[MERGED] Acne / Pimples

[bancier2001]

Hi, doc! Have you heard about OBAGI treatment? Is it effective for acne scars and treatment of existing acne too?

[KuHRant^21]

Hi Doc Ira!

What whitening lotion/ cream/ procedure would you recommend? please include such factors as pricing and side effects. thanks!

[amoundici]

hi! well, ive got a couple of questions...if you dont mind. *ahem*

well, i've been under a lot of stress lately and now i have several pimples. you might as well call it an outbreak of pimples.i rarely get pimples (only during my bi-monthly period) and usually there are only one at a time. well, now im using st ive's medicated wash and seems like its taking a while...not much has improved since ive been using it (about a week). what do you recommend?

and i have some pimples on my back. is it true that shampoo causes this? i heard a lot of people who use pantene gets pimples on their backs...

well, basically thats it...

so how can i get rid of my pimples? and im not sure how to tell if you have deep pores or holes on your face...

[mAp_ow_GI]

share ko lang senyo, nung early teens ko, i remember my sister complaining about her pimples sa back, sobrang marami. sabi nya lumalabas daw pag kumakain sya ng chicken.

tapos nung mag-18 y.o. ako, na-experience ko rin yung pimple sa back and shoulders. i did nothing about it. naalala ko yung sinabi ng sis ko tungkol sa chicken, pero hindi ako naniwala.

and after so many years, i finally decided to give it a try (to avoid eating chicken), believe it or not, tumigil sa pagtubo yung mga pimples sa likod ko. then to prove my theory, tin-ry kong kumain uli ng chicken, and guess what, nagkaroon ng bagong pimples sa back ko.

it's been 2 yrs now since i last ate chicken, hindi na rin ako nagkakaroon ng pimples sa likod, ok, napakain ako on certain occassion pero hindi ko ginusto, hindi ko kasi alam na chicken pala yun, minsan sa sandwich, minsan naman nakahalo sa pansit, and on those occassions nagkakaron ako ng 2 to 3 pimples sa likod. kaya magmula noon, i always asked kung may halong chicken yung food. on another occassion kumain ako ng chicken dahil ala kong choice, yun kasi ang si-nerve sa seminar na in-attend-an ko, tom-goots na ko sobra, kaya kinain ko na rin, syempre nagka-pimples uli

last year, 2 of my gym-mates also said they are having the same problems when eating chicken, kaya iwas din sila.

whew, andaming beses kong na-mention ang pimples tsaka chicken dito sa nobela ko ah. try nyo na lang din baka ito rin ang solusyon sa tumutubong pimples sa likod nyo. for those who'll try this, share nyo naman kung nagwork yung advise ko or hindi. i'd strongly suggest wag kumain ng chicken for 2 months, tapos kung nagimprove at halos wala ng tumutubo, try mo uli kumain ng manok and see kung tutubo nga sya uli.

i dunno the reason behind this problem, perhaps doc Ira can offer explanation if she believes my story.

i hope this helps. peace out.

[Claudine]

i was recently advised by a dermatologist to take tetracycline , 500mg..twice a day. the thing is, i'm not really suffering from severe acne. i just want to avoid having any break outs before i get my period. i usually have 2-3 pimples kc everytime malapit na..doc, could u recommend other oral meds? i'm not really comfortable w/ taking tetracycline because of the possible side effects which i have read from the net.

[Ira]

Tetracycline is actually a pretty mild antibiotic, and your dermatologist will most probably just put you on it for a maximum of 2 weeks, especially if you have only a mild form of acne. You need to take some antibiotics so that the bacteria causing frequent acne breakouts, P. acne, will be controlled. Otherwise, it will just keep on coming back. Don't worry so much about the side effects of the medication. They only occur on prolonged and high-dose intake, and tetracycline can be given even up to 6 months continuously as long as the patient is being monitored by the physician.

[jkristee27]

when i was in my early teens my ex-dermatologist put me on tetracyclene for several months.

the outcome - good skin but stained teeth...like i have smoker/coffee-drinker teeth. anyway, i eventually stopped taking it for that reason & many others (i.e i can't be under the sun for too long & other restrictions..) and like you, I'm not fond of antibiotics either...looking back i'm kind of angry at my ex-dermatologist for putting me on it for too long...and it's not like I have severe acne.

in any case, if you don't feel comfortable taking antibiotics..perhaps an oral contraceptive pill would be another option for you? I'm currently taking ortho-tricyclen & it seems to be doing a fairly good job in keeping my skin pimple free. Oh, and there's also Diane-35....

[Claudine]

Originally posted by jkristee27
when i was in my early teens my ex-dermatologist put me on tetracyclene for several months.

the outcome - good skin but stained teeth...like i have smoker/coffee-drinker teeth. anyway, i eventually stopped taking it for that reason & many others (i.e i can't be under the sun for too long & other restrictions..) and like you, I'm not fond of antibiotics either...looking back i'm kind of angry at my ex-dermatologist for putting me on it for too long...and it's not like I have severe acne.

in any case, if you don't feel comfortable taking antibiotics..perhaps an oral contraceptive pill would be another option for you? I'm currently taking ortho-tricyclen & it seems to be doing a fairly good job in keeping my skin pimple free. Oh, and there's also Diane-35....

have u tried diane-35? i would like to try it kaya lang possible side effects accdg to the ob gyne are weight gain..or pede rin varicose veins..a friend of mine told me that it could even increase ur bust size! hehe

[jkristee27]

Originally posted by Claudine
have u tried diane-35? i would like to try it kaya lang possible side effects accdg to the ob gyne are weight gain..or pede rin varicose veins..a friend of mine told me that it could even increase ur bust size! hehe

hi claudine,

it depends on the individual. some gain weight, some don't. some don't get any side effects at all! which is good, right? i've never tried diane35 but i know people who are currently on it. and from what they tell me diane35 is doing a good job in controlling/curing their acne. dermatologists also use it as an alternative to tetracycline/minocin/differin etc etc....but like i said, it all depends on the individual....what works for others might not work for you.

[Ira]

Some types of acne may not warrant the use of Diane-35. Diane-35 is only given to those who have hormone-dependent acne, i.e., those whose acne appear in cycles together with their monthly period. Have yourself evaluated by your dermatologist to see whether you are a candidate for its use.

[Yummybabe]

doc..what is acne surgery? how does it differ from the usual facial treatments?

[Ira]

What particular procedure are we talking about here?

[CLY]

i just had a breakout of acne in my back because ive been sweating a lot lately. sobrang init kasi ng panahon ngayon.

i'm thinking of taking tetracycline or accutane. which is better? what is the difference? pls help doc ira.

by the way i lift heavy weights a lot. this puts a lot of stress on my body. i'm 21 yrs. old. is this also a factor why i get pimples on my back?

[CLY]

BTW, i started getting it when i was 18yrs. old when i started bodybuilding. might just be a coincidence. i love to eat chicken because its an excellent source of protein for building muscle.

could what mAp_ow_GI said be true? i think i will try not to eat chicken.

[hannah17smb]

bakit ba nangingitim ang mukha kapag nag-aapply ka ng acne treatment/medication sa mukha mo??? sign ba to ng over gamit mo ng gamot or what??? it has benzoyl peroxide...proactiv solution...tnx!!!

[rAiNeDaNcE19]

Originally posted by Ira
pinkmoon: That poor diet causes acne is a medical myth. The causes of acne can be classified into bacteria, genetics, hormones (testosterone), and clogged pores. All these work together to cause acne.

My mom should read this! She always blames my sleeping late or not eating the right food whenever I get pimples. Kainis nga parang just as gumagaling na yun iba magkakaron nanaman ng bago. Talk about an endless supply...

[dragueur]

doc ira...whenever i have this pimple, y'know big ones that's just inside ur skin and u can only see a red bump (i don't know how u call it) but it's a pimple, like cyst but it's not...anyway, whenever i have that i go to my dermatologist and she would inject it so it will diminish next day. and i asked her what kind of medicine was it, and she told me that it's a steroid. i've heard many bad things about steroids, but i like the result of it. coz if she won't inject the big pimple it won't go away for many weeks. are there any side effects of this in the future?

[Ira]

No side effects. The steroid used is mild, and the injection is only on an as needed basis. It is only when being taken in daily that side effects are seen.

[Ira]

Neither chicken nor bodybuilding will cause you to break out. As I've been saying over and over again, see a dermatologist who can properly assess your acne. You can't buy roaccutane without a prescription anyway. It's a highly regulated drug.

[EverAfter]

True.