The Real Truth About Acne

If you can only read one article from my blog this year, make this the one. You might think why would I want to read about acne? Well you just might know someone with it or could be the person with it – so it’s really important to read this just in case or to start making a change about the issue right now.

In today’s society, appearance means so much, and the media certainly gets all up in arms when a celebrity is not looking perfect. It’s a bit silly, but the truth is, many of us are judgmental. Insulting others and looking down upon them that have acne is certainly not the best idea. In school, it probably happens. Speaking from personal experience, it’s never happened to me (that someone insulted me about acne, but have been insulted about other things), but I have seen it happen to others.

After reading an article about acne causing depression and anxiety, along with suicide attempts, I felt compelled to do something about it. I looked it up a bit online, and came across a few interesting articles that I’d like to share. The first is an article on Accutane (isotretinoin). In the article, it states: “The most widely publicized adverse reactions to Accutane have been severe birth defects and suicide.. Accutane may cause depression, psychosis and a fixation on suicidal thoughts. People taking Accutane have a higher than normal rate of suicide attempts, suicide, and aggressive and/or violent behaviors. These symptoms may continue after treatment with Accutane has ended.”

Did you read that?!

These symptoms may continue after treatment. I am here today to tell you a personal story about this. My classmate in high school went on Accutane. Shortly after he started taking it, I noticed his behavior starting to change which resulted in me not being his friend anymore.

You might be wondering what did he do? So here’s what briefly happened: he started to be more aggressive with me, in ways that were just really inappropriate. I was one of his best friends, and what he did to me on a constant basis made me sad and angry. If I was not giving him 100% attention, he would start screaming at me or start getting physical and rip away whatever I was doing (usually my homework). I’m not going to go into all of the details, but looking back this drug may just have well been the cause because his behavior. Even after he went off of it, he behaviors were still odd, which makes sense, since the article state symptoms may continue after treatment.

I started avoiding him in high school, even skipping classes not to be near him. I don’t know if his behavior ever became “normal” again, as I told him I could no longer be his friend, and have not seen him in almost 4 years now. I spoke to a dermatologist about the side affects of Accutane and he told me that it’s fine and that I was “reading too much up on it” – which makes me wonder if dermatologists just might have ulterior motives. How do you explain someone in 10th grade whose behavior was quite calm and all of a sudden become more explosive?

Other students in my school also went on Accutane, and I also noticed changes in them (albeit they were not as drastic as my friend). Besides the dried cracked lips and peeling skin, I honestly feel that Accutane can change a person’s behavior. This article further cements my beliefs.

The fact is I noticed a change in all of my classmates taking it. Could there be behavior changes in everyone taking it? That I don’t know. I have read that some taking it were fine. Could be it’s a genetic thing, I don’t know. In any case, it is a drug you are putting into your body, so why take the risk? Isotretinoin is in Accutane, along with many other acne medications, such be sure to ask if it’s something you might be worried about – please read this (especially scroll down to read side effects) to really read up on it.

Many people with acne are desperate to find something that works and will try to believe any infomercial that comes their way. While the products may work for some, as an individual with mild acne, it did not work for me (I’ll try and list all of the brands that I have tried later in the article) – but first let’s delve into when it’s time to start getting some treatment on acne. This article sums it up pretty well, stating that if you are someone you know starts withdrawing from social activities, then it’s best to start treating acne.

I started getting acne when I was 15. It was nothing very major, and it’s never been anything major, but because of my sensitive and white-pale skin, it looks a lot worse. So I started purchasing treatments to fix it. Here’s what I have purchased in the last 7 years to deal with the acne:

Stridex, Neutrogena, Proactive, Zapzyt, Murad, AcneFree (all of their products, including the Severe brand), Igia, Clean & Clear, Clearasil, Nature’s Cure, Voxa, Flaxelle, OXY, End-Zit, and many more. I think I have tried over 100 different products… I can’t remember them all. The fact is, some of them provided temporary relief and others did nothing. What all of these products do is just temporarily help clear up your face – and unfortunately none of them helped clean my face, even temporarily.

So I decided to do something different. I started getting facials once a month. This has helped the most. It costs $50, but it’s worth it. The thing about acne is that immediate permanent results is not something that happens overnight. Temporary results (to get rid of some existing acne) – that is something achievable with most products but it’s a very frustrating experience, because it seems once one flare is going away, two or three more flares pop up. The worst part for me is the scars that it would leave behind, as my face is so pale that it would be easy to see. Perhaps the humidity in Florida makes it worse for me (it’s been said that humidity can cause acne flare-ups).

Nevertheless, to this day my face is not 100% clear, but it’s much better than it’s ever been. With my facials I also have been taking Acnezine, listed as one of the best 2009 products on this website. I wish everyone the best of luck in finding the product that works best for you – perhaps one of the products on the above-mentioned website might help you. Just please don’t commit suicide over it. It’s not worth it! There is hope.  *hugs* Don’t give up : )