# Skin/Acne



## vinnycast7

Good Morning everyone,

I made my first post (below) on this forum in the wrong area so i've re-posted it here. I hope someone can help/has similar symptoms.

******

Hi everyone.

New here to the forum, I have been diagnosed for 5 odd years and have had a part of my small bowel removed.

Since then im on Pentasa which leads me to my problem...

I'm 27 and am well beyond my teenage ache years but in the last 6 months my face, upper arms and the top of my back have been getting lots of spots and ache appearing.

I use several skin cream products like Freederm and a face scrub to help but my face in particular is just covered and looks very patchy with red areas.

I get spots just come up randomly all the time and I don't know what to do?

I (sorry for the detail) have to pop them etc and as the days pass my face looks more like a pizza than a human face and it's really affecting my confidence at work and socially.

Has anyone got any advice as to how to address the problem? I was on steroids a few weeks back and my skin was fine (had to go on due to a relapse) but since coming off and im back to just pentasa its getting worse.

am i using the right products or can I do more?

thanks in advance guys appreciate any replies.

Thanks

Vinny

Extra Info:
Taking B12 injections every 4 months
On 8 Pentasa tablets a day.
Had 20-30cm of small bowel removed a few years ago


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## SarahAnne

So sorry Vinny, the pred really sucks! The only advice I can really give is drink lots of water. When the pred messed my skin up, the OTC products didn't do much except dry out my skin.

Good luck!


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## vinnycast7

Thanks for the advice Sarah, much appreciated


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## Mr Bedfordshire

check out www.acne.org and head for the 'regime' which many, including a friend of mine tried and it cleared up their skin.  it includes going through a strict regime morning and night, and you have to buy a couple of inexpensive products, but it seems quite popular.

defo agree on drinking plenty of water too.


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## vinnycast7

Thanks for the link, I will definitely check that out


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## antuan.o

Your bodey is made from 80% of water so you need it definetly.


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## glory_h

Mr Bedfordshire said:


> check out www.acne.org and head for the 'regime' which many, including a friend of mine tried and it cleared up their skin. QUOTE]
> 
> Be warned that products with Benzoyl Peroxide can bleach towels/pillowcases, etc. You might want to get some white towels and pillowcases if you do this.


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## steelerfan

Hi Vinny,

I was looking for someone that has my symptoms, it may be you.  I was on pred for a year and tapered off very slowly....apparently not slow enough.  My face, mostly forehead, is broken out so severely that I really can't handle it.  I was prescribed doxycycline and retin-a, a cream.  I am curious how things are with you now>


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## KWalker

I used Neutrogena oil free acne wash and it worked wonders on my acne!


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## steelerfan

For some reason I want to call you Kim lol...Kwalker...do you know what the underlying cause of your acne was? was it while you were ON prednisone or perhaps when you were getting OFF prednisone?


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## stevereds

Prednisone..gave me alot of  big pimples on face n upper baack..to this day over 20 years later I still have those pock marks on my face from the Pred. acne. However Pred really helped alot when I was first diagnozed with Crohn's.  you take the good with the bad


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## KWalker

Haha steelerfan, my name is Kyle and I am a guy lol. 

I started to get the acne when I was on methotrexate a long time ago, and then even after stopping it, it didn't go away.


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## vinnycast7

steelerfan said:


> Hi Vinny,
> 
> I was looking for someone that has my symptoms, it may be you.  I was on pred for a year and tapered off very slowly....apparently not slow enough.  My face, mostly forehead, is broken out so severely that I really can't handle it.  I was prescribed doxycycline and retin-a, a cream.  I am curious how things are with you now>


Hi Steelerfan

Glad you got in touch, especially if it means there may be people "like us" with similar symptoms.

I haven't received any skin drugs as such, all i do is drink plenty of water, use face cream (for sensitive, greasy skin) and also a face scrub at night before bed which basically drys my face over night.

Overall, my skin has slowly improved but still there are days where I just look awful. I'm moving onto new meds soon which hopefully will help....appointment with the specialists is in 2 weeks and I will mention the skin. 

I get for your insides to be looked after there may be sacrifices but not my confidence and for me, I dont want to look like a teenager with spots everywhere. Fingers crossed they address this!


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## DustyKat

I noticed that my daughter's skin, mainly face and could only really tell when she didn't have make up on, was always plagued with pimples. Not acne as such but she always seemed to have spots in the T area of her face. Granted she is only just 20 but never had issues when going through puberty. 

My first thought was her diet, was there something lacking because she is vegan but I have noticed just lately it is so much better. Without makeup her skin is clear except for maybe 1 or 2 tiny spots. The only thing that has changed is, since January she has cut almost all refined sugar out of her diet. 

Dusty. xxx


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## steelerfan

Now I'm confused...your daughter is 20? You look 20!!! Any how...I was going to ask if any pred is involved...but I am also confused because you say you can only notice when she does not have make up on..but then you said her skin is clear without make up?  Did I misconstrue something?


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## DustyKat

Sorry...

The avatar is my daughter, Sarah. 

She has never been on Pred. Before she eliminated sugar from her diet she had issues with her skin but it is almost clear now that she has eliminated sugar. 

Dusty. xxx


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## steelerfan

Ahhh ok...thank you for clarification about the sugar.


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## KWalker

Umm... Sugar, or food at all does NOT cause acne.  That is a huge myth.  The only way food would ever cause acne is if you were to say eat a plate of bacon and rub it on your face.


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## SomethingIsMissing

You would think I was nuts if I wrote what I use (especially since it is not chemical). Seriously, people often seem to dislike natural.
But it works a treat for many..;o


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## DustyKat

KWalker said:


> Umm... Sugar, or food at all does NOT cause acne.  That is a huge myth.  The only way food would ever cause acne is if you were to say eat a plate of bacon and rub it on your face.


I'm not saying it does, it's merely an observation. Perhaps it is just a reflection of her overall health since eliminating refined sugar from her diet. 

Dusty.


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## KWalker

Yeah, that's what it would be.   The reason people say they get acne from greasy foods/sugar is because while eating those foods touch the skin and as a result it gets in the pours causing acne.   Some people do however have different reactions to different foods which can cause acne, but it wouldn't be that specific food causing the damage. You would already have those genetics in you.


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## ComaGirl

I just started Entocort, but my Crohn's started acting up a couple of years ago, even though I hadn't been diagnosed until this past January. Long story.

When CD reared its ugly head, so did whiteheads and blackheads. I struggled with out of this world acne. Never experienced anything like that before in my teen years (I'm a few years past that now.....)

Benzoyl Peroxide works for me. Yes, it does bleach your towels. No one told me that before. So do be prepared. Haven't noticed anything on pillow cases. Use some good moisturizer afterward - whether you are a man or a woman. Take care of your skin. I'm hoping that once my Crohn's gets more under control, that the acne will vanish away for good. Right now, it is just managed well by the BP.


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## optimusmog

Acne sucks. I'm old enough to raise a teenager and I have to deal with my own acne, but fortunately my mom is a dermatologist so I have my own skin clinic at my disposal.

Here is my advice:

Give products 6 weeks to work. I dislike waiting intensely, but my mom used to say this all the time. You'll know in 2 weeks if something is going to break you out, but you might not know for 6 weeks if something is REALLY working.

Make sure any moisturizer you use is non-comedogenic/non-acnegenic and doesn't have something weird like mineral oil in it.

Use a scrub SPARINGLY - you could be over-irritating your skin and making the problem worse.

If you feel like you have to pop them, pop them, but use Q-tips to "press" out the... this is getting graphic. You get the picture. Don't pop them with your fingers. It's safer to treat them with benzoyl peroxide and NOT pop them, but I'm sure you know that, and if that was easy we would all do it and walk around with giant, benzoyl peroxide-slathered bumps. Ugh.

Good luck!


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## snydercharles425

This site is so amazing.


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## AlisaCorw

Hi, Have you tried vitamin D3 and checking on food allergies? I had a similar problem and most of that was caused by dairy - which I was eating most just before and during the period. Anyway I still had some breakouts but way smaller and less painful so I was looking for more remedies etc. I came across some curology reviews - I wasn't convinced at the beginning but I decided to give it a shot and I'm satisfied because it's working. I use it since summer 2016. Check yourself on food allergies and maybe try salicylic acid or just simply go to the doctor and get diagnosed.


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## Mballerina

Hi Vinnie,

Best thing I did was go to a dermatologist. There is really very little I can do for my face once my intestines go haywire. I found that I struggle between overdrying my face and then it getting oily. Get a cleanser that is dermatological with a 5.5 ph and then see a doctor to get you topical antibacterial ointment, it will work wonders. It's the only way I have been able to get a handle on this.

Hope that helps.


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