Out of control acne, remedies appreciated

[buffg]

Out of control bacne, remedies appreciated

Hi All,

Im training for a competition this year and everythings going great except for the fact that I have massive, out of control acne on my upper back and shoulders. Im scrubbing with a brush and soap, then with anti-bacterial shampoo (that was recommended for that purpose) but no results so far, it just keeps coming. Anyone have any remedies for this? Id be extremely happy if there was some way to reduce this.

Regards.

 

[Black Beard]

Zinc helps a lot of people. Has worked for me as well, and is part of austinite's acne protocol. Worth a shot. It's mechanism is probably related to the fact that it's a mild aromatase and 5-alpha reductase inhibitor.

 

[buffg]

Cool, thanks for the response. Im taking animal pak in the morning (30 mg) and ZMA at night (another 30 mg zinc), would you imagine thats enough?

 

[buffg]

@ Milton: I actually meant to write "bacne" not "acne", as the original thread title (bacne = back acne, appears to be a relatively common term on google). Please leave it.

 

[Black Beard]

Austinite's protocol calls for 100 mg. Picolinate is the best. Don't forget, iron, calcium and magnesium and inhibit zinc absorption so that keep that in mind when you supplement.

 

[buffg]

Alright, ill add another 50mgs of zinc picolinate (got those lying around actually) starting tomorrow and see if that makes a difference over the next week or so. Thanks brotha!

 

[Mad- scientist]

You should get your estrogen levels checked and make sure they are in balance that can cause acne. Also you should make sure you are not using to much of a AI or make sure that you are using one. Also the most effective thing that is not going to cause damage to you is most likely going to be the Antibiotic Pills designed to fight acne. I personally recommend that you go into the dermatologist ASAP and fix it. The problem is one acne out break from steroids that is bad enough can leave you with permanent scars for ever. Just make sure you don't go on something like Accutane right off the bat with no research on its harmful effects.

 

[Dreaded Pirate Roberts]

The best thing you can do is go to the tanning salon the UV kills the bacteria that grows under the skin.

 

[snowpatrol123]

You should get your estrogen levels checked and make sure they are in balance that can cause acne. Also you should make sure you are not using to much of a AI or make sure that you are using one. Also the most effective thing that is not going to cause damage to you is most likely going to be the Antibiotic Pills designed to fight acne. I personally recommend that you go into the dermatologist ASAP and fix it. The problem is one acne out break from steroids that is bad enough can leave you with permanent scars for ever. Just make sure you don't go on something like Accutane right off the bat with no research on its harmful effects.

If you do get prescribed Accutane, you can take 1/4 the commonly given dose and experience 99% of the benefits. My memory is foggy on the exact mgs so I won't list in case I'm wrong, but do pay attention to that option.

 

[Optimal]

I've used everything in the book and only effective "cure" I've found was accutane.
Other stuff might help but I've found them to be temporary, nearly insignificant in results & a huge pain in the ass.

Just my $.02, everyone is different of course.

 

[Black Beard]

Anytime man. The pirate is right. Light tanning is an effective acne treatment. The scientist is right, elevated e2 will contribute to acne problems. Snowpatrol and optimal mentioned Accutane. Accutane IS the strongest acne killer and pretty much never fails. Let that be your last resort. It has a lot of side effects in most people. Pretty bad ones(depression, ED, stuff like that)

 

[Flat Broke]

i know you hear and read about the bad horror stories of accutane's sides. i took it personally for 7 months and the doc said i had the worst case of cystic acne he had ever seen and i can tell you the sides are very mild. dry lips and nose is the main issue. i had to use a little vaseline in my nose before i went to bed and keep chapstick in my pocket all of the time but def. worth getting rid the terrible and painful acne. i was on 120mg a day and most people are on 40-80mg/day. it did dry my joints out a little when i was on the high dose and my hips were a little sore. i am very thankful i finally went to doc just wish i had not waited so long

 

[Black Beard]

Your choice, your body


I've heard stories of side effects and i've heard people who loved it and would do it again. Same as finasteride and i wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole.

 

[Optimal]

Anytime man. The pirate is right. Light tanning is an effective acne treatment. The scientist is right, elevated e2 will contribute to acne problems. Snowpatrol and optimal mentioned Accutane. Accutane IS the strongest acne killer and pretty much never fails. Let that be your last resort. It has a lot of side effects in most people. Pretty bad ones(depression, ED, stuff like that)

I think the side effects are definitely hyped up. My dermatologist has been regularly prescribing accutane for 20+yrs now and says he has never seen a case of serious side effects from it.
A couple people might have had some bad skin drying but none of the crap that the media talks about.

As for depression, I might remind people of the side-effects of acne by itself:
Social withdrawal
Decreased self-esteem
Reduced self-confidence
Poor body image
Embarrassment
Feelings of depression
Anger
Preoccupation
Frustration
Higher rate of unemployment

Afaik, the research is largely inconclusive & the first-hand accounts do not seem to suggest any higher depression rates from the drug alone.

Consideration of the limited data available would suggest that the incidence of depression and suicide during isotretinoin therapy may be no greater than the background incidence. A causal relationship has not been demonstrated. The occurrence of an idiosyncratic reaction to isotretinoin producing major depression and suicidal ideation, as suggested by case studies, remains a possibility ***8212; although, if so, this would seem to be a relatively rare occurrence. Given the evidence suggesting that isotretinoin treatment may attenuate psychiatric associations of acne, and given the evidence that acne is often not a trivial complaint, withholding therapy because of concerns regarding depression or potential for suicide is not justified.

>> Isotretinoin, depression and suicide: a review of the evidence

Your choice, your body


I've heard stories of side effects and i've heard people who loved it and would do it again. Same as finasteride and i wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole.

I've also "heard stories" of steroids making people kill themselves & causing brain damage....

Let's not let the history of Hooton & Alzado repeat itself. These two men were very influential in driving up public support for the banning of steroids despite the direct opposition of medical professionals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToUUzvKaj5g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMGx1jQIoAQ

 

[Black Beard]

Yeah, at least the acne ones are psychological. Idk bro, i consider it the BEST tool to combat acne, but there's usually a price.


Department of Dermatology, Yuzuncu Yil University, Faculty of Medicine, Departments of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Internal Medicine, and Biochemistry, Ankara Kecioren Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

Besides suppressing sebum production, the exact mechanism of action of isotretinoin in acne vulgaris is not known. Several hormones have been linked to the pathogenesis of acne. In this study, we investigated the effects of isotretinoin on the pituitary-adrenal axis, whose activity may be increased in acne. Various hormone systems were evaluated before and after 3 months of isotretinoin treatment in 47 acne patients. Free triiodothyronine (T3), thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody levels decreased significantly during isotretinoin treatment (p < 0.001, p < 0.02 and p < 0.02, respectively), as did those of luteinising hormone, prolactin and total testosterone (p < 0.005), as well as morning cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (p < 0.005 and p < 0.05, respectively). We conclude that isotretinoin causes mild suppression of pituitary hormone levels, which may be beneficial for tackling the pathogenesis of acne. Key words: acne; hormone; isotretinoin; pituitary.

 

[buffg]

Wow thanks guys for all the great info! Really good stuff, i really appreciate everyones time and input. Ok im going to start with the simple things for 1-2 weeks and see if i get any reduction (up the zinc and hit a tanning bed 1-2 times a week for a few minutes each). If I dont see any progress ill head to the dermatologist. Ill post any results back here in case someone in the future reading this can benefit.

Thanks again... gotta get back on ology, have been inactive for a while.

 

[Fat bastard]

I got one word for ya... Roaccutane!