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What Happened to Teenage Acne?

When I was a young gayling, I suffered from acne, sometimes it was pretty bad. I used benzoyl peroxide but I never had clear skin until my 20s.

Teens these days all seem to have FLAWLESS skin, not a pimple in sight! What are they doing differently now?

by Anonymousreply 119April 22, 2018 9:06 AM

I think they take pills.

by Anonymousreply 1July 10, 2017 4:02 PM

Just lucky I guess.

by Anonymousreply 2July 10, 2017 4:02 PM

Cum. Tons and tons of rich, creamy, bukkake cum.

by Anonymousreply 3July 10, 2017 4:02 PM

People with good genes have started marrying other people with good genes. So they are producing a race of beautiful "super" children.

by Anonymousreply 4July 10, 2017 4:13 PM

This thread must dovetail with the other thread about how millenials have bigger schlongs.

Its hormones!!!

by Anonymousreply 5July 10, 2017 4:29 PM

They do. Do you spend any time around actual teenagers?

I alternatively work with rich Connecticut kids and poor but talented Urban kids of all stripes. The poor kids have acne at the same rate as I recall from the early 90s. The rich ones do generally nip that in the bud and so the skin is better there, but so is everything. The poor kids also seem to inherently know more about life and are more mature for their age than their wealthier suburban counterparts. But acne treatment is much less a priority.

by Anonymousreply 6July 10, 2017 4:35 PM

There are way more creams for acne than there used to be when I was a kid. There was just benzoyl peroxide back then.

Now kids use anti-biotic combinations and retin-A a night. Clear skin for everyone!

by Anonymousreply 7July 10, 2017 4:39 PM

I've known plenty of teens/young adults with acne. Some have money and some don't.

by Anonymousreply 8July 10, 2017 4:39 PM

Kids today are more concerned with their appearance than past generations, and with improvements in skincare products and medical treatments, they're more likely to have clear skin. And then there's the GMOs and secret vaccines.

by Anonymousreply 9July 10, 2017 4:42 PM

One of my classmates in high school (class of '88) committed suicide which was attributed to the Accutane he was taking.

by Anonymousreply 10July 10, 2017 4:55 PM

I'm a teacher. Acne is bad in middle school and high school students. Rich or poor, makes no difference.

by Anonymousreply 11July 10, 2017 4:56 PM

But upper middle class and above families with more disposable income are more apt to take their precious snowflakes to dermatologists. That has to help.

by Anonymousreply 12July 10, 2017 4:59 PM

R9 And what secret vaccines would those be? The GMO paranoia I won't even comment on.

It's better skincare products. That's all there is to it.

by Anonymousreply 13July 10, 2017 4:59 PM

That ProActiv stuff is supposed to be really good. Wish that existed when I was a pizza face.

by Anonymousreply 14July 10, 2017 5:01 PM

Acutane is evil. My sister became borderline suicidal on it. My dad's solution was to buy her a guinea pig so she'd have something to take care of. It died on the way home from the pet store. Taking her off the Acutane proved to be the better solution.

by Anonymousreply 15July 10, 2017 5:02 PM

I think it must be ProActive. I had mild acne as a teenager. When my kids reached that age, I got ProActive for them. It definitely keeps the zits under control. I rarely see "pizza face" teenagers like I did back in the 70s. I was shocked to see a hotel clerk in Iowa a couple of years ago, with horrible cystic acne. I felt so bad for her.

by Anonymousreply 16July 10, 2017 5:10 PM

OK i know this is gonna sound gross, but sometimes I miss squeezing a nice big zit and having splat on the mirror. Or one of those just keep coming out, like squeeze cheese. Probably why I enjoy watching those Dr Pimple Popper videos on YouTube.

by Anonymousreply 17July 10, 2017 5:20 PM

R17 is why they hate us

by Anonymousreply 18July 10, 2017 5:38 PM

I've never had acne ever in my life and I'm 29 now. I've always had great skin. Now my two younger siblings they had acne but got past it.

Also DL is really class obsessed. Everything always devolves into rich and poor! On here. It must be the class conscious WASP types on here.

by Anonymousreply 19July 10, 2017 5:42 PM

The rich ones who can afford a dermo definitely are on anti-acne medication. I had an outbreak of acne 10 years ago (at the ripe age of 29) and my doctor gave me a foam--cant remember what it was. But it totally cleared it up within a few days.

by Anonymousreply 20July 10, 2017 5:47 PM

God, I can't wait for the term special snowflake to die out. It's as tired as the people that use it.

by Anonymousreply 21July 10, 2017 6:00 PM

I remember being in HMV on 86th St years ago and there were tons of kids coming in off the subway. That was when I noticed not one pimple or rash in the crowd. I was with a friend and I pointed it out and he said, "Yeah, my brother noticed a few years ago that there weren't any flat chested women or teen girls anymore. Not even the really skinny Asian ones." That was true, too. They all got implants in the 80s and 90s.

HMV opened in, I think, 1990 and closed around 2000. I think it was about the mid 1990s when I noticed all the clear skin. Also, no more buck teeth or big spaces between front teeth. Orthodontics had conquered those genetic problems. No more hideously freckled faces on redheads, no more pitted acne scars.

The late 20th century dealt with a lot of problems kids had struggled with since the beginning of time.

by Anonymousreply 22July 10, 2017 6:04 PM

Obviously they aren't using Ten-Oh-Six

by Anonymousreply 23July 10, 2017 6:21 PM

When I was growing up, clearasil and Noxema were the treatment for acne. Neither worked. And clearasil was ORANGE, like Donald Trump. Noxema was a skin irritant. The "tingle" was supposed to signify it was working. It was just menthol and camphor.

One summer there was something called Ice-o-Derm. It was clear colored gel in a jar. It was hyped like crazy. I begged my mother to get some for me. Fourth of July was coming up and I wanted to get rid of pimples so I'd look good at our family party at my aunt's house. I was only 9 years old when I got acne -- early puberty. It was devastating because no other kids in my class had it. So I applied ice o Derm to my face several times a day. It stung, but like Noxema, I figured that meant it was "working." On the morning of July 4 I woke up with severe burns on my face. I didn't go to the 4th of July party because I was so horrified by what I looked like -- plus it hurt like a motherfucker. It was pure alcohol and it had clung to my face, burning it, like napalm. I had to go to school the following week with burns on my face. Since I'd paid particular attention to a few clusters of pimples, my face was burned into stripes.

Cystic acne was in my family, but I never got to see a Derm. Hell, it was hard enough to get my mother to take me to see a regular doctor for anything. I had scoliosis and leg torsion and when I told my mother my foot turned in and one of my shoulders was higher than the other, she yelled at me to turn my foot out and either pull my shoulder down or push the other shoulder up.

A lifetime of orthopedic pain lay ahead of me.

by Anonymousreply 24July 10, 2017 6:25 PM

School in the summer?

by Anonymousreply 25July 10, 2017 6:27 PM

Acutane used to be the only thing that worked and it was very expensive and regular blood test were needed.

by Anonymousreply 26July 10, 2017 6:32 PM

Summer school for math

by Anonymousreply 27July 10, 2017 6:46 PM

[quote]People with good genes have started marrying other people with good genes. So they are producing a race of beautiful "super" children.

Finally. Just shows what can happen with the right leadership.

by Anonymousreply 28July 10, 2017 6:50 PM

Accutane really is dangerous. I can see taking it as a last resort if your severe cystic acne doesn't respond to anything else, but only then.

I had a friend who took Accutane at around age 20 (I actually encouraged him to try it, because he had fairly bad acne), and it triggered a major depression in him. The depression segued almost seamlessly into an attach of paranoid schizophrenia, and he ended up dropping out of university. Maybe he would have gotten the schizophrenia anyway -- it has a genetic component, and tends to break out at that age -- but I figure there's at least an even chance that the Accutane triggered it.

by Anonymousreply 29July 10, 2017 6:51 PM

I had acne until I was mid-30s. My puberty seemed last forever. It was awful. Nothing worked, until I tried ProActiv. I'm not a shill, but it worked like a miracle for me.

by Anonymousreply 30July 25, 2017 9:23 PM

I teach high school. TONS of pimples all over the place.

by Anonymousreply 31July 25, 2017 10:23 PM

I'm 29 and I still struggle with really bad acne, might be why people think I'm 17.

by Anonymousreply 32July 25, 2017 10:24 PM

Accutane is a life saver. And I bet plenty of people have become depressed or suicidal over acne. The trick is to take a lower dose over a longer period of time, to minimise the side-effects.

by Anonymousreply 33July 25, 2017 10:33 PM

I had acne first 2 years of college in 80s. not pizza face, but big cystic pimples 3-5 at a time. nothing really worked and I went to expensive dermatologists. Had benzo creams, anti-biotics, everything.

Then accutane came out and it worked like a charm.

I always wonder about proactiv: if it's so great, does anyone need rx's? It wasn't around when i had it.

by Anonymousreply 34July 25, 2017 10:39 PM

OP, if you're judging by their social media photos, those things are doctored to high heaven with Facetune and similar apps.

by Anonymousreply 35July 25, 2017 10:40 PM

I took Accutane in 8th grade, as a last resort treatment for persistent acne. I had a major depressive episode after taking it but I had been depressed over my appearance anyway. Stayed depressed after the treatment course was finished, too.

by Anonymousreply 36July 25, 2017 10:45 PM

When my now 15 year old cousin started having breakouts a few years ago he was whisked off to the dermatologist and has had flawless skin since.

They weren't even bad breakouts but his parents are quite wealthy and when I went to watch one of his baseball games at his upper middle class high school I didn't notice any kids with bad skin so I would assume dermatologist visits are thought of as as necessary as regular dental visits now days within certain groups. I still see plenty of teens with acne around but with all of the options for over the counter acne creams/face wash now I'd assume that on average even "regular" teens have better skin than before.

by Anonymousreply 37July 25, 2017 11:10 PM

The rich kids probably take anti-acne meds. The downside of anti-acne medication is that they cause the body to stop producing oil and moisture completely (no oil means no clogged pores) This means a lot of kids end up with joint pain and early arthritis, and other problems. Over time anti-acne meds thin out the skin and cause premature aging.

by Anonymousreply 38July 25, 2017 11:24 PM

For me, what happened was Accutane with several courses to permanently dry up the oil production. It was the only thing that worked. It permanently changed my hair texture, but it was well worth it.

by Anonymousreply 39July 25, 2017 11:32 PM

I'll also mention that I first used Benzoyl Peroxide and some other stuff from a clinic that was using it on a experimental basis before it was on the market. They were trying different strengths and the stuff came in generic plastic containers. I think the BP was like 20%, with sulfur. The liquid stuff, I want to say vitamin A acid, gave me some burn like irritation.

by Anonymousreply 40July 25, 2017 11:41 PM

Doesn't ProActiv keep billing your credit card?

by Anonymousreply 41July 25, 2017 11:43 PM

Ha! My nephews both got their very own Clairsonic (or whatever you call them) circular brushes from their grandma for their acne. Hell, even my SIL got one of her own. Poor thing has truly horrible skin, adult acne and all that.

Yes she's very well off.

by Anonymousreply 42July 25, 2017 11:46 PM

It was much harder for us in the late 70s/early 80s. I used to endure these awful, intense sun lamp treatments from a Nurse Ratchet-like creature. Didn't do a damn bit of good.

by Anonymousreply 43July 25, 2017 11:51 PM

R41: The dreaded AUTO-SHIP.

by Anonymousreply 44July 25, 2017 11:52 PM

So strange, I guest taught at a private school, all teens, for a few months and didn't think about it until OP's post -- but I don't think I saw one pimple on a student's face there, male or female, and certainly nobody with a ravaged face like Janis Ian once sang about. We have come a long way on that front.

A friend of mine with great skin told me (and showed me a photo) that he was a victim of acne bad -- but they did some treatment that involved taking out blood and putting it back in, I forget the details. You would never have guessed from looking at him that he'd ever had a zit either, though it did have a bit of that burn victim stretched skin look (once I knew the past story).

by Anonymousreply 45July 25, 2017 11:56 PM

I assumed we were being attacked by a hoard of meth addicts, but no. They were just zit-faced walkers let out of high school. Must be a very poor school district.

by Anonymousreply 46July 26, 2017 12:11 AM

I was at a Dermatologist a week ago and there were several teens there with acne.

I guess the difference is that in my day you just suffered. My family doctor told my mom to have me use Dial soap (!)

by Anonymousreply 47July 26, 2017 12:15 AM

I am 39. I had probably the worst teen acne you can imagine. A customer in a store I worked in asked me if I had been in a fire. My face is scarred as a result. The acne was bad for a while, but then my mom ordered an early version of ProActive from HSN or something and it absolutely destroyed my face with an unholy outbreak of cystic acne. The label said it can temporarily exaggerate outbreaks before heloing and so I kept using it and it ate away the collagen under my skin.

A few years later I took Accutane and it permanently fixed my cystic acne. I still got (and get) a huge zit now and then, and when I was prescribed Differin it was a godsend. To this day if I get a breakout, I put a little dab of Differin on it and it goes away.

I still see teens with acne and I feel terrible for them. The discovery of Retin-A type products has gotten it far more under control than benzoil peroxide pads from the 80s and 90s.

by Anonymousreply 48July 26, 2017 12:19 AM

Nothing works like Accutane. It truly is a miracle drug. Kids with cystic acne are already depressed it's not the Accutane. Any parent who lets their kid go through school with acne now days is an abusive parent. Find a dermo who does the follow ups and lab work needed with Accutane and you'll be fine.

by Anonymousreply 49July 26, 2017 12:27 AM

One of Reddit's popular subs is r/skincareaddiction. Lots of posts, and people experiment with products. Access to shared information helps a lot, not to mention all of the products.

by Anonymousreply 50July 26, 2017 12:27 AM

My skin is my curse. First acne, then a tickborne infection that did serious scarring to my body. R49 is right that disfigured people are depressed, often to the point of suicidality.

I had a really interesting/disturbing/eye opening experience years ago. I was wallowing in self pity about all the scars and I wondered if anyone else has it as bad as I do, and so I Googled "my skin is a curse" or something. I expected to see burn victims, etc. Instead, lots and lots of blogs and message board posts by dark-skinned people who had PERFECT skin, but who felt the way I did--even suicidal about it--because of their complexions. It upset me so much and it made me realize that none of this has anything to do with who we are; it's all about how we are judged. And I mostly stopped dwelling over my physical insecurities. To think someone with beautiful buttery skin would hate themselves because their skin is dark is really shitty and I just can't buy into a world that sanctions that anymore.

by Anonymousreply 51July 26, 2017 12:37 AM

Many of these kids today have better access to medical care compared to us oldies. The antibiotic minocycline/doxycycline is now standard maintenance treatment for adolescent acne. It's cheap and readily accessible. A few of them go blind from cycline-induced papilledema, but hey, at least they have flawless skin.

by Anonymousreply 52July 26, 2017 12:46 AM

I had severe acne as a teen and almost everyone I knew had good skin. Beyond washing their faces reguarly, they didn't do anything, so I know it was just good genes. This idea that all teens suffer from acne is a myth. Only a few kids suffer from breakouts and an unlucky few have a serious acne problem.

by Anonymousreply 53July 26, 2017 1:04 AM

My partners super great son, who just came out, has really bad acne. I feel for him, since I had it too as a teen. He's on actuate, so this has been an interesting thread. I was on tertracycline, which I think was taken off the market under a scandal.

by Anonymousreply 54July 26, 2017 1:07 AM

Tetracycline is not off the market.

by Anonymousreply 55July 26, 2017 1:10 AM

R54 tetracycline, doxycycline and minocycline are standard first-line antibiotics used for acne and a plethora of bacterial infections

by Anonymousreply 56July 26, 2017 1:13 AM

Tetracycline?

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 57July 26, 2017 1:27 AM

My sister had horrible acne. I never said anything since I was the sweet younger brother but it was really disgusting. Our bathroom was full of Noxema and Clearasil and boxes of Proactiv. Nothing worked until she started using Accutane in college. She used to always blame my mom for her genetics. Luckily, she got my dad's strong, tough personality and ability to talk to anyone so she was very popular in high school. Those who didn't like here, feared her.

I was cute and had no acne at all. I was also shy, quiet and socially awkward and could never gain weight no matter what I ate, just like my mom. I was picked on constantly. Anyway, I guess we all have our issues.

by Anonymousreply 58July 26, 2017 1:41 AM

R33 has it. Other countries have a better approach when it comes to Accutane, where far lower doses a prescribed for a longer period of time, which avoids most of the worst side effects. I actually take very low dose Accutane (5mg) three times a week to treat my sebaceous hyperplasia (I'm in my late 40s), and the worst side effect I've encountered is slightly elevated triglycerides.

by Anonymousreply 59July 26, 2017 2:05 AM

I had acne up until early 30's. It seemed to get worse as I got older. I ended up taking accuntane. It's the only thing that worked and a three months course sorted my skin out. Wish I had started taking it as a teenager. I think it did make me a little low, but I'd been depressed for years with acne so it was worth it to me.

by Anonymousreply 60July 26, 2017 6:37 AM

I thought birth control cleared up acne in chicks.

by Anonymousreply 61July 27, 2017 12:12 AM

I had a friend who got pregnant while on Accutane. She ended up aborting due to the fear of birth defects.

by Anonymousreply 62July 27, 2017 12:43 AM

Sure, r62! And I got herpes while on Zoloft.

by Anonymousreply 63July 27, 2017 1:12 AM

[quote] I got herpes while on Zoloft.

Well I got gonorrhea from a tractor.

by Anonymousreply 64July 27, 2017 1:14 AM

R62 your friend is an idiot. Female patients are warned not to get pregnant while on Accutane and have to take a pregnancy test before getting the drug.

by Anonymousreply 65July 27, 2017 1:18 AM

Unplanned pregnancies happen all the time, including women on prescription medications. Does not make them idiots.

by Anonymousreply 66July 27, 2017 1:24 AM

healthier diets. also a lott of teens use skin care...so many guys slather on moisturizer in high school

by Anonymousreply 67July 27, 2017 1:42 AM

Exactly, R66.

by Anonymousreply 68July 27, 2017 1:50 AM

People make fun of you for that shit? I make sure my skin is always clean and when I do have little pimple I go to the drug store

by Anonymousreply 69July 27, 2017 1:51 AM

[quote] to the point of suicidality

That's not a word.

You say, "to the point of suicide," or "to the point of being suicidal."

by Anonymousreply 70July 27, 2017 1:57 AM

I had perfect skin all my life and I never really appreciated it, but this thread is making me appreciate it.

by Anonymousreply 71July 27, 2017 2:00 AM

Back in the 60s I was blamed for my acne. The doctor said, "You don't wash your face! Stop eating fried, greasy food! No French fries! No choolate! No candy, No ice cream!"

Of course I washed my face. Fried food and candy had nothing to do with it. It was inherited. I didn't even eat candy because we were poor.

by Anonymousreply 72July 27, 2017 2:01 AM

True story: I worked in a Park Ave dermatology practice for a while. I left because the dr was a sleaze and the patients were upper east side airheads. One day a beautiful teenager came in. Perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect breasts, perfect skin. I asked why she was there and she became teary eyed. She had something disgusting on her skin and she had to get rid of it.

Where?

She pulled back her skirt and showed me ........a freckle. On her thigh. One small freckle. The girl was so pampered and perfect that a freckle threw her into an emotional crisis.

See why I quit?

by Anonymousreply 73July 27, 2017 2:12 AM

I had adult acne. The best advice I ever got from a dermatologist is consistent skin hygiene habits. Skin oil mixed with bacteria makes for a scrumptious buffet for germs to trigger acne formation. Dermabrasion with facial sponge (Buf-Puf) or sonic brushes like Clarisonic controls my acne. If I simply wash my face with soap using my hands, or if I'm too lazy to wash my face until late in the day on weekends, I will predictably break out within a few days.

by Anonymousreply 74July 27, 2017 2:17 AM

R73, I'm sorry you were triggered.

by Anonymousreply 75July 27, 2017 2:17 AM

R73 can you imagine what aging will do to her?

by Anonymousreply 76July 27, 2017 2:17 AM

This guy (23 or 24 now) had horrific acne that he said cleared up when he became a vegan, so now he is a vegan body builder. HA!

For adults still dealing with acne, Differin is now available over the counter and works very well.

There's a brand called The Ordinary that makes fantastic (and CHEAP!!!) products that actually work and would definitely be worth checking out.

Aside from Proactiv (which is now selling their own version of Differin), there's a subscription company called Curology that will make you a (semi) custom prescription for your particular skin issues. It doesn't use BP, but rather ingredients like clindamycin, niacinamide, azelaic acid, tretinoin, etc, in various combinations (max 3) and concentrations.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 77July 27, 2017 2:36 AM

The worst were the ones you tried to burst - but would not - so you had a great big bump on your (my) forehead.

The ones around the mouth were the sorest.

Some kids with pusy pimples refused to burst them - they said the pus would spread and make more pimples. I think that was a myth. I has a friend who often walked around with pusy pimples. I was a burster. I remember bursting a pimple onto an elevator mirror and the elevator stopping to let more people in and them seeing the pus in the mirror.

& God those awful creams in the 70s. The agony.

I had pimples well into my 20s.

My cousin had acne on his legs. I never had this.

by Anonymousreply 78July 27, 2017 2:46 AM

Yes kids of all social classes get acne-- it's genetic

And yes, their parents are more likely to get them to a dermatologist ASAP to get it under control.

But under control is a lot different than "completely gone"

by Anonymousreply 79July 27, 2017 3:04 AM

Harsh scrubs and over-exfoliating disrupt the skin's protective acid mantle. This exacerbates acne. If you are using topical treatments like azelaic acid or Differin you shouldn't be scrubbing anyway.

My complexion improved dramatically with Dr. Hauschka skincare but it's probably not for everyone.

by Anonymousreply 80July 27, 2017 3:25 AM

When I had acne in the 70s, Merle Norman skin mask cleared it up. It was pretty dramatic too.

Fortunately I had my own bathroom and so I'd put it on, wait in my room for 20 minutes for it to harden and then wash it off.

I knew it was super girly but when it cleared my skin up in about a week, I didn't give AF

by Anonymousreply 81July 27, 2017 3:29 AM

R78 that is so gross. Did you clean the pus off the elevator mirror? What did the other elevator riders say?

by Anonymousreply 82July 27, 2017 4:36 AM

Today's kids have no hormones

by Anonymousreply 83July 27, 2017 4:44 AM

It never really was that bad for a long time. I had bad acne in the 70s and I was only one of a handful of teens that had any visible acne. Even back then it wasn't a thing, the whole "teen-acne" has always been overblown.

by Anonymousreply 84July 27, 2017 4:55 AM

R84 It's a huge thing !

by Anonymousreply 85July 27, 2017 6:16 AM

Instagram filters.

by Anonymousreply 86April 21, 2018 1:51 AM

the ones with severe acne may be staying at home?

My life changed in my 30s when I found something called Metro Gel; it cleared up acne that was just not going away.

I always think it might have helped save my life, having acne, I mean. I had no self esteem because of how I looked.

I wouldn't go out to bars or tr to date. Now, I'm too old. But...whatevs. I think we come back as other people. Maybe next time I'll be born blemish free

by Anonymousreply 87April 21, 2018 1:57 AM

" And what secret vaccines would those be? "

Columbian brown monkey gland vaccines, of course. Sure they're a critically endangered species. But what does that matter compared to fresh-as-a-Gerber-daisy skin?

by Anonymousreply 88April 21, 2018 2:00 AM

I've used tea tree oil face wash that works pretty well on mild break outs.

by Anonymousreply 89April 21, 2018 2:07 AM

R7 didn't want to admit his other secret weapon against acne.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 90April 21, 2018 2:08 AM

Their testosterone level is half what it was 20 years ago, OP.

by Anonymousreply 91April 21, 2018 2:10 AM

Acne is being bred out. Careful selection in the mating process means that future generations will have even prettier faces and even bigger penises.

by Anonymousreply 92April 21, 2018 2:10 AM

[quote] Kids with cystic acne are already depressed it's not the Accutane. Any parent who lets their kid go through school with acne now days is an abusive parent. Find a dermo who does the follow ups and lab work needed with Accutane and you'll be fine

The drug is $400 a month (at least), the dermatologist is probably $500 a month (or more) and lab work is probably $150 a month

by Anonymousreply 93April 21, 2018 2:25 AM

It’s still around. There’s a guy at my work with really bad acne and he’s 22.

by Anonymousreply 94April 21, 2018 2:49 AM

Pills is the answer. (isn't it always?)

I had a badly infected cut once. I remember the doctor who prescribed the anti-biotics said this stuff is pretty common. Lots of teens take it for acne.

by Anonymousreply 95April 21, 2018 2:52 AM

Better nutrition perhaps? I don’t know of anyone that sits a kid down with Capn Crunch or pop tarts anymore. Kids seem to have better palates than I was ever expected to have growing up.

Remember high school cafeteria had: coffee and soda machines, wonder bread sandwiches with processed cheese in it?

by Anonymousreply 96April 21, 2018 2:54 AM

R14 ProActiv is good, I never had to use it because I never had more than the odd pimple, but I had a HOT roommate in college that used it. The problem was that if he stopped using it for even 48 hours his face exploded in pimples. His shipment was a few days late one time and he had to go three days without any, and by the second day he went from HOT to Freddy Krueger overnight, it actually scared the shit out of me when I awoke in our darkened room and the only light was over the sink and he was staring at his face and crying. Also, he was straight, usually very stoic and masc, but he was very insecure about the acne, because he told me that he had tried everything because of the verbal abuse he suffered because of it and ProActiv was the only thing that worked. I had to keep his GF away from him until it cleared up, because he didn't want her to see him, luckily she was a germophobe and I told her we both had the flu, we didn't see her for at least a week.

by Anonymousreply 97April 21, 2018 2:55 AM

I never had cystic acne, but I would get the occasional single zit. I found the benzoil peroxide products helped, if applied early and gently massaged in. I learned too late that scrubbing the face made things worse, and we used ‘Ivory’ soap back then which I realize now just made my face more irritated. Kids today have so many other options.

by Anonymousreply 98April 21, 2018 3:34 AM

My 17yr old cousin comes from ones of the richest families in the country and his acne is really bad. I feel really bad for him. It will leave major scarring

by Anonymousreply 99April 21, 2018 4:27 AM

I went on Accutane and loved it, my skin looked fabulous for the first time since I was 10.

by Anonymousreply 100April 21, 2018 4:36 AM

I see plenty of awkward looking teens with acne in real life. They just don’t end up becoming Instagram/YouTube superstars.

by Anonymousreply 101April 21, 2018 4:48 AM

I was lucky to never really have it on my face, but I had it on my upper back all through my teen years and I was so self-conscious. I wonder if it's because I was on antidepressants. I used ProActiv, a prescription cream, and the usual Neutrogena grapefruit wash (salycic acid) and I don't think it really cleared up until I was 20.

Nutrition might be a factor. Aren't teens drinking less pop? (Sorry, I'm from Minnesota and I can't legally say "soda"). My mom is a nurse and one of her co-workers was convinced that teenagers just needed to replaced pop with water to clear up their skin.

by Anonymousreply 102April 21, 2018 5:33 AM

[R102] The "pop" thing made me laugh. I'm Minnesotan too and that one will never go away for me. As for me, I was also on Accutane in high school. I personally don't feel like I ever had bad acne, nothing close to the cystic stuff that other kids had and just random pimples here and there. But my mom still wanted me to go on it. The dermatologist I went to actually was one of the doctors/researchers involved in the whole process of creating Accutane so she was very knowledgable; I too did a longer term of low doses (I think maybe two years actually). I never suffered any of the more severe complications like depression or suicidal thoughts, but that shit dried me out horribly. My mouth was always dry and I always had to wipe dried spit off the corners of my mouth constantly. I had to drink water non-stop. And I remember the doctor saying to be wary of getting cut because the wound would take such a long time to heal. I still have a scar on my wrist from a cut that never healed properly due to Accutane. But my skin did really clear up very well. I will say that acne has no discrimination between classes. I went to an uppity private school and all the kids, rich and middle-class alike were riddled with it. For whatever reason my mom was nice enough to get me on Accutane. I do still feel quite lucky.

by Anonymousreply 103April 21, 2018 5:49 AM

R102 I actually agree with your idea that better diet has alleviated some of the more serious acne cases in youthful people today. I don't feel like I see to many younger people with noticeably bad skin and I do wonder if kids are drinking less pop and eating less fast food and just eating better generally. I grew up on that stuff and I know it exacerbated my skin issues. I feel like I rarely see kids going in and out of McDonalds, but I see the going in and out of Panera a lot.

by Anonymousreply 104April 21, 2018 5:53 AM

R24 I had a similar version of your life.

I had severe acne during the 70's. My acne got so bad that by age 17-18 people would stop to stare at me in pity. Of course no sex for me. My face is still scarred.

The doctor prescribed tetracycline and I had a huge jar in the cupboard with at least 100 pills in it one summer, and everytime I thought about how bad my face looked I took another tetracycline. So I made myself very ill and had to go off the antibiotics completely and that triggered the worst outbreak in my life. Yes I felt suicidal. Within a couple of years the hormones settled and life got better. However many dermabrasion treatments over the years have failed to completely clear the scarrring. But I am too old for that to make much difference now. Accutane would have been wonderful! The shitty comments about face-washing and greasy foods from cunts made life miserable.

by Anonymousreply 105April 21, 2018 8:25 AM

Retinoids and other, better and more efficacious medications, OP.

by Anonymousreply 106April 21, 2018 8:27 AM

Actually just the opposite is true. Read any article...adult acne is practically and epidemic now with women in their 20s and 30s (and even 40s). It was virtually unheard of a generation ago. And this is not the innocuous teenage T zone kind, but the severe cystic kind of acne. Who knows why... probably a combination of more stress, more toxins and hormones in our food , and more hormones in women's bodies In general ...considering girls are now starting to get their period at 8 or 9!

I know so many young women who had minimal skin problems as a teen who suddenly around 24 start to get these cystic breakouts and it scares the crap out of them. There are tonnes of articles you can read on the matter.

by Anonymousreply 107April 21, 2018 8:40 AM

My parents both had bad acne. I had acne. My kid has acne. It's still around and it's hereditary. BUT, the OTC stuff is better than it used to be--my kid uses some sort of spot treatment that works quickly--and, for girls, there's much better concealer. My kid doesn't look like a pizza face until the concealer comes off.

by Anonymousreply 108April 21, 2018 8:45 AM

R107 ok that's interesting to me because I have two good friends (one guy and one girl), both in their early 30s, who still to this day have really tough acne on their faces. It just wont clear up. The guy even has it on his neck and down to his back. My girlfriend's isn't so bad but it is noticeable without makeup and when she covers it with base it just kind of stands out more. I feel really bad for them. They do live together, they both smoke and drink heavily (partiers you could say), so I do wonder if their combined lifestyle has something to do with it. But it's weird to me they both have those issues. But I can say I have witnessed what you describe.

R105 that's terrible and feel really bad, especially because in my above comment I mentioned that maybe we don't see it as much today due to kids eating less crappy foods. I'm not sure if that actually has anything to do with it (although I will breakout if eat certain things still to this day). I'm glad you got through it though.

by Anonymousreply 109April 21, 2018 8:50 AM

R105, that's rough. But you've come through. Just possibly having that condition when you did, and the accompanying solitariness, saved your life.

There is so much research being done now on the microbiome, the bacterial colonies that live in the gut, and how it can affect so many bodily processes. I think it can affect the skin, along with other organs, and people take probiotics to help "balance" the internal population.

by Anonymousreply 110April 21, 2018 9:49 AM

The over-the-counter treatments available now are so much more effective than what we had back in the 70s, which was Clearasil in a lipstick-like tube that contained (smelly) sulfur, and was't very effective. I've had a couple of outbreaks in my adult life, and I've found Retin-A cream (ordered on-line from a Canadian pharmacy) to be really effective.

by Anonymousreply 111April 21, 2018 10:27 AM

I had a friend who had cystic acne and rosacea into his 40s. We were brainstorming while stoned once and I wondered if it could be something parasitic. He asked if there were any other meds he could try. "There is horse wormer," I said. He rubbed it on his face, and in 48 hrs looked much better. Since it's safe, I recommended he take a few doses of it internally. Within a month, his acne was cured for the first time since he was in his 20s. Now the med we experimented with is in clinical trials as a treatment for rosacea. We got our ivermectin at a farm supply for about $2.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 112April 22, 2018 12:19 AM

That's fascinating. Per wiki, ivermectin is used to eradicate Demodex mites, which can play a role in rosacea.

by Anonymousreply 113April 22, 2018 2:38 AM

R111, I remember lipstick Clearasil ! I think the sulphur -based meds today are better.

by Anonymousreply 114April 22, 2018 2:46 AM

[QUOTE] My 17yr old cousin comes from ones of the richest families in the country and his acne is really bad. I feel really bad for him.

That’s funny, I don’t.

by Anonymousreply 115April 22, 2018 4:03 AM

No, it doesn't

by Anonymousreply 116April 22, 2018 5:18 AM

I am amazed at the amount of momey and attention the youngest generation has spent on them for plastic surgery, dermatology, grooming, whatever. I t has nothing to do with better genes. It has to do with parents who want to perfect their offsrping. I wonder what psychological or emotional difference thsi will make in their lives. They may gain confidence but are they losing empathy for others and humility in the process.

by Anonymousreply 117April 22, 2018 5:45 AM

I had a lot of pimples in high school in the early 1980s. Extremely oily skin. I tried all kinds of soaps, creams, lotions, acne prescriptions and nothing really worked. All they did was irritate my face and make it worse. I had a Brainstorm and decided to change my diet. No more soda, orange juice, candy, sugars or any junk food. Plus I drank at least a gallon of water a day and ate plenty of iceberg lettuce with no salad dressing. My face cleared up so quickly my fellow students were literally amazed.

by Anonymousreply 118April 22, 2018 8:58 AM

Op hasnt been around many high schools kids lol

by Anonymousreply 119April 22, 2018 9:06 AM
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