My Acne is GONE.

For the first time in almost ten years of struggling with cystic acne, I was finally able to get rid of my acne once and for all, and it had nothing to do with anything that dermatologists told me.  It had nothing to do with medication.  In fact, I have learned one simple truth: acne has far more to do with what goes in your body than what you put on your body.  This is something that no dermatologist taught me; it is something I learned on my own.

Everyone's body is different, so I guess I can only theorize how this would work for other people, but I finally found what worked for me.  After all these years of going to dermatologists, going on almost every prescription and over the counter acne medication on the market, including one round of isotretinoin (Accutane), and still no success, do you know what finally worked for me?  The answer seems so simple.  All I had to do was eliminate dairy products, refined sugar, and processed foods from my diet, and my acne disappeared.

Many people would call this extreme, but I feel like it is far more extreme to poison your body with all kinds of medications which have been proven to be biologically harmful (just look at what isotretinoin will do to an unborn fetus).

I am not perfect at sticking to this diet, but I know that when I am very strict with it, my acne is completely gone.  When I let up on my diet a little, my acne comes back a little.  But when I go back to eating a typical American diet all the time, that's when my acne is the worst.

I know that this may not be the solution to every person that struggles with acne, but I wanted to share my experience in the hopes that it would help others.   It can't hurt to try, right?  It took weeks and weeks of eating this way before my acne finally cleared up, and then months and months for my acne scars to fade, so you do have to be patient and give it some time, but I started to notice improvement within the first few weeks.

I don't know why my body reacts this way to dairy products especially, but processed foods and refined sugars affect it as well.  I guess my body is just more sensitive than most.  Maybe I am mildly allergic to these foods.  Who knows?  I just know that this was one of the best discoveries I have ever been fortunate enough to stumble upon.

I used to be afraid to moisturize my face, because I was afraid that it would make me break out even worse, and I did notice a slight improvement of my acne when my face was really dry. I now know that that was a big mistake, because very dry skin has a harder time healing itself, so my acne scars would never really fade.  Now that I figured out how to prevent acne by the way that I eat, I can moisturize the heck out of my skin, and my skin looks about a million times healthier and more vibrant than it did before.  My acne scars began fading after I started moisturizing regularly, and now my acne scars are barely even visible even if you look closely.  I even put thick Eucerin cream, vaseline, and even baby oil on my face, and I don't get a single pimple from oil "clogging my pores," lol.  It makes me wonder if the whole thing dermatologists teach about "oil being bad and clogging pores" as a way for companies to make more money selling oil-free stuff.  Who knows in this crazy world.  I could be totally wrong.  I just know what works for me from my own experience.

Anyway, I hope people don't think I am crazy or anything.  I just wanted to share what worked for me in the hopes that I might be able to help someone else.

-Kassidee.

PCOS (PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome)

I found out last time I went to the doctor that I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).  It was an aha moment for me.  So THAT'S why I have struggled with acne my entire adult life!  PCOS causes an increase in male hormones in women, so the increased testosterone can cause acne and facial hair.  That explains a lot!  (If you don't see facial hair in any of my pictures, it's because I shave it!)  PCOS is also linked to insulin resistance, which can cause acne as well.  I am now on metformin to help with my insulin resistance, and will probably start Yaz birth control soon, because birth control pills really helps with PCOS.  I'm hoping it helps with my acne, because my acne has gotten a lot worse lately.

Symptoms of PCOS can include:

-acne
-facial hair or increased body hair
-thinning hair on the scalp or receding hair line
-being overweight or having too much fat around the abdomen; also having trouble losing weight
-irregular or absent menstrual cycles
-mood swings
-anxiety/depression
-infertility
-miscarriage or other pregnancy complications
-sleep apnea
-it can also cause you to have similar symptoms to diabetes, without actually having diabetes, because the insulin resistance can cause your blood sugar to be messed up.

Eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, and low in fat, sodium, sugar, and too many starches, as well as regular cardiovascular and strength training exercise can help with PCOS symptoms as well.  I began exercising again yesterday, and am hoping to stick with it this time.  Hopefully this will help me feel better!!!

Frustration!!!

Okay. I am very frustrated now, because my acne is coming back, and my skin has once again become very oily. I am limited in how I can treat my acne, because for one, I no longer have any health insurance, and Accutane is very expensive. I am also very allergic to benzoyl peroxide, which is one of the main active ingredients in a lot of acne medications, including Proactiv. I have been on a lot of antibiotics in the past for my acne, and that is not good to take such potent antibiotics for long periods of time.

Since my acne has been coming back recently, I have been trying to fight it with some generic acne face wash containing triclosan, as well as some samples I still have of Retin-A Micro. But now I have noticed that I might be developing an allergy to either the Retin-A Micro or the acne wash, or both, because now my face has become painful with a stinging, burning sensation and a red rash whenever I use either product, but especially the Retin-A. Last night I only used the face wash, and when I woke up this morning, I had some facial swelling, especially noticeable in my eyelids, nose, lips, and cheeks. I am so frustrated, because I am 25 years old, and I have been struggling with an acne problem since I was 17. I also get a flaky, red, painful rash in the folds of my nose on both sides on occasion. Why can't I just get rid of this stupid problem?!

I have been off of Accutane now for almost three months, and I just wanted to say that I am very pleased with the results. Accutane is not for everybody, so just make sure you do your research first. For me, I am so glad I did it. The side effects are pretty awful, and the legal part of it is a total pain to deal with, and depending on your insurance, it can be expensive, but now those things are done and over with for me. Some of the side effects that I had, were: extreme dryness of every part of the body, inside and out. That alone can cause many unpleasant side effects, some of which I do not even want to mention. Some of that included dry eyes, dry nasal passages, dry lips, dry skin, dry hair, dry nails, dry mucous membranes, everything. One of the other side effects I had was that the muscle or tendon or whatever in the back of my calves became extremely tight, so that if I sat down for a few minutes, I had a lot of pain and difficulty walking for the first 10-30 seconds, because the back of my calf was so tight, I couldn't even flex my foot to stand up or walk very easily. But after I started walking, it would wear off again. I did feel like I had some depression, but that could have been more from my life situation at the time than from the Accutane. I had to take fish oil supplements because the Accutane gave me high cholesterol, lipids, and triglycerides, and the fish oil helped a lot. I can't remember my other side effects that I may have had, but those are the ones I can remember. So my word of advice is do your research first, and MAKE SURE THAT NO MATTER WHAT, YOU DO NOT BECOME PREGNANT DURING OR FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH AFTER TREATMENT. Unfortunately with Accutane, there is no room for mistakes. You have to use at least two forms of birth control at ALL times, including a hormonal form of birth control, and a barrier form of birth control.

If you are considering Accutane, weigh the pros and cons first, and good luck with your decision. I hope my experience helps provide some insight.

My Acne Progress

I now only have about two weeks left of my Accutane treatment, and then I am done! I am so pleased with the results.

I had to move to another state and switch providers, insurance companies, and pharmacies during treatment, and that was definitely a pain in the neck, but I eventually got it worked out. One thing I learned is that not every provider does things the same way. My first provider only had me do urine pregnancy tests in their office, and they didn't have me do bloodwork each month to get my Rx, but my second provider had me do blood pregnancy tests, and they had me do fasting bloodwork each month to check on my liver and my lipids and stuff. They also did everything else different too.

I had to go without Accutane for about ten days during treatment, because my second provider said I had to have an OBGYN sign a form proving that I was using two forms of birth control, that my first provider never had me get signed, before she would give my a Rx.

I am glad that my second provider had me do bloodwork each month, even though it was a pain, because the Accuatane caused me to have high cholesterol, lipids, and triglycerides. They were all within normal range before I started the Accutane. They had me start taking fish oil supplements, and that helped out with those levels a lot, but they are still high. My provider said that my levels should go down after I am off the Accutane for a while.

Overall, I am happy with the results. Hopefully, my cholesterol, lipids, and triglycerides will go back down, but if anything, it actually helped motivate me to try to eat healthier, so that is a good thing. My skin is now all cleared up, and although I have acne scars, they should fade over time. If they are still more noticeable than I would like, after I have been off the Accutane for six months, I may look into some kind of acne scar reduction treatment.

Here are the pictures I took over the course of my treatment. I actually didn't start the Accutane until June 2nd, but I was on some other acne meds before I started the Accutane, to try to get rid of the worst of it, so that I wouldn't have as bad scarring. Insurances usually pay for Accutane better if you have tried other acne meds first. And believe me, I think I have tried just about everything out there!!! :)

(I also learned the huge difference that insurance companies make. 60 pills of the generic for Accutane costs more than $600 without insurance. With my first insurance, I only had to pay about $5 a month for my Rx. Then when I had to move and change insurance companies, I had to pay about $130 a month!)





..............................................................................06/02/2010

1st Day

I just got back from my vacation a few days ago, so I started my Accutane today. Specifically, I am on Claravis, 40 mg, once per day. Supposedly they dose you according to your weight, and I am 125 lbs. Right now my acne is almost gone, because I have been on Solodyn, Retin-A Micro, and Aczone for the past two months, but normally, my acne is much, much, MUCH worse. I don't even have pictures showing what my acne looked like at its worst, but here are some pictures from the last couple of months.

The first picture was taken on 4/21/10, which was two weeks after I started the Solodyn, Retin-A Micro, and Aczone medications.
The next picture was taken on 5/15/10, which was six weeks after starting those medications.
The third picture was taken today, 6/02/10, on the day I started Accutane.

(P.S. Since I am starting Accutane, I am no longer using the Solodyn and the Retin-A Micro. Now I am just on Accutane and Aczone, which is a topical acne medication.)





......................................................................06/02/10

Introduction

I am a 23 year old female who has been struggling with acne for the past seven years. I never had it very bad at all as a teenager, in fact, it didn't get bad enough to even see a dermatologist until I was seventeen, and then ever since then, it has gotten worse and worse. I have been on and off prescription acne medications ever since I was seventeen, and although the medications would clear my acne up while I was on them, whenever I had to go off of them, my acne would come back worse than before. I am a mother of two kids, a 2 1/2 year old, and a 7 month old, and whenever I wanted to have a baby I had to go off my acne meds, and then my acne would come right back.

My dermatologist recommended that Accutane might be a good option for me, since I have been struggling with acne for so long, and he told me that 80% of Accutane users' acne never returned after the treatment, so since I am not done having kids yet, if I can just hold off long enough to do the Accutane treatment and make sure the drug is out of my system (Accutane causes SEVERE birth defects), then next time I have a baby, I won't have to worry about struggling with severe acne throughout my pregnancy. I never realized there was a medication out there that could potentially get rid of acne permanently, and although I am nervous about all the potential side effects, I have decided to try it.

I already met with my dermatologist, but I haven't started taking it yet, because I am planning on going on vacation in about a week, and after I did some more research, and started to realize that the side effects of Accutane can be pretty severe, and I don't want them interfering with or ruining my vacation.

From what I have read, it seems like Accutane tends to make your acne A LOT worse before it gets better, and it severely dries up your whole body (skin, hair, eyes, nails, etc.). It can also sometimes cause mental problems, such as depression, suicidal thoughts or attempts, and psychosis. It is a very strong drug, and there are definitely risks to be considered. Since I don't know for sure how this medication will affect me personally, and it doesn't sound like an easy treatment, even though I still think it will be worth it when it is done and over with, I want to wait until after my vacation to start treatment.

Some important facts to consider:

1. Accutane causes SEVERE birth defects if a woman has the drug in her body at any time during a pregnancy. It is such a teratogenic (birth defect causing) drug that if a woman was to even receive donated blood from someone who had even the smallest amount of Accutane in their body, her baby will be VERY likely to have severe birth defects if the baby even survives the pregnancy at all. Accutane can also cause premature birth. For that reason, women should not become pregnant while on the drug or for at least 1 month after stopping the drug, since it takes at least a month before the drug is gone from your body. Women who can get pregnant must use at least 2 forms of birth control at all times, using them EXACTLY as instructed.

Also, patients taking Accutane should NOT donate blood during Accutane treatment or for at least one month after their last dose.

2. Accutane may cause serious mental health problems, such as depression, suicide, or psychosis in some patients. Any one taking Accutane should be aware of the symptoms of depression and other mental health problems, so they can tell their doctor if any of the symptoms arrise.

3. Accutane can be hard on your liver and pancreas, and other organs, so you should only take it while under close medical supervision. Your doctor should do blood tests to monitor things like lipids, triglycerides, and cholesterol, since Accutane can affect these. You should not drink alcohol during treatment, since alcohol is already hard on your liver and pancreas, as well as other organs.

4. Accutane makes your skin much more sensitive to light and sun damage, and you can get severely sunburned, so you should wear sunscreen every day, of at least SPF 15 or higher. The drug also makes you heal slower, and makes your skin more easily damaged. You should NOT wax or do any kind of dermabrasion or things like that while on Accutane, because they could cause severe scarring.

You should consider these risks and talk to your doctor before going on Accutane, to determine if the benefits will outweigh the risks. Not having to deal with acne would be SO nice, and it would help me feel less self conscious about going out in public, but it is definitely something to be taken seriously.