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Need advice on persistent acne - 14 years and many treatments

I’m a 26 year old male and have had acne since I was 12. I have tried so many different medications and treatments but none seem to work long-term and afternoon 14 years of this I am very frustrated and just don’t know what to do. Many of the medications seem to help for a couple of months but then my acne always flares back up.

I have seen many doctors and dermatologists and my last one said that if what he put me on now does not work there is not many options left aside from acutane which I REALLY do not want to do. So that is why I am here, I’m hoping someone will have some suggestion that can help me out as my face started to break out again.

I am currently using clindamycin 1% twice a day as well as benzoyl peroxide 10% in the morning and retin-a .025% before bed. I wash my face twice a day and after I sweat with a salicylic acid wash. I use a clean facial scrub brush to wash my face and help with exfoliation. I change my pillow case every night and never touch my face.

I have listed the different medications I have tried in the past at the bottom of this post.

Please let me know if anyone has any suggestions or advice, I do really appreciate it.
Thank you!!

- oral medications: solodyn, doxycycline, minocycline
- topical medications: retin-a, clindamycin, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid
2 Responses
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Avatar universal
Sending love and support.  I was in a similar situation for several years.  The only really effective treatment I've found is called hypochlorous spray.  The compound HOCI is produced naturally by our body's white blood cells to combat infections.  In a topical solution it has very potent anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing properties making it extremely effective against even the most persistent skin conditions. It's 100% natural, organic, and hypoallergenic.  You can look up studies on it on google.  Anyway, this is the product I personally use. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08978XYJK?ref=myi_title_dp

I wish you the best!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I went on accutane and it wasn’t really that bad at all. I think the internet makes it seem much worse than it is. My lips were dry and my muscles ached a bit but other then that it was fine. You can also lower your dosage and do the treatment over a longer period if you experience side effects so it’s flexible (this was in the UK so not sure if it’s different in the US but it’s the same drug I think?). It has helped me with 90% of my acne problems although I now have a different kind of skin type which I’m learning to manage but I’d just give it a go if you’ve tried everything else.
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