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Recently started college--more acne

post #1 of 17
9/12/07 at 7:26pm
Thread Starter 
I started college about three weeks ago and I can't help noticing that I'm breaking out a lot more. I'm on a couple prescriptions from my dermatologist, and they help quite a bit. I'm pretty much clear besides the occasional zit and the red marks left from previous acne, but now I'm breaking out quite a bit lately.

Might this just be the stress/nervousness of school? Or maybe because I'm eating dorm food now? I'm also drinking a lot more coffee and my sleep schedule is much more irregular (sometimes I'll go to bed really early, other nights I hardly sleep at all).

Any ideas? I'm 19, I thought acne was supposed to be gone by now...
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post #2 of 17
9/12/07 at 7:34pm
It could be all the things you described. My skin was always clearer after 2 weeks at home than it was at school, probably because of my sleep schedule and stress. If you don't think you can fix the variables you metioned, see your dermatologist again and see if he want to change your treatment.
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post #3 of 17
9/12/07 at 7:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperblastxan1 View Post
Might this just be the stress/nervousness of school? Or maybe because I'm eating dorm food now? I'm also drinking a lot more coffee and my sleep schedule is much more irregular (sometimes I'll go to bed really early, other nights I hardly sleep at all).

Hard to pinpoint one cause, all of these could be contributing factors. Has your personal habits changed? Like how much you shower, wash your face (products you use), exercise, etc... They could all play are part as well.
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post #4 of 17
9/12/07 at 7:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperblastxan1 View Post
I started college about three weeks ago and I can't help noticing that I'm breaking out a lot more. I'm on a couple prescriptions from my dermatologist, and they help quite a bit. I'm pretty much clear besides the occasional zit and the red marks left from previous acne, but now I'm breaking out quite a bit lately.

Might this just be the stress/nervousness of school? Or maybe because I'm eating dorm food now? I'm also drinking a lot more coffee and my sleep schedule is much more irregular (sometimes I'll go to bed really early, other nights I hardly sleep at all).

Any ideas? I'm 19, I thought acne was supposed to be gone by now...

totally unscientific, but i think stress is a factor.

make sure you are drinking enough water.

take care of your face religiously - i recomend dermalogica products.
scrub, cleanse, tone, moisturise (in the morning, and once more in the evening - but omit scrub)

weather and pollution also probably plays a role
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post #5 of 17
9/12/07 at 7:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sloaney View Post
totally unscientific, but i think stress is a factor.

make sure you are drinking enough water.

take care of your face religiously - i recomend dermalogica products.
scrub, cleanse, tone, moisturise (in the morning, and once more in the evening - but omit scrub)

weather and pollution also probably plays a role

Hm...good advice everyone, thanks.

Right now, here's my regimen:

Morning
--Wash with Sharp's Face Foaming Cleanser
--(every other day) Exfoliate with Sharp's Face Foaming Scrub
--Take 1 Pill of Anti-Bacterial stuff (no idea what the RX is)
--Use Duac (cream for killing bacterial acne)

Night
--Put on Tazorac (Retanoid for making skin regenerate faster)
--Take 2 Pills of Anti-bacterial stuff

I guess these could all be factors:

1. Less sleep
2. Eating worse
3. Drinking more coffee than usual
4. Exercising less
5. More stress
6. Less water
7. Alcohol (on Fridays and Saturdays)

Hm. I'm definitely not taking alcohol out of the mix, but I can probably working on getting coffee out of my diet, exercising a bit more, drinking more water, and getting a bit more sleep. It's pretty tough to control stress though.

Again, thanks for the opinions guys.
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post #6 of 17
9/12/07 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperblastxan1 View Post
Any ideas? I'm 19, I thought acne was supposed to be gone by now...

It clears up with age but can continue through your 20s, maybe 30s.

I'd drop the face scrub, my dermatoligist frowns on scrubs since they're too irritating (and the scrub particles can clog your pores).

Are you taking multivitamins? If so, stop.
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post #7 of 17
9/13/07 at 12:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by greg_atlanta View Post
Are you taking multivitamins? If so, stop.
Really!? Why?
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post #8 of 17
9/13/07 at 12:17pm
assuming you take a shower in the morning, you should only wash your face once per day, at night.

stop drinking caffeine.

drink a lot of water. your urine should be almost clear with just a tinge of yellow, and darker than that means you are dehydrated.

exercise.

if you aren't getting laid, start. i'm surprised few people talk about this, but having sex on a regular basis can drastically reduce acne.
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post #9 of 17
9/13/07 at 4:34pm
Having acne can drastically reduce chance of having sex.
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post #10 of 17
9/13/07 at 10:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by matadorpoeta View Post
assuming you take a shower in the morning, you should only wash your face once per day, at night.

stop drinking caffeine.

drink a lot of water. your urine should be almost clear with just a tinge of yellow, and darker than that means you are dehydrated.

exercise.

if you aren't getting laid, start. i'm surprised few people talk about this, but having sex on a regular basis can drastically reduce acne.

Then wacking it does the same exact thing. You could just encourage him to jack off more :P

Anyways, I'd say that coffee is and stress are the two biggies. See how your face looks during Christmas break or something and compare.
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post #11 of 17
9/13/07 at 11:09pm
Coffee and alcohol are loaded with sugar man. Once I cut all the excess sugar out of my diet I never really had acne problems again. I've had comepletely clear skin for a few years now. However, I occasionally will get pimples if I slip up on my sugar intake. Say if I get ice cream a few times in a week or if a restaurant accidentally gives me Coke instead of Diet Coke.
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post #12 of 17
9/14/07 at 1:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by greatfire View Post
Really!? Why?


Most multivitamins have potassium iodide, and that irritates acne and makes it redder and more inflamed. Something my dermatologist discovered with his patients. Worked for me!
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post #13 of 17
9/14/07 at 1:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by matadorpoeta View Post
drink a lot of water. your urine should be almost clear with just a tinge of yellow, and darker than that means you are dehydrated.


darker urine is not just dehydration, it also occurs after exercise, esp. weightlifting (lactic acid buildup)
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post #14 of 17
9/14/07 at 10:01am
Things that worked for me: I stopped putting all sorts of weird supposedly-acne-reducing chemicals on my face. I washed my face 3 times a day: First thing morning, afternoon, last thing night. No more, no less. I used regular soap. Dial antibacterial works best for me. I drank water and exercised religiously. This is probably the most important: I fixed my omega-6 : omega-3 ratio. I ate fish every day and rid my diet of crap foods. I take that back; this is probably the most important: I stopped touching my face. If you touch or play with your face, all the dirt and oil from your hands gets mixed up in your pores and it has to come out. After that, my acne disappeared almost overnight. May or may not work for you.
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post #15 of 17
9/15/07 at 1:05am
Wash your sheets and pillowcases. Don't let your filth marinate on them for too long.
And by filth, I mean the sweat, dirt, day to day stuff, not your face itself.
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