I’ve had some skin problems for years and want to end them forever & ever & ever …
I’ve had active acne for most part of my life, starting with my teens till now. The forehead has really small skin Coloured ones that don’t hurt and are just there. On my cheeks, I have acne scars that have been there for as long as I can remember.
Anyway, now I have really large pores as well and overall skin looks dull and pale unless I apply makeup.
Throughout my life, I’ve been told about how my skin looks I.e mostly not fresh and the acne scars never really let it look better.
For all this, I’ve been to say 4 different dermatologists and have been through their different treatments but the issues remained as is. Mostly I ended up with a worse condition and that scared and scarred me more.
The main cause is lack of water which i do drink more now. After marriage, I still have the same skin comments coming in no matter what so I want an end to it and want solutions:
1 - either I make up my mind for Glycolic peels no matter how super sensitive my skin is and wait for it to shed off OR
2 - take a completely natural way of drinking more water, adding more fruits and vegetables to the diet, exercising more and using BIO OIL to fade the scars.
I don’t think option 2 would drastically change anything but at least there is no risk. Option 1 may change a lot but with the sort of sensitive skin I have, I may end up in a much bigger mess. Any suggestions from experiences?
Try homeopathy! I've heard it works for a lotta people. And even if it dosent work for u, it's not gonna harm u in any way. I'm going to Pakistan next week and the first thing I intend to do is go see a homeopathic doctor cuz I have the same skin woes as u do :/
I think you should definitely make an effort to change your eating habit. Drink a lot of water (squeeze some lime or lemon in it for flavor if that helps). Increase your intake of veggies and fruits. Cut back on soft drinks, sugary foods, fried food, and meats (lean meats like chicken and turkey are ok). Definitely start exercising regularly (mixture of cardio and weight lifting). For me, when I keep up with exercise and hit the gym hard 3-4x/week, my skin definitely gets more glowy.
I'm assuming your scars are hyperpigmentaion and not ice pick scars. So in order to deal with this and to get rid of the dullness.......given the fact that you have sensitive skin......I think you should start with lactic acid peels. This is more gentle than glycolic and great for evening out skin tone and getting rid of dullness. Start with 40% LA peel 1x/week. Start low on the time and slowly increase it each week depending on how your skin reacts.
After 2-3 weeks, if your skin seems to handle the LA peel fine......then get a glycolic cream....one that has 10%-15% glycolic acid in it. Continue doing the LA peel 1x/week. And in between the peels, use the glycolic cream 2-3x/week at night. (NOTE: How often you use the glycolic cream will depend on how your skin handles it. This is something only you can determine once you start using the cream).
Of course, use a good sun screen diligently anytime you go outside the house during the day. If you do a board search on peels, you'll find TONS of information/tips on it. :)
** Side note: I started taking Ortho-Tri-Cyclen when I was in college to control my acne and it made a big difference in my case. Plus it was a lot cheaper than seeing the dermatologist! Since OTC, now there are several others BCP's that have been proven to reduce acne. Not sure what you views are regarding BCP but if you're open to it, this is something you should also look into.
Paheli, how long did you take the meds for? And were there any side effects like weight gain etc? My sister was prescribed tetralysal for I think 9 months and she did put on a bit of weight around the hips especially.
I’ve been on BCP for over 10 years. Since there is no CURE for acne, I never stopped (of course, now it also serves as a birth control for me too). Obviously since it’s a medication, it has potential side effects. Just like any other medication, pregnancy, child birth etc…every woman will have a different experience. I think women should definitely consult with a GYN b/c whether or not BCP is a good choice will also depend on any other medical issues she might have.
Personally, I have never had an issue with it. It drastically reduced my acne, my periods got lighter and come like clockwork, and it also helped a lot with PMS symptoms such as cramps. As for the weight gain…I noticed that I was starting to gain a bit of weight in my late 20’s and I blamed that on a slowing metabolism. Once I started exercising regularly and watching what I eat…the weight gain problem went away. Even now, if I skip the gym for 2-3 weeks…I notice that my pants are getting tigher (ie. I also gain weight around my hips/stomach easily).
Another thing to keep in mind is that not every BCP works for everyone. Ortho Tri Cyclen (currently I take Trinessa which is the generic version) works great for me. But there are many other brands out there and other TYPES of pills. Assuming your sister has healthy eating habits and exercises regularly, if Tetralysal is making her gain weight then she may want to talk to her GYN and try another brand.
I have sensitive skin...I get blemishes, pimples, redness and/or irritation if there is even a slight variation in my routine.
I would go with the peels. The key for sensitive skin is to start out with a weak one and build tolerance so you don't end up in a bigger mess.
If you have a lot of scarring, pimples and want to put an end to it...do the peels. What is a peel doing? It is exfoliating. For fresh and good skin to come in...you need to exfoliate.
Daffy, if you're in the UK go to your GP.. I had bad skin in my teens and going to the dr was the best thing I ever did.. The pills I was given cleared it right up and best thing was it was FREE so no wasting money on products which may or may not have worked :D
Retin-A increases cell turnover and can speed up the fading of scars..
Peels and laser can be used but if you're married or need to be out and about you prob won't want the hassle of the downtime that comes with medium/deep treatments which are more effective..
Those last options could be risky if you have very sensitive skin (and with olive or darker skintones there's more of a risk of pigment issues anyway).. A weaker strength could be used to minimise risk but of course you may not get the results you're after and any visible results could take much longer to notice..
Thank you girls! For a clearer view, this is what my skin(cheeks) looks like in day light without any makeup … I’m just seeig it go worse as days pass …
Daffy - the majority of the problem are the scarred pores. There is nothing you can really do for these. They will improve marginally with age. A regime with peels and retin-A may help the skin improve faster.
I had some slight scarring of this kind on my cheeks and my electrologist used electrolysis to stimulate rebuilding of the skin and they have become shallower. This only works on the smaller scars. But she's the only electrologist I know who can do this.
As you can see, it's pretty messed up and I'm just scared of doing any procedure that would make it worse. What ever dermatologists courses I did, worsened it further. Same way I'm a little skeptical about Peels & Retin-A. I don't need to risk it again so want complete satisfaction before going for it.
Btw, is Retin-A available in the UK over the counter? What is its main benefit?
Thanks for the forum link as well, reading it through.
I did talk to the GP & she just told me to drink more water. When ever I drink more water, yes my skin does look a bit fresh but that doesn't solve the scars or pores or acne problem.
I am battling the same skin issues daffy! My skin is exactly the same. I had bad acne in my teens but it cleared uo. But preg n post preg hormones have wrecked my skin again! I guess the old school things like drinking water, improving diet is effective but really slow.
Ive tried glycolic acid peels as well. To be honest they didnt do much to my skin. :(
God my skin looks exactly the same as yours and i got this acne prob since i was in class 7th. Nothing really helped me n i too ended up having those deep scars. Ppl uses to say acne prob fades away after marriage but nothing happened. I try to have lotsa water and rather scary to try any other treatments now.dr haroon suggested me laser treatment before marriage but my family told me not to go for that so im too exactly in the same boat as u. Sometimes it irritates me a lot :-( hope to find any other effective solution for it.
What ever dermatologists courses I did, worsened it further. Same way I'm a little skeptical about Peels & Retin-A. I don't need to risk it again so want complete satisfaction before going for it.
And this is exactly why you need to start slow and see what your skin can handle without getting worse. Lactic peels it the most gentle out of all the peels and recommended for sensitive skin. Glycolic is next....followed by salicylic (this is for super oily skin). TCA is another one for serious skin issues BUT it requires more downtime, and carries more risks, and you should be experienced with peels before performing one.
Retin A is something that really should be part of everyone routine as long as their skin can handle it. If you do this, please start with .025% cream and go SLOW. Built up your skin's tolerance. Often people want quick/fast results and that's not going to happen with skin care. Retin A increases your skin's cell turnover (basically a super exfoliator). It helps even out skin tone and has been proven to reduce/prevent fine lines/wrinkles.
Have you tried Vitamin E Oil? I'm not sure how it deals with acne so maybe you can read up on it but it's a natural source for scars, brown spots etc on your skin.
I don't have an acne problem but I use Grapeseed oil daily - instead of moisturizing creams... maybe you can try that aswell?
Oh and to answer your question, I'd probably go route #2... or atlease give that a full shot first before going to option #1. I prefer natural routes when it comes to skin/diet ... just because I'm always wondering what the long term effects of things are (paranoid, I know! :))
I’m just seeig it go worse as days pass …
