Struggling with spots

The Wallflower

Hi

I am in my early 20's and I suffer from quite bad spots mainly on my face and neck.

I have been to a dietician and cut out sugar and other foods that are supposed to aggravate spots for 8 weeks but too no avail.

I have used anti-biotic tablests - No good.
I am currently using alva natural spot creams which can control it too an extent but I can get bad outbreaks all of a sudden.

Frankly it is embarrassing. I feel self conscious around girls as I feel ugly with them.
I don't know many people around my age that suffer this badly with spots.

Any advice?

neemish

What shampoo/shower gel/washing powder are you using?

The Wallflower

neemish wrote: »

What shampoo/shower gel/washing powder are you using?

I use lynx/radox shower gel.

byhookorbycrook

I'd suggest you use stuff that is SLS and parabens free.

awwalsh

As someone who suffered similarly to yourself, your best bet is to go to your GP or make an appointment with a dermatologist and request a Roaccutane prescription. It will sort your skin out for good within a couple of weeks.

neemish

Change to Elave for a few weeks and see does that help. Like yourself, I had very bad acne and was in my late twenties when I discover that shower gel/shampoo were causing a lot of my problems.

The Wallflower

Sorry should have said earlier, I don't actually use shower gel on my face. I only use water.

Gael23

Get a facial wash and use it daily and maybe an OTC cream from the pharmacy. If that doesn't work after a few weeks you have to go back to your GP

FaulknersFav

I suffered from really bad facial acne for 2 years from 24 -26. Was given prescription creams, antibiotics the lot. Nothing worked. I stumbled upon Acne.org. Although it's partly a site that flogs it's wares, there is a fantastic amount of advice. I read a lot there and decided to try out the regimen. All the products are available in any boots. I use Benzoyl peroxide 5%, olay milk cleanser and simple light moisturiser. you cleanse in the morning, but the benzo on the affected areas, let it dry in, and put on the moisturiser. Same 20 mins before bed. It worked like a miracle for me. I'm spot free from it, after really struggling for a year before any reprieve came. At the start the benzoyl can be very harsh, so be careful not to use to much, and not on sensitive areas such as near the lips or eyes. Check out that website, it lists all ingredients of skin products that are comedogenic (block your pores). So any product you put on your face, if you are susceptible to spots, I would make sure are non-comedogenic.

Also I went to a nutritionist to get advice. Although there is a lack of empirical evidence about the efficacy of diet and spots, I found it helped. Foods that are natural anti-inflammatories like turmeric and ginger are great to bring sweeping down in spots. Whey protein and caffeine fcked my skin up, I avoid them both as much as possible.

Having spots can be sht. But keep your head up, they never ever ever look as bad to anyone else as they do to yourself. When we have spots we focus on them, everyone else is too busy/preoccupied/etc to look at other peoples blemishes. And feeling stressed about them can exacerbate the little bstards.