Everything Acne Treatment I've Tried And What Actually Works (Day 27)

#30dayglowup - Day 27

With so many acne treatments out there it's hard to know what to try, so here are the treatments which actually worked for me...

Before being allowed to go on to Accutane for my skin I tried out many different prescriptions and treatments in an attempt to cure my acne. From this I’ve learnt a whole lot about the options offered through the NHS and how effective they actually are at clearing your skin in the long term. Obviously, these are all very personal to me and everyone’s skin is so different that you may not experience any of these in the same way, but in this article I’m going to be reviewing each of the different things I tried and my experience with them.

 

These were all prescribed by a GP and in the case of Accutane it had to go via a specialist dermatologist – please listen to your doctor’s advice about everything and don’t go about trying to get medication through other means. Also this list isn't going to include any skincare because that would make it miles too long, just acne treatments that were prescribed by a GP.

 

My skin history:

I suffered with moderate to severe acne throughout my entire teenage years. It was very persistent and difficult to get rid of, as you’ll probably be able to tell by reading through all of the things that I tried. My acne was never cystic, but I always had whiteheads especially around my cheeks and chin area and on my forehead. It was never especially oily or dry and to this day I don’t understand what triggered my breakouts at this time, I think I was just unfortunate with the genetic lottery.

 

Differin gel

 

How it’s taken: Topically

 

Potential side-effects:

• Skin dryness
• Itchiness
• Reddening

 

How it works:

It works by increasing the turnover of skin cells which causes an increased rate of exfoliation in the skin. This means ejecting the debris and sebum clogging up pores, hence why it can be very effective at clearing mild to moderate acne.

 

My experience:

With differin gel I experienced way too much irritation with no overall benefit. With anyone applying differin you will get a 2 to 4-week period where your skin adjusts where it’s very dry and irritated, and then for some people it settles down and you see the dryness take an effect at reducing spots.

 

For me all it did was irritate my skin and unfortunately, I didn’t see any benefits at all from using it. I still had breakouts, but on top of that I had obviously peeling and flaking skin which was particularly awful to look at. At this time I was in school and my self-esteem was already so low from my acne, having noticeably beyond-dry skin made it very difficult to leave the house in the morning.

 

I’m not trying to put you off of differin it may work really well for you, but we aware that your skin does have to adjust and if you’re like me with very stubborn acne, it may not be worth the toll to your self-image.

 

Would I do it again? No

 

Birth control (Combined pill)

 

How it’s taken: Orally

 

Potential side-effects:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Bloating
• Bleeding or spotting
• Breast tenderness

 

How it works:

The pill can help to regulate your female hormones and thereby reduce hormonal acne. Additionally, it can reduce the production of sebum and prevent your pores from clogging up, therefore reducing the risk of breakouts.

 

My experience:

Taking the pill was a very underwhelming experience for me. I didn’t experience any side-effects whatsoever, and this included having no effect at reducing my acne. I found it more of a nuisance to remember to take it and I knew that even if it did help my acne, it would just come back if I stopped taking it.

 

Would I take it again? Not as an acne cure

 

Lymecycline

 

How it’s taken: Orally

 

Potential-side effects:

• Stomach pain
• Headaches

 

How it works:

Lymecycline is a type of antibiotic which kills the bacteria which cause the infection and subsequent inflammation of the skin.

 

My experience:

Lymecycline was the only thing apart from Accutane that actually made a difference to my skin. I don’t know what it was about this treatment which made it so much more effective against my type of acne, but it managed to fully clear it the entire time I was on it. I also saw no other side-effects even when I didn’t take it with meals as recommended.

 

It did have a few drawbacks though which contributed to me ultimately deciding to move onto Accutane. Because it’s an antibiotic you have to get it prescribed and complete the full course in order to limit the chance of remaining bacteria building antibiotic resistance. As well as this, I was told that I wasn’t allowed to take it for more than 3 months due to the same reason (Although I’m not sure if this is still a rule now).

 

With all of these treatments I didn’t like the idea that the effects were only temporary whilst I carried on taking them, but I especially felt that with taking antibiotics as it was only really a short-term solution.

 

Would I take it again? Yes

 

Accutane

 

How it’s taken: Orally

 

Potential side-effects:

Accutane is a last-minute acne treatment for a reason. It takes a huge toll on your body and can give you a whole assortment of problems which may be permanent. So having said that here are some of the (many) potential side-effects:

Common:

• Dry EVERYTHING
• Skin is more sensitive to sun exposure
• Headaches
• Pains

Serious:

• Severe stomach pain
• Negative impact on mental health
• Skin rash
• Migraines

 

How it works:

Accutane or isotretinoin (Also called Roaccutane in some countries) is an oral medication which is a type of retinoid, meaning it’s a type of vitamin A. It works by shrinking sebaceous glands in the skin and thereby the amount of oil that your skin produces, preventing it from clogging up pores and causing breakouts.

 

You take the medication once or twice a day for normally 4-6 months and most people only need one round to fully clear up the skin. In the UK it has to be prescribed by a doctor and the process of getting Accutane, for me at least, was very thorough and difficult.

 

My experience:

The short answer is yes it eventually cleared up my skin. But also, it was a hugely impactful experience to go through and at the time of taking it Accutane had a massive negative effect on my mental health and self-image. You can read about my full experience here, which I’d strongly recommend if Accutane is something you’re considering. In summary though, here’s just some of the things I went through:

• The worst purging I’ve ever experienced
• Massively detrimental impact of my self-image due to my skin
• Dry skin, eyes, nose, hair
• Having to commute back from university each month to get a pregnancy test, check-up and blood test
• Contracting impetigo due to the tears in the dry skin around my mouth
• Back and muscle pain
• Not seeing positive effects until around the 7-month mark

 

So, if you’re thinking about Accutane please consider if your acne is affecting you so much that enduring the side-effects is worth it. Again everyone is different so you may barely experience any side-effects and just see the benefits of Accutane, but even though I would go through it again I look back at that time of my life and feel such genuine sympathy and sadness for myself for going through it.

 

Would I do it again? Yes, but not in a hurry

 

In conclusion

If you’re unlucky like me to have the most stubborn acne which is resistant to anything you try and do to treat it then you’ll know that pain of having to try out many different things and frequent visits to your GP. If you’re interested in reading more about my acne journey you can read about my Accutane experience here, what I’m doing to heal my acne scars here and my microblading experience here.