Self Conscious about my Acne

The Friendly Newcomer

Hi

I have been feeling quite self conscious recently.
I am a 20 year old male and my face is covered in acne.

I would be quite a confident lad and my acne doesn't stop me doing anything but I am quite embarrassed by them.

I am half way through a six week detox I got from a nutritionist in order to hopefully get rid of them but so far not much improvement.

I especially find it embarrassing when it comes to girls. I have been told I am handsome but I feel the acne trumps any handsomeness. I can't help but think that girls see me as being disgusting because the acne is not an attractive sight.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Stavro Mueller

If this thread isn't locked by a mod because of it straying into medical advice, you're likely to get all sorts of advice about changing your diet, drinking water, washing your sheets etc. Fair enough, try those if you want. I did and none of them worked. The only way mine cleared up was by going to a GP. As it happened, mine was a particularly nasty case of it so I ended up going to a dermatologist. That may not be the case for you - most GPs will try other medications first and they might be enough to clear it up.

ahnow

Hey there,
I just wanted to say I know it's hard not to be self conscious-I would be even walking down the street, for no particular reason, but I just try to ignore it and not let it bother me too much and try to keep it in mind that no one is bothered with me, everyone is too worried about their own stuff! I use the motto "fake it til you make it".
Im just going to say from my perspective, and I'm a girl, acne on someone else has never bothered me, and although it might seem like it's the only thing that someone might see about you, because you're really conscious of it-it's absolutely not. You'll find that most people hardly even notice these things, and are not put off by them in the slightest. I used to go to college with a guy who had a birthmark which took up his entire face, after a very short while none of us even registered it! (We all still thought he was really handsome actually-it didn't make any difference!).
Anyone that is put off by that would not be worth your time, but I hope you find soon enough that it shouldn't be an issue for you

The Friendly Newcomer

ahnow wrote: »

Hey there,
I just wanted to say I know it's hard not to be self conscious-I would be even walking down the street, for no particular reason, but I just try to ignore it and not let it bother me too much and try to keep it in mind that no one is bothered with me, everyone is too worried about their own stuff! I use the motto "fake it til you make it".
Im just going to say from my perspective, and I'm a girl, acne on someone else has never bothered me, and although it might seem like it's the only thing that someone might see about you, because you're really conscious of it-it's absolutely not. You'll find that most people hardly even notice these things, and are not put off by them in the slightest. I used to go to college with a guy who had a birthmark which took up his entire face, after a very short while none of us even registered it! (We all still thought he was really handsome actually-it didn't make any difference!).
Anyone that is put off by that would not be worth your time, but I hope you find soon enough that it shouldn't be an issue for you

Thanks for the post
I know what ya mean, I don't mind acne on a girl so hopefully it works both ways.

Stavro Mueller

The Friendly Newcomer wrote: »

Thanks for the post
I know what ya mean, I don't mind acne on a girl so hopefully it works both ways.

That's another way of looking at it Don't let it get to you.

Seriously though, if this detox doesn't work (and personally, I have my doubts) go see your GP and have it looked at. I didn't go about getting help for mine until I was 23 or 24 and I'm sorry I didn't go sooner. A decade later and I've still got some scarring.

Please don't feel embarrassed about going to your GP. They see this sort of thing every day and it can be simple to cure. If you don't go you're needlessly putting your skin through potentially years of acne. Also you're at the prime of your life so why be going around feeling self-conscious about it when it can be cleared up. The sooner you go the sooner it'll be gone. As you will have guessed, you won't see the changes for a while but when your skin starts to clear up you'll be glad you went.

In the last 12 months I heard an item on the radio about people in their 30s and 40s needing to go for treatment for acne. In other words, there's no guarantee it'll go away by itself.

The Friendly Newcomer

I have been to my GP before I went to the nutritionist. He gave me some cream. It was ok for a while but it then started to almost stop working.
This nutritionist I am going to is very good. She finds out your food allergies. I am off sugar, salt, yeast, dairy, tea, turkey, walnuts etc.
The place where I am worst with acne is around my mouth and she says that is linked to a bad digestive system.
I am cleaning out my digestive system and my liver.
She has helped a lot of my family. My brother used to have very bad stomach pains but she was fit to tell him he had an allergy to wheat. He has cut wheat from his diet and he is in great form. Same for my young cousin who used to have very bad headaches. She has cut out wheat too and she feels much better.

beks101

Get yourself to the GP and get a referral to a good dermatologist (<mod snip>)

Don't go down the road of holistic/homeopathic/hokie pokie 'cures' - I tried those things out for years, switching around my diet, different oils and vitamins and supplements and creams, allergy tests etc etc - nothing changed until I got myself to a dermatologist and went on a six month course of accutane. That kept my acne 100% at bay for three years, at which point I did another 6 month treatment and it's never come back.

I finally got my acne under control at the age of 26, after about a decade of struggling with it.

There's no need to struggle and there's no need to try a variety of different possible solutions over years in the hope that one of them works.

A good dermatologist will prescribe the best treatment for you and get your skin under control in a matter of months. One of my biggest regrets is wasting time feeling miserable and self conscious and allowing my self esteem to suffer over something that really could have been nipped in the bud a lot earlier.

Tokyo

beks101 - I've snipped the details from your post - as per the forum charter, making/requesting personal recommendations is not allowed here.

Regards,
Mike

fits

The Friendly Newcomer wrote: »

The place where I am worst with acne is around my mouth and she says that is linked to a bad digestive system.
.

:rolleyes: where do they come up with this cr4p?

Agree with the others go to a dermatologist. Don't expect a gp to be a great help.

Stavro Mueller

The cream your GP prescribed isn't the only acne medication out there. It may be that another drug he/she prescribes for you might clear up the acne. Don't rule out conventional medicine as an option if your nutritionist doesn't cure it. With respect, getting rid of acne is a more complex business than stopping someone from having an upset stomach or headaches.

Big Bag of Chips

The Friendly Newcomer, I have locked the other thread you started 2 days ago.

As per the Forum Charter:

You only need to start one thread - starting numerous threads over a short period of time will be considered attention whoring and they will be closed.

As you are aware, breaches of the Charter regularly result in moderator action. We prefer not to have to take action against posters, so please try to keep the Charter in mind.

Thanks,
Big Bag of Chips

December2012

Have you been to see a facialist?

The Friendly Newcomer

December2012 wrote: »

Have you been to see a facialist?

No, what do they do?

I guess it facials haha my bad. What exactly is a facial?

jdsk2006

Are ya listening carefully op?!

Danne Montaque King. Google it and search a practioner.

its more than likely an infection deep within the skins layers that needs clearing. My beautician/practitioner tells me the majorty of her clients are young males, so dont be shy to explore this option before ya hit the hard meds.

goodluck with sortin it, it took me years.

The Friendly Newcomer

jdsk2006 wrote: »

Are ya listening carefully op?!

Danne Montaque King. Google it and search a practioner.

its more than likely an infection deep within the skins layers that needs clearing. My beautician/practitioner tells me the majorty of her clients are young males, so dont be shy to explore this option before ya hit the hard meds.

goodluck with sortin it, it took me years.

Thanks, are there practioners all around Ireland?

December2012

A facial is a deep cleanse, analysis and rebalancing of your skin. You can have blackheads extracted and be given advice for topical treatment.

The Friendly Newcomer

December2012 wrote: »

A facial is a deep cleanse, analysis and rebalancing of your skin. You can have blackheads extracted and be given advice for topical treatment.

It sound quite relaxing

December2012

I enjoy mine!

RZoran

You should try getting some UV rays whether natural or artificial and see if it helps clear it up.

rottie 11

I used to have very bad acne , i tried everythng to get rid of it but nothing worked until i went to the doctor and got antibiotics. Face is all clear now. Id advise you to go to the doctor

The Friendly Newcomer

rottie 11 wrote: »

I used to have very bad acne , i tried everythng to get rid of it but nothing worked until i went to the doctor and got antibiotics. Face is all clear now. Id advise you to go to the doctor

I was at my GP a while back and without me saying anything about my spots he asked me whether I had problems with acne (obviously due to the amount of them on my face) He gave me Dalacin topcial lotion. It helped clear up the actual blackheads/spots but the redness and underlying spots didn't clear.

Do you think actual anti-biotics would help?

Stavro Mueller

Antibiotics can help, yes. I took them and they cleared my acne. Only problem in my case was that they came back once I stopped taking them and that was when I was referred on to a dermatologist and a 6 month course of accutane. For some people, a course of antibiotics is enough to solve the problem. Every person's acne is different .

RZoran

Is it just acne or do you also have something like Seborrheic dermatitis? Like do you notice dryness and redness around nose and forehead region? If so using a shampoo like Nizoral (or similar shampoo with ingredient Ketoconazole) and allowing it to also run down your face and soak in for a few minutes works good. Also the best tool for blackheads I I have come across outside the biore strips is a blackhead remover that cost $1.21 including shipping on Amazon and showed up from China a few weeks later. Not sure if they got exact same in Amazon UK store but it goes by the name Rosallini Eye Hole Design Blackhead Remover on the US store. One of the ends is shaped low a half circle with a hole in the middle and you press down after shower or washing face with hot water and it will get out black heads easily and without leaving marks.

The Friendly Newcomer

RZoran wrote: »

Is it just acne or do you also have something like Seborrheic dermatitis? Like do you notice dryness and redness around nose and forehead region? If so using a shampoo like Nizoral (or similar shampoo with ingredient Ketoconazole) and allowing it to also run down your face and soak in for a few minutes works good. Also the best tool for blackheads I I have come across outside the biore strips is a blackhead remover that cost $1.21 including shipping on Amazon and showed up from China a few weeks later. Not sure if they got exact same in Amazon UK store but it goes by the name Rosallini Eye Hole Design Blackhead Remover on the US store. One of the ends is shaped low a half circle with a hole in the middle and you press down after shower or washing face with hot water and it will get out black heads easily and without leaving marks.

It's just acne, mostly around my mouth and some on my neck and forehead.

neemish

What shampoo, shower gel, face cream are you using? My siblings and I all have sensitive skin, prone to acne and have discovered that using cheap creams is not worth the hassle. We use dermalogica and it seems to suit our skin and calm down breakouts. Even a week of your average off the shelf stuff can cause major breakout. The dermalogica is expensive but worth it.

The same with shampoo - you might have to do some experimenting. The vast majority of shampoos/shower gels cause major hassle for me on my face and back. I find Sanex Shower gel good, but it depends on the person.

If money is an issue, skip the main shampoo etc aisle in Boots and go for the medicated stuff. For example, Emulave as a shampoo, aqueous cream as a moisturiser. And go for the most basic, no perfumes etc.

And definitely go for a medicated facial. As well as feeling sooooo relaxing, it does help to get your skin in better shape.

LuckyLloyd

I had dreadful acne as a teenager that got worse from 16 - 18. I went to a GP, tried some drugs, got referred to a Dermatologist and a course of Roaccutane administered under medical supervision pretty much sorted it.

I still to this day (as a 30 year old) have the odd mild breakout which I can usually tie to a lack of sleep / increase of stress / lack of hydration. But such items are often cited as the root cause of severe acne when they are just an arbiter of the extent of the issue on a given day.

Please go to a GP and push for a dermatology referral. You won't regret it.

@Mods: I know this is pretty close to medical advice, but the core of my post is to consult medical supervision. In my experience, people with severe skin problems will generally receive poor advice as the majority of people with 'skin problems' are (thankfully) not affected by severe acne requiring of a focussed medical solution.