A
female
age
36-40,
anonymous
writes:I've had bad skin ever since my teens. Taking the pill helps, but it only masks the symptoms. If I go off it, the acne reappears soon after. And my back gets completely covered in it. I really hate it. I'm 24 so why is this still happening to me?
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female
reader, chigirl  +, writes (17 June 2011):
 Hahaha, pshycoanalysis for acne...! Now I've heard that too.
A
female
reader, CindyCares  +, writes (17 June 2011):
 Adult acne may have various causes ( diet, pollution... ) but most often is due to an excessive productions of androgens ( male hormons ). That may be triggered by a hormonal inbalance per se, or by stress. An organism under stress defends itself by hyperactivating the surrenal glands, which then produce an excess of androgens.
Your dermatologist can surely prescribe you something to suppress or alleviate the symptoms, but if you are under constant stress you'll have reoccurrences... you should eliminate the stress factors first.
Just for the record, there is also a psycoanalitic explanation for acne. It says it's all because of the conflict between your deep need for love and fear of being deprived of this love, conflict that goes back to an ambivalent mother-child relationship in your first years of life.
So, your acne would be a sort of armour that you put on to keep away love encounters, both strongly craved and strongly feared at the same time.
It figures . Apparently, it's always Mom's fault :)
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A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (17 June 2011): I'm 22 and have acne as well...not so much the red inflamed stuff, but more non-inflamed acne that occasionally flares up to the red inflamed kind (sorry for the non-technical terms...but I'm a guy lol).
What I've come to realize after about 10 years of using all kinds of over the counter stuff and seeing dermatologists is that acne can never really be treated. Sure you can go on accutane and screw your internal organs up, but it's not a real solution.
Why do you and I still have acne in our 20s? I'd say it's a mix of environmental factors, internal workings of our bodies, genetics, and a bit of bad luck to be honest.
The best you can do is manage it and hope for the best. For me I've noticed that humid environments affect my skin more than dry (case-in-point: I moved north of my city, which is on a lake, for university and the environment up there was a lot drier and my skin was pristine...when I moved back to the city, close to the water, my face brokeout - mind you, the university was only about 40km north, not that far). So if you live close to bodies of water, try moving farther away to a drier environment (I'm saving up now to move a bit north - not just for my skin, but the drier air helps my asthma as well).
I've also noticed that BP is pretty good at managing acne at the surface, but always apply a moisturizer after because it can dry your skin too much and then your body produces excess oil, causing more acne.
And to manage oil production, I think supplementing with B5 works pretty well. I've tried zinc, fish oil, grape seed extract, and commercially packaged supplements with everything in them to treat acne, and none of them do a great job in comparison to B5.
All the best!
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A
female
reader, chigirl +, writes (16 June 2011):
Go see a dermatologist. These things follow your genes, it is likely that your parents, or someone who you are related to, suffer(ed) from the exact same thing. It isn't unusual really, Im 25 and also have acne. I went to a dermatologist and got Isotretinoin that I am currently taking. In most cases, treatment removes all the acne and it wont come back, in some cases it gets better, and there's only a rare few cases where the acne goes back to being bad.
I highly recommend you see a dermatologist for your skin problems, because when you still have them as an adult, you know it will likely be something you will have to struggle with for several more years as it didn't stop when you became an adult. This is genetic. My mother, close to 50 now, still gets skin problems from time to time. So, this is something you might have to go your entire adult life with, unless you see a dermatologist.
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A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (16 June 2011): From your description,I assume that you get scarring acnes i.e Type III acne. I dont think any over the counter medicine would have worked for you. None of the ointments would have worked as well. If taking antibiotics in conjunction with applying creams is not helping you, then you should visit a dermatologist. Ask and read about accutane related medication. Dont get pregnent while you are on accutane. All your acne should clear after taking a course of 6-8 month medication. Good luck.
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A
female
reader, person12345  +, writes (16 June 2011):
 The only person who can really answer that is a dermatologist. It's not necessarily hormonal problems if the pill fixes it. Unfortunately a lot of people get acne into their twenties, but if you see a dermatologist they can give you some suggestions/prescriptions to clear things up.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (16 June 2011): Sounds hormonal if the pill helps it. Best to go speak to your doctor OP and ask them to refer you to a dermatologist.
It could be a million different things, such as a dietary intolerance, hormone imbalance.
Go see your doctor and they'll sort it out for you.
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A
male
reader, spinnaker +, writes (16 June 2011):
 A homeopathic physician can help because what you are experiencing may be something nutritional or as a result of some other condition.
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