Exciting brand-new treatments for really severe acne?

Anonymous — Mon, 08 May 2006 03:04:07 -0800

Tell me about brand-new, even experimental, promising treatments for severe acne. My dermatologist is a really nice, very trustworthy older gentleman. He says there's nothing more that can be done for my acne, but I don't want to accept "Here, have this therapist's phone number and learn to live with it."

I have severe acne on my face, jawline, neck (front, back, and sides), shoulders, back (down to waist), chest, breasts, and in my groin. I've been this way for about 10 years and it keeps spreading and getting worse (and the scars are another thread entirely). Obviously, it impacts my life a ton. Living with it is not something I really want to do.

Although the dermatologist is very nice and I like him a lot, I'm afraid that he has been more concerned with keeping up with research in other areas (e.g. skin cancer) and may not know about new acne treatments. It makes sense, as acne isn't lifethreatening, but I really don't want to give up now.

For my next appointment, I'd love to go in with a list of some treatments I've checked out and would like to discuss with him.

Things I have tried, just so nobody tries to recommend them:
Retin-A; no effect
all max strength strains of oral antibiotics approved for acne; only side effects
prescription-level strengths of benzoyl peroxide (topical); some improvement/lightening, this is all I'm on now
all lines of OTC treatment available in the US; no effect
Proactiv; no effect
tea tree oil; no effect
acne.org regimen; basically what I'm on now
other bizarre regimens, memorably one involving ice cubes; no effect

Things I can't try, no really, even if it worked for you:
Accutane
Birth control

What I'm doing now:
Non-soap cleanser (Purpose) morning and night
Benzaclin (1% clindamycin + 5% benzoyl peroxide) night
Zoderm (8.5% benzoyl peroxide + urea) night
Retin-A (0.1% retinoic acid) 3x a week
Cetaphil (moisturizer) as needed -- in practice, hardly ever

Other conditions:
Everything I use is nonacnegenic/noncomedogenic
My acne is genetic, not affected by my diet
Change pillowcases/sheets/washcloths/towels daily
Nothing (e.g. phones, hands, etc.) touches my face

My skin doesn't even notice most treatments. I've given them all a fair try, 6 months minimum, so I could see any effects -- but my skin doesn't budge. It never even dries out (and I'm not overwashing). The benzoyl peroxide I'm using now has a slight lightening/bleaching effect, which is why I'm still on it (that and I don't want to feel like I'm doing nothing).

Partly I'm looking for info on stuff like maybe light therapy or laser therapy. But I'm really not sure about any other options. I would even be willing to participate in clinical trials for new meds. I'll do anything as long as the results seem promising. (And if you cite PubMed, please summarize...I don't have access.)

This question is anonymous because I really don't want to have you look at my username and think "zits on her tits" from now on. Thank you!

Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with acnetreatments

Exciting brand-new treatments for really severe acne?