My skin and I have never gotten along. It's always breaking out in pimples, plotting the next annoying black head, or deciding that I need a new stretch mark.

You name it, I've probably been there. I've dealt with bacne, chest acne, face acne, and more. Luckily, I've never had much trouble with my face (I only get a pimple here and there), but the chest and back acne are continuous struggles that I can sometimes get under control, and sometimes can't, especially when my body is particularly hormonal during that one special week of the month.

Point is, what's your skin story and have you been able to fix your problems? What's worked and what hasn't worked for you?

I've personally had a lot of success with Neutrogena acne products. They took my back from constant cystic acne to an occasional annoying pimple or two, but my chest never has responded as well. I've never tried Proactive or any of the other higher end acne products, but do have a strong benzoyl peroxide spot treatment from my dermatologist that has worked wonders.

I used to get spots on my chest and back, all the damn time. All my life I've had clothes that if I was lucky I could wear once a year because the temperature/my skin both allowed it. Because you only need one spot on your chest to rule out anything you possess with a neckline that exposes it. I've spent so long looking for tops with a higher neckline that were attractive, I mean I could wear nothing by t-shirts, but I don't wear t-shirts, because I don't like them. : /

This was definitely caused by hormones for me, going on the pill was what sorted it out. Which probably isn't what you wanted to hear, I know. I don't have the issue now, thank god, but only because the doctor took me off the pill in 2011 because I was using it by then mainly for regularity and to control my skin, and he didn't like me taking needless hormones "at my age" (bloody horrible to have got to the age where that becomes relevant ) After some messing around with them finally getting going again, being really irregular and then sorting themselves out, my period's have stopped. I've not had one for nearly a year now, and have had a lot less skin eruptions too.

I still get spots, my chin is a weak area and where I'm most likely to get them, but I can go for weeks without any. Getting them on my chest is a rarity now, and on my back even less likely. My mum nags me about going to the doctor because my periods have stopped, I'm like, "what the hell for?" Suits me to not have any of that palaver any more! It's awesome!

I used to use a Neutrogena moisturiser that was good, but I can't remember the name, and only ever found it in the shops the once. So yeah, I'm being super unhelpful there! Though I believe a lot of these strong acne treatments make things worse. Simply by making you reliant on them. Stop using them and your skin gets 10 times worse, and all that, because the treatment messes with your skin's natural balance and things end up being a nasty mess as your skin tries to get back to normal once you stop using them. : /

Ach, I've considered going on birth control for acne before, but I'm the kind of person who wants to put as little unnatural hormones or medicines into her body as possible. That and I've met numerous people who had bc either cause or make worse acne so I'm a little worried which it would do for me.

I know what you mean about having like one day per year that you can wear shirts that show off your chest. I gave up on it, though, and people can just deal if my skin is breaking out. I've had so many skin problems my whole life, though, that if I were to continuously cover up every problem I have I would be walking around in long pants and long sleeved shirts every day of the year.

My chin is also pretty much the only place on my face that has ever been prone to breaking out. Some people get black heads on their nose, but for me it's my chin. I constantly have to keep it clean and try not to touch it so that it doesn't break out with a few tiny pimples.

I agree on the crazy acne treatments. I've heard many times that people who go off of proactive or anything like it end up with skin that is 10 times worse than it was to begin with.

I don't blame you for not wanting to start periods again. They say there is no medical reason to have to have them anyway. My skin is always almost perfectly clear two weeks before a period, but the period makes my skin erupt like a volcano and I spend the next three weeks healing it so that I can have that one clear skin week per month. Drives me nuts. I imagine if I didn't have them my skin would be a much happier being.

I used to have a lot of acne issues in high school, very similar to your issues Elysium, only my face got it pretty bad too. I tried different acne items from the store and none really seemed to work; my doctor ended up prescribing me some stuff which seemed to help reduce how bad it was. In the end, it cleared up on its own towards my senior year in high school when my hormones started finally balancing out. I'm on bc now and have not noticed it affecting my skin directly, I get dry eyes, but I can't say that's it has caused me to break out.

I guess my only realy 'skin issue' now would be that it's decided to get super sensitive on me. I used to do whatever I wanted (cleaning, makeup, playing-wise) before and never have to worry about anything happening, though that changed a few years ago. For some reason my skin has decided to become sensitive to soaps and some chemical products. I think it stems from when I worked at a pizza place and the clearner they used broke my hands out in itchy blistery bumps, dried my skin out and actyually started cracking and peeling. It was the most agonizing thing I've gone through (waking up in the middle of the night crying because your hands itch and you can't itch them isn't fun), I would never wish that on my worst enemy and I went through that twice. For that, I was given a low does of oral steroids and an ointment to put on.

Last year or the year before that, my little brother gave me this cute little soap thing for Christmas. It had a stuffed teddy bear holding shower gel, lotion, and body spray; I'm a sucker for those little gift sets. After going through the shower gel I had in the shower, I started using the stuff my brother got me. Slowly, my arms and legs started getting those little itchy bumps. I stopped use immediately and threw all of the stuff from that gift set away. That one faded on its own luckily.

After that, things were clear until last month when I went to a convention. My sister had gotten me a shower gel/lotion gift set for Christmas last year and having been something from Victoria's Secret (Pink actually), I thought I would have been safe. Nope. Itchy bumps started showing on my forearm the second day so I stopped use of all the soaps that I didn't usually use but I guess it was already in my system (was a scrub, not really shower gel). By the end of the weekend, my right arm had two big patches of these itchy blisters with a small one starting on my wrist, my left arm had small random patches and my face had a couple spots that were bright red because those spots had swelled up and dried out. I went to the doctor a few days later because it was just getting worse and was given a steroid shot to keep what was going on on my face from becoming a skin infection, and then was prescribed two oral steroids to take for over ten days.

I have extremely sensitive skin. Apparently it's a side effect of being a natural red head >.<

Not only do I still get breakouts at age 24...but I also developed a lot of skin allergies as well and had hives on my body constantly for almost 2 years D: Luckily I have the hives under control now. I just get them occasionally now and it's not covering my hands, arms, feet, and ankles like they used to.

I wish I could get the acne under control though >.< It's not like it's terrible - but I always have a few pimples on my somewhere which just annoys me >.<

I've suffered from sensitive skin my whole life, too. I don't break out in hives or anything like you guys described, but I have had psoriasis since around age 7. Perfumes and soaps that are full of unnatural chemical ingredients make me break out in pimples on my chest and aggravate the psoriasis.

I've always had to immediately throw away or donate/regift those soap sets and body wash sets that people give at Christmas for that reason.

I've suffered acne on my face, chest, and back since I was a teenager.

Though since I started using products without harsh chemicals in it, my skin has cleared up like nobody's business. There's still the occasional zit here and there on my face, but I can live with that. I still have problems with my chest and back, but I took some antibiotics for that not too long ago, and it's done wonders since. :3

The worst thing I ever did with my skin, however, was this thing called Accutane when I was in high school. Because of government regulations, I had to take it and birth control at the same time, and that did not work well at all. My face practically peeled off, I still had acne afterwards, and my womanly functions are still completely fucked up because of it. Not to mention, it was expensive as all hell because I had to do blood tests every month for it.

I've been really lucky in life to be born with good skin. I havent had terribly acne problems (though dont get me wrong I get the nasty pimple here or there haha). I was just discussing this with my BF the other day, and we both feel like if our child was born with seriously acne issues, we would have to do everything in our power to get them in to every doctor, and trying every drug. No one deserves to live that way, its just so unfair :/

When I was younger, like in junior high and highschool, my acne on my face was horrible. I never got acne on my back or chest, but it seemed to really like my face for some reason and pimples would pop up in the most awful spot, in the middle of my forehead. I have no idea why that would happen but my peers would pick on me and call me a eastern princess or something because of the pimples that would appear in the middle of my forehead; it really lowered my self esteem. I started using acne products and tried using Neutrogena, but it never helped. Then I switched to Clean & Clear and got like the high-powered wash and the spot treatment and that really seemed to work, but it would really dry out my skin. I haven't tried anything else and now since I'm an adult, my acne does not break out as much (though right now I have a bad pimple on the crease of my nose and it hurts...). I barely get acne now, and if I do, it is blackheads. >:
I hate blackheads! They are so darn hard to pop or to get rid of!

I've been trying antibiotics the last few months. They are helping somewhat, but I will stop them after a month or so more. It's not good to take them constantly.

I also get the occasional pimple on my face, waytodawn. It's always on my chin, and it drives me nuts because they're angry and re when I do get them.

I've had moderate but constant acne since I went through puberty. >_< I always have pimples on my forehead, chin, and around my nose, and blackheads on my nose and chin. My face has always tended towards being greasy, but in the past year or so, it's also gotten kinda dry and flaky. It used to be that when I picked a zip it just turned into a normal scab, but now they turn into weird, dry, flaky scabs. I can't stand having crusty, flaky bits all over my face, so I pick at them a lot, which just makes it worse.

Part of the problem for me is just that I don't have a regular skin care routine. I keep trying to build up a routine, and sometimes I can keep it up for a few weeks, but it never sticks. I've tried a number of different soaps and washes and what-all, but I never stick with anything long enough to see results. I did try a Neutrogena soap for a couple weeks, but it didn't seem to have any effect on my face. After that, I got really into the idea of homemade remedies, but again, I never tired any one thing long enough to get results one way or the other. My favorite home method I encountered was using honey—it felt really nice to rub on my face, it rinses off easily, and made my skin feel great. Even if it's not an effective acne treatment, I'd like to do honey masks regularly just because they felt nice.

I think I may also have some hormonal imbalance problems. I remember reading once that chronic caffeine consumption can contribute to or aggravate hormonal problems—I'm not sure if that's true but it stuck in my head. I was a total coffee addict during college, so I've cut back on my coffee and caffeine consumption. I'm also toying with the idea of giving up wheat/gluten for a while, to see what kind of effect that has on my health. I need to do more research into that first though (and probably talk to a doctor.)

Originally Posted by Exaggerated Rebellion

The worst thing I ever did with my skin, however, was this thing called Accutane when I was in high school. Because of government regulations, I had to take it and birth control at the same time, and that did not work well at all. My face practically peeled off, I still had acne afterwards, and my womanly functions are still completely fucked up because of it. Not to mention, it was expensive as all hell because I had to do blood tests every month for it.

What kind of government regulations were those?

Chexala: Accutane causes absolutely horrific birth defects so if you are a woman and are going to take it it is illegal to do so without taking birth control at the same time.

A lot of my acne issues come from not wanting to stick with one program long enough to see results as well. Some of them takes months and I'm sorry, but that's too long.

I have been sticking with an antibiotic cream from my doctor for awhile now, though, and it has really cleared up my chest.

Oh wow, that is intense. Accutane sounds like some gnarly stuff, and not something I would want to put on my face. Do you have to take a particular kind of birth control? I just ask because most birth control options are hormonal and there are often contraindications with that, but maybe it wouldn't be as bad if you had non-hormonal birth control?

In any case, I think I'll stick with things honey, witch hazel, and baking soda.

Yeah, Accutane is a last resort kinda thing. My acne isn't bad enough to warrant it, but I've known people who had to take it and their acne was downright disgusting. I mean that in the kindest way possible. If your acne is bad enough to require Accutane, the side effects might just be worth it.

Natural treatments are always the best route if they work, in my opinion.