Korean Job Discussion Forums

[amanley206253]

You know when I was, say, 17 or 18 and just exiting high school and dealing with acne, I always envisioned a time when I neared my mid-20s that I'd not have to worry about acne anymore. As if my body would have then found a way to manufacture the proper chemical balance or produce antibodies capable of lessening or eliminating the problems altogether.

But, here I am at 24 and still having the same problems. My acne is certainly not severe, but annoying enough for me to consider it to need some attention. I've had some luck using different treatments, although I've never visited a dermatologist. I did attempt Proactiv, but because it was so expensive and at the time I had little money, I can hardly say I gave it a legitimate and lengthy try.

Any suggestions? Any luck with certain products? I'm fully aware that an individual's skin is different and thus reacts differently, but some products have reputations of being generally better. And, I know nothing about products offered in Korea, whose people seemingly have absolutely no problems with acne. Gah, whenever I come to school or go to a coffee shop with anything resembling acne on my face, I get these worried looks as if I'm hurt or having some kind of medical problem. They don't seem to understand.

[Louis VI]

I had massive jawline acne as a teenager but it all went away with adulthood. Good luck to you! I hear diet plays a factor. You should google those words and find studies about the effect of food consumption on acne growth.

[oldtactics]

You might want to start with a topical gel like Clindamycin - if you go to a dermatologist, they'll be able to prescribe that or something similar, and you should definitely start with that! Derma visit will be around 10k and the medication will be around 20k, if I'm remembering correctly.

I went on Accutane last year and it changed my life. Most doctors in Korea prescribe much lower doses than in North America, and that cleared me up without giving me any side effects besides dry skin and hair. I took 20-30mg a day for 6 months. Check out the acne.org messageboards for more information. Keep in mind that Accutane is a serious drug and I recommend it as a last resort, but it did work for me.

Even doctors who don't speak much english will understand what you mean if you say 'acne'. Start with a dermatologist and see what they suggest

[Koveras]

Ideas:

1. The Wai Diet - as Fat Louis mentioned, poor diet is a cause of acne. This diet (which you can find online) emphasizes fruits, raw nuts, raw egg yolks, and raw fish. It's strict but it works. Eventually you can ease off and reintroduce other foods.

2. Wash your face with water only. I found that even mild cleansers were bad for my skin.

3. Treat spots with a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide cream.

edit: Based on extensive personal experience I advise against prescription drugs.

[Rothbard]

[Globutron]

From *my* personal experience, Doxycycline works a charm. Prescribed drug once a day. I stopped taking them in Korea because I never wanted to go docs and ask for them, and they've come right back. I was never on them the full time at all, but after a month the face was like a baby's arse consistently until I stopped using them.

[amanley206253]

Haha, the diet angle is obviously in good intention, but it assumes also that I have some type of weight or diet problem. My diet includes a regular mix of apples, oranges, grapefruits, muesli, fish, lots of water, milk, eggs, and tuna, and I exercise regularly and intensively. I say the following to detract from the direction the thread is leaning towards: I'm in quite excellent shape.

Which, too, I've often considered as either a source or supplement to the acne problem. Many times, and this could be a condition of overthinking and attributing unrelated activities into a singular cause, I feel as though sweating is a cause. I have always been a sweaty person, specifically when the season is about late Spring and well into Fall.

I've tried to recall if the acne problem has generally worsened in these months, and I can't say that it does. This doesn't help the sweat theory. But, I've sworn that, from the beginning of a work day where I tend to develop mild evidences of sweat on my face, until its end, I notice a subtle outbreak that occurs that either brings new spots of red or intensifies the ones already there.

And so I spend most of my thoughts on how to determine a solution in a practical way, before going through the list of prescriptions and cleansers to throw on my face, knowing that their use could very well be worsening the problem.

Hope this furthers the thread. I'm intrigued by the Accutane tip considering I had a friend in high school who used it and had success. I might visit a dermatologist in a few days here.

[NYC_Gal]

Lush makes a really nice mud soap. If you do change your diet and drink a lot of water, this may do it for you. Why not go to a dermatologist. Let her/him know that you'd prefer to try the non-medicated methods first, and, if all else fails, ask about medications. Diet + water + mud/clay should do wonders, though.

Your diet may include a lot of healthy things, but what about the rest? Eliminate anything (alcohol, being around smokers if possible, and excessively sugary fruit) that may be a trigger. You may even have to kick the muesli for a month or so. It's worth a try for a month, anyway.

[Louis VI]

[Globutron]

Food isn't directly related. Someone could have the most spot-free diet in the world and still flare up, but that chances are it's partly related.

[amanley206253]

[Rothbard]

[Dazed and Confused]

I had slight acne problems but didn't want daily antibiotics as I have too many nasty, nasty side effects with them. I had very good success with laser treatments. You can PM me for his number.

[amanley206253]

[Rothbard]