Hi everyone - I have been reading silently and tried to post a few
weeks ago but my post never showed...

I had perfect skin right up to age 23 (actually used to be a model
from age 18 to 22)...never more than a tiny zit once a month or so and
then - WHAM! I had my third child, got my tubes tied, and my face and
neck just gradually went bananas...by 26 or so I was wearing
foundation makeup again after years of not having to...just to hide
the ugly little buggers.. The chinline and neck was a constant
mess...I am 31 now- and sometimes I feel so disgusted with my
appearance I want to crawl in a hole. My face is blotchy and uneven
toned, rough surfaced and scarring pretty bad for the acne... I could
never have imagined a little thing like your skin could make such a
difference in life - but my self esteem has taken a real battering and
I hate the way I look now. I keep thinking that there has to be
SOMETHING I can do to fix all this.

Anyone have experience with adult acne? The doctors have not pinned
down one thing - they say it is a combo of contributing factors -
aging, hormones, stress...all the over the counter stuff in the world
did NOTHING but make it all worse...now I am on 1000mg of
tetracycline, Yasmin BCP for hormone balance and retinA Micro gel
(which is drying my face to high heaven but working)...We are going to
stop the Tetracyclene next month as long as all goes well because of
the threat of liver damage and other side effects of long term use...

Questions...

How do you get rid of those terrible flakey skin days when taking
retin-A? I tried my doc's suggestion to skip days and use moisturizer,
but that does not help and my skin breaks out in between use days...I
am wanting to try home acid peel stuff - the lactic acid is supposed
to be good for blotchiness and scarring...or home dermabrasion...Any
suggestions or warnings for me before I go trying to solve this
problem?

What works on blotchiness and rough skin texture, scarring, etc?

Does anything help with broken blood vessels beneath the skin surface?
I have a patch on my chest that looks AWFUL...and I am not sure what
to do about it...


Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.

~Sharon

Hi Sharon,

It sounds like you may have rosacea as well. Acne treatments generally
don't work well with rosacea and I've found that many actually make it
worse.

I found that eating the right foods and not eating the wrong foods really
helped my skin. I need to stay away from refined sugars, nuts, and anything
with B12 in it.

I wish you good luck.
ar

"Sharon" <sainsley@rollins.edu> wrote in message
news:5420b999.0401012021.7bd06053@posting.google.c om...

Grant -

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to respond - as far as rosacea -
all the pictures I have seen of teh condition look far more red and
dark than my skin problems; mine is more just blotchy...are there
varying degrees of that condition? Where could I look for more info?
(The doctor does not seem to think that is a part of my problem, but I
like to research things on my own.)

As far as diet and all that - i am a vegetarian; have been for 8 or 9
years now...take multi vitamins and extra C....but try not to overdo
supplements. Tons of soy based protein foods, fresh fruits and
veggies, etc... i am not sure how much better I can do with diet...but
will try anything short of eating Salmon (or other meat problems)

Is there a way to post photos here to show you all what my skin looks
like and get some opinions?

Thanks again...

~sharon

"Grant" <hatetheviruses@hiding.com> wrote in message news:<44cJb.1978$uF6.704229@news1.news.adelphia.ne t>...

Hi Sharon,

I'm a vegetarian raw foodist myself. All I can suggest is to cut back on
the soy. Soy can be rather difficult for many people. I can't eat it at
all as I used to be severely allergic to it. It also is a thyroid inhibitor
and can cause thyroid problems, if you are so inclined towards them. There
are a few websites on the web that talk about the dangers of too much soy
consumption. I would definitely cut back for a month or so and see if your
skin looks better. Then you would know if that was the problem or not.
Nuts also bother skin in certain people.

Yes, there are varying degrees of rosacea. However, none of us here can
diagnose your problem. I would suggest seeing another doctor for a second
opinion. The pictures you will see on the internet are generally worst case
scenarios and not representative of the general public.

You may want to try using aloe vera gel on your skin? That seems to help
mine a lot.

Take care,
ar


"Sharon" <sainsley@rollins.edu> wrote in message
news:5420b999.0401020938.6536ab36@posting.google.c om...

maybe you should consider taking Accutane. since you already have your tubes
tied the pregnancy thing wouldn't even be a problem. it might really help you.
oh and there's nothing wrong with eating meat, just don't eat too much pork
you know? beef is just all right. personally I couldn't see just eating a
bunch of vegetables 3 times a day always. what a plain and uninteresting life
I"d have to say. anyways you should try Accutane. it would probably help you.
ok bye now.

Hi

I have been reading silently and tried to post a few
The chinline breakouts are almost always due to hormones. Topicals can
help a little, but to eliminate them, you need to get the hormone
fluctuations under control.


I'm not familiar with Yasmin, but hopefully that will help.


If BCP don't work, maybe try Vitex.


Talk to your doc before doing a peel while using Retin-A. I wouldn't do
both, especially if you are still peeling from using the retin-a. (???
not sure about this, it just sounds too irritating.)
Hyaluronic Acid is a great moisturizer to use after (15 min) applying
the retin-a.

The retin a should help with that.

Exfoliation (chemical or manual) helps with rough skin, and if you use
the right products/technique for *your* skin, it will help stop
breakouts due to congested pores, etc. It's usually necessary to get
breakouts under control before tackling the scarring, but oral Vit E,
Vit C, MSM all can help, and sunscreen is mandatory to prevent breakouts
from becoming permanent scars. (I *highly* recommend the mineral makeup
foundations. They have spf 15 in them, look natural, and cover well. And
the formulas are beneficial to treating acne.)

AFAIK, this is only treated with lasers. I asked a doc about this
recently to see if there were any new creams to treat, they said no.
Vitamin-K creams help some people, but I had no results from them on
broken blood vessels.


HTH!
K

I think that low dose accutane of 5 mg a day is less drying than topical
retinoids and better. I just upped my accutane to 10 mg a day from 10 qod and
now I'm getting dry lips and dry skin. If you use a moisturizer, you're in a
bind, because as you found, you break out when applying the moisturizer. There
is a certain happy spot of low dose accutane and it depends on your climate.
If you live in the dry desert with heat indoors, do the 5 mg/d. If you're in
Seattle or LA, then use 10 mg/d.

Stop the tetracyline and retin a and start the low dose accutane.

Or, if you are one of those rich supermodels, then get started on the
smoothbeam treatments.

You know, Grant - I may try monitoring the soy consumption for a while
and see - I have had blood tests run in October and everything was in
the normal range except my cholesterol levels are low - around 80
(very low) but the doc says that is GOOD.

Soy tends to be very high in estrogens...so I wonder how that works
with the BCP approach intended to give me even more estrogen...

I will keep posted on what I figure out. As far as Aloe goes, it makes
my skin real itchy if I use the raw gel from my plants and I have not
found a good prepared gel - any you might suggest?


~shar



"Grant" <hatetheviruses@hiding.com> wrote in message news:<fxiJb.2132$uF6.808154@news1.news.adelphia.ne t>...

LOL!

No - veggies aren't boring! Common misconception that all vegetarians
are tofu and sprout only people... We use substitute bean products to
make all the same types of foods you carnivores consume...I make
tacos, sloppy joes, burritos, pizza, chile... I can cook the heck out
of some Thai, Mandarine, Persian and Indian cuisine - everything
Italian...you name it - I can find a way to make it veggie style! (I
have even mastered substitute 'meat loaf' that my meat eating friends
all love) We eat way better and more intesting than the meat,potatoes
and fast food people...

As far as accutane - that was suggested to me and we may move ito a
course of that if this current set up doesn't work for me. I have
heard so many bad things about the side effects that it is really a
last resort type of thing.

Thank you for your response! (gave me a good chuckle too!)

~shar


dearmrpoliceman@aol.com (Dear MrPoliceman) wrote in message news:<20040102161042.15561.00002085@mb-m12.aol.com>...

Thank you Kita - I have written down the names of the things you
mentioned so I can talk to the doc about them...Also wanted to ask
what you meant by 'mineral base makeup'...what company/store/place do
I find that?
(I'll be honest with you - I am currently gumming my face up with
Revlon colorstay - super coverage, very heavy and yucky - just to feel
human when i go out...if you know of good alternatives, PLEASE share
the names...

I am taking C and have MSM here. I took it for about a week and saw no
change in anything, but may not have been taking enough or giving it
enough time. Ihear it is good for scarring and tissue regeneration in
general - is it worth my giving it more of a try?

SOL on the blood vessels probably...but I can fight that battle after
this current acne battle is over...thank you for the insight. It is so
nice to talk with people who understand and actually KNOW some stuff
in regards to all this. I feel like my doctor (s) don't really relate
to how bad this is for me or how lousy it makes me feel...

Thanks again!

~shar



kita <me@privacy.net> wrote in message news:<O4nJb.40128$E17.2568@nwrddc02.gnilink.net>.. .

Thank you so much for the insight...I have talked to the doctor and
Accutane is a possibility - I am scared of the side effects and only
want to do that in an emergency. We live in FLorida...humid and yucky
all the time...so drying out my skin is good - just not this bad

I wish I was one of those rich supermodels...(of course this skin crap
would have ended a career like that REAL QUICK! *lol*) Nope - I am a
middle class , working my way through college, raising 3 kids,
housewife with bad skin and no discernable way to earn nearly enough
money to pay for the surgical procedures and serious treatments I need
to take care of all this. Maybe someday when college is over and I
have a good job laser and smoothbeam will be in the cards for me, but
hopefully I will have solved this before then.

thanks again!

~shar


m9868@aol.com (m9868) wrote in message news:<20040102223831.15336.00002526@mb-m04.aol.com>...

Sharon wrote:

You doc might not be familiar with Vitex unless s/he is a naturopathic
doctor. (Vitex is an herb also known as chasteberry). Here's some sites
with some info about it.

http://gmuntz.tripod.com/vitex.html
http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/vitex.html
http://www.diagnose-me.com/treat/T165243.html

S/he should be familiar with hyaluronic acid, though. You can find it in
the Spenco brand "2nd Skin" formula product, in the first aid section of
your local drugstore for about $8.



..Also wanted to ask
Revlon colorstay is nice (for a liquid) in that in really lasts all day.
I used that before I found mineral makeups.

I used to apply my foundation so that my skin looked okay. But then if I
was out, I'd be using the restroom and look in the mirror with the
bright light and cringe. It would never look as good as when I applied
it, and more often it would look noticeably worse, or oily, and it
didn't really look like healthy skin. Now I am still shocked when I see
how my makeup looks after a few hours. I feel like crying when I see my
skin when I'm out because it doesn't look like it has makeup on, but it
looks even and stuff is still hidden. I'll never have perfect skin, but
it looks really decent with the mineral foundations.

There's a learning curve to using this stuff. The sites all have FAQ's
and directions, be sure to read them to see how to apply, Less IS More
with this stuff (really!). You'll need a soft/dense brush to apply, or a
"flocked sponge" (a regular soft velour powder puff). There are lots of
brands (this is like the new "trend" in makeup). I definitely recommend
getting samples before you buy full size, especially if you order
online. The colors often look different on the skin. (Most of the
companies will send you samples for like $5, which are enough to last a
week or two.) Some formulas are more matte than others, and some have a
more dewy look to them.


Bare Escentuals (they have the late night infomercials)
http://www.bareminerals.com/
They don't sell samples, but this site does, and they are well
recommended and trusted:
http://www.littlestuff4u.com/BareEscentualsSamples.html


Cory Cosmetics http://www.corycosmetics.com/

Dermstore http://www.dermstore.com/
(sells BE and JI plus about every other face product you could want)

GeoGrafx http://bplatko.server101.com/

Monave http://www.monave.com/lspowder.html


I've used various brands, but I prefer the bare escentuals because I
like the dewy appearance. The Monave brand gives more coverage and is
more matte.



MSM supposedly takes months to start working, but it's essentially
harmless, so it's up to you whether you want to keep trying for that
long to see..

On another note, I've begun to use copper peptide serum which also
supposedly helps with scarring and acne. (Topical Vitamin C serum helps
scars, but doesn't really help acne, unfortunately.) I just started
using it, so I'll update if I get any interesting scar or breakout results.

I guarantee the people here know more about acne and acne products than
your doctor does! There's a lot of experience here, though I'm sure we
all wish we weren't quite so knowledgeable on the subject ;0)




YW!

K

Hi Sharon,

Wow! That IS low cholesterol. Yikes.

You need to use the aloe along with a moisturizer. I'm using Fruit of the
Earth. So, use your moisturizer first and then put the aloe on top of it.
The stuff from the plant may be too strong? I think I used it once or
twice (from the plant) but it didn't do as well as the prepared gel.

Keep me informed on how you're doing.

ar

"Sharon" <sainsley@rollins.edu> wrote in message
news:5420b999.0401022212.44d5f70b@posting.google.c om...

Kita,

I must say, I'm tempted to try the Vitex....you've got me thinking....

ar

"kita" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:JfuJb.20898$nK2.2723@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...

I'd whole-heartedly recommend low-dose Accutane.

I've been on it for three years, totally free of side-effects. ( side
effects are usually only troublesome with high-dose, full courses. ) Its
safe for continuous use, properly monitored.

I'm completely clear of acne apart from the Very Rare cyst that manages to
break through, about twice a year. If I stopped the accutane, within a month
I'd be back to the old, useless routine, for me, of antibiotics and topicals

In combination with the topical creams from www.demodexsolutions.com, my
skin is in near perfect condition and I've battled acne for over 30 years.

I'd also add that I've had three full-strength courses, too, without
problems and very little in the way of side effects.......

"Sharon" <sainsley@rollins.edu> wrote in message
news:5420b999.0401022234.3e8b0ea3@posting.google.c om...

Sharon,

For rough skin, I use a furfuryladenine product called Kinerase. It
actually works! I had that brownish or redish rough skin on my
temples and nose from sun damage I guess and this took care of it.

About the Retin-A problem... I think it's just too strong of a product
to ever use without any redness and flaking. Now, I use a resorcinol
product called Rezamid. It's non-prescription, but behind the
counter. It lightly exfoliates, but without irritation or redness.
It's intended for spot treatment, but I use it all over my face. That
was sorta my own little secret until now i guess ;o) I hope the price
doesn't go up too much now!

Here is a really good site I like to checkout sometimes. The guy has
tried many things and has some good resources to ease our research:

www.acne-central.com

good luck,
sc


sainsley@rollins.edu (Sharon) wrote in message news:<5420b999.0401012021.7bd06053@posting.google. com>...

Sarah,

Thank you very much - I intend to look into the options you mentioned
and I will certainly let everyone know how things are going...

~shar

sarahconnor854@hotmail.com (sarah connor) wrote in message news:<d8977e14.0401060415.728904ed@posting.google. com>...