Im 14, a guy, and ive had acne since the 6th grade. Its all over my
face, except my cheeks, but mainly on forehead. The acne is not as
large in numbers as it is size. I also have many red spots and in some
places (only a few) the acne is hidden under my skin. I almost always
have oily skin, and I use Oxy and Isopropl to dry my skin out, but in
less than 30 mins it gets oily again.

To add to that, I have acne all over my back, these however are a bit
smaller than the ones on my face.

My parents told me that this is because of genetics. My brothers also
had acne like this, just not as much. It eventually cleared up when
they were 20. I cant wait that long!

Here's my health. I eat and drink at a extreme minimal(2 glasses of
water a day, and eat 2-3 times a day). I never go out, I mainly sit at
home, or in the basement. I shower every 1-2 days just before bed. I
used to use a perscribed medication by my doctor (not a derm.. i
think) that had mainly alcohol and a small percent of some acids
(hydrocloric acid and some other lotions). I constantly dose my face
in extensive amounts of rubbing alcohol and I use Oxy 3 times a day to
clean my face. Im also inactive most of the time (I dont run around or
anything, mostly sit in a closed area)

This is really ruining my social life!!!

Any suggestions other than to see a derm would be wonderful.

Hi TD,

First of all, you need to drink more water to be healthy. You also don't
mention your diet. Healthy food is essential for good skin. And, exercise
is also important for healthy skin.

Your skin is overly oily and that can be a trap. You would think you need
to dry it out but actually, that just makes the oil problem worse. You need
to find a good gentle cleanser for your face and then use a good
moisturizer. And then you use the acne medication.

Good luck.
ar

"TD" <Alt_15@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9f4b0571.0309091442.3e53f553@posting.google.c om...

TD wrote:
I suspect that the isopropyl is irritating your skin, causing it to
produce more oil in self defense. But who knows?

A few years ago, I came to this group to suggest that shampoo with the
anti dandruff ingredient might be effective against some cases of acne
that involved a bloom of microbes. Pyrithione zinc, a very active,
broad spectrum antimicrobial agent is present in many dandruff
shampoos, like DHS Zinc, Zincon, some versions of Head & Shoulders and
lots of generic competition.

The risk with this substance is skin irritation and suppression of
hair growth.

The method that people her helped me to refine is to coat the affected
dry skin with a thin layer of shampoo a little while before bathing
(say, 5 to 30 minutes). Because of the risk of irritation, start
short and work your way up, till you find your exposure tolerance.
Then shower it off, thoroughly. Complete rinsing is very important ot
make sure no shampoo residue is left on your skin to irritate it and
cause that dreaded oil rebound. Since the pyrithione zinc is somewhat
soluble in skin oils, a little is left behind below the surface to
discourage the growth of microbes. Because of the risk of irritation
and this slowly fading effect, it seems best to repeat the treatment
no more often than every second day.

If you use this treatment, discontinue any other skin treatments that
tend to irritate skin, like alcohol, Retin A, or benzoyl peroxide
(oxy- almost anything trade names) till two days after a treatment.

The best things about this method is that it is cheap (especially for
large areas like back and chest), and if it is going to work, it works
fast. It two or three treatments (4 to 6 days) show no improvement,
more will probably not do much, either.

There are lots of posts discussion the pros and cons of this idea in
the Google archive:
http://www.google.com/grphp?hl=en&tab=wg&ie=UTF-8

Search the group alt.skincare.acne for my last name and words like
pyrithione zinc, head, shoulders, and other unusual words I used in
the above paragraphs. About half of the people reporting a test of
this method had at least some positive things to say about the
effects.

Not bad for an inspiration during an idle moment.

--
John Popelish

Ok, let's see if I can post something more helpful. Remember I'm not a
dermatologist, and this can't be constituted as medical advice.

I know your skin is really oily, but I think that "drying out" your skin is
the wrong way to think about things. If your skin is red, it is irritated.
You want to baby your skin, soothe it. First of all, I would stop all the
isopropyl alcohol. It is very drying, and your skin will just produce more
oil to compensate. If you use a gentle, moisturizing cleanser for 2 weeks
(and no alcohol!), I think you will find that your skin is less oily than
before. Cetaphil is a very moisturizing, gentle cleanser that is easy to
find. It leaves your skin very soft. If you want to try a medicated
cleanser, Alpha Hydrox Moisturizing Body Wash is very popular. It contains
4% glycolic acid, which helps clear excess skin cells and stop them from
clogging. These are both inexpensive and easy to find.

Then you need an exfoliant to aid in clearing the excess skin cells.
Salicylic acid is usually what you want for acne-prone skin because it can
penetrate the oil (sebum) that can clog your pores. A cheap and easy way is
to get Stridex Alcohol-Free Pads. There is a maximum strength (2%), regular
strength (1%), and a sensitive skin version (1/2% salicylic acid). These
are a little irritating, but they are better than most of the other pads
that are loaded with alcohol. You can also buy a salicylic acid gel from
Neutrogena, like Neutrogena Clear Pore Treatment Nighttime Pore Clarifying
Gel.

Finally, you need something to kill the bacterial that causes pimples.
Benzoyl Peroxide is normally used. It can definitely be irritating. If
your skin feels red, itchy, or irritated by the Benzoyl Peroxide, use a
weaker strength cream. Oxy makes good 5% (Oxy Sensitive Skin Treatment) and
10% Benzoyl Peroxide (Oxy Maximum Acne Treatment), and Neutrogena makes a
gentler 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide (Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment).

.. . . or . . .

You could buy a kit at Walgreen's called Klear Action. It costs about $20,
and it has a cleanser, toner, and repair cream designed to fight acne.

Whatever you use, if your skin is red, irritated, or peeling, then you are
using something too strong, or you are using it too often.

Also, you should drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday! Even oily skin
can get dehydrated.

Hope this helps a little,

Stuart

TD wrote:

What's wrong with seeing a derm?

I'm sorry to say this, but your parent's response is not valid. You
should not be expected to deal with this alone for the next 6 years.

Firstly, ditch the oxy (which is an okay product, but it sounds like you
are overdrying and irritating your skin), but use $20 and purchase any
of the generic Proactiv products available in stores now.
(brand names KlearAction, Proacne, or Igia makes one, now, too). They
are available in Walgreens and CVS. Or you can order the Proactiv, but
that is twice the price...
Check out acne.org. Mainly to see the pictures. Notice they use A LOT OF
BPO (the repair lotions in the Klear Action kit), but they don't rub it
in excessively. That's the key to benzoyl peroxide. Use a generous
amount, but apply GENTLY. Do not rub. Just apply it. Follow with a light
moisturizer if you notice any redness or too much drying or irritation..

If this does not show improvement, than you need to see a derm. You need
to calmly discuss this with your parents. If you cannot do this, than
talk to your guidance counselor at school, ask them to intervene or
discuss what you can do with them.

List how this (acne) is affecting you. You listed a lot of ways. Think
of everything you can, and write it down. This is the list of reasons
you need to go to a doctor about it. A lot of scarring (emotional and
physical) can happen in the next six years. No way should you have to
suffer and handle this on your own.

You could also call your doctor and ask to talk to them on the phone.
Explain to them how you're feeling. Or hell, fake sick just so your
parents will take you in to see the doc, then tell them (the doc) in
private your list of ways your acne is affecting your life.

If you have cystic acne, there probably is not anything OTC that is
going to be what you need. I suggest the above generic Proactivs as a
final shot (since it's good stuff and synergist (meant to work
together)), but if they don't help, you really need to discuss this with
a doctor, and discuss the possibility of accutane.

I know it sucks. But you need to take charge of this and not let it take
over your life.

TD wrote:
(snip)
I warned about using anything else that might be irritating within a
couple days of using pyrithione zinc. Anything else that is soothing
or protective is fine.

--
John Popelish

"John Popelish" <jpopelish@rica.net> wrote in message
news:3F5E823A.C337B5FF@rica.net...
Pyrithione Zinc suppresses hair growth?

"TD" <Alt_15@hotmail.com> wrote in message
Not the healthiest diet. If you want your skin to look good, then you need
to nourish your body so that it can be as healthy as possible. Fruits and
vegetables will help a lot and cutting down on grains and simple carbs will
help as well. That means the waffles, the french fries the breaded chicken
and the potatoes could all be contributing to your skin problem. Yes, your
problem could be hormones but a proper diet might just help make the acne
better. Many of us have had our skin clear up when we changed our diets.

Accutane is a potentially dangerous medication. Although many people have
no trouble with it, many do. And it doesn't work for everyone. I
personally believe that the risk of the accutane isn't worth it. I can
clear up my skin by eating better and exercising. I was on accutane and it
really caused me a lot of trouble and didn't clear up my skin.

Exercise is good for the skin because it helps the body detoxify and stay
healthy. Any kind of exercise will help.

Take care,
ar

Jason wrote:

Yea. Makes it fall out if used often enough and with long enough
exposures. Hell of a thing for a shampoo to do. This gives you some
idea how powerful a biocide pyrithione zinc is. I didn't associate my
thinning hair with it till a person from this group who was using it
often and successfully for facial acne (by the method under
discussion) happened to mention that he didn't have to shave as often
as he used to.

Just lathering and rinsing every night with it is probable not nearly
enough exposure for this to take place, but putting in in your hair
for a half hour every night probably is. As with many powerful
treatments, the use of pyrithione zinc is a balancing act between
effectiveness and side effects.

--
John Popelish

Can you point me to some solid information regarding the use of zinc
pyrithione in treating acne? I've only found articles discussing it to
treat dermatitis, psoriasis, etc.

Head and Shoulders is pretty strong stuff, even without the zinc, as it uses
ammonium lauyrl sulfate.

Stuart



a.. Sulfates is the colloquial name for a group of cleansing ingredients
called alkyl sulfates, which are amongst the most irritating ingredients in
personal care products, yet used by almost every manufacturer worldwide.
Ammonium lauryl sulfate is the most strongly irritant, followed by sodium
lauryl sulfate (unless it's proficiently complexed with cocoamphodiacetate),
then the ethoxylated sulfates - sodium and ammonium laureth sulfate.

b.. Petrochemical cleansers tend to be harsh and irritating. Examples
include sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate and sodium C12-16 olefin sulfonate.

c.. Ammonium lauryl sulfate is commonly used to replace sodium lauryl
sulfate, which is the subject of negative publicity. The following table
shows that this replacement is significantly more irritating than SLS. See
FAQ for details.

PRIMARY IRRITATION INDEX of surfactant solutions

Percent active and product tested
10% Sodium lauryl sulfate
10% Ammonium lauryl sulfate
Primary Irritation Index
3.3
5.1

Yep, I'd definitely drop anything that is irritating your skin.

I really hope the Head & Shoulders does the trick for you. Zinc Pyrithione
is certainly effective in treating some skin conditions.

You've told us that you are having a pretty severe acne problem, and that
you have pretty irritated skin. I'm a little disturbed by the fact that,
thanks to reading this newsgroup, you are now applying a very strong
detergent to your skin, with an active ingredient that as far as I can tell
(please correct me if I am wrong) does not have a proven track record in
fighting acne, and we've told you not to use any other potentially
irritating medications while you are trying this. I did read that some of
the conditions that it treats may have an acne-like appearance in some
respects. In the limited amount of time I had this evening, I wasn't able
to find anything from the AAD or the FDA indicating that Zinc Pyrithione was
useful in treating acne.

Stuart

thought i should drop my 2 cents in...

all the above posts are good advice, whether they work, i don't know, but
atleast it's from people tring to help and i'm sure we're all sympathetic
(pls correct if wrong!). i'd just like to add that in my experience rushing
off and buying the whole top shelf of the drug store and piling on the
creams might not be the best way to test them. everything i've seen for
treating acne (and certainly cystic) will require atleast 2 weeks (to
months!) to start kicking in. try out different topicals but give them a
chance to work (or not work) before you start on the next one. i would also
suggest any changes in diet / routines be done systematically to give your
body a chance to adjust... if you've been inactive for years? suddenly
starting to run miles a day ain't gonna work. build it up... for diet
changes also, test out diff. food, i've noticed that certain fruits actually
make me break out (bananas, strawberrys, kiwi etc.) - this has got to be a
rariety!

....acnes a bitch and it's a long process to kick it (if anyone knows
different i'll nominate you for a Nobel!)

all the best,
-dan

"Stuart Pierce" <stuartwpREMOVE@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:YjU7b.5$Em4.3588@news3.news.adelphia.net...

TD, I had the same thing and it began in 6/7 grade for me as well. I'm 23
now and have tried isopropyl, benz. peroxide, minocyclene (for over 10
years), accutane and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Unfortunately the only
one that gave any significant results was the B5, and that is unfortunate
b/c i didnt discover it until i was 21. Within 2 weeks of taking B5 the
oiliness of my skin dropped tremendously and the acne went away almost
completely (occasional small breakout every now and then but everyone gets
those). I still take the B5 religiously and if i go a week without it the
acne comes back very quick. I take 4 to 5 grams per day
breakfast/lunch/dinner/bed usually and take the 500mg GNC brand capsules. I
tried Vitamin Shoppe brand b/c they are cheaper but they did not work nearly
as well as GNC. On top of being the most effective, it is one of the
cheapest solutions to acne (10 bucks for one hundred 500mg capsules). Hope
this helps!



TD <Alt_15@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9f4b0571.0309091442.3e53f553@posting.google.c om...

thanks, i should have mentioned that it's more of an allergy than anything
else. certain fruits and certainly veg. does me the world of good... but
yeah, in most cases fruit will detox you like nothing else (wash of those
pesticides first!)

....my doc insists that food's got nothing to do with acne... guess that
statement will always be argued from person to person... after all, we're
all different! i'll set on my nice little fence tho ;-)

cheers,
-d

"arlyn" <arlynsg@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:mtX7b.47$Pd2.72243@news1.news.adelphia.net...

topicals are anything you rub onto your skin (as opposed to ingestion of
pills)


TD <Alt_15@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9f4b0571.0309111142.6f83ce91@posting.google.c om...

"Topicals" means any or the various gels, creams, or ointments people apply to the affected areas,
usually after using one of the various cleansers.

The best move you could make right away is knock off the french fries. Try shifting your diet in
general towards fresh fruits/vegetables/whole grains; like trying oatmeal (can be made most
palatable by adding things like raisins, bananas, cinnamon, honey, etc) instead of those
highly-refined grain waffles. The tea is o.k. though in fact there is much evidence the various
flavinoids in teas are beneficial. The effect of diet on your skin is a matter of much controversy,
but if you watch this newsgroup you will see how many people find cause-and-effect relationships
between what they eat and how their skin reacts--the main culprits being highly refined starches
and sugar; but some people react violently to high-fat foods and/or various meats. Dr. Andrew Weil
has stated that some people's skin reacts badly to milk protein, so even if they move to a low-or
no-fat alternative, they're still troubled.

Cleaning up your diet and perhaps spending a modest sum at Walgreen's for a salicylic acid
cleanser, alpha-hydroxy lotion, and benzoyl-peroxide topical (try the low-dose 2.5% Neutrogena tube
first) as presented in the recent book "The Acne Cure" might spare you the expense of going to the
dermatologist. Plus, whatever prescription thing he/she does for you is going to be expensive no
matter what.
An even cheaper alternative is to obtain some ethyl (not isopropyl) alcohol at Walgreen's and use a
slightly diluted solution of it with cotton balls as a skin cleanser. You'll know if you need it by
how dirty the cotton balls get. Rinse with water and apply aloe vera gel (inexpensive and available
at any health food/GNC or similar retailer) afterwards.

Get on top of this now and you will save yourself inestimable grief later! And don't eat chocolate
bars, no matter what you hear about chocolate's antioxidant properties; the first ingredient in
those bars is cocoa butter, which is like eating candle wax. Fruit, or tea sweetened with honey is
the sweet-fix you want to go for if you just have to have it; there are also a zillion herb teas to
try that have beneficial properties.

TD wrote:

Hi D,

I really wish I could sue my derms. I'm 38 and have had acne since I
was a preteen. All those years my various doctors said that diet didn't
have anything to do with it. But in my case, it has everything to do with
it. I could be living scar free but nooooooooo...

What a drag.

ar

"D" <ukonline@ukonline.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3f60a98e$0$12642$afc38c87@news.ukonline.co.uk ...

TD wrote:


There are side effects and risks to accutane. It is serious medication.

You can read a lot about it online, including the cons. It usually is
only warranted on moderate to severe acne.

B5 is another option (as was suggested to you). However, I don't think
you are a good candidate for this, for three main reasons.
One, the b5 megadose is completely untested. To give that much of an
untested medication (and the vitamin is acting as a medication at this
strength) to someone in their teens is very unsafe. If Leung is right,
and it alters the sex hormones, this regimen might have catastrophic
consequences for someone still going through puberty.
Secondly, the B5 regimen must be taken until one outgrows the acne, or
infinitely if one never outgrows it. Therefore the expense of treating
the acne this way for someone who is at the beginning age of acne, is
far more expensive than going on accutane. And accutane can eliminate
acne forever, with one or two course. No need for daily meds for life.
Thirdly, as a minor, I think you should consult with a parent or doctor.
I doubt either will be familiar with B5 megadosing. Plus without blood
tests, there is just too much at stake, imo.

I saw on your other post that your family is okay with you going to a
derm. Don't wait on them. Find out how to go about getting a referral
and call for it yourself.
Seriously.

Stuart Pierce wrote:

Sorry, I cannot. I don't think there has been any official studies
using it for acne. This falls under the category of interesting
things that few have heard about.

--
John Popelish

"arlyn" <arlynsg@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:HC68b.240$Pd2.242203@news1.news.adelphia.net. ..
My last 2 derm visits (2 different doctors) were a complete waste of money.
One made zero recommendations on products to use (he told me my skin looked
fine -- keep up the good work), the 2nd one told me to use Dove soap, which
I tried and hated.
Since then I have spent a great deal of time and effort researching the
products and ingredients and testing them out on myself. My other half
thinks I'm totally obsessed. I keep trying to find that holy grail
combination of products that works just right for me. I keep telling
myself, once I've found it, then I can just settle down into a routine.

Stuart