SiPie

If a cure lies anywhere then surely Scoobynet will be able to help

GF had struggled with this through her teenage years and now in her late twenties you would of hoped that this would of passed ....

She was on a pill until recently called Dianette that sorted her skin out 100% and all was well.. but unfortunately it's considered a dangerous pill to be on for too long... so now that she has come off it, the mild acne has returned

Anyone got any solutions as I can see this is really getting her down..and with our wedding just round the corner I can see that this will be causing real upset ...

Cyproterone Acetate seems to be the active ingredient... can this be found in anything else????

PS Her diet is pretty good, skincare is impeccable, drinks lots of water and she's a non-smoker..

Really grateful for any info ...

Thanks
Si

ajm

Not a quack, but I would think it is the active ingredient that is considered dangerous, and therefore finding another brand name for the same drug poses the same risks as staying on the current medication...

Jye

Manuka honey works really well if the acne is or ever becomes infected, can clear up boils and other skin problems nearly overnight. Hard to apply but damn tasty to eat as well if you like that sort of thing.

SiPie

Thanks ajm

I'm sure every drug has it's undesired side-effects....

Anyone know of anything more human-friendly that could help

I've done a good search on the net ..... but I don't think she's too impressed with the idea of rubbing orange peel on her face every day

It's definetely hormonal.... so I can't see how rubbing fruit on her face will help

Nick

Si (I'm not a doctor)

I've had acne since my early teens & still have it now at 45, although it's 99% now under control with pills. My GP prescribed some time ago a pill that works for me. He explained that it's pretty expensive for the surgery, but as the regular pills don't work for me, then he's happy to spend the money.

I take minocycline 50mg. It's effect is on hormones in that it makes the fluid from sweat glands thinner & they don't get bunged up. There is also another much cheaper product that's supposed to do the same thing, but didn't work for me, but it starts with a "t".

She could also take a course of Roacutaine (sp?) which is supposed to clear everything up once & for all. There are liver or kidney health issues with this product though. She really needs to talk to her GP about this, or ask to be referred to a specialist. It would be worth doing it privately if her GP doesn;t care.

Jye

I would think it would help as it fights infections and acne hormonally caused or not is an infection of the skin hair folicles or sebaceous glands. Try it and if doesnt work put in in your tea

For what I can remember they are now using it in hospitals to treat skin inections caused by myocilin drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus ie the superbugs. Tis powerful stuff for helping the skin.

It's about £8 a jar mind

SiPie

Thanks Jye ....

It never gets infected as I think her clean is so clean it doesn't stand a chance It's just large sore lumps under the skin that seem pretty uncomfortable ...

She see's the doc today so hopefully he can help....it's just she's been passed from pillar to post as a teenager and she fears the same again... ie. 12 months to get an appiontment with a dermatologist at which point the weding will be a distant memory

SiPie

Nick

She's had that one mate

Thanks again for posting ... she's going to read this link prior to heading round down to the docs so hopefully it may give her some extra ammo

She'll be able to make more sense of the things you've mentioned...than I can

Jye
Thanks again mate....

fitzscoob

can also try some quinoderm cream, can buy this over the counter. it comes in two strengths, try the mild one first.

Jye

Yeah I was on antibiotics for years when I was a kid, they would hang doctors these days for prescribing like that. I had terrible acne, like boils and was prescribed all the usual stuff like minocin, canny mind all the names but I tried loads of em. They only seemed to stay away when constanly eating antibiotics.

My gf then recommended using a manuka honey poltice overnight and amazingly it usually brought them down within a few days. A bit hard to treat a lot of acne but if you can get to the worse bits even lying with it on for an hour or so it can really calm the redness and soreness. Washes off skin np as well.

TelBoy

ajm

I will probably get lambasted by the medical fraternity for my complete lack of medical qualifications , but you could try looking up the birth control pill "orthotricyclen" which, according to my book of potions, can also be taken for acne.

Whether or not it presents its own problems, or indeed if its even available in the UK I don't know but she could at least annoy her doctor by asking about it!

Bubba po

PMSL@ TB.

Karl 227

PMSL@TelBoy the ****

RichWalk

Not enough heels for you Tel, makeup's quite immaginative though!

SiPie

As for Telboy...

It really was only a matter of time... and I suppose it may as well be him

Scooby96

Has she tried Roacutane ?

Brendan Hughes

TelBoy - your collection of pics of women seems to cover the whole range!

SiPie

Yes... NIck suggested this earlier in the thread...

Cheers anyway Scooby96

TelBoy

LOL!

Will be removed if you're offended. Possibly.

john banks

Dianette has little long term safety data beyond five years of use, so like most practitioners I try to withdraw it by then, in any event it is supposed to be withdrawn when the acne has completely resolved, which is usually after weeks/months rather than years. It can then be repeated for further bursts. There is no particular information to say it is dangerous beyond a certain time, but medication licensing has the burden of proof the other way around, quite rightly.

Martin J Stirling

Si,

U have PM!

Mart.

Nick

Wish her good luck from me, it depends on how helpful her GP is going to be. Roactutaine was only a suggestion, I didn't try that because of the health issues. Minocyline is great stuff though.

SiPie

John

Thanks for the insight .. appreciated. Can you think of any alternative lines of treatment ?

Telboy

Thanks for the mail .... however, she's a tough cookie, so I think she'll take your post in the way it was intenended.......... ie. totally offensive

Mart

I'll let you know mate

john banks

If the wedding is soon I would just carry it on until then, but that is really a decision between patient and prescriber weighing up the pros and cons

Dianette is usually given when oral antibiotics fail. So oral antibiotics are an alternative for starters.

SiPie

Thanks again John ...

We'll see what her GP says later today ..

Thanks

dpb

i suppose shes seen a specialist ?? ..........i had v.bad bout when i was 17 and 18 ish .....doctor wasnt intrested ...took 9 months and insistence to get him to refer to specialist .......was then put on tetracycline and various dressings and cured in a few weeks

BexTait

My brother uses Isotrexin, which seems to work. Dunno where you'd get it from, as my mum (Dermatology nurse) gets samples from drug reps. My bro has tried a few, and Isotrexin seems to be the best.
I was on tablets for a while, which I think were cyclosporin or something like that, and they worked. They were prescribed by my doctor, but all I remember about being given them was that the doctor asked my mum what she thought I should be on (some treatments leave marks as a side effect)!

Bex

deano

Tetracyclines are antibiotics, they can work in some cases but it is a long drawn out process and the results will not be seen overnight. The ONLY real solution was mentioned earlier, and that is Roacutane. In some rare cases you may need a second course.

There have been cases of suicide and mental problems with ex users of Roacutane. There are side effects whilst using the drug (hair loss, severe dryness of lips and the inside of the nose ect) but at the end of the day, it is a cure and well worth the "risk".

CupraT

Has anyone tried the Nlite treatment?