At Home with Dr Christian Jessen - 74

can diminish your immune system.
My acne got worse again - in fact, it
was the worst it had ever been.'

ACNE CAN LEAD
TO ANXIETY AND
DEPRESSION

Painful pustules

'The spots were angry and painful. I
had what's known as "cystic acne",
which is pustules under the skin, and
it's these that cause scarring. There's
a cushion of ﬂuid under the skin
and it causes the skin to be tight,
red and extremely sore. I was ready
to try anything to make it better.
'I was referred to a highly regarded
dermatologist in Leeds, who also did
work for the British Skin Foundation
(www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk).
He suggested I try the controversial
drug Roacutane. It's only prescribed
if you've tried everything else without
success, or you're at risk of scarring.
The drug has been linked with a
risk of suicide, and I had to ﬁll in
a mental health form to make sure
I was suitable to take it.
'Roacutane works by reducing the
oil released by skin glands, and helps
your skin renew itself more quickly.
You take it for four to six months,
but it's aggressive to your liver so
you can't drink while you're on
it, and my skin thinned so I can
never have my eyebrows waxed. You
also have to have a monthly pregnancy
test as it can cause birth defects. It
cleared up my cystic acne completely,
and the skin on my arms, back and
chest was nice and smooth.'

The acne returns

'A few years later, when I was in my
20s, I could feel my pores blocking
up again, and a few spots started
appearing - nothing as bad as it had
been before, but still there. Again, it

DR
CHRISTIAN
SAYS
'I think
embarrassment
should sometimes
be looked at as an
irrational fear. A
fear so ridiculous
that if we stopped
shying away from
problems because
we are scared of
the reaction, then
funnily enough,
we could all laugh
into the face of
them instead! Bad
breath? Hair loss?
Acne? Trust the
doctor, be brave
and tackle those
troubles because
ignoring them
won't make them
disappear.'

'A CONTROVERSIAL DRUG
CLEARED UP MY CYSTIC ACNE
COMPLETELY, AND THE SKIN
ON MY ARMS, BACK AND
CHEST WAS SMOOTH'
was controlled with antibiotics. But I
had to change the type of antibiotics
following a medication review, which
led to another ﬂare up.
'I went straight back to the same
dermatologist, who told me there
was nothing left to put me on. Much
074 | MARCH 2015

HELP FOR YOU

Treatments for acne include:

to my relief, as I knew it had worked
before, he put me on a second
course of Roacutane. It's rare to
have two courses of the drug in a
lifetime, but luckily for me I didn't
suffer any negative side effects.
'Now my acne is under control,
I'm happy. I'm still on the Pill and I
continue to use a medicated cream
every night. The regime seems to
work for now, and I don't want to
change my routine and upset the
apple cart. I do worry about what
will happen if I want to have a
family and have to stop taking the
Pill, but I'll have to see.
'Acne is a medical condition - it's
not just teenage spots, and if you're
diagnosed it needs to be dealt with
medically, so don't be afraid to seek
professional advice. It's not caused
by anything you've done - you can't
give yourself acne by eating bad food.
And don't ignore it, because the
longer you leave it, the more longterm damage will be done to your
skin because of the scarring. My
most important advice? Don't let it
get you down - and keep smiling!'

BENZOYL PEROXIDE: A topical
treatment generally used for mild
spot-related conditions.
TOPICAL RETINOIDS: These
work by reducing the production of
sebum, while preventing dead skin
cells plugging the hair follicles.
HERBORIUM (ACNEASE):
A botanical acne treatment (no
chemicals are involved). You take
pills to return sebaceous glands
to their normal activity.
TOPICAL ANTIBIOTICS: These
help to kill the bacteria on the skin
that can infect plugged hair follicles.
Available as a lotion or gel.
ANTIBIOTIC TABLETS: Usually
used in combination with a topical
treatment to treat more severe acne.
HORMONAL THERAPIES: The
combined oral contraceptive pill
can help, especially if your acne
ﬂares up around your periods.
CO-CYPRINDIOL: A hormonal
treatment used for more severe acne
that doesn't respond to antibiotics. It
reduces the production of sebum.
ISOTRETINOIN: Helps to reduce
and normalise sebum production,
but can cause severe side effects.
http://www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk
At Home with Dr Christian Jessen

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