You may not know this about me, but I have dealt with severe
acne in the past. I know exactly what it's like, how hard it is and how bad you
feel if you're suffering from the same problem. I feel pretty self-conscious posting these photos, but if they make at least one person feel a bit better, then I've done my job. From age 14, my skin wasn't the
best, but it wasn't that bad either. Then, when I turned 16, the real problem
started. My skin was absolutely terrible, and not only on my face, but on my
back as well. It was one of the hardest times of my life, I felt so gross and
disgusting, I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror, I cried every night,
I was really depressed, I even started self harming. Beside that, I had a lot
of stuff going on in my life at that time – I was going to a student exchange
to France, I really liked this guy and the whole thing was full of drama, and I
didn't get on with my parents very much. It was a terrible time for me.
Listen, I know how acne can bring you down and lower your
self-esteem, because I've been there. I know how hard it is to look in the
mirror everyday and see something you don't want to see and that you most
definitely do NOT deserve there.
I think all of you want to know how I fixed my skin, and I'm
a bit afraid of giving you an answer. I was to go on Roaccutane, but I
couldn't, because by that time I was already depressed and as you may know, the
pill may bring on suicidal thoughts, which I was already having at the time.
That is why my dermatologist advised me to go on THE pill, as in birth control.
I visited a gynecologist at the age of 16 and she put me on Diane 35. It felt
super weird – I didn't even have a boyfriend, and here I was, the first one out
of all of my friends on the pill. After almost giving up on everything, results
started showing after about half a year of use. My skin cleared up in a second
after that. I was so happy I could cry. I still had pretty severe acne scars
but my skin was left so smooth and beautiful, albeit with very enlarged pores,
but nothing like I was used to, and I was so happy I wanted to jump up and
down.
However, not everything was as perfect. As a side effect of
the pill, I gained a lot of weight (around 15-20 kg) and I got a lot of
cellulite, too. I'm still on the pill today, mostly because I'm with Tilen now.
I did go off it for a while, and my skin was actually sort of okay – I did
breakout more, and my back was really bad for a while, but nothing like I used
to have. What I want to say is, this isn't the only solution. At the time, I
was too young, and didn't know of any other options, but I hope this helps you
to find something else that might work for you and your skin.
My friend Isa, who I mention a lot, says a beautician can
really help your skin. If you find the right one, regular treatments will help
restore your skin to the way it should be. I've also found a few products that
are very helpful for me. They are pictured in the photo above, and they are the
REN Pore Detox Mask (great for enlarged and clogged up pores – review coming
up), the Yves Rocher Anti-Imperfections Moisturizer and the REN T-Zone
Mattifying Day Fluid. Why just three products? Because I really wanted to
mention those that helped ME, and these really do the job nicely in my opinion. Oh and by the way, REN actually have a separate line for acne-prone skin, which I haven't tried yet, but you might take a look into it. The products I'm using are actually more for oily to combination skin and can be used after you've already resolved your acne issues.
Another thing that seems to work for a lot of people is
Benzoyl Peroxide, which you apply to your skin. When I had acne, I was
desperate to try the Acne.org Regimen. By the way, I love the community on that
site, check out their forums – everyone is super helpful and you will have
someone to talk too. And if you are really struggling, try acne treatments.
Now about the photos: I don't have a clear one of when my acne was at it's worst, because obviously I didn't really enjoy taking photos at the time, but I do have a few of when it started getting better, which you can see in the first two photos. In the last one is my skin after about a year and a half of taking birth control pills. Also at that time, I drank a LOT of water, meaning about 3 liters per day. This helped my skin tremendously and I really need to get back on track.
What's left for me to say is, IT GETS BETTER. Acne isn't the
end of the world, though I know that it may feel like that. Thankfully there
are solutions for it out there, and you can treat yours and feel better soon. I
hope this post was helpful.
Tabletke res ful pomagajo, sem jaz tudi začela jemati diane 35 in se je ful izboljšelo. Sedaj sem jih pa maja nehala, in so mozolji nazaj, ampak ni tako hudo kot je bilo prej *trkamnales*. Tebi pa vidim, da se je tudi lepo porpavilo:)
ReplyDeleteKje pa kupiš REN Pore Detox Mask ? Prvič slišim za to znamko.
Jaz sem tudi vmes nehala in je bilo precej slabo. :( REN pa prodajajo v Müllerjih, Nami ... :) x
DeleteI found this so helpful and informative! I use Benzoyl peroxide and I love it. I can see a difference after using it only 3 weeks or so xx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, that means a lot! Great that you found something that works for you. <3
DeleteOh, kako mi je pa to znano.. Enaka situacija je bila pri meni: do 16.leta sem imela sicer mozoljčke, vendar nič kritičnega. Potem pa - o, groza - imela sem tako kožo, da sem se zjokala skoraj vsakič, ko sem se v ogledalo pogledala. Seveda mi poskusi prekrivanja s korektorji in pudri ter nega kože z izdelki iz oglasov niso niti najmanj koristili. Mazila, ki mi jih je predpisoval dermatolog pa še manj. Kar nekaj časa sem trpela s takim stanjem. Šele pri 19ih letih sem se začela zanimati za opcije kot so KT in Roaccutane. Za slednjega se potem nisem odločila, preprosto zato ker sem se ustrašila raznih pričevanj o negativnih posledicah s forumov in youtubea. Vzela pa sem recept za tabletke (Diane 35) in že po enem mesecu se je pokazalo izboljšanje. Sedaj jih jemljem 3.mesec in se super počutim, koža je noramlizirana, samo še tu pa tam kak mozoljček (na to zelo vpliva stres, sem ugotovila), zredila se nisem nič, celulita tudi ne opažam (trkam po mizi :)) - skratka, ena boljših odločitev. Tudi fant nima nič proti. :P
ReplyDeleteVidim, da sem se kar razpisala.. Me je pa res spodbudil ta tvoj članek, so I guess you've achieved your goal. ;)
Sara
Joj, boga. :( Diane 35 so za kožo res super, ampak pazi na posledice. Pač spodbujajo tek, in ti se moraš sam naučit brzdat - jaz se očitno ne znam. :D Meni so ful všeč dolgo komentarji, tkoda jih z veseljem preberem. :) Tebi pa želim še velik uspehov kar se kože tiče - poskusi tudi s kakšnim dobrim skincare izdelkom, cuz they do wonders. :) x
DeleteJoj, ja, pozabla sem oment še spremembo nege za kožo! Je verjetno tudi bistveno prispevala k temu, da se lahko danes sproščeno sprehajam naokoli tudi brez pudra.:) Navadla sem se gledat sestavine (v bistvu sploh ne kupim ničesar za obraz brez da bi preverla sestavine) in se odločla zaupat izkušnjam ljudi s forumov, internetnim ocenam izdelkov itd.
DeleteStvari, ki jih mam vedno na zalogi so olje čajevca (kozmetika Derma E ima meni najljubše), gel za umivanje obraza z majhnim odstotkom glikolne kisline (prav tako Derma E), od dnevnih krem za obraz pa mi je že nekaj časa najljubša La Roche Posay-eva Effaclar Mat (res priporočam za tiste z mastno in mešano kožo, zoži pore in pravzaprav deluje kot primer, če čez še nanesem puder). Nekajkrat na teden si na očiščen obraz pred spanjem nanesem še vlažilno masko od Paula's Choice (Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment mask) ali pa tonik z 2% salicilne kisline iste znamke- pač, izmenjujem nekako.
Mogoče pa dam še komu kako idejo za nego.:) Skratka, to deluje zame.
Thank you so much for making this post. I have the same problems and I am currently trying to cure my acne. I went to see a dermatologist a few weeks ago and I have to say that I was really disappointed with how little attention she payed to my acne but I am still so glad that I did went because since I've started using the things she prescribed to me I've noticed a great difference. I'm using an antibiotic that I probably shouldn't name because I really think that people should consult with a doctor who can prescribe them the right medication. Also I'm using La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo as night treatment and a face mask by Freeman (the one with mint and lemon-that one I bought on my own because I read so many good things about it-it really works GREAT). I've noticed that I haven't broke out since I started my treatment and the pimples are gone-the only thing that is left is the redness which is a bummer really because I look like I still have bad skin even though in reality my skin is soo much better. For the redness I recently started doing face masks with turmeric because I read that it is magical for acne so we'll see how that goes. I've noticed that drinking water and working out regularly has helped me a lot too. I am only afraid that the acne might come back one day again... because this has happened with many people. Still though I am optimistic as for now. Sorry for the long comment but I really hope that maybe I've helped someone with the same problem as me!
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting! <3 Oh, that's terrible about your dermatologist, maybe try to find a new one? I must try La Roche Posay ASAP, though I rarely break out now, but I think I'm going to switch to a less hormonal pill. Those face masks sound great as well ... I've found that a good moisturizer that doesn't irritate your skin really helps with redness, as well as a good face wash (I use Lavera and I LOVE it!). x
DeleteMaybe you can talk to your gynecologist about using other pill than Diane 35 (which is known to cause weight gain). I've been through kind of the same process you did and switching from Diane to Yasmin really helped out with the weight matter :)
ReplyDeleteIsabela x
Yes, I'll definitely do that. Thank you so much for your advice, I'll schedule a meeting soon. :) <3
DeleteJaz pa zal ne priporocam tabletk, da se resis tezav s kozo. Sama sem jih tudi imela, ampak sem prej porihtala kozo z negam in drugimi tretmajii, sele nato sem sla na tabletke (iz razloga cemur so pac prvotno namenjene). Tako tudi ne pricakujem poslabsanje stanja, ko jih bom nehala jemat. Sicer se ti pa lahko vse vrne v dvojni dozi.
ReplyDeleteI know I know, sej zato sem te tudi omenila, da jih ti ne priporočaš. Sej js jih tut ne, zato mi je bilo malo smotan to objavo napisat. x
DeleteFul se ti je lepo koža popravila<3 Jaz sem bila tudi cela mozoljasta :( No, saj sem še zdaj ampak to niti približno ni tako kot včasih :) Zaradi tabletk sem pa jaz tudi dobila celulit :( Fajn post :) xx
ReplyDeleteJoj, hvala! <3 Ti maš čudovito kožo tkoda sploh ne govor. :P Mene motijo edino te grozne pore, ampak upam, da se jih bom z redno nego znebila. :) x
DeleteZelo lepo se ti je popravila koža! Jaz mislim, da je pri aknah in mozoljčkih 90% odvisno od hormonov in pa tudi hrane (ker vpliva na hormone), kozmetika pa mogoče doda še tistih 10%. Bolj lahko negativno vpliva, če so izbrani napačni izdelki.
ReplyDeleteGlede depresije pa tudi menim, da je zelo povezana s hormoni. Tudi sama, sem bila hudo depresivna konec osnovne šole in celo srednjo šolo. In pri meni so na to vplivale tudi kontracepcijske tabletke (seveda pa so izvori veliko globji), ko sem zamenjala 4 psihologe, da sem našla pravega, prenehala s kontracepcijskimi tabletami, se znebila ljudi, ki so name vplivali negativno, odšla na fakulteto in začela skrbeti za svoje fizično zdravje (zdrava prehrana in šport) se je moje psihično zdravje popolnoma popravilo in v zadnjem letu sem imela samo en manjši napad zaradi velikih življenjskih sprememb.
Hvala! <3 Ja, jaz se ful ne prehranjujem v redu in tut ne skrbim fajn za svoje telo, ampak delam na tem. :) Ja, depresija je ena zoprna reč, žal mi je za tvoje izkušnje. Jaz mislim, da se mi bo stanje ful poboljšalo, ko zamenjam tabletke. Je pa res, da največ dela moraš narest sam. Js sm si ful pomagala ko sem naredila enako kot ti - skenslala slabe ljudi in se začela bolj posvečat sebi, sem pa šele na začetku tega procesa, tkoda upam še na večje izboljšanje. :) x
Deletetocno vem, o cem govoris!
ReplyDeletejaz sem tudi dolgo imela akno in nekako je vsak boljsi vedel, kaj naj jamljes. to mazo, to kremo, ta make up, itak je vsak boljsi vedel.
niti moj dermatolog ni vedel, kaj naj naredimo. pilo sem dobila, maze sem dobila. pri drugih so maze pomagale, ocitno pa je moza koza tako "trda", da niti ne bi pomagalo po mojem, ce bi s acetalinsko kislino cez sla.
pomagalo mi je, da sem postala starejsa. ko sem prisla ven iz pubertete je boljsi postalo in tudi danes opazam, da cim boljsi postane. step by step ;)
lp
svetlana
Joj, vem, ljudje znajo bit takooo 'pametni'. Razni 'A ti si pa ne umivaš obraza?' so mene na konc že namest v jok spravljal v tako jezo, da bi take pametnjakoviče najraj oklofutala. :D Ja, res pomaga, ko prideš iz pubertete, čeprav na žalost ni pri vseh tako. Jaz mam na primer tako kožo, da bom verjetno mela z aknami vedno probleme. :( Sej bo! :D x
DeleteJoj, kako mi je znano... Jaz sem bila 3x na Roaccutanu, ker so se akne vsakič vrnile v še hujši obliki ko prej. Stranski učinki pa so katastrofalni, od težav z ledvicami, mehurjem, kronično utrujenostjo (ponoči sem spala vsaj 11 ur in še 3 popoldne, ampak sem bila utrujena VES čas)... Prvi dve rundi jemanja sta bili sicer okej, razen suhih ustnic in oči ni bilo nič narobe, tretjič pa sem jemala večjo dozo dlje časa in sem bila fizično čisto sesuta, posledično pa še psihično. Groza. Never again. Sem sicer na tabletkah (Yasminelle), ampak na mojo kožo sploh niso vplivale, tako da je ta možnost zame odpadla. Skratka, od 12 leta sem imela probleme, zdaj se je stanje končno malo umirilo, ker je pač obdobje po Roaccutanu, hkrati pa sem šla na lasersko odstranjevanje aken&brazgotin, ki so mi ostale- trenutno imam krasno kožo, prvič po šestih letih lahko hodim okrog brez pudra. Ampak še vedno s strahom čakam, kdaj bo prišel nov izbruh :D S pametnjakoviči (po možnosti takimi, ki se jim naredi vsake 2 meseca en mozolj in nimajo nobenih izkušenj, kako grozno je to) pa sem že zdavnaj nehala izgubljat energijo. Najrajši imam komentarje v stilu "malo manj čokolade, pa bo!". Ker ne glede na prehrano, je bila moja koža IDENTIČNA. Pa sem poskusila vse, črtala sem mlečne izdelke, sladkarije, sladke pijače, spila ogromno vode...nič. Sicer se vseeno trudim prehranjevati zdravo, ker je pač dobro za telo, ampak vsaj pri meni na kožo nima posebnega vpliva. Tako da vem, kako je grozno, sploh zdaj, ko ima večina mojih vrstnic lepo kožo, ker so imele zgolj pubertetniške mozolje, jaz imam pa tako "srečo", da me bodo očitno spremljali celo življenje.
ReplyDeleteGlede kozmetike meni izjemno odgovarja La Roche Possay, najhujši izbruh ever (brazgotine tistih mozoljev se mi še vedno poznajo kljub laserju) pa mi je povzročil MAC puder, kar me je ful presenetilo. Sploh ne vem več, kateri znamki je za zaupat, ker se moja koža očitno odziva čisto po svoje :( Za Ren sem slišala veliko pohval, tako da bom poskusila dobit tester, da vidim, če mi ustreza :)
Drugače pa super objava, sicer mi ni ravno v tolažbo, da nisem edina s temi problemi, je pa lepo prebrat tudi izkušnje drugih :)
Joj, revica. :( Ful mi je žal, vem kako je to. Vesela sem zate, da si zdej lahko brez pudra, res - vem, da je to tak trenutek zmagoslavja. :) Js bom letos prvič na morju brez full-face MU-ja in se ful veselim. Eni mamo to nesrečo, da imamo akne ne glede na to, kaj naredimo ... Je pa baje to dostkrat rezultat alergije na mlečne izdelke, ampak če tebi ni pomagalo potem res ne vem. Si morala met pa res hudo obliko, da si morala 3x na Roaccutane. :/ Ful mi je hudo, res, k vem kok hudo je to k si čis nesamozavesten and you feel like shi* in bi najraj bil skos doma pod odejo. Daj če hočeš mi piši na e-mail nothinfancyreally@gmail.com, pa se lahko zmeniva za testerčke, magar ti dam jaz v kakšno majhno posodico, da boš lahko sprobala. :) x
DeleteJoj, šele zdaj sem vidla! Najlepša hvala, ful si prijazna, ampak sem dobila testerje :)
DeleteJaz sem tudi imela dokaj podobne probleme kot ti. Res sočustvujem z vsakim, ki se mu to zgodi, ker je GROZNO. In še v teh najbolj "občutljivih" letih, tega si res nihče ne zasluži!
ReplyDeletePri meni so se pojavile akne, ko sem imela 12 ali 13 let. Na začetku še ni bilo nič hujšega. Potem pa sem prišla v 2.letnik srednje šole (16 let) in sem imela tako velike in boleče mozolje... Prav solzne oči dobim, ko se samo spomnim na to obdobje). V tistem času sem na veliko uporabljala puder, da bi prekrila to veliko težavo. Ampak se mi je še vseeno vse videlo, kot da bi gledal nek "relief" na mojem obrazu:( jokala sem vsak večer, ko sem se pogledala v ogledalo z umitim obrazom. Poskusila sem že celo vrsto izdelkov, tudi naravne stvari... Vse brez učinka. Potem sem šla k dermatologinji in mi je predpisala antibiotike. Nehala sem jesti čokolado, sladkarije, mlečne izdelke itd. Pa tudi s pudrom in ličili sem zaključila. In se mi je stanje malo izboljšalo. S tem sem vztrajala še nekaj let in počasi se mi je koža začela popravljati.
Trenutno je 3.mesec, odkar uporabljam tabletke Yasminelle. Zaenkrat še ne morem reči, ali so zelo učinkovite, koža sicer je malo boljša. Morala bom še počakati ene 3 mesece, da mine polovica leta. Je pa moja koža veliiiiiiiiiiko boljša! Nimam več tistih velikih, rdečih, bolečih mozoljev. Tu in tam še dobim kakšnega, a so bolj majhni.
Hvala, da si napisala, kaj uporabljaš. Bi rada preizkusila ta REN, prvič slišim za njega. :)
In ja,nekoč bo boljše. Samo obupati ne smemo!!!
Čestitam za boj z aknami in za to objavo. Da ti mislit (:
ReplyDeleteOh noro! Čudovita res + a lovely ombre :)
ReplyDeleteSamo da so ti časi mimo...zdaj imaš res ful lepo kožo...me spominja na porcelanaste punčke ;)
ReplyDeleteOoo tale post pa me je ful razveselil :) jes sem decembra prenehala z Diane, ker nisem vedla da bo še hujše in sem zdaj spet na začetku.. tako da se še borim z aknami in vsemi rdečimi fleki in upam da mi ne ostanejo brazgotine :) ker ti maš res zdaj kožo na obrazu v nulo lepo.. a te REN izdelke si začela uporabljati še ko si mela akne al ko so ti že bolj ali manj izginile? fuuul ti hvala za ta post, me je kr malo spravil v bolšo voljo in upam da še napišeš kaj na to temo :D
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this uplifting post. I hope to one day help others in the same way you've now helped me. I'm 22 years old and currently going through "adult acne" as they call it, but you've given me hope that things WILL get better with time... I see the light at the end of the tunnel!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting this! I've been going through a difficult period, and its comforting to hear about how other people went through the same thing and got past it.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of what worked for me, birth control really helped...but only for a little bit. It helped for about a year, and my skin was great. But then it got really, really bad. I recently went on spironolactone, which is a medication with an off-label use for hormonal acne. My skin has recently started to clear up, and its a much gentler solution than something like Accutane (the side effects are minimal).
I have also been eating less dairy, exfoliating with AHAs regularly, and trying to keep my routine fairly gentle and minimal.
Hejla, bi lahko prosim pripela link od omenjenih izdelkov, ker ne najdem fluida na spletni strani Oblak :)
ReplyDeleteIn ful sem vesela, da si se jih rešila, jaz se še zmeri bojujem z njimi :/