21st March 2006
I feel your pain! I am 26 and have had this ongoing problem since 15. It is extremely embarrassing to be this age and have to worry about this dumb, should-be teenage problem.
It actually has been worse than ever in the past year and a half or so. It is not diet, as I have gone through many phases of eating habits with no related change. My mother had the same issues, so I know it is genetic. What scares me is that she had major crater face from it, and I know I will too if I can't clear it up soon. Already I can tell that my skin cells are not reparing themselves like they used to, and my pores are definitely not getting smaller with age!
Add to that rosacea and occasional exczema, and I've got myself one mess of a face. I have gone to derms in the past, and it only proved costly and ineffective. And of course I have tried everything OTC in the book. It was at its all-time worst in December, so I started going to this new derm. He prescribed me a few things that had no effect on the acne, although the exczema went away quite nicely.
I was taking Minocycline for a couple months and that did me no good either. However, last week he prescribed Levaquin. It is a very powerful antibiotic for bacterial infections. At first it made me feel loopy and I was tired and having trouble focusing on things, but a week into it I feel normal again. And more importantly, I have not had any new breakouts! And let me tell you, I would regularly get the cystic kind on cheeks, forehead, earlobes, back, etc. that would last forever and once they went away, the scars would remain.
I have read a lot of negative posts regarding Levaquin, and I understand that it is not typically prescribed for acne, but if it works it works and I am not going to question it. The problem is, it is quite expensive and my insurance only covers 14 pills per month. It is supposed to be taken daily, so I am not looking forward to running out. I may try taking it every other day once my face clears up some more.
Anyway, if anything works for you, please post it and I will let you know how this treatment goes.
LOL about the gratifying zit-popping, a lot of what you said rings true! Hang in there girl!!
It actually has been worse than ever in the past year and a half or so. It is not diet, as I have gone through many phases of eating habits with no related change. My mother had the same issues, so I know it is genetic. What scares me is that she had major crater face from it, and I know I will too if I can't clear it up soon. Already I can tell that my skin cells are not reparing themselves like they used to, and my pores are definitely not getting smaller with age!
Add to that rosacea and occasional exczema, and I've got myself one mess of a face. I have gone to derms in the past, and it only proved costly and ineffective. And of course I have tried everything OTC in the book. It was at its all-time worst in December, so I started going to this new derm. He prescribed me a few things that had no effect on the acne, although the exczema went away quite nicely.
I was taking Minocycline for a couple months and that did me no good either. However, last week he prescribed Levaquin. It is a very powerful antibiotic for bacterial infections. At first it made me feel loopy and I was tired and having trouble focusing on things, but a week into it I feel normal again. And more importantly, I have not had any new breakouts! And let me tell you, I would regularly get the cystic kind on cheeks, forehead, earlobes, back, etc. that would last forever and once they went away, the scars would remain.
I have read a lot of negative posts regarding Levaquin, and I understand that it is not typically prescribed for acne, but if it works it works and I am not going to question it. The problem is, it is quite expensive and my insurance only covers 14 pills per month. It is supposed to be taken daily, so I am not looking forward to running out. I may try taking it every other day once my face clears up some more.
Anyway, if anything works for you, please post it and I will let you know how this treatment goes.
LOL about the gratifying zit-popping, a lot of what you said rings true! Hang in there girl!!