I’ve been on about 4 courses of Roacutane, suffering bad side affects along the way. Every time my acne cleared but unfortunately, it kept coming back. After spending a fortune on dermatologists, medications, treatments etc., with no lasting results, I just became so disillusioned with what I regarded as the ‘acne industry’ that I just stopped caring for my skin. It made me so angry to hear so called aspects say that people don’t have to suffer from acne any more due to the ‘fantastic’ new treatments now available. I became convinced that the ‘industry’ would lose an absolute fortune on numerous products if a major breakthrough in acne treatment was in fact made and as such, were not interested in investing too much in possible miracle cures.

While I have no intention of ever paying a private dermatologist again, I have been seeing a public consultant lately, free of charge. I’m currently waiting to use light treatment on my skin. This may or may not make a difference but at least I won’t pay a penny.

After reading the above article and subsequent posts, I did something I haven’t done for a long time – I patted myself on the back. Acne has contributed to so many set backs in my life but during the dark years I did manage quite a few achievements which now appear all the more impressive, given what I was going through at the time. Having the detrimental affects of acne spelt out in such a way puts a lot of the self loathing I’ve inflicted on myself over the years into perspective. I’m obviously quite a resourceful person to be where I am today in spite of the crippling condition I’ve had to endure for so long so hopefully I can use that in the future in terms of how I treat my skin and my life in general. People need to be made aware that acne is anything but trivial. Many thanks for the article and posts.

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I wish people would just stop being cruel about other’s physical appearance.

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Evelyn’s comment
Of all the skin afflictions, Acne is the most ubiquitous and is commonly associated with adolescence. Surprisingly, Adult acne is prevalent in 25% of men and 50% of women at various stages of adult life. Scientists at NY University College of Medicine have shown that Niacinamide is superior to antibiotics such as Clindamycin in controlling acne. Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), applied topically, is beneficial for reducing Acne, skin hyper-pigmentation (acne scars), increasing skin moisture and reducing fine wrinkles. Niacinamide is generally recognized as safe during pregnancy (always consult a doctor).

People of all ages can be brutal with their comments about acne. It hurts many adolescents, and it hurts many adults, too.

And for those whose acne has pushed them into Anxiety and depression, those comments can be especially hurtful.

There’s no cure for this except for becoming — and helping others to become — more sensitive to those around us, especially when joking. Of course, this applies to all situations where there are those that could be hurt by an unguarded jest.

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