Acne

I hope this helps someone out there!
I have battled Acne (severe) most of my life. I took Accutane in highschool because the cysts were so bad it hurt to lay my head on my pillow. I began feeling suicidal because my face was so broken out. The Accutane worked, but now that the studies have come out about how bad it is for you and that it can make Acne worse in the long run, I don't know if I would ever recommend it. When I turned 41 I began getting blackheads on my jawline. I couldn't leave them alone because they were so large. I finally went to a dermatologist because I refused to havew fullblown Acne again. He told me to never aggravate the blackheads. He put me on Minocyn, an Antibiotic and I know most people are against them, but I HATE THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL SCARS! He wanted me to take 100mgs a day. I always get yeast infections from Antibiotics so I take acidophilus with every tablet. The acidophilus needs to be in the "billions of live" category. Just ask the pharmacist for a good one. You can get it OTC. My dermatologist also recommended that I go get a chemical peel and have the aesthetision remove all the blackheads and take care of any whiteheads. This would keep them from turning into whiteheads or cysts(This is part of the peel) These things cost some money, I know.($60 per peel and $15 for 100 tabs of acidophilus) The Minocyn is a generic and I pay $40 for 3 months. I saved a little cash from my paychecks and asked for peels as gifts. After the first peel and one month with the meds...WOW! I was so happy. No new blackheads. I have kept up with the meds, but no longer get peels as I don't need them. I only have to take half of my prescr*iption to keep my skin in check. It has been well over two years now. Truthfully, once in awhile I see something on my face that looks like it might be the beginning of a blackhead so I'll pick at it. BOOM, next day, puffy zit. I even take all the antibacterial precautions to keep the area clean. It gets inflamed because when we try to do it without the proper tools and without the pore already open, we push the bacteria further into the dermis. If I didn't have disposable cash, I would give up extras(movie rental, fast food, expensive shampoo etc.) to pay for the meds and never touch my face. That's how bad it has been for me. I am never going back to acne or pimples! If you are young and REALLY want to get rid of your acne, but can't afford to have it treated. Prove to your parents that it is important to you. Ask to see a dermatologist, get a facial or whatever the dermatologist recommends rather than getting a new game for your XBox a Wii, or something like that. I purchased ProActive for my 12yr.old son because he asked for it for Christmas. Good luck! Tweet