How big of a turn off is acne?

[nukl92]

im 19. ive always had horrible acne problems. tried everything known to man and a few years ago started taking some aggressive pills. i had acne on face, neck, back, shoulders, and chest. the pills helped alot, but didnt get rid of everything. my back shoulders, and chest really have hardly any acne anymore, but whats left is horrible bubbly scarring. and for the face ive pretty much gotten it down to a minimum, but still some, and red scarring left over. i get complimented on my teeth alot, they were a wreck too, but thank god for full proof braces that dont just "help" and i dont think im ugly looking, i just dont know how much my acne renders my attractiveness. whats ur opinion on it? do u think that when u see a guy with acne that he just lacks hygiene? or that it is just plain unattractive? keep in mind im 19 and around girls of my same age at college, how does that age feel about it?

[deeblondie82]

No its not ugly but honestly its hard to not see that and not be attractive to someone...Sounds like you got a great personality which is great...and got the acne under control I think you need to just get some scar cream I believe they have it at a drug store that might help or go to a skin specialist something that will help..

[lahnnabell]

It's tough when you've got a condition that can't really be helped. I've got light keratosis "chicken skin" on my upper arms and while it's fairly common I hate the way it looks. It gets red and blotchy when my body temperature rises and feels scaly to my touch. I know it's worse in my mind, but I still take steps to improve the condition by exfoliating and moisturizing.

Have you talked to your dermatologist? Is there anything out there that will help reduce the scarring?

I will be honest with you, most college girls are probably going to assess your looks very quickly because a lot of girls at 19 aren't going to be the deepest human beings. I've seen plenty of guys and girls with acne and I've had plenty of friends that had genetic acne problems. You need to connect with someone on a level that is deeper than just physical attraction since you're not confident in how you look.

Do you take care of your skin in other ways besides the medicine? Do you have a special type of cleanser that you use?

[nukl92]

No its not ugly but honestly its hard to not see that and not be attractive to someone...Sounds like you got a great personality which is great...and got the acne under control I think you need to just get some scar cream I believe they have it at a drug store that might help or go to a skin specialist something that will help..

thank you,my dermatologist said that only a laser scar removal procedure would work, which is cosmetic surgery, which is not covered by insurance, which means pretty expensive

It's tough when you've got a condition that can't really be helped. I've got light keratosis "chicken skin" on my upper arms and while it's fairly common I hate the way it looks. It gets red and blotchy when my body temperature rises and feels scaly to my touch. I know it's worse in my mind, but I still take steps to improve the condition by exfoliating and moisturizing.

Have you talked to your dermatologist? Is there anything out there that will help reduce the scarring?

I will be honest with you, most college girls are probably going to assess your looks very quickly because a lot of girls at 19 aren't going to be the deepest human beings. I've seen plenty of guys and girls with acne and I've had plenty of friends that had genetic acne problems. You need to connect with someone on a level that is deeper than just physical attraction since you're not confident in how you look.

Do you take care of your skin in other ways besides the medicine? Do you have a special type of cleanser that you use?

i take as best care as i can with my skin. i had used dermatologist prescribed soaps but now just use regular soaps that do the same thing. i wash my face twice a day and also use two acne creams a day. my acne is a long drawn out war that i can never defeat and dont see the end anywhere near

i also have always had pretty bad dandruff too. and have a skin condition where my skin peels alot. its only in the nose area, he said the dandruff and the skin condition were the same thing. he prescribed me a shampoo that helped my dandruff and was also be able to be used on my peeling nose, and for once, i won a battle with my skin because it cut down my acne and i have no peeling now

[lahnnabell]

You've had a rough time with it. I'm obsessed with keeping my skin clear, and I've been relatively blessed with good skin. Sephora sells this brand Philosophy. They make a really great gentle cleanser if you ever want to try something besides regular soap. It's called "Purity" and it's pretty inexpensive. Won't irritate or dry out your skin.

As a female, y'know what I like? When a guy uses a really good body wash that makes him smell awesome. I bet if you go to Sephora you can find a great body wash that won't irritate your skin.

[nukl92]

You've had a rough time with it. I'm obsessed with keeping my skin clear, and I've been relatively blessed with good skin. Sephora sells this brand Philosophy. They make a really great gentle cleanser if you ever want to try something besides regular soap. It's called "Purity" and it's pretty inexpensive. Won't irritate or dry out your skin.

As a female, y'know what I like? When a guy uses a really good body wash that makes him smell awesome. I bet if you go to Sephora you can find a great body wash that won't irritate your skin.

im not having trouble with the soap i use. if i was to change, i would get Cetaphil which was the soap prescribed to me. but i also might get something that is more appealing to the nose. speaking of, off topic kinda, i never wear cologne, maybe i should. what do girls like?

[lahnnabell]

That's why I suggested Philosophy. It's not specifically for acne, but it keeps your skin soft and cool. If you need something with acne-fighting abilities I'd suggest you check out some of the advanced lines they have at Sephora. Cetaphil is a good cheap option, but I've had a lot of luck with better brands. I spend a lot less money on makeup because I focus on good skincare.

Finding a good cologne is about knowing what works with your chemistry. Lots of people wear the wrong types of fragrances. Gotta figure out what you like and go from there. You can do all of this and more at Sephora. Don't feel like it's a girly store either. Plenty of men, straight and gay go there.

[nukl92]

ya my mom has some Sephora stuff i know. i might ask her about it. i just dont feel like telling her i was on a love forum online and someone gave me advice to buy some Sephora stuff, a little embarrassing lol. i know there is other ways to go about it, just felt like making a joke lol

[lahnnabell]

No worries. My boyfriend makes fun of me when I bring up this forum. I told him that the people on here really helped me when I first joined 2 years ago. I was going through a really rough break up after I had just moved to San Diego. I had very few friends here at first and it helped to have people to converse with late at night when I couldn't sleep. He stopped poking fun after that. My friends on here also helped me through a very epic break up I had last September. My whole family is 3,000 miles away and 3 hours ahead. Luckily last year I had some truly kick ass friendships that helped out enormously too. Hrmm... Kinda digressed there.

They have ads all over about Sephora. Or tell her a friend of yours at school mentioned it!

[nukl92]

friend at school would b funny lol. she wouldnt believe it lol. i have no trouble mentioning it to her. ive had many dating problems over the first year of college, i used this forum alot and most ppl were helpful even tho they always told me what i didnt wanna hear lol. but ya, theres some nice, helpful ppl on this forum, just sometimes i dont get answers quick enough. not that im impatient, i just usually self destruct and do what im asking about before i get advice lol

[lahnnabell]

It's important to have those things you don't want to hear reinforced. The right path is usually the most difficult one.

[nukl92]

amen to that. i never really did anything that wrong, but i have learned alot over my first year of college in the dating and relationships department. i never dated or even tried to in high school, except for a brief gf senior yearl. i dont wanna say im an unlucky guy.... yet. i just havent had any luck with girls so far

[lahnnabell]

Don't worry too much. I used to agonize over never having a boyfriend in middle school. All I could see were boys and girls holding hands and kept thinking that I would never have that. I got made fun of for very stupid reasons (the clothes I wore, my hair, etc.) in elementary school so I'm sure that never helped my self-esteem. My mom was always a source of inspiration and confidence though.

Even when I did get a boyfriend in high school, it was a lot longer before I learned how to truly show myself the respect I deserved. I put up with a lot of BS for a long time from many boyfriends. Young and stupid boys. Girls are the same way. All young people have to fall a bunch of times before they truly learn how to be empathetic towards others. Some people never learn it.

Funny thing about college was that it terms of making friends it was the same as my younger years. There were a few select people that I could identify with on an intellectual level and be friendly with, but mostly all my classmates were rather vapid white kids with comfortable lives (I went to a private liberal arts college in a predominantly white neighborhood). The people I am close to now (I'm 26 now) are the ones I met post-college and those close friends I had in high school.

[bulrush]

Nukl92,
It sounds like you are young, and most young women want a good-looking guy to show off to their friends. It has to do with social status, and that is very important to most women.

Here are some tips to help with acne:
- Stop eating sugar, all of it. No more soda, and no more sweeteners. Only have 100% fruit juice, but only one glass per day max. See below for acceptable sweeteners.
- Stop eating junk food. It often has lots of oils that make acne worse, and lots of starch you don't need either.
- Eat more fruits and veggies. If it's canned fruit, use the ones with light syrup or canned in water (no added sugar). Be careful, many canned fruits that say "no added sugar" have aspartame, which you should avoid.
- Put Bactine on your acne twice a day. It is an antibiotic. You don't need expensive scrubs or medicines.
- Try to wash all areas of your body twice a day if possible. Wash face 3x per day.
- Swimming in a pool every day will probably help dry up your skin and the chlorine will help kill the infection (acne).

Try these things for 3 months and see if it helps. It worked for me.

Sweeteners that are ok are: erythritol, xylitol, saccharine, stevia.

[nukl92]

Nukl92,
It sounds like you are young, and most young women want a good-looking guy to show off to their friends. It has to do with social status, and that is very important to most women.

Here are some tips to help with acne:
- Stop eating sugar, all of it. No more soda, and no more sweeteners. Only have 100% fruit juice, but only one glass per day max. See below for acceptable sweeteners.
- Stop eating junk food. It often has lots of oils that make acne worse, and lots of starch you don't need either.
- Eat more fruits and veggies. If it's canned fruit, use the ones with light syrup or canned in water (no added sugar). Be careful, many canned fruits that say "no added sugar" have aspartame, which you should avoid.
- Put Bactine on your acne twice a day. It is an antibiotic. You don't need expensive scrubs or medicines.
- Try to wash all areas of your body twice a day if possible. Wash face 3x per day.
- Swimming in a pool every day will probably help dry up your skin and the chlorine will help kill the infection (acne).

Try these things for 3 months and see if it helps. It worked for me.

Sweeteners that are ok are: erythritol, xylitol, saccharine, stevia.

Not to sound unappreciative of ur help, but my dermatologist said diet doesn't have anything to do with acne, it's just a myth. I don't ever eat sweets or anything, I only drink water, I do eat junk food, but not alot. And for girls wanting someone to showoff, I understand that and would really like to get to the gym, im not overweight or anything, just a little love handleage going on, just not fit. It's unfortunate that usually guys r the more shallow ones when it comes to looks, but girls my age are just as into looks as guys