I had the worst kind of acne imaginable. I had cystic nodule acne that was painful and scarring. My acne problem started when I was nine years old and stopped when I was twenty. I went to my first dermatologist when I was ten. He took one look at my skin and said I had hormonal acne and over time it would get better on its own. He prescribed me a very mild cream and sent me home. I was so excited that this cream would get rid of my acne. I followed the directions perfectly for three weeks and my acne did not improve at all. I was the only person in the fourth grade with acne, it was extremely embarrassing.
My acne proceeded to get worse the older I got. In middle school my acne spread to my body. My back, chest, neck and face were completely covered in acne by freshmen year of high school. My self-esteem hit an all time low. I wore large hoods over my head to hide my face. I wore long sleeves to cover my upper arms and turtlenecks to cover my neck acne. Some days the heat was unbearable. During this time I went to many different dermatologist who gave me varies pills and creams to cure my acne. Most of them severely stained my clothes and didn’t work very well. It was amazing to me that with all the advances in modern medicine dermatologists didn’t even know how to get rid of blackheads. The few that were effective in treating my skin were only effective while I was using the medication. The instant I went off it my skin would resort back to its old ways.
I was asked by one of my dermatologists that I had gone to years ago to participate in a clinical trial. By this time I was in my first year of college and as insecure as ever. The new drug was called Accutane. I took it for two months under close watch. I had monthly blood tests, weekly doctor visits and took varies tests about the side effects. In two months I didn’t have one zit on my face. Accutane knows how to get rid of pimples unlike any prescription I had ever used. It was amazing! My confidence shot through the rough. It has been five years and my skin looks absolutely beautiful.