hi i am a 30 year old man and have suffered from spots since around 12. i still get them now and they are sometimes very itchy and they have left me with scaring and also my pores are very wide and open. i have gotten to the stage where i rarely leave the house due to low self asteem and also lack of confidence and now suffer from depression through this. i cant even look at people if i do go out and now feel like i will be living my life indoors as i am to scared to face people through this. is there anything i can get on nhs to help me with clearing this problem as it really gets me down and sometimes feel i wish i was dead as i feel so uncomfortable around people.

I am now 24 and can't get rid of my spots and blackheads that are all over my face. I've heard that having a microdermabrassion and colonic irragnation can help so really want them done, but don't know where the best place is to get them done?

I have suffered from acne on my face and back since coming off the contraceptive pill 5 months ago.My face is dry and dehydrated on times and oily at other times. I have always had clear skin prior to the pill and am concerned that there seems no sign of it getting better. I am getting married next year, and my worst nightmare would be to have a face full of spots on my wedding photos. Can anyone offer me some advice please?

Hi.. I am 23 years old.. I suffered with acne on my face and back from the age of 12 onwards i have tried every lotion and potion available and nothing has ever worked. Then i got to about 18 and they started clearing up.. Yaay!! Then about a year ago they got very bad again, so eventually the doc agreed and put me on antibiotics.. I have been on them for about 4months now and just when you think they are starting to work. BAM your face is like a pizza once again and not only that i have got them on my chest now aswell… I give up.. I have had blood tests done, when they came back one was out of range.. It was the one that tested my kidneys.. Is there underlying conditions to acne? I was told by a friend that issues with the kidneys or liver can bring out acne too? xx

I am a 20 year old female, i suffer according to my doctor with mild acne i get spots on a regular basis in my t-zone. They are not particularly red but large and they appear frequently. My self-esteem has dropped rapidly, ive seen my doctor on vast occassions they prescribed me with all sorts of lotions, tablets and cream none of which have worked as my spots still appear. Ive tried so many different skin products and nothing has made much difference. Im starting to get very depressed as i hide away or cover my face in makeup, i just want to know what i can do. HELP!!!!

hey anyone out there – just a bit of advice from a beauty therapist.
do not over cleanse your skin! by this i mean be careful of using harsh products which strip your skin of natural oils this creates a chain reaction of putting your sebaceous glands (oil producers) into over drive.
do not touch your face unecessarily, this is a hard one because we all do it subconciously.
skin which is prone to acne 1: produces skin cells at an accelorated rate – leading to a dull appearance, congestion and blackhead. 2: produces sebum at an increased rate to combat dehydration – drink as much water as you can stand. dont drink too much water at once as this is dangerous. 3: there can be an overproduction of bacteria on/in the skin – this is not due to being dirty, its genetic and anti-biotics are prescribed for this, not because you're dirty.
solutions –
1:book a course of facials! seems like i'm selling something but this really does help. you will fully cleanse the skin and fully hydrate the skin and have extractions performed hygienically.
2:exfoliate with a VERY gentle exfoliant daily – there is a great product by a company called dermalogica for this.
3:moisturise! use the best one you can afford, oil free formulations only. some reduce surface oil on the skin also.
4:dont give up on cleansing your skin properly because you feel it wont work. it will. morning and night.
5:sun – dont go insane with this, if you are on medication for acne you need to protect your skin more, but the sun is a natural healer. always wear an SPF – even if you're a person of colour.
dont give up. also, look at your diet, your body may process some toxins through your skin. this doesnt mean chocolate and chips will give you spots, it means YOU personally might not agree with a particular nut, fruit or whatever.
above all treat your skin gently, dont scrub at it, keep it hydrated internally and externally (oil free products), look out for NON-COMODONOGENIC make-up to avoid blocking your pores.
hope this helps someone,xx

Hi, i am 20 years old female who has suffered since about the age of 11 i have been on everything avaliable from roaccutane and then later rebranded isotretinoin, skin creams, antibiotics, depro contraceptive injection, N light treatment etc etc! and nothing has worked long term, it has gone for max a couple of weeks at a time then comes back twice as worse. i have not left the house with out foundation on my face since about the age of 13. Please help! i would love the confidence to leave the house with out having to cover up my skin!

I'm female, married and nearly 33. I have suffered painful and unsightly acne since puberty. I was prescribed many different antibiotics as a teenager and none were effective they just seemed to mess up my immune system. Good news was when I went on the pill at 17 my acne pretty much disappeared. Since then I have come off the pill a few times and within 6 weeks my acne returns and when I don't feel depressed and down about the pain and the fact my face, back, head and chest are red and lumpy I get feelings of rage inside me and my reaction to most annoying little situations is anger – I feel like my blood is boiling inside and I want to hurt people! I am a trainee counsellor and have weekly therapy so I don't consider this to be psychological. The problem now is my husband and I want to start a family, I have just gone back on the pill (I'm on cilest) because after three months I could not stand the painful acne and raging feeling inside me (it doesn't bode well for a good sex life or my career!). My GP's have not been very helpful. Can you suggest anything other than stay on the pill and adopt!? – Many thanks :o)

Hi, am a 31 year old male. I have suffered for acne for the past two and a half years ( on my chin and around my mouth). I have seen my gp on several occassions and was referred to a dermatologist. I was perscibed antibiotics,doxycycline, trimethoprim, tetracycline and minocycline which had no effect at all. My face is extremely sore, red and throbbing. I dont know what to do, this is getting me down and is effecting my self esteem. Some days I cant face speaking to anyone. Please can you give some advice on how to clear this up or even just to take away the pain.

Hi, im a 19yr old male and ive been suffering from mild acne for the past two years. I normally get acne along my jaw and around my neck and shoulders. During the summer my acne went completely due to all the time i spent outside in the sun, but as the winter months pull in its slowly getting worse. At the moment im using this benzyol peroxide cream which was great at first but now it jus makes my skin red and sore without any affect on my acne. I also exercie alot and drink lots of water, wash my face twice daily with hot water. I dont know what to do anymore, and tbh it is really getting me down and making me angry. Sometimes i dont even go out because of it. I would really appreciate a miracle cure or something. Please could you help. Thank you.