hi, I'm a 19 year old girl and I'm battling horrible acne. I recently started to use Murad acne complex and my acne cleared up almost totally after a month and my scars faded and I was so happy. Then out of nowhere, like a month later, I break out with like 9 huge red noticable zits. It just devestated me. I've done EVERYTHING. I eat right (except for the occasional treats), i take a multi-vitamin every day, I'm past the "puberty" stage (and this hardly seems like the type of acne you get through puberty), I even went to my doctor to check to see if I have a hormonal imbalance and I did blood and urine test and it came out fine. I was my face in the morning with murad acne complex, and again at night except I use the vitamin c night cream from murad at night. I only wear make-up when I have to go out and when I do, it's always oil free. I don't touch my face, I don't put my hair in my face...it's always tight back. When I sleep I make sure I don't sleep on my face. I've lost all hope, everything I've tried has failed and this time I thought it was working but it was only good for a little while.

I'm soooo frustrated I can't even explain it. I wouldn't mind having acne if it was the color of my skin but the ones I get are big red ones (i think they are cysts) that leave huge scars that take forever to go away. It seems like as soon as my skin clears up and I get happy, it all goes down the drain. My face is covered in them right now and I won't even leave the house, I don't even want to be around my family because of it. I just wanna be alone. I don't really break out on my forhead, it's mainly around my mouth/chin area and worst of all, on like where the cheecks are and the jawline. You know what I mean?

I really think it might be an internal problem, but what? I do everything yet here I am, stuck in my room. I don't have a hormon imbalance.Please any help I would appreciate!

hi, I'm a 19 year old girl and I'm battling horrible acne. I recently started to use Murad acne complex and my acne cleared up almost totally after a month and my scars faded and I was so happy. Then out of nowhere, like a month later, I break out with like 9 huge red noticable zits. It just devestated me. I've done EVERYTHING. I eat right (except for the occasional treats), i take a multi-vitamin every day, I'm past the "puberty" stage (and this hardly seems like the type of acne you get through puberty), I even went to my doctor to check to see if I have a hormonal imbalance and I did blood and urine test and it came out fine. I was my face in the morning with murad acne complex, and again at night except I use the vitamin c night cream from murad at night. I only wear make-up when I have to go out and when I do, it's always oil free. I don't touch my face, I don't put my hair in my face...it's always tight back. When I sleep I make sure I don't sleep on my face. I've lost all hope, everything I've tried has failed and this time I thought it was working but it was only good for a little while.

I'm soooo frustrated I can't even explain it. I wouldn't mind having acne if it was the color of my skin but the ones I get are big red ones (i think they are cysts) that leave huge scars that take forever to go away. It seems like as soon as my skin clears up and I get happy, it all goes down the drain. My face is covered in them right now and I won't even leave the house, I don't even want to be around my family because of it. I just wanna be alone. I don't really break out on my forhead, it's mainly around my mouth/chin area and worst of all, on like where the cheecks are and the jawline. You know what I mean?

I really think it might be an internal problem, but what? I do everything yet here I am, stuck in my room. I don't have a hormon imbalance.Please any help I would appreciate!

Have you tried proactive?  That stuff is great!  I had really bad acne as a teen and my Dermatologist put me on acutane (spelling???)  Anyway, after that my acne never came back like it was.  It dries you out really bad, but hey, whatever gets you out of the house is good, right?

Good luck!

I've tried pro-active and it make my skin horrible. It irritated it and made it worse.

What's acutane? I'm really not up for trying harsh creams or cleansers, they seem to make things worse for me.

Actually, my forhead is clear, I mostly have them cheeks and jaws and afew around the chin area.

If it's hormonal, then why didn't it show that I had hormone problems when I had a blood test and a urine test?

Also, what exactly is accutane and what is the "negative publicity" it has? I want to make sure it is safe before I try it.

Also, if it's hormonal, why can't I just take supplements from the doctor isntead of the dermatoligist.

Sorry for the many questions, I just want to understand every aspect of this problem.

I have been to a LOT of dermatologists, and each and every one will tell you if a person is past puberty and breaking out along the jaw and lower cheeks it is hormonal. Now you have to understand, this does not mean you have a hormonal imbalance. It simply means your breakouts are not caused by "dirt" or not washing your face often enough. I usually get at least one cystic nodule before my period, flucuating hormones are normal in everyone's body but for some people this can trigger cystic acne nodules.

Breakouts along the T-zone are usually whiteheads and blackheads and can be cleared with Retin-A and topical treatments. This is the type of acne I had when I was 15 and going through puberty. However, I started breaking out again when I was in my early twenties (I am 25 now) and I saw many many derms and this is what I have learned. I was put on EVERYTHING. Antibiotics, topicals, you name it. Nothing was effective in clearing up or preventing the painful, deep, red cystic acne EXCEPT Accutaine. As I stated before, my acne was not bad but whenever I would breakout I would get a few of this type and they would last for weeks and then leave red marks for months and months. I was getting married in eight months and my derm put me on it for that reason (and because I was in my twenties and still breaking out.)

Accutaine is awesome, I loved being on it so much my moods actually improved!! I wish I was still on it since I do get the ocassional premenstrual flare-ups that I dread. It will dry your skin out (for some people it can dry it severely) and if you get pregnant while on Accutaine IT WILL CAUSE SERIOUS BIRTH DEFECTS. That is why they are so strict about the pregnancy thing. Accutaine has also been linked to an increased risk in suicide among teenage users and is currently being reinvestigated by the FDA. The way I see it, a lot of people with serious acne are depressed to begin with, so what comes first the chicken or the egg? I am not an expert on this drug so do your own research if you feel unsure about the health risks.

As much as I want my face to clear up, I can't take that. Just knowing that it's being investigated for possibly causing suicidal thoughts would stress me out so much it would make me break out more.

Is there a way to keep your hormones from raging? a good diet? excercise? certain foods? certain vitamins?

You must not be THAT desperate if you would be scared off Accutaine that easily. As I stated before, I know many people who were at their wit's end because of their acne and they credit it for saving their life and self-esteem.  I am sure your skin is not as bad as you probably think, we are all our own worst critic. You will just have to ride it out, maybe your acne will clear up as you get older.

In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to eat healthy, exercise daily, and drink lots of water. You could also continue using any benzyl wash you have, it will not prevent cystic acne but it will help clear your pores and prevent whiteheads and blackheads. And no, you cannot keep your hormones from flucuating. It is a normal process for the human body, especially for someone as young as you are. If your acne continues to get worse, you can always try antiobiotics prescribed by a doctor (it doesn't have to be a dermatologist, a family practice doctor can prescribe for you) For some people this is all they need, other people show resistance to antibiotics and see no improvement.