A spot problem.........Advice needed please!

[sliverx2]

Hello!
This is driving me mad now i have, Bad spots around chin and mouth, a few on back and chest, driving me mad, I'm on treatment from the doctor which is called "benzamycin" gel, Doctor said give it 4 weeks but it's been 7 weeks and I've seen very little difference, I'm going back to the Doctor next week, but worried that it's going to be like this trying a treatment for a few week and nothing then on something else, and so on and so on.

I'm being tested for PCOS which bad skin is one of the symptom of having the condition, hair has been growing all over my face very very fine hair mind you! I was taking "dianette" which is for acne and act's like the pill which was fab and got rid of them in weeks, but trying for a baby for 16 months and spot have came back (may06), which I'm trying to fright not getting upset about, and dianette is not an option now!

I get up wash my face with "L'Oreal" "pure zone" deep purifying gel wash then wet face with lots of cold water as I cant use toner stings my face, I did use "L'Oreal" toner but had to stop! Then put on vit-e moisturising lotion/cream, then apply make up. I take off make-up with "boots" FF cleansing lotion with wet cotton wool, then wash face and apply doctors treatment for a few hours then wash off treatment, wet face with cold water and then apply "boots" "ACT" non-oily moisturiser, before bed! Were am I going wrong!?

Please any Advice?

hello silver, i was just about to recommend dianette as i'm on it, and yes it is brilliant i have been on it for 4weeks and not a spot in sight, i have a slight hormone imbalance, could i recommend Dermalogica from Beauty Flash, it really helped my skin before the dianette took it completely away, a starter kit costs about £17, i use the oily skin kit

Honestly ladies(i noticed quite a few who are pregnant) please if you havn't tried Dermalogica it does work wonders, a little pricey for the full size bottles but i just keep buying the travel kits

Good luck with it 2nerves - hope the Dianette will sort things out for you, it changed my life! I know exactly what you mean. The worst thing for me is the battle not to squeeze - inevitably I always do and it makes them look so much worse, then I feel really pissed off at myself.

PC I always squeeze and make Everest out of Snowdon. I always think I will be able to speed the process along... poor deluded me.

Might look into Dermologica again, did use some samples in the past which I didn't find that helpful but maybe didn't use them for long enough.
Do you find drinking alcohol makes things worse?

chocolate def doesn't help my skin, i know when i have had too much as the following few days a breakout happens

Don't seem to have a problem with chocs, tried to go without for a few weeks and saw no real difference. Coincidentally my skin is great while pregnant, just the rest of the time. I cringe everytime I hear the ?nivea? advert with the 'love the skin you're in' slogan. I always say 'i hate mine'. Pathetic
Has anyone found the olay blemish control moisturiser to be any help?

Went to health shop today - was recommonded evening primrose oil rather than omeaga oil. Will try this and zinc see how it goes.. I am a squeezer and a picker, I always have my hands on my face! Dianeete is great but I came off it as I had been on the pill for so long. Seriously thinking about going back on it. i hate my skin , would love clear skin just to wake up one morning and not have a new spot! Alcohol and lack of sleep don't help either!

Went to health shop today - was recommonded evening primrose oil rather than omeaga oil. Will try this and zinc see how it goes.. I am a squeezer and a picker, I always have my hands on my face! Dianeete is great but I came off it as I had been on the pill for so long. Seriously thinking about going back on it. i hate my skin , would love clear skin just to wake up one morning and not have a new spot! Alcohol and lack of sleep don't help either!

sounds like it makes sense Sheraz as has been used to help women with the menopause for years. I am slightly about herbal stuff but would love to know how you get on.

If nothing else it's good to know there are others out there suffering as I am. The one thing I'm grateful for is that my face isn't actually too bad, apart from being a bit blackhead/whitehead prone, but the spots on my shoulders are back really get me down. They are very big and very painful, and sometimes I can't lie properly in bed as they are so uncomfortable.

I wish there was some kind of treatment to control hormone imbalance rather than just shoving women with acne on Dianette. I agree it works brilliantly, but isn't a long-term cure. My GP made me come off Dianette as I'd been on it for about 7 years and apparently it is a fairly high-dose Pill with an increased risk of DVT. I switched to Yasmin which I also found very good. I've never put on weight with any of the Pills I've been on - but am naturally very small and slight anyway. I lost weight after coming off the Pill altogether but that wasn't necessarily a good thing as I was only 7 stone when I was on it - dropped to about 6st 11lb at my lowest. The only side-effects I suffered from Dianette were very tender boobs during the 'break' week before my bleed came, and quite bad headaches, also just before the bleed. To be honest though, these were worth suffering just to have clear skin!

Currantbun i have been expierencing headaches, i have never had a sore head before, i have only been on it for 4weeks but already my skin is clear, fp clinic said i could only be on it for 3m but my doctor has now said i can take it for a year then i will need to change to another pill.

For info: (didn't mean it to sound like a rant )

I too was on Dianette and got the headaches. I too have fabulously beautiful skin when pg (around 4/5 months til the end). I tried other pills which made the headaches worse and one even blurred my vision in one eye.

I've been using evening primrose oil for nearly a year without much change (they say its beneficial anyway so I've kept on with it). I have been drinking gallons of water a day for months and months and have proved the theory wrong!

I don't want to go back on Dianette really because it does just mask the problem.

I'm happy to try any alternative to rule them out because I believe there must be a way for each of us.

Who feels very stressed with everyday life? And of those who do, do you think it makes the skin worse?

p.s. buktus, you say you are to be treated for a hormonal problem - what is the treatment? I have believed I have a hormone imbalance for years (all the usual stuff, hair growth etc) but I've never been sure what to do when my doctor isn't interested.

Afternoon Ladies!
I've been on antibiotic seen Monday and my face is clearing quiet abit but still get the odd two or three each day, which is good for me, I have got 6 very big very painful spots on my chin but I think that is the infection I have breaking up so my body can get rid of it better! I hope we do find something that works for us all, it's really not fair I look at other people with perfect skin, people on the telly are worse, do they no how lucky they are.
Have any of you got PCOS as I'm being tested for that in a few weeks it really would explain alot for me. I get alot of headache, I have either got this pcos or a hormones imbalances which both do cause headaches. I've started wrighting down when I have these headaches and where in my cycle and how bad they are so that maybe I'll be able to see a paten. I can never get rid of my headaches, and I'm so sick of taking tablet especially if they don't work, when I get a headache I have to be in a dark room lying down till it's gone, not always easy with my two sons.
All this spot business is so depressing and disheartening and upsetting, I don't feel like going out, cant even look my husband in the eye any more! I have to wear make up everyday due to if I don't I feel worse and also helps me not to keep touching my face so much.

Here to a spot free face very soon!

Frumpygrumpy, I do think that stress makes my skin worse (when I'm not on any medication) but not being stressed doesn't clear it up that much.

I'm now 20 weeks pregnant so maybe there's still hope that it will improve in the latter stages of pregnancy. Like you, I don't really want to go back on Dianette after I've had the baby as although it's brilliant for my skin, I'm not sure how great it is for my long-term health - and DH isn't keen for me to take it again either for that reason. BUT my brother is getting married next August and I don't want to be restricted to a high-necked, high-backed outfit when everyone else is in skimpy, strappy little numbers because I don't want anyone seeing my back. So I might consider taking it again for a year then look for alternatives.

Lots of people have said that Roaccutane works - but it's a very harsh treatment and can only be prescribed through referral to a dermatologist. You absolutely CANNOT get pregnant while undergoing treatment as it is extremely dangerous to a foetus - in fact they insist that you are using contraception before they will prescribe Roaccutane. You have to be closely monitored throughout treatment and it can have fairly nasty side-effects: dry, scab-like lips and joints that ache like a 90-year-old. But if it works it can clear acne for life - it may take more than one course though. Not sure I want to try it (the joints thing is an issue with me as I'm a marathon runner when not pregnant!) but would consider it if nothing else works.

I have started to go on sunbeds again in an attempt to clear a long run of breakouts that have driven me to distraction. Obviously very bad for my general health but I know my acne is very bad for my mental health. Sounds a bit shallow when written down but I really don't want to go out and face the world when it's bad. Asked this before, but has anyone used olay blemish control?

Been taking EP oil and Zinc supplements for a week, noticed that I had no new spots today which is rare and the ones I do have are calming down a bit. Not going to bulid my hopes up, see how it goes.

Morning all.
I've was taking antibiotic for a skin infection on my chin but at the same time it cleared alot of other spots too, which was/is fab, I'm also on treatment from the doctor which is called "benzamycin" gel, which i started useing all night long last week and is really good stuff, doctor said i would only have to use it for a couple of hours before bed but instead i started useing it all night there has been a real differance! Going to start taking omega 3-6-9 and zinc as soon as my cycle starts again! Good luck everyone in finding a way to clear skin!

Silver is Benza wotsit cream available over the counter? Is it a peroxide cream, might be similar to what I use already, i smother my face in it overnight, leaves the skin a bit dried out in the morning but does help. Good luck! Here's to us all having baeutiful skin one day!

I have been taking antibiotics for acne since I was 9 years old - although I got boils rather than spots. The only thing that worked for me was roaccutane, but the side affects were pretty drastic. I have now developed a major intolerance to cigarette smoke due to using it (have ended up in hospital twice with bad swelling to the skin in my ears after being in smokey pubs). Roaccutane has left me with very senstive skin and really aggravated my excema. However, it has helped greatly with my acne - I rarely get boils but still get some spots. You cannot use Roaccutane if you are pg - the hospital give you a pg test prior to starting treatment to make sure. Other side-effect included 3 months of constant nose-bleeds, dry mouth and eyes, weepy sores on my forearms and a very itchy scalp. Some people also get very bad depression while using it.

All other antibiotics, tetracyclines, erythromycin, minicin and even Dianette had minimal effect on my acne. I do not want to go back on roaccutane so have now given up trying to find a cure.

Good luck finding something that works for you.

Should also mention that I found that if I washed my face with cold water I would have a major breakout the following day. Toners etc just made my face produce even more oil.

Gosh Joannie that was dreadful. Unless you have bad skin no one knows how much it dents ( destroys) your self confidence. Mine is rock bottom at the moment. I am 35 next week and my face is a mess.

Found a useful article in 'healthy' mag from Hooland and Barratt on acne - they suggest:benaoyl peroxide cream, Vitamin A creams ( prescription) the pill, avoiding dairy and wheat produsts, plus citrus tomato and peanuts. Recommend eating food containing phtoestrogens, ie soya beans, pilses, berries, nuts and seeds. Use tea tree oil ( never works for me) milk thistle which helps to detox, zinc and Vit C, and Evening primrose oil. Trying the szinc and EP, still got a pizza face though!

God, it's a nightmare, isn't it? Joannie, I really feel for you.

I've heard that zinc and Omega-3 are supposed to help so might start taking those (will have to check whether safe in pregnancy - I know you can't take any Vitamin A supplements).

I've made an appointment with my GP for next week to try to get something topical since I can't take anything orally at the moment. There are various topical treatments containing erythromycin, which is the only antibiotic treatment suitable for use during pregnancy. Unfortunately, I didn't find oral erythromycin very effective at all (I took it for about 6 months before I conceived, then stopped as I didn't want to risk taking anything while pregnant and it wasn't working that well anyway). I don't want anything with benzoyl peroxide in it - I had all manner of topical treatments containing this when I was a teenager and aside from making my skin red and dry, it bleached everything: towels, bedding, clothing - you name it! I wouldn't touch anything containing peroxide again, even though it's supposed to be quite effective. It does depend on the severity of your acne though as to how effective it is.

I have no spots at all on my face - chest has cleared up quite a bit but my back is dreadful. Was getting quite depressed looking at it in the mirror the other night and wondering whether I'd be left with scarring even if I do manage to get rid of the spots. I will probably not breastfeed for long once the baby is born just so that I can start taking something for my acne that actually works, and have an outside chance of getting rid of it before the summer. I don't think I can face another summer of crew-necked t-shirts when everyone around me is in strappy vest tops. I've taken wearing things like that for granted for the past 10 years - now I remember how horrible it was to have to cover up throughout my teens.

Currant bun - like you am pg and am restricted in what I can use. Have to say, am now 17 wks and my chest has cleared up (never had much on face anyway) but my back is bad too. My doc gave me (reluctantly) Zineryt but it made no difference and have used benzoyl peroxide sparingly (since using it on my neck which left me with a red dry rash for about 6 days!). Am also usiing ProActiv system which I think is good but so difficult to tell really if any of these are doing the trick or if just getting better as further into pgcy. 1) Would be interested to hear how you get on at docs and 2) just wanted to let you know I empathise! It is horrid how it affects so many aspects of your life and like you, am already thinking about limiting bfeeding so that I can get back to my beloved Dianette (although I know it is not ideal either)

Doghouse, totally know where you're coming from! Why the reluctance of your GP to prescribe Zineryt? I've checked out suitability for use in pregnancy of all the erthyromycin-based topical treatments I can find and couldn't find any contraindications to Zineryt.

I don't expect whatever I'm prescribed to be very effective - the Pill was the only thing that ever got rid of my spots (Dianette then Yasmin) - but my main aim is 'damage limitation' i.e. to try to reduce the amount of scarring until I can go back to the Pill again (which I don't really want to do, but see little other option).

Really don't want to have to resort to benzoyl peroxide as it makes my skin so dry and sore - plus I don't want my clothes ruined by its bleaching effect.

I put BP cream on at night with a non greasy moisturiser over the top, skin is a little falky. But bleach marks everywhere. I'm prepared to put up with it though as it does clear my skin especiall around nostril and crease in my chin ( blackheads). Run down at the mo so waitning for huge breakout. Has anyone ever been to a dermatologist or had any professional facials/treatments that have helped?