You have acne and you’ve tried everything you can think of to get rid of it. Have you considered the possibility that you skin condition might not be acne?
I can remember the day I discovered that my acne wasn’t exactly acne. After staring in mirror at my pimply-covered forehead, I had to finally admit that none of the previous acne treatments I’ve tried—including a variety of topical creams, medicated facial washes, hormone pills or supplements—seemed to improve the acne in that particular area of my face. Not even the “Clear Skin Weekend” anti-inflammatory diet made a difference to the minefield of small pustules on my forehead. As I stared in the mirror, I remembered this fact: The only time I had completely clear skin all over my face was when an overpriced dermatologist put me on a long antibiotic course to treat my acne. (Sidenote: Now, in hindsight, I understand that using antibiotics to treat acne is a lose-lose solution that will not work long-term, but at the time I was willing to try anything.) I then wondered: Why is there an overgrowth of bacteria in one particular area of my skin?