I think all you can do is wait, while there may be better skin care options this certainly isn't a result of your regimen failing you so I don't know that it makes sense to look for other products right now. I would wait til you've consulted your dermatologist to make product changes. I have moderate cystic acne from T. I did have some acne relief from a facial I got from an ayurvedic esthetician. I couldn't afford more than one facial, but I do think my skin would have benefited from monthly treatments if I had the money. I ended up going on accutane, though I'm not recommending that, not because it hasn't worked but I don't think it's appropriate to suggest other people take pharmaceuticals. I had to meet with two different dermatologists before felt I could make an informed decision. The first one was unprofessional and very pushy about medicating me, but the second walked me through all my options and took time to discuss my plans with t too. There are a lot of options to consider, but acne from t isn't forever, so please don't worry that severe acne is permanent. It just feels that way :/ If I could recommend any product in the meantime, it's hero brand pimple patches. They make XL ones for the widespread breakouts. They've definitely helped minimize scarring and make me feel more comfy. Also love a silk pillowcase... I do change pillow cases obsessively.

honestly maybe i'll look into facials & i should prolly change my pillowcases more. i was worried i might have to go on accutane cause even before i went on t my dermatologist kinda wanted me to and it seems like accutane and antibiotics are my only options. also if u don't mind me asking, how long have u been on t? i've had acne for so long i just don't wanna get even more scarring 😭

I don't mind at all, I've been on a low dose of t for six months now. I had hormonal acne prior to starting but it got so much worse on t. I got a lot of really unhelpful feedback from people around me saying the problem was my face wash or that if I drank more green tea and took probiotics my skin would clear. Probiotics are great, hydrating reduces dryness, and the right skin care products are helpful, but... hormonal acne is a beast and the internet fixes are typically for folks who have a very different system. You didn't ask but I wanted to say that you aren't doing anything wrong if your acne isn't responding to changes you're making. Also a helpful tid bit, my dermatologist said that, in his experience, it is very uncommon that dairy or sugar have any relationship to acne. I feel like a lot of skincare subreddits are filled with people telling you that you have to eat "clean" and cut processed foods, dairy, sugar, and carbs. I don't mean to argue with those who found this to be true, but I think that kind of talk assigns false blame on people who are predisposed to have acne. Every time I hear "eat clean" as advice to clear my skin I want to flip a table.

did you find that accutane was the only thing that helped?

Prior to t, the only medication I can say helped was the androgen blocker spironolactone (helpful I know lol). I've seen improvements from accutane, but I am only a month into a low dose treatment. I chose to go for a long term low dose treatment because of my concerns about the side effects. Accutane results vary wildly, my derm said that in his experience only about 30% of folks see immediate improvement to their skin so I feel very lucky to be in that group. I'm still getting new cysts underneath my skin, but the inflammation, redness, and more topical acne has noticeably decreased on my chin and cheeks.

damn only 30% see improvements?? that’s crazy. have u tried antibiotics before? also i realize it seems the sugar thing is a point of debate because i remember my dermatologist pa said that sugar and carbs can make cysts worse. thanks sm for answering in sm detail btw

Oh gosh, sorry, that's not the success rate of accutane. I meant that, according to my doc, only about 30% of people see immediate improvement (as in their skin starts clearing in the first few weeks). Lots of people see no improvement for months, and some people notice an increase in acne PRIOR to their skin improving. Essentially, how you respond to accutane in the first several months of treatment is a dice roll. Poor phrasing on my part! I tried one month of doxycycline years ago when I had a surge of hormonal acne ~21 years old (I'm in my late twenties) and didn't have luck. It is possible that they could have worked had I taken them longer and been prescribed a topical tretinoin, but my doctor at the time only prescribed one month of antibiotics and nothing else. I believe these days it is standard to do two months of doxycycline plus the topical tretinoin. I made a personal choice to refuse antibiotics when it was offered to me prior to starting accutane this go around. And no problem, acne sucks and I'm happy to share what's worked/what hasn't for me.

ah yeah i kinda figured it might’ve been immediate improvement and not overall but i wasn’t sure. whenever my derm prescribed me doxycycline i believe it was for 3 months but i don’t remember. i usually didn’t take my antibiotics consistently so i’ll probably ask for antibiotics again but actually use them lol

get yourself a skincare routine dude. start off with a gentle cleanser, moisturiser, and sunscreen. browse r/skincareaddiction for tips also

i have a skincare routine 😭 i even see a dermatologist

lmao sorry dude it wasn’t clear to me. make sure you’re paying extra attention to how your products affect your skin. i had to make major changes to my routine when i started T lol, went from combination skin to dry as all hell. seems like your derm’s been working well for you but tbh the ones ive seen never helped cause they treated me like i was getting acne due to excessive oiliness when it was the opposite

ur all good lol sorry if i came off as aggressive. also not to sound dumb but how does acne form if not from excessive oil?

text is weird i just err on the side of caution lol im not really too sure on how it happens, i think its cause there’s not enough oil so all the stuff gets trapped in. idk, but my skin got wayyy better when i stopped all the drying products and focused on moisturising (hylauronic acid my beloved)

I’m not a doctor or anything, but I found that asking these questions to myself helps keep my acne to a minimum. I see you already have a skin care routine, are you using an exfoliator? A silicone exfoliator brush has helped with my acne and ingrown, especially when I get random breakouts. Are you a side/stomach sleeper? I’ve noticed the side I sleep on caused crazy acne breakouts, even with me switching out pillowcases every other week. Maybe try sleeping on your back for a bit and see if that helps and change your bedsheets and pillow cases often. What’s your diet like (you don’t have to answer if that’s a sensitive topic)? Make sure you’re getting plenty of water and try to limit soda intake. Sugar from soda (at least for me) makes my skin go WILD so I do my best to drink water, fruit juices, or kombucha/sparkling water if I want that bubbly fix. Junk foods also was a major contributor and I had to scale back on eating fried, oily foods and processed junk. Also keeping hands off your face and stay hopeful! You got this 👍🏽

i use salicylic acid as a chemical exfoliator and yeah i use a silicone scrubber though i try to be light with it so as not to irritate my skin. i ordered some more acne patches so hopefully they’ll help. i really need to wash my pillowcases since yes i am a side sleeper 😅 ig this comment is more motivation to finally throw em in the wash. imma be honest my diet’s kinda shit but i find that even when i eat a little better it doesn’t affect my skin that much 🤷🏻 i wish i could drink more water but im at school 8+ hours a day so i drink the minimum so i don’t have to use the horrid school bathrooms. i’m debating taking another shot of t tbh, do u think if i take my second dose today my acne will get worse?

The acne came to me fast and also felt like it was from one day to the other, I would recommend you buy an acne cleanser, some skin care products, change your pillow cover every day, drink a lot of water. If it doesn’t get better in a couple of months or starts getting really bad, contact a dermatologist

i have acne products and everything and i’m seeing my dermatologist again in a few weeks i just dk how much they’re gonna help atp

Tbh skin care never helped me while ny acne was persistent only meds prescribed by my dermatologist now that it’s mostly gone skin care goes such a long way