Clarification : This is all about my point of view, how I deal with the process and my decisions. I am in no way, shape or form telling you how to act, feel or deal with any skin problem you may be having.
So, while everyone is inside and we're experiencing a second lockdown and it's mandatory to be wearing a mask everywhere (in Greece, at least), why not use this time to treat my skin? That'd make a difference when the mask's finally off, now, wouldn't it?
the background
For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, cystic acne is a type of localized inflamation formed when oil ducts become clogged and subsequently ruptured. These "bumps" (cysts) are formed underneath the epidermis (so you cannot pop them even if you'd want to... which you shouldn't. Keep your hands off your face!) and at least in my experience can be painful. I got cysts that I could do nothing about and several times they would swell so much, that my skin covering them would get really "thin", so it would pop when I'd wash my face and it got messy, to put it lightly. So yes, that was painful.
During my finals in high school, it had come to a point where it'd hurt a lot because I was so inflamed. Stress is a funny thing and it can mess up your whole body. But since that was close to summertime, I couldn't be prescribed the treatment (these pills make your skin really sensitive to light, among other things, so it shouldn't be done during the summer time).
Instead, my dermatologist prescribed me some antibiotics, along with a gel called Epiduo (with benzoyl peroxide) for my skin. At the same time, I used a liquid medicated soap called Ampitasol (with triclosan) to cleanse my face. I stopped using that shortly after summer began, as I noticed that my skin would burn after I had used that and then I'd dipped into the sea.
During the hottest months of the year and with the help of the sea as well, my skin improved. The antibiotics did everything they could, along with the gel as well. The gel had a really nice finish on my skin, leaving it feeling smoother, as if there was a light veil on it and texture was minimized. Everything wasn't ideal, but it was for sure better than it was before.
And then Uni rolled by. Don't get me wrong, University wasn't so stressful after all, but the exams at the end of the first semester sure were. I wasn't sleeping properly, I was under pressure because I wanted to ace my exams and everything was a little too much for me. So here I was again, just as inflamed as I was half a year ago.
I did nothing during my first year in Uni to fix that. I didn't expect for my face to break out so much because of the exams. Then corona came in at the start of the second semester, then summer again and... here we are.
To say that I was nervous would be an understatement as the day of my dermatologist appointment approached. I was nervous that he'd find a way around giving my the medication I was so convinced would be the only solution. I'd spent so much time worrying about the pills and the side effects and now I was so ready to get them and get this over with, it's ironic, really.
the intro
So I needed to get some blood tests done and since those turned out good, I was ready to begin with my treatment. I need to get tested every month. I'm aware of several possible side effects, some more sure to appear than others.
The way this goes is that because of the treatment you start to break out. A lot. Your skin is letting out everything that's basically been hiding underneath. Then, your skin gets really dry. Every drop of oil leaves your skin -that's why hydrating and moisturizing is key-. The lack of oil/moisture affects your lips (chapped lips), hair (it won't get oily/greasy as easily), eyes perhaps (dry eyes) etc. The point is that your pimples get dried out and they are gone. There could be more intense side effects like nausea, heaches, rise of cholesterole, recrudescence or appearance of signs of depression and more, which would lead to an abrupt end to the treatment. That's why it is so important to always keep in touch with your doctors and letting them in on the situation. Tests are frequent and so are doctor's appointments.
P.S. #1 : This kind of treatment is only prescribed by a dermatologist after having tried all the other methods (gels, creams, soaps ointments, even antibiotics) and having them fail. It is not "the easy way" to "just stop breaking out". It is also likely that this treatment won't end your suffering, as it may not work for you the first time. Don't mess around with medication.
P.S. #2 : I will be dedicating a lot of articles on the subject here, on my blog and on my Instagram account as well, so make sure you follow me there.
xox,
Eva
