face and always wash your hands( I won't go into the amount of Bacteria picked up on Lefty and Righty)
If your a guy, shave as much you can( to a limit of course, we dont want you to cut yourself up now!!) with the hair.
For girls, try reduce the amount of makeup, (let your pores breath women!!) I always find girls look better with out the paint job anyway.
For the Pharmaceutical side get plenty of Vitamin C.I found taking over the RDA of Vitamin C helped a bit.( I know , im a badass,taking all that vitamin C, but my skin never did get that orande tinge so it was ok.)
Also try drinking some Aloe-Vera Detox every morning to clear out the system.

Skiesonfire19

Taking a zinc supplement is amazing for your skin! Aim for about 20 mg a day, don't take too much because i think it's over 150mg a day will kill you!

Holland and barret do the best one because it has alot of ingedients to make your body absorb the most it can. No, i'm not advertising!

Skies

LegacyUser

'I don't wear much makeup but at the moment I wouldn't dare be seen without it. I'll try the vit c trick and I've heard that Alo vera is excellent for lot of things so might try that too!
I've used the tea tree in the past while but I just doin't think its strong enough.'

joeybloggs

Skiesonfire19 wrote:

Taking a zinc supplement is amazing

Holland and barret do the best one because it has alot of ingedients to make your body absorb the most it can.
Skies

I too am a Holland and Barretite. Long live zinc Supplements,Man's best friend.In small amounts

Skiesonfire19

I originally took it for my testosterone levels, but my skin cleared right up!
I recearched it on the net, and it's a common thing, if you go to the doctor he/she will prescribe you something fot it, usually zinc!

No need to fear man.

Skies

Villaricos

joeybloggs wrote:

For girls, try reduce the amount of makeup, (let your pores breath women!!) I always find girls look better with out the paint job anyway.

I dont think makeup has all that much to do with it, my friends derm told her not to worry bout wearing it. Of course like everything to do with acne its personal. a lot of people have found MAC foundation breaks them out.

Only asked the cleanser question because you didnt mention in it first post hon, thats all.
If you havent changed cleanser or arent eating anything new then it could be stress causing you to breakout, dont worry bout it though it will clear up, might require a trip to the GP though.
Vit C and Zinc do have good reps for helping as well.

LegacyUser

'I really appreciate all the advice.
I'm determined to sort it out and get back to feeling good about myself.
I'll try the vit c and zinc for a week or so and if nothing doing I'll change tact.'

Skiesonfire19

Nothinng will happen in a week! You'll need to give the zinc 2 or 3 months!

Skies

Bob the Builder

I'm 14, and only recently myself was on these boards asking the same question....
http://www.acne.com/ should help you very much...

Sudocream has helped me very much though!

Clearasil? Do Not touch thy evil potion!

Villaricos

spotty wrote:

'I really appreciate all the advice.
I'm determined to sort it out and get back to feeling good about myself.
I'll try the vit c and zinc for a week or so and if nothing doing I'll change tact.'

nothing will work in a week! the key to getting rid of spots is patience! nothing you use will have that fast a responce, sorry to have to tell you. as skiesonfire19 says you need at least two months to see any impact from anything ya try.

Oh and I wouldnt trust a site sponsered by Proactiv from all Ive learnt about Proactiv its nothing good.

Shinners23

I first started getting spots when I was 14 years old. I tried absolutely everything to get rid of them I've been to numerous doctors with no success. I know exactly how you feel. I'm 24 now and its only in the last 6 months that the acne has begun to subside - so I've had them unrelenting for 10 YEARS!!

Evening Primrose are brilliant for your skill
Zinc supplements help the skin heal faster so its also good but only take this for max 3 months.
Quinnederm (not sure bout spelling) This cream used to be prescription only but now you can buy it over the counter in any pharmacy - its great.

I found the antibiotic Oxyi tetracycline good but I'm not quite sure if its still on the market,

Sometimes if you have alot of diary in your diet it can irritate the condition making it worse. I found eggs not the best.

Also Zenmed on line shop have some really brilliant creams for acne scars.

Hope I've been of some help to you.

LegacyUser

clear skin regimen is worth a go... worked for me!
http://www.acne.org
But you have to give it a couple of months, and make sure you moisturise...
I don't use the website cream, but brevoxyl (available in most chemists)

kizzyr

Like other FMs I never got spots, I was really the teenager you'd have hated. I'm went on the Pill when I was 19 and again had no side effects. I was on the same one (Logynon) for for ages (am now 29) but for a knee operation had to come off it. Once the surgery was over and I went back on it my skin went to the dogs, not only did I get spots but they were big mammas and really painful. I went back to my GP about it and she changed my Pill to Yasmin and my skin cleared up within 2 weeks. I would also suggest that you eat lots of fresh fruit & veg, drink lots of water and get exercise in the fresh air as this helps.

Orizio

nevf wrote:

I'm 14, and only recently myself was on these boards asking the same question....
http://www.acne.com/ should help you very much...

Sudocream has helped me very much though!

Clearasil? Do Not touch thy evil potion!

Alright so whats up with Clearasil?

kizzyr

Orizio wrote:

Alright so whats up with Clearasil?

Clearasil is dreadful. Its very very harsh on the sensitive facial skin and can in fact make spots worse rather than better.

Orizio

I see.

And so what do I do with these two meteor-esque spots on my forehead?

kizzyr

Orizio wrote:

I see.

And so what do I do with these two meteor-esque spots on my forehead?

Don't mess with them anyway it will only make them worse. Think of all the germs on your hands at any given time during the day and then if you touch the spots your just adding more to them and making them last longer (the spots that is not your hands, hopefully they'll be around for a while yet:D ). Make sure you keep your skin clean, and put some tea tree / savlon / diluted TCP onto the spot using a cotton bud and that will help to kill it off. If the skin around the spot is red and inflamed you could put some of the Rescue Remedy cream onto that skin to calm down the inflammation.
If you want to spend a little more you could try the Dermalogica Anti Bac Face Wash. Its fab,expensive but lasts a long time and is really effective.

Orizio

Savlon and TCP I can do.

I heard someone mention sudacream?Will that help?

kizzyr

Orizio wrote:

Savlon and TCP I can do.

I heard someone mention sudacream?Will that help?

Yep, I'd use that at night when your going to bed and then its got hours to work on them. It can dry the skin around the spot out a little but nothing major and is usually sorted out when you put your moisturizer on in the morning. Just make sure your hands are clean when you put the sudacream on.

Bob the Builder

Well sudocreme is a cheap, easy to gte option and is ver affective also. If you were really "in da mood" to go on a shoppiung spree, go for Benzoyl peroxide, which will you find online...
http://www.acne.org/rate_item.php?item_id=269

www.acne.org has a long list of different prescription/otc drugs to try and also has full reviews...Good Luck!

empirix

I used to get a few spots from training. The following supplements helped - taken everyday(use instructions on the tin). Bear in mind it took about two months to work for me, so anyway everyday i take:

Vitamin b complex
chronium
omega 3
zinc
vit c

Can add up, especially when getting started, but hey clear skin was worth it for me.

Orizio

Thanks for the help kizzyr and nevf.;)

bronte

I have a crop of lovelies on my chin at present!
thank god for concealer!
I have used a spot treatment by clean and clear in a little purple tube.
it's a gel based one and it's really good, not too expensive either.
Worth a try!
try not to stress out out about them..everyone gets the lil feckers! :rolleyes:

LegacyUser

'A friend of mine went to a chinese herbalist re: problem skin in her mid 20's and was reccomended Milk Thistle supplements. They work as kind of a detox, she started to see a difference after 2 weeks. You can't take them all the time though I think a month is the max before you need to take a break and it was reccomended that she take a pro biotic at the same time. There was a huge improvement in her skin after the month.

Or if you don't want to go down the road of taking pills, try going for a facial. I went for one a few months ago and the beautician told me not to use any kind of a foaming wash on my face as it was drying my skin out and making it produce more oil. She also told me not to use toner. Maybe try & simplify your skin routine. Mine's a lot less congested since I started using a cream cleanser that I just rub on and then wipe off with a sponge.

Good luck, I know how bad skin can get you down.'

LegacyUser

'to shinners23 - 10years! wow you must have been sick to death of acne. I suppose it puts it in a bit of perspective for me.

my face is much worse today and I'm nearly afraid to try anything in case I make it worse!
I'm making sure not to touch it and spread the bacteria. I read that acne website and it did give some good tips too e.g. not washing face too often as it dries it out and causes glands to produce more oils and cloggs poors.'

LegacyUser

'I use to suffer terribly with my skin, all through my teenage years and my twenties. Last year (about this time actually) I started the whole, cleanse, tone and moisturise routine and it works brilliantly. I also use a facial scrub every two days or so.

I don’t use any expensive products; bar the moisturisers nothing would cost more the €10. I do still get the odd spot (and I mean odd) but nothing like before. It does take a couple of months to see the effect but it was well worth it.

I would recommend it to everybody.'

The Walsho

Along with sudocreme and tea tree oil, I also heard germolene can be good to apply at night to dry out spots. Different things work for different people though.

Pythia

Look for products with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. These are both chemicals used to treat acne.

InFront

Go to your GP, he will probably prescribe you something like Minocin SA or some other antibiotic course, if this is causing you confidence problems, I think that should be your first port of call.

After that, things you can do have already been said. If possible (and I know this is limited in how much you can do it) go out into the sunshine! Sunshine is great for spots. And of course, simple little things like not resting your face in your hands, or needlessly touching your face, etc.

Call Me Jimmy

If you're having trouble with spots or itchiness or whatever then
wash your face with honey: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=541639

read the 14 pages of people saying how great it is.