| Product: |
My Experience of Acne |
| Date: |
14/02/02 (2995 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: None whatsoever
Disadvantages: Read the op
Aaargh. This is something I find really hard to talk about. You know when people say that all teenagers get spots? Well it isn't true. At least from where I am standing and look around and see crowds of unblemished skin. Or one of my friends will complain "oh I've got a spot", when all they have is one minute red pimple on an otherwise perfectly clear face. They don't know how lucky they have it.
From the age of 12 I have had bad skin. Luckily now it's a lot better but I still feel very self concious unless I am wearing make up. Acne is a terrible thing to have when you are growing up. I have to say that I was never teased at school about it apart from once by a girl a lot older than me. Maybe I was lucky as I went to an all girls grammar.
The worst abuse I ever got was on the bus. I was just sitting there quietly and some kids who didn't even know me took it on themselves to talk about my skin. One of them told them to stop it because "she'll probably go home and commit suicide". All through that I just sat there in silence ignoring it. This is a very painful memory for me and I can recall very vividly how I felt-terrible. There didn't seem to be anything I could do about it either. I was healthy and hygenic. Why me, I thought?
The acne was mostly on my cheeks and my back. This stopped me from going swimming as I didn't want anyone to see the spots on my back.
The acne never seemed to stop me having boyfriends. From the age of 13, I always wore makeup to cover my skin up. I still do now. Some people say that this makes bad skin look worse, but I totally disagree. It gave me a lot of confidence knowing that people could not see how bad my skin was.
One incident I remember is when I had met a boy in a club on the dance floor, then when the club closed and the lights came on, he said "urr, you're spotty". Nice. Not what you want to hear.
Lots o
f people said I was pretty though so I didn't let these comments bother me too much. I always think that you can get rid of acne, you can't get rid of ugliness! At my school I wasn't the only person with spots, but I certainly had the worst, which made me feel very isolated. Something that helped me a lot was making a friend from a drama club outside of school who also had acne. I finally had someone with who I could discuss different treatments and aspects of the disorder.
When I was 14 or 15 my Mum suggested taking me to the doctors to get treatment. The doctor suggested going on the pill but my Mum was having none of that. I tried various treatments, from antibiotics to Zineryt (a liquid) to creams, none with much success. I remember one cream I used, with 10% benozyl peroxide. After I had used it for a few days, my face was red raw and so painful it made me cry.
*Roaccuatane*
Eventually I went to the doctors and he agreed to put me on Roaccutane. This can only be prescribed by a dermatologist so I got a referral to the Skin Hospital. I had heard many things about this drug, that it has many side effects but that for many it is a miracle cure. I hoped it would work for me.
When my appointment came, it was horrible. I couldn't wear make up so the doctor could see my skin properly. There was a student doctor there as well, being trained. I felt very self conscious standing there in just a bra as they examined my skin close up, even though I told myself that they did this all the time. With Roaccutane, the amount you take is relative to your weight. I weighed 55 kg then (I wish I still did!) so I had to take 55 mg a day, once a day. You have to sign a contract promising not to get pregnant whilst on Roaccutane as it can damage unborn babies. They prefer women to be on the pill but I wasn't. I was given a 3 month dose. You have to have regular check ups whilst on Roaccutane as it can affect your blood.
*The Good*
The good news is that Roaccutane worked better for me than any other medication I had used for my acne. It didn't completely rid me of acne, but after my 3 month dose it was decided that I didn't need another dose. Roaccutane doesn't cure scars so I still have some scars.
*The Bad*
There is a huge list of side effects such as dry lips, achy bones, extra sensitive skin and depression. The only side effects I had were dry lips, I made sure I always had vaseline on me to slick onto my lips so it wasn't a huge problem. Another side effect (which could be seen as good or bad) was that I got drunk a lot easier. You are not officially supposed to drink alcohol whilst on Roaccutane but I was on it the summer I finished school and all I did was go out clubbing and drinking.
The other bad news is that gradually the acne has come back. I was told that most peoples' acne clears up by itself in their late teens but mine isn't. It's nowhere near as bad as when I was 12/13 though. I still don't like swimming or going out without make up on. In fact I never do go out without my make up on. The exception to this was last week when there was a fire alarm in the middle of the night at my uni halls. I don't really like my fiance seeing me without make up on, although he obviously does in the mornings. He says I don't have enough confidence.
I recently came off the contraceptive pill Dianette which works both as contraception and helps acne. I came off it because I kept forgetting to take it and it also made me put on weight. I didn't find it especially effective anyway, but some people say it works for them. If my skin doesn't clear up soon I am going to return to the doctors and ask to go on Roaccutane again. It's supposed to be for severe cases of acne only though, so I don't know whether I will be eligible for it anymore. I'll update this op as and when.
*Ketsugo*
This is a fairly new treatment for oily skin, it costs a whopping £10 for a 60ml bottle. I have been using this spray since the beginning of this year and will write an op on it soon. You have to give all treatments a few months to see if they work. I hope it does though, if it doesn't I shall be complaining as £10 is very expensive! It is an exclusive formula that contains sharks bile (pleasant!) and apparently has a 80% success rate. So I will keep you posted.
Many people do not realise how difficult it is to have acne. It can stop you doing what you want to do and it seems cruel that acne hits when there are so many other things going on in your life-school, exams, puberty, boyfriends, etc. I read a book by Judy Blume called "Deenie" in which Deenie's sister has acne. It's not the main story but I would recommend it to anyone with acne. Deenie's mum says that acne makes her daughter a stronger person. The only way that acne made me stronger is that I will never tease anyone with a skin problem and I am more sensitive to bullying and judging on looks. Because people do judge on looks. I tried many times to get a Saturday job when I was at school and failed-maybe my acne had something to do with it.
Apparently acne can run in families; my Mum had it a bit as did my sister. I really hope that my children don't have it too, and that if they do I will help them through it and there will be a cure. It's mad that in a world where we can fly to the moon there is no cure for acne or come to that, the common cold. I can't help wondering why, if there is some kind of God, are there things like acne? Rather than an illness you can not see, it is right there on your face for everyone to see.
I have found this hard to write, but I hope you have found it useful and informative. I wrote this for two main reasons:
-So that someone else going through the same experience can ga
in some comfort and advice
-So people who do not suffer from acne can get some information about what it is like. It is NOT "just a few spots", it affects most part of your life and can lead to depression and even suicide. So please be aware.
If you want some more info on acne, here are some links:
Acne Support Group-020 8845 8776
Embarrassingproblems.com (follow the links to acne)
Netdoctor.co.uk (follow the link to acne)
If you have acne, good luck. There are other people out there who are going through the same thing. The internet is a great resource to make friends and find out information. I wish I had had the internet when I was going through the worst of it. If your medication hasn't worked after a few months, go back to your doctors and ask for something else. Many people have to experiment until they find a treatment that works for them. Roaccutane may not work for everyone, in fact there was been a lot of controversy over the link between Roaccutane takers and suicide. Ask your doctor and discuss the side effects before making any decision. It won't last forever, although it may feel like that sometimes. Trust me, I've been there (and to some extent I am still there).
P.S. Please never call anyone Pizza Face or any similar names. You don't know how much it hurts.
Oh, and would I recommend it to a friend? Not even my worst enemy..although I often wish that some of the people ignorant and cruel enough to tease people suffering from acne could get a nasty dose of it!
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