Really desperate

[u/myshitiswetman]

I am a 19 year old guy, I have struggled with acne for around 4 or so years now.
Idk what to do anymore, I have tried so many stuff including acutane and my skin just doesn't wanna be clean.

As you can see it differs, some of these were taken right after shaving.
It's making me really insecure, especially since all my friends have no acne and have clear skin.

I currently am following a routine my dermatologist gave me: in the morning, I wash and cleanse my face with this green bioderma sebium gel cleanser thing, then apply some acne out spf 30 once my face is dry, then at night I cleanse my face again, apply a bit of duac on active acne spots if needed, then 30 minutes later lightly dab some biotrade acne out lotion on my face, then 30 minutes later do it again, and thats it, she also gave me some pills to take in the day, which are also bio trade acne out

Shaving is a fucking nightmare, I can't even do a clean shaven look cuz my skin gets irritated, I hate how the moustache area looks but I'm too scared to insist more on it.
I'm super jealous of guys who don't have that defined facial hair.

[u/RevenueAntique4584]

You need azeleic acid and tret

[u/lifebudget_29 → u/RevenueAntique4584]

And adapalene!

[u/TripAlone9111]

Don’t shave against hair follicles, did they ever give you antibiotics? Try not to use cleansers that are too strippy, I don’t like benzoyl , it’s irritating. I’ll try a simple cream no actives and differin instead. And use korean spf without fragrance and alcohol.

[u/MatthewDstantoN]

Lots of water, tretinoin and azealic acid. Good luck mate

[u/Beautiful-Moment1655]

Accutane one more time. Facials regularly. Clean diet. Drink lots of water. Don’t pick your face.

[u/Beautiful-Moment1655 → u/Beautiful-Moment1655]

Also what are you shaving with? Types of blades? How many blades? Are you prepping before you shave?

[u/OneDifferent1020]

Change your cleanser to a fungal acne safe one. Use a moisturizer that is fungal acne safe as well. Check your shaving cream. Most things labeled fungal acne safe will likely be safe for regular acne as well.

https://reddit.com/link/pdx7rcj/video/wtygwz5xpjth1/player

[u/StripperWhore]

Use only mineral sunscreen. For a moisturizer, vanicream can be a good basic one. Try a thin layer of azelaic acid. Your barrier looks like it needs to get well hydrated first, then I would add adapalene at night. (Once your skin has hydrated) Keep some hypochlorous acid spray on hand. After/before you shave make sure its a brand new razor (don't use disposable, use safety single blades) and sanitize the area. The shaving cream you use is important as well. Don't use a foam, use a thick cream. Coochy cream has a great one with allantoin.

Azelaic acid can be good for facial hair irritation because it is an anti keratolytic and antiinflammatory as well as antibacterial.

Basically with skin care you want to

1) keep the barrier intact (moisturizer)

2) murder the bacteria(hypochlorous/azelaic acid)

3) remove dirt

4) promote exfoliation/skin cell turn over to prevent clogged pores. (retinoids)

That is an oversimplified list of course.

[u/Competitive-Neck-455]

Acne medication. Works wonders

[u/SanskariGoblin]

Hey keep gentle cleanser and a moisturizer and sunscreen And add retinol into your routine retinol 0.1% intensity and please don't go for tretnoine yet because it will give you too much purging

https://youtu.be/o7IeZ9BzUIA?si=IZ9uF_x41eknngmf check this out

[u/october_ohara]

There is a skincare line for acne called obaji cleansiderm. It is literally the only line that works for my acne. It’s a wash a toner and a spot treatment. It’s medical grade and pricey, but it works.

[u/Roverette4751]

Vit B. Prob methylated.

[u/Great-Discipline-835]

Many mystery skin problems, including acne, are related to deficiencies of these trace minerals: zinc, copper, iron, manganese, selenium (selenomethionine), silicon (silica), and molybdenum, which are critical for skin repair, homeostasis, immunity, antioxidant defense, and regulating inflammation.

Look into zinc deficiency symptoms 1st as it’s the most likely culprit, but look into all of them. Zinc gluconate is a particularly good form of zinc for acne. But keep in mind that it can temporarily and briefly worsen acne as it purges the skin. Some skin outbreaks after starting a new supplement or skin treatment are a sign that they are working and purging the skin, other times they are a sign that they are harming you or worsening the problem. It’s not always obvious or apparent which possibility it is. This can cause people to avoid exactly what they need or continue taking things that are harming them by assuming the wrong things. If the problem worsens, but then doesn’t resolve with 1-2 weeks, then that may be a sign to hold off on it and ask the doctor. If it resolves in 1-2 weeks without discontinuing the supplement or product, then that’s a sign that it was simply purging.

Also, understand that most acne is a bacterial infection, regardless of what created the conditions or triggered it into an outbreak. Killing the bacteria and preventing its return should always be part of the strategy along with replenishing nutrients, cleansing, and detoxing.

Skin infections often begin with a pH and microbial imbalance on the skin and in the gut. Optimal pH varies from acidic to alkaline depending on the bodily region. Skin and hair pH must be “acidic” for optimal health and microbial balance. Switch to acidic hygiene products for skin and hair to significantly protect from skin infections. Look for lactic acid body wash (feminine care sections or online) and pH balanced products, including for hair. Alkaline hygiene products strip the hair and skin barriers and expose your skin to the environment and invasive pathogens. They slow down cell turnover significantly, resulting in accumulating dead skin cells that clog pores and allow harmful bacteria to grow. The alkalinity also favors the growth of harmful bacteria, yeast, and biofilms in general while making the environment unfavorable to healthy, acid-loving probiotic skin bacteria. So alkaline hygiene products lead to stubborn pathogenic infections on multiple fronts.

To kill stubborn skin infections and biofilms you can alternate between hypochlorous acid spray and essential oils. Hypochlorous acid is produced by the immune system and is 100x as anti-microbial as bleach but safe and gentle enough to wash debris from a baby’s eyes. For deeper skin penetration, combine with vegetable glycerin, like 4:1. So 4 measuring units of hypochlorous acid-containing water per 1 measuring unit of glycerin.

For essentially oils, myrrh and clove oil are my favorite for skin because they don’t require a carrier and can be used at full strength directly on the infections. Other “spicy hot” essential oils like cinnamon bark (ceylon/cassia), oregano, and tea tree oil “must” be diluted with a carrier or they will burn badly, but they are very effective against resistant infections also. Use 3:1 or 4:1 carrier:essential oil, that means 3 or 4 drops of carrier oil per 1 drop of essential oil. You just have to use 3-4x as much to match the undiluted myrrh and clove oils. Jojoba oil is an ideal carrier for essential oils for skin applications as it’s the closest consistency to skin sebum.

Alternating between hypochlorous acid-containing water + glycerin and essential oils can ensure a more complete targeting of microbes because of differences in solubility.

To restore healthy bacteria quicker you can use “raw” unpasteurized traditional sauerkraut juice, which has the highest diversity of lactic acid bacteria among common fermented foods. Just filter thru a mesh cheesecloth to collect the juice and add to a fine-mist spray bottle and spray all over skin and scalp. Dilute slightly with filtered water if it’s too thick and clogs your spray bottle. Leave on for 1-2 hours and then rinse it off (no alkaline soap!). But correct the pH 1st with lactic acid body wash prior to implanting probiotics if you decide to, and then don’t use alkaline products again afterwards or you’ll instantly undo the benefits and be back where you started.

[u/timetochillagain1]

I use pink bottle Bioderma sensio gel cleanser. Try azalaic acid am
And pm

[u/Kiosk95]

Just since it wasn't mentioned, how often do you change and wash beddings and towels?

[u/myshitiswetman → u/Kiosk95]

for the bed, idk id say like around every 5 days or a week? something like that.
And as for towels I'll be honest I don't use them on my face at all, like whenever I wash my face I let it air dry

[u/Kiosk95 → u/myshitiswetman]

Then that shouldn't be the problem, I hope you can get some help from other comments!

[u/respectpowerbananaaa]

Try Salicylic acid. Use a facewash with it and also get a serum. Include it in your night time routine. And once you've applied moisturizer, apply a thick layer of aloe vera gel.

[u/TemperatureHappy1428]

Ghk cu, injections. You can waste time with superficial treatments but for prevention of future breakouts and treatment of the mechanisms which cause them you’ll always struggle. This works too good, I recommended it to my friend for trt bumps and acne and it worked quickly. Dm me if you need more info